[mpksuhas]

We been regulars at different Jungle lodges and resort properties (JLR, not the automobile one). However, since past couple of years, rates at almost all of their resorts have increased exponentially making even a weekend stay an expensive affair.

However, almost like an online stalker, I keep checking their website once in a while. That is when I noticed about their property in Kuderemukh.

Though I had seen this property in their website earlier, I had not checked the details since Kuderemukh was a trekking destination for me. I was hoping of doing the trek sometime and the visit to the national park was supposed to happen only then.


However, a free weekend at start of December came up. On checking JLR website, the cheapest location was their nature camp at Kuderemukh at Rs 4,484 for a room of two inclusive of food. Without thinking twice, made the booking.


1 - Dec - 2018

As with past few trips towards reaching Tumkur road we decide to take ORR instead of NICE road. This I had noticed is faster option, you will get stuck at slow moving toll lanes at NICE road Hosur road entry, then on entering Tumkur road, you need to be ready to be stuck behind huge line of trucks at NICE road Tumkur road entry.



We start from home at 04:35 AM, ORR however was crowded than usual. After reaching KR Puram we decided to leave ORR and head through Ulsoor - TV Tower - Mekhri circle. Soon we reach Tumkur road and then later exit towards Hassan highway. Time is 05:38 AM.






Since its early, we decided to skip our usual breakfast stop on this road Hotel Mayura and head towards Hassan.

We cross Hassan bye-pass by 07:10 AM and Belur by 07:46 AM. However past Mudigere there is drainage work ongoing at multiple locations, the deviations are well managed though.

We make our first stop at Fresh Bean Cafe, Banakal at 08:35 AM.

I was not sure if the place will be open, however it was and it looked like we were their first customers. Odo reading is 288 KMs.

After a half hour stop, we start at 09:11 AM


Past Banakal drive becomes bit slow thanks to curvy mountain roads, however road conditions remain good throughout.




We cross Kalasa at 10:20 AM. Road conditions are patchy at certain sections, however nothing to be concerned about.




Soon we reach Kudremukh forest checkpost. One need to get down and collect a slip from the checkpost which list your vehicle number. The same has to be handed over at check post on other side (west / towards Udupi) side within 1.5 hours.

Since our place of stay is between these two checkposts, we need to keep the slip with us and then get it sealed from resort people before heading back the next day.

It is not required to pay for entry.







Road past checkpost











Evidence of heavy rains this season is visible

[mpksuhas]

Day 1 Ctd


Kudremukh township

Location

Enroute to resort is the old mining town of Kudremukh Iron Ore company. The mining area is on left and township on the right side while driving west.

A circle on the road made using couple of huge tyres is the landmark. Entry to the mining area is blocked for public, however one can visit the township.




Entry to mining area




We head into the now abandoned township, at start of the township is Bhagawati temple, one of the better buildings.




Past that is the old school building.




Compared to other buildings, there is something eerie in seeing a school which is abandoned.











I decide to get in to the school campus and take a look around.

The school building should have been a beautiful one and it is sad to see it in ruins.














Children's notebooks lying around




As per news reports, the school had 172 students and was working for 30 years. It was closed in 2014 when KIOCL stopped funding the school.

News link

When the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL) stopped functioning, the staff and labourers lost their jobs. Then came the turn of their children whose education got discontinued due to the closure of the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kudremukh, the company stopped providing financial aid to the institution.

[mpksuhas]

Day1 Ctd

Past that we head to living quarters














There are around 20 permanent employees and 50 odd contract employees working for KIOCL here, few of them are staying in the quarters. They are incharge of taking care of the property.


Backdrop of hills against quarters and road




From there we head to far end of the township, most of the places of worship are located here. Few of them are still in use as per what KIOCL employee later told me.

However, the place was isolated and we decided to skip the same




There was a hotel inside the township earlier, the place again is closed for public. However, they have few rooms open for KIOCL employees still.



Sahyadri Bhavan

Location

I walk in, to check the hotel. There was a dried up swimming pool behind the hotel, however I decide to head inside the hotel and see.







Most of the doors are locked and only the one leading to kitchen is open, inside the huge kitchen with high walls I find a lady busy in her work.

She explains that the labourers have food from there and that else the hotel is closed.

