Evergreen thickets, captivating views of hills and valleys, cascades plummeting from rocks, small stretches of peeping backwaters, several swift streams rushing to join the river Sharavathy, an assortment of diverse flora and fauna, ancient fort ruins remnant of past glory, beautiful Jain temples, scattered hamlets, terraced fields in perfect arrangement, quaint houses with tiled-roof, the Sharavathy Valley promises a mixed bag of nature, adventure, history and culture.
Located on the evergreen slope of the Western Ghats, the Sharavathy Valley is loaded with all the ingredients for an ideal outdoor holiday. Moderately undulated, the area has patchy tropical jungle interspersed with acacia plantations (part of a 1970’s afforestation plan by the forest department). Hamlets dot the valleys with Deewaru (an indigenous community) and Jain communities comprising of the ethnic majority. While the forests and the hills infuse the wilderness, the red roofed homes and the terraced paddy fields further domesticate the landscapes. The wilderness here seems to have engulfed the history of the place, literally.
Kanoor Kote hike: an ancient military fort of the Pepper queen (Rani Channabhairadevi), Kanoor Kote is steeped in mystery. Approachable from many directions, the terrain in moderately undulated with some steep uphill and down hills sections. However the trail is well defined and more for most parts a narrow mud road. The final section near the fort entrance is wild and untouched. Inside the fort, tropical vegetation has claimed most part of the ruins. The secret tunnels, many wells, living areas, the temple perched on a high ground and an old pond are among the attractions within the fort.
- Outdoor time: 2 days
- Degree of difficulty: Easy
- Accommodation: in tents or rural home
- Nature’s Call: outdoors
- Food: simple vegetarian; choice between local hospitality and camp food
- Best time – October to January
- Outdoor Time: ideally three days, but even two days will do
- Difficulty: Moderate - involves 4-6 hours of hiking per day covering a total distance of 15-20 kms over a span of two/three days.
- Accommodation: in tents or rural homes
- Nature’s call: outdoors
- Food: vegetarian; choice between local hospitality and camp food
- Pick up point for all hikes: Sagar private bus stand
- Best time: all year round
- Outdoor time: 2 to 3 days
- Difficulty: Moderate (during summer, the sun is an added challenge)
- Accommodation: tents and fishermen homes
- Food: camp food, excepting one meal with a fisherman family
- Nature’s call: outdoors
- Best time: October to January
- Outdoor time: 1 or 2 days
- Difficulty: moderate (often involves challenging terrain as you near the waterfall)
- Accommodation: tents or rural homes
- Food: camp food
- Nature’s call: outdoors
- Best time: June to December
Located in the central portion of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, most of these hikes are based in and around the Sharavathy valley. The main start point for all hikes except (the beach hike which starts from Honnavar on the coast) are Sagar town.
Getting there: