[zaks]

Hi,
We a group of 6 are going on the Sakleshpur railway track trek this weekend. But once we trek to Yedakumeri how far is the nearest town? Can we get empty room in the railways station if we are late or do we need to carry tents? Some info on the current weather also needed.

Thanks.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by zaks

Hi,
We a group of 6 are going on the Sakleshpur railway track trek this weekend. But once we trek to Yedakumeri how far is the nearest town? Can we get empty room in the railways station if we are late or do we need to carry tents? Some info on the current weather also needed.

Thanks.

Do people still trek there ? till the train services resumed, it used to be a heaven for trekkers

Now my friend, you will have chances of getting stuck on a railway bridge as there will be trains running frequenty on this route

[VTEC_Rocks]

Moreover, the railway station where we used to setup our camp no longer can be used as it is used my commuters now.
Not the right time to go on a trek. All the water streams would have dried up.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by zaks

Hi,
We a group of 6 are going on the Sakleshpur railway track trek this weekend. But once we trek to Yedakumeri how far is the nearest town? Can we get empty room in the railways station if we are late or do we need to carry tents? Some info on the current weather also needed.

Thanks.

Well, there is no 'town' nearby Yedakumari. There are 3 ways to get off from Yedakumari.

1. Walk downhill and cross Kemphole to join the highway (NH-48) a few kms before gundya. Here, you can hitch a ride on lorry or a bus (if it stops) to either Gundya or Sakleshpur (there is no bus stop here, nearest is Gundya)

2. Continue along the track till Kukke Subramanya and exit from there.

3. Climb uphill after Yedakumari station for about 3-5 kms (not sure) to reach Kaginahare village. There is ruined fort/watch tower here. You can spend some time here also. Offers good views all around. There is a bus from Kaginahare to Sakleshpur at 12 pm. The next 'big' village from here is Hongadahalla.

I have personally trekked the 3rd route. You can also find some details on Kaginahare in the following link.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...aginahare.html

One more option is to request the station master to put you on the Mangalore-Yesvantpur express which stops in the middle of the night (probably around 11 pm) or the Yesvantpur-Mangalore express at around 5.30 am. There is no passenger stop for this station.

Regarding the railway station, there are no rooms or quarters as such. If you ask some railway worker, they may arrange it for a fee. When I trekked, we took a tent and slept on the platform. The station master started shouting at us and asked us to go back. But later he himself shut up after we did not budge an inch (of course, we got a tip from a railway worker on how to handle the station master)

EDIT: @ VTEC_Rocks, Yedakumari station is not used by commuters. No tickets are issued here or to here. It is just a supply station for railway workers.

Of course, the weather will hot & water streams would have dried up. better take enough water before you start the trek

[zaks]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Well, there is no 'town' nearby Yedakumari. There are 3 ways to get off from Yedakumari.

1. Walk downhill and cross Kemphole to join the highway (NH-48) a few kms before gundya. Here, you can hitch a ride on lorry or a bus (if it stops) to either Gundya or Sakleshpur (there is no bus stop here, nearest is Gundya)

By what time should we reach the station if we are to make to the town hitching a ride?

3. Climb uphill after Yedakumari station for about 3-5 kms (not sure) to reach Kaginahare village. There is ruined fort/watch tower here. You can spend some time here also. Offers good views all around. There is a bus from Kaginahare to Sakleshpur at 12 pm. The next 'big' village from here is Hongadahalla.

By what time should we reach the station if we are to make this possible? Can we stay here?

Of course, the weather will hot & water streams would have dried up. better take enough water before you start the trek

Will all streams be dry? because without water it is not fun at all.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by zaks

By what time should we reach the station if we are to make to the town hitching a ride?

Yedakumari is 17.5 kms from Donigal station. You may have to reach the station by 2-3 pm. There are a few trails around and you can be confused in the fading light and also you have to cross Kemphole river, so better try it while there is still light.

By what time should we reach the station if we are to make this possible? Can we stay here?

Yes, you can stay here. There is a temple in the village which has some rooms for pilgrims. If you can talk to the priest, he may arrange for it. If you have a tent, you can stay next to the school. But again, you must complete the forest climb while there is still light. The sunlight fades away very fast due to the thick tree cover and you might miss the trail. Try to leave the station by at least 2 pm. Else, you can stay at the station and start the climb to Kaginahare by 8 am the next day. You can reach by 11 am.

Will all streams be dry? because without water it is not fun at all.

All minor streams will be dry. There are a couple of big streams which might have not dried up this early. But you may have to climb down near a bridge. But better be safe and carry atleast 2 liters of water per person.

