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| Thiruvananthapuram secretariat |
Thiruvananthapuram, the "City of Seven Hills" is endowed with exceptional scenic beauty and is an exciting gateway to the most exotic land, called Kerala, The clean, green and beautiful capital city of Kerala is named "Thiru-Anantha-Puram" after the sacred mythological serpent Anantha, on whose coil Lord Vishnu reclines amidst the cosmic ocean.
The beautiful seaside city was earlier called Trivandrum and lies just 87 Kms, from the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent.
I was staying at
Fortune Hotel The South Park on M.G. Road, primarily because of its location- just 08 Kms away from the Airport and 3 Kms from the Railway station and the City bus station. As I returned from shopping, I found Ramesh and Neeta with two of their friends in the foyer waiting for me. Though looking disheveled and tired, they smiled and got up.
“So, how was it”? I asked them eagerly.
“It was great, uncle Kiran. A memorable trek, indeed. Nobody can dream of beautiful mountains in south Kerala and such a thrilling trek to Agasthyakoodam which is one of the highest peaks in Kerala and is famous for its rare medicinal plants and herbs”, said Ramesh excitedly.
“
Wow! Let’s go to the bar and hear about your adventure”, I said eagerly
“We were missing you, uncle, but we know you couldn't help it because of your scheduled lecture in the university”, said Ramesh initiating their narrative a bit apologetically.
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| Agasthyakoodam Peak |
The story of Agasthyakoodam adventure trek as told to me by Ramesh and his friends-“We had to get the passes (permission letter) from the wild life warden’s office in PTP Nagar, Trivandrum which we secured well in advance.
On the day of the trek, we started our journey from
Thiruvananthapuram by 5:00AM in my car and reached
Bonacaud by 6:00AM. Bonakkad is a small village situated right below the Agasthya mountain ranges and consists of forest, tea estates, waterfalls and ruins of old buildings that the British left behind. These old buildings and not so well maintained tea estates stand as silent monuments to the past glory of the place.
All those who set out to scale
Agasthyakoodam will have to make the trek from this village as this holy hill is accessible only by foot.
Agasthyakoodam is only 32 kilometers from the Neyyar Dam and is perennially wet with water from the
Thamirabarani River.
The Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve forms an integral part of this hill range that is found in the
Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats.
From there we moved on to the forest check point. We parked our car at the check point and headed towards a small counter where the forest personnel stamped our passes, made entries in the logbook,checked our luggage (for alcohol I guess) and briefed us on the importance of the place and the code of conduct that needs to be followed during the trek. We bought lunch from the canteen at the check post after which we were grouped into teams of 10 and assigned under a guide who lead us to entrance of the trek path.
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| The beginning of Agasthyakoodam trek |
The initial tract of the trek was green, with large trees and shrubs, and as we moved on, it changed to semi-green, with trees looking bare w
ithout leaves, followed by grasslands, awesome dense forests, beautiful waterfalls, fallen trees, streams and steep climbs.We reached the base camp by around 4:30PM. Though the trek was arduous we never felt tired which I believe was due scenic route and the freshness of the air. From the base camp we could see the peak of Agasthyamalai at a distance. |
| Amazing Agasthyakoodam |
As the peak and the surrounding area encompasses two recognized Reserves, we were to witness an amazing a fascinating variety of flora and fauna. Trekking through its terrain took us through thick forests that thrive with a variety of plant, animal and bird species. That being said, one of these being a Tiger Reserve (Kalakkad-Mundanthurai), means that you were bound to see some wild animals and yes, on our trek, we saw few of them-a Gaur and Nilgiri marten.In terms of trails, there are two main options to choose from. One, the 24 kilometer trek through a jungle that has great potential to sight elephants and bears. Two, a 28 kilometer trail that delivers you right at the peak of Agasthyakoodam.Soon after the sunset, it became very cold and cold wind started blowing all around. It was 7 pm and time for our dinner. We all were starving and hungry. For the dinner they make a traditional food of kerala ie: Kanji (hot rice water) along with salt and fried Moong Dal (Lentil). It was not delicious but enough to keep you going for another day. After the dinner we made a small camp fire and enjoyed the warm glow of it. It was totally a different experience in this part of India. We went back to the dormitory hall to sleep around 11pm. As we decided the previous night that we will be starting early morning at around 5am. We woke up at 4am and got ready and started trekking in the dark with another group. It was hard to walk and the route was more tougher and dense. But some how after trekking for 1 hr we reached quite a height and was able to get some sunlight to track our route.It was 8 