On enquiring about the township in general, she takes me to a hall which is used as dining area now and explains how the township was in its heydays by showing pictures hung on the wall.










For a hotel catering to an industrial town some 3 decades back, this is a luxurious place.

[mpksuhas]

Day 1 Ctd

Kudremukh park

Location

When township was occupied, this was one of the major tourist attraction. However, the place is in ruins now.


Road to park




Park main gate




A photo opportunity near the park





A small bridge enroute to park, you can see the town pump house and the temple about which I was saying earlier in the background.




Closed bank building



Recreation center






Basketball court




Nehru circle



This is another landmark which you will come across in all older township related logs.

[mpksuhas]

Day 1 Ctd

It takes us around 30 minutes to see around township, we not head towards nature camp.

Past Kudremukh, it's a beautiful road towards nature camp.








Enroute to the camp, we cross Lakya Dam.



Lakya Dam


Location


Though termed as dam, the actual requirement for building structure was to prevent silt from mining areas to enter river water.

However, currently entry to dam is banned by forest department thanks to tourist littering the area.

Tourist department signboard with Lakya dam painted away.




Entry to dam




Earth dam as seen from road





Past that we soon reach nature camp.

[mpksuhas]

Ctd day 1


Bhagavathi Nature camp


Location


We reach the camp at 12:00 PM, ODO reading was 365 KM.


Turn off towards camp from main road.






Camp is located 1KM away from main road.




The camp is a smaller one compared to other JLR properties. It has 4 wooden cottages and 10 tents. However, out of 10 tents only 4 are currently open for guests since remaining ones are in need for repair.


As you enter the camp, on the left side is the parking and adjacent to that is the dining room and reception.




Road from reception to cottages




Tents




Wooden cottages




Interior of cottage




The cottage is spacious and clean.


We settle in and then head for lunch around 1.30 PM, past that we take a walk around the property. Next to camp is Bhadra river, it is shallow and slow over here. Camp employee was saying its safe to swim around here. We spend some time around the river and then head back to cottage for a short nap.

By 04:00 PM we go back to dining area for tea before evening walk. Few other guests join us for the walk which is supposed to take us to near the main road then parallel to the road on a mud track till river bank. A distance of roughly 1.5KM one side.


To one side of the road is a watchtower, we decide to visit that the next day.




Grass hills surrounding the place






Soon we reach the mud road



The road is used by forest department to transport supplies to their anti-poaching camps inside the forest.


However parallel to the road is this ominous looking signboard, this notifies that there is a pipeline running below.




This pipeline which runs for around 100 KM was put during mining times to transport slurry from mine to KIOCL plan in Mangalore.

When the mine was operational, this pipe had ruptured once and spilled its content across fields causing much uproar.

There been talks of transporting water to city of Mangalore using this pipes since past few years, not sure if the plan was put to use or not.






Soon we reach river




After spending some time we head back since it has started getting dark. Enroute we find this guy.

Initially I was of impression that it is a baby Krait, however a query in our snakes thread clarified that it is a baby Keelback.





It was getting dark and we head back to cottage




Once back at camp, after having snacks we head back to room, only to come out for dinner.

There is no electricity in the camp, from evening till past dinner time they run generator with solar lights as backup. After that you will be given a kerosene lantern.

[mpksuhas]

Day 2

02-Dec - 2018

There are no activities at camp for second day, hence we decide to take an optional jeep ride which cost Rs 3000 per jeep. Since two other family at resort were planning of this, we join with them to share the cost across three families.

Though the camp employees call it as a safari, there is minimal chances of spotting any animals around here apart from deers.

We wake up to a misty morning







After a cup of warm tea, around 07:00 AM we start in the jeep.





Natives are surprised







After a drive of about 40 minutes, we reach on top of a hill located opposite the resort.









Our drive




We are back at resort by around 09:00 AM. We head to the watchtower we saw the previous day, views from that are not that great. Past that we head for breakfast.

We have a heavy breakfast and head back to our cottage. Around 11:00 AM we check-out and start back to Bangalore.

[mpksuhas]

Day 2 ctd

Soon we cross tea plantations




We reached Kalasa at 11:45 AM




Belur - Hassan road



Hassan - Bangalore highway was crowded since it was a Sunday afternoon, we decided not to stop at initial restaurants to avoid the crowd and kept driving till Swati delicacy.

We reach Swati at 03:27 PM, the place was crowded as expected. We have a quick lunch and start by 03:55 PM




We reach Nelmangala - Tumkur road junction by 04:40 PM and NICE road toll by 04:55 PM, since NICE road crowd was just building up we were able to cross NICE road and reach Hosur road exit by 05:30 PM.

ODO reading 725 KMs.

[mpksuhas]

Ecological impact of Kudremukh


Irrespective of what ones stand is on the mining and its impact, it should be agreed that the township is a well planned one much ahead of its time.

In a way, KIOCL was doomed from starting. The mine was planned keeping in mind export requirement to Iran since there was demand for iron / steel there. However, around the same time thanks to Iran revolution that market dried up.

KIOCL did find other export locations and did run the show for many years from then. However the ecological impact was too high, those interested can watch this video by one of the environmentalist who had gone to court for getting the mine closed .

https://youtu.be/MKQc-VzFRxA

As always the most affected are the poor. Apart from the farmers whose water source mixed with silt and dams getting filled with silt from upstream, the labourers of KIOCL still are hoping for proper place to call home. Next to the township which is lying in ruins, there are sheds in which the labourers are living waiting for government to rehabilitate them more than a decade after the mine was closed.

https://youtu.be/03CMdI1NY10

Even more than a decade since mining was stopped, this is how mountains inside a reserve forest looks like now.


Location

[mpksuhas]

Epilogue

• Start point to Kudremukh trek is around 20 KM's from the camp.
• Mobile networks are not available in the camp. Some half KM away from the camp towards the main road is location where you get BSNL signal.
• Hot Water is provided in a bucket in morning at camp, there is no geyser present.
• Food is not USP for any JLR's as such, however food here was bit too basic, especially lunch.
• Gangamoola, the origin of three rivers - Tunga, Badhra & Netravati is closed to tourist due to menace of plastic waste disposal by unruly tourists.

[aah78]

Thread moved to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

[Mahesh Prasad]

Wonderful Travelogue Suhaas. Loved the pictures too. Have been a long time reader of your travelogues and feel this one was long due.


Kudremukh is actually an underrated travel destination with many hidden locations with breathtaking views. I too visited Kalasa during last week of November, my Brother-in-law runs a Restaurant there. He took us to some beautiful spots. Kyatanamakki Hills view Point is such one place which offers mesmerizing 360 degree views and an amazing sunset & sunrise.


Attaching a video & a few pictures of the same.

https://youtu.be/21l6x96JFLo

https://youtu.be/6G3RGwiTQfk

This one is from Ambaateertha.

https://youtu.be/B-0xxI81NxA

Also a few other places to visit would be Rani Jhari View Point, Ambaa Teertha, Ballalarayana Durga fort & also the Kalaseshwara & Horanadu Temples. All these places are located well within 15-20 Kms from Kalasa. Since these places are relatively unknown, they are litter free, peaceful and one can spend hours just sitting there and watching nature's splendor.

[whitewing]

Thanks for the excellent travelogue, brought back old memories.


I had been to Bhagavathi nature camp maybe a 12-15 years back, at that time I think forest department was running the place and as I remember, there were no cottages or tents, but a just a dormitory and basic kitchen.

[a_bharadwaj]

Excellent piece. Nice pictures. As stated above, its possible to visit many more places - but need forest dept permission.
Sad to see the plight of the town & sufferings of the people. Hope they get their due!

[snaseer]

Originally Posted by Mahesh Prasad

Wonderful Travelogue Suhaas. Loved the pictures too. Have been a long time reader of your travelogues and feel this one was long due.


Kudremukh is actually an underrated travel destination with many hidden locations with breathtaking views. I too visited Kalasa during last week of November, my Brother-in-law runs a Restaurant there. He took us to some beautiful spots. Kyatanamakki Hills view Point is such one place which offers mesmerizing 360 degree views and an amazing sunset & sunrise.

Beautiful place indeed, reminds me of Mandalpatti at Coorg.
From where can we get the transportation Jeep to take us to the top of the Kyatanamakki Hills?