One more thing: Watch out for the big things. Both Trains & elephants. You'll definitely encounter trains (cross the bridges ASAP). You may also encounter elephants, but they are not frequently seen.

[ampere]

This trek is now not advisable. I did this 4 years back. Now there is one morning and one night train on this stretch from Bangalore to Mangalore. (I think it has been extended).

There may other passenger trains also that may be running.

During those times there were two options.

• Get down at Sakleshpur and walk till Kukke. There is one station in between (I forget the name)

• Go till Kukke and walk back to Sakleshpur.

We did the second thing. For that you will need a ride from Kukke to the Subramanya road station. From where you start walking.
But now I would advice not do this trek.

[kadri007]

There are many goods train running these days. I think every 2/3 hours around the day the trains are running. So not a safe place to trek.

Try out Kodachadri or Kudremukha Hills for trek.

Here are some pics of Bangalore - Mangalore Train.

http://www.yeshwanthlive.com/home/photos-1

[ampere]

Originally Posted by kadri007

There are many goods train running these days. I think every 2/3 hours around the day the trains are running. So not a safe place to trek.

Try out Kodachadri or Kudremukha Hills for trek.

Here are some pics of Bangalore - Mangalore Train.

My Photos (Yeshwanth Live)

Yashwanth,

Terrific photos of the train. I have been planning for the day journey for quite some time. Need to do it fast !

[kadri007]

Originally Posted by ampere

Yashwanth,

Terrific photos of the train. I have been planning for the day journey for quite some time. Need to do it fast !

Hi Ampere,

The train journey would be really exciting during Monsoon season. Especially between June - August.

I am also planning once more during the monsoon time to get the view of numerous waterfalls.

You can plan to go by train and come by day time bus. The Shiradi ghat view in daytime during monsoon time is also amazing.

[zaks]

I heard some recent news that trekkers were sent back at one of these stations, is it true?

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by ampere

This trek is now not advisable. I did this 4 years back. Now there is one morning and one night train on this stretch from Bangalore to Mangalore. (I think it has been extended).

There may other passenger trains also that may be running.

Originally Posted by kadri007

There are many goods train running these days. I think every 2/3 hours around the day the trains are running. So not a safe place to trek.

Guys, there is no need to fear. There is ample space alongside the tracks to get out of the train's way. Goods trains run all through the day. There is only one passenger day train running. When you are walking along the tracks, you can hear the trains coming from a long distance. So, you will have enough time to get out of the way. Only the bridges are dangerous (when a train is approaching), so better cross bridges as soon as possible.

As this is the onset of summer, you might find elephants crossing the tracks to drink water, so you may have to watch out for them.

Originally Posted by zaks

I heard some recent news that trekkers were sent back at one of these stations, is it true?

Do you know which station this was in? Between Donigal & Yedakumari, there is only Kadagaravalli station. All I know is that the Yedakumari station master is not very receptive to trekkers. I don't know if it is the same person or a different person now. We never faced any problem from the railway staff during our trek.

[zaks]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Do you know which station this was in? Between Donigal & Yedakumari, there is only Kadagaravalli station. All I know is that the Yedakumari station master is not very receptive to trekkers. I don't know if it is the same person or a different person now. We never faced any problem from the railway staff during our trek.

I checked and it seems one of my friends relative who went for trekking in this route with friends was refused permission at Donigal station but when they bribed the station master and proceeded they were sent stopped again at yedakumari station master. They also asked that they have to get permission from Forest authorities in Hassan.

Now what to do?

[addyhemmige]

What did they do after that?

In our case, we started off from Donigal station at around 5.30-6.00 am. The station master was nowhere to be seen. We were there for almost an hour before we started off.

I don't think permission is required from the DFO (not sure though). But according to rules, you are not supposed to walk on the tracks. That is illegal. While trekking, you will find railway gangmen walking along the tracks. Ask for suggestions from them on how to tackle the station master.

There was 1 guy at the station. He looked like a senior technician or gangman (i don't know exactly). He told us to ignore the rants of the station master. As long as we gave him some 'protection' money (read as bribe), we were okay. He also helped us to get a stove (for rent) for cooking.

One way to avoid Donigal station is to travel to the point where the highway meets the tracks. There is only one place in the entire ghat section where the road and the tracks meet. This is just after Donigal station. You can get a drop till here and start off. In case of KSRTC, buy a ticket to Gundya and request the driver to stop at this place.

[addyhemmige]

Hey zaks, did you complete the trek?