Kms from the base camp and the more we reached ahead the more steeper the route became, finally we were crawling on our knees and it was 80 degree steep. We actually crossed kerala border and came in Tamil nadu and then we started finally to kerala to reach the top of the hill. We need to cross the two major spots to reach the peak and they were Pongalapara and AC Vanam ( AC forest). The AC vanam is fully surrounded with lot of trees and you have a pleasant smell of the ayurvedic species.We were told that there is no chance for getting fever for another one month due to the effect of this . We realised the reason for making the area as a reserved forest and the importance of Ayurveda. After 2 and half hour we reached the top of the mountain. It felt the same as I felt on being on the top of the Himalayan range. Its inexpressible. Here we found the Agansthayamuni small temple when many devotee were praying and performing rituals. After worshiping I went on the other side of the hill and I could see the whole kerala beneath me. Mesmerized we sat there and I don't know when I slept, I felt so light that I was ready to stay there for my whole life.Agasthyakoodam (Agathiyar Malai, Agasthyarkoodam) was a 1,868 meter peak that was wedged between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and was the second highest peak of Kerala after Anamudi.The plant of eternal health
While returning back to the base camp we saw (as told by our guide John) a very special herb called 'Arogya pacha' (the plant of eternal health), which has attracted the attention of modern research. Rare flower which blooms once in 12 years
Also found the purplish-blue Neelakurinji flower, from which Nilgiris (The Blue Mountains) receives its name. The special about it was that it flowers once in 12 years in spectacular spreads that engulf the hills with their bloom. Agasthyakoodam is only one of two places in Kerala where this flower can be found.Undoubtedly, Agasthyakoodam hill offers an exhilarating trail that is capable of satisfying the most avid trekkers"I was thrilled to hear their adventure and resolved to undertake Agasthyakoodam Trek during my next visitBy then we were a bit tipsy with few cans of beer and decided to hit buffet dinner with all our guns in the gut!  |
| Route map for Agasthykoodam |
Route map
Agasthyakoodam is located 50kms north east of Trivandrum and in-between Trivandrum and Ponmudi. It is accessible via road. KSRTC operates regular bus services from Trivandrum and Neyyatinkara to Bonacaud, from where the trek starts.The minimum duration for Agasthyakoodam Trek is two days, which needs to be completed in two phases.The first phase of Agasthyakoodam Trek is the trek to the base camp which is around 20 kilometres from the Forest checkpoint at Bonacaud, there is a small shelter (dormitory like arrangement which stands dreaming and gasping for some maintenance) where you can stay overnight, and a canteen where you would be served dinner and breakfast.Bathroom facilities exist and are well maintained. The second phase involves a steep and tiring trek of 10km to the peak of Agasthyakoodam and if time permits, the trek back to the Forest checkpoint.Information on trek
Agasthyakoodam is open to public only from January to April.You need to take prior permissions from the wild life warden’s office in PTP Nagar, Trivandrum for the trek to Agasthyakoodam, by submitting an application form along with photostat copies of two valid ID cards and an amount of INR350/person. They have a limit to the number of passes they issue an year for Agasthyakoodam Trek, so make sure that you contact the wildlife warden’s office in advance.Females are not allowed for this trek /pilgrimage. For more information call up assistant wildlife warden’s office at +91-471-2360762.Distance Chart
Thiruvananthapuram-78km | Bonacaud-28km | Vithura-198km | Quilon-123km | Palode-56km | Nedumangad-33.6km | (This includes the trek distance of 28kms).How to obtain a forest pass
Contact: 0471-2360762E-mail: ww-trivandrum@forest.kerala.gov.inAddress: Office of the Wildlife Warden,Wild life Division,Vattiyoorkkavu .P.O,PTP Nagar, ThiruvananthapuramWebsite for Kerala govt forest dept for the park: http://117.239.77.10/~forusr/forestabp/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=56http://rohanstravelogue.blogspot.in/2011/02/agasthyakoodam-lifetime-trek.htmlThings to do
The main activities you can indulge in are adventure, photography and trekking. You can also spend time in the small streams at the base camp.Things to carry
Good trekking shoesFood /Snacks / Chocolates (Take care not to litter the place with food stuffs and plastics. Alcohol is banned and you can get into trouble if you are carrying it)WaterSalt (To fight leaches, though I didn't have any issues)CameraBinocularsThick socks Bed sheets and towels for your stay in the base campCap/Sunscreen lotionFor a perfect trekking gear visit this postWhere to stay
There is a dormitory at the base camp of the trek about 20 km from Bonacaud which provides decent accommodation with basic facilitiesQuick Facts
- When to go- November to April
- Altitude:1868 M
- Level of difficulty-Moderate
- Transportation by road up to BONACAUD
- Also known as AGASTYAMALA TREK
- Safety: SAFE
- Nearest petrol station: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
- Mobile coverage:YES
- Nearest bus station:BONACAUD