It is necessary to heal our body and mind to enjoy life in its fullest while travelling. Therefore, I reached Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday night and checked into my hotel for the next day's trek to Kathirumudi, which is situated in Agasthya mountain ranges located in Thiruvananthapuram district, in the Indian state of Kerala.
In the next morning, five of us gathered at Thampanoor, and started to Kappukad in a car at around 6.30 am as the sun was rising. Had a pit stop for breakfast. It was a Diwali day and most of the shops and hotels were closed.
As per the itinerary, our reporting at Kappukad Elephant Rehabilitation Center was at 8.00 AM. You will also get bus from Thambanoor KSRTC Bus stand to Kottur. Kottur is an important place and is situated 30 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Kappukad which is the base of this trek, is 2 km far from Kottur.
Reached Kappukad at around 8.30 am. Those who had reached earlier got an opportunity to walk around the Elephant Rehabilitation Center. It was around 9 am, when rest of the group had arrived. On arrival, we finished formal registration process and moved to the starting point of trek which is about 5 kms from Kappukad. We stopped our car in between where underground water was collected and which flowed through a small pipe. Most of us emptied our water bottles and collected fresh herbal water from the pipe.
We kept our luggage in the car and carried lunch packet and water bottle in a small bag. After a brief introduction, we started our trek along with two guides.
The trek is a moderate plus hike and the trek winds up in a gradual ascend through thick shola forest, rock structures, narrow paths and grass lands that open up for beautiful views. You will also come across plenty of small insects along the trek trail.
Kathirumudi is situated in the south of Agastyakoodam hill range in the Western ghats. The Agastya Mountains are rich in biodiversity and is home for many indigenous creatures.
Then we reached a vast area fenced with rails, from there, we got the majestic view of the Agasthyakoodam mountain on the left side.
Finally we reached the summit of Kathirumudi, which was a rock structure. From the peak, we could get the most beautiful views of Agasthya hills, Neyyar and Peppara lakes. This is the only place you can enjoy the view of these three wonderful places.
We saw Agastya hill and Pandava hill from the distance. From here we got a breath-taking view of the entire mountain range. The rolling hills covered with clouds looked blue from a distance.
A little area of the peak was also covered with lichens, mosses and ferns.
We trekked further crossing four small peaks with ups and downs, till we reached a small stream. Had packed lunch while sitting near the stream. Earlier there was a water tank, later destroyed by elephants. We rested for a while, took pictures and started descend.
A difficult descend, we had to stop every now and then to rest. It was around 3 pm, when we reached back to the starting point of the trek. The overall trek distance is 10 km. Next up in our chart was a bath in the nearby waterfalls. We walked in bare foot till the waterfall area which is around 1 km from the parking area. It was not a big waterfall, but small streams coming down over rocks looked serene. We sat on tbe rocks near the descending point of water, and relaxed for a while. Water was cold and a bath beneath the falls, gave a lot of relief to us.
After a bath, we started our return journey. We stopped at Kottur for a tea and review of the trek. A beautiful challenging one day trial with a mixture of shola forest, rock structures, narrow paths and grass lands.
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