Nestled in the middle of the Western Ghats is a lesser known coffee estate that lies in the heart of Karnataka — Chikmagalur. Apart from the beautiful coffee plantations here, Chikmagalur is a unique combination that offers a perfect adrenaline rush as well as scenic views of fog covered mountains. 

So, you thought this article would be a NatGeo guide to Chikmagalur, right? Well, welcome. Today you are going to see Chikmagalur from the eyes of seven 21-22 year old kids. So as every memorable trip should start with ‘be ready at 5am tomorrow’, this three day trip too started with the same sentence — where all the usual late risers vowed to be ready at the crack of dawn. And yes they were, up and about before sunrise, excited for what lay ahead.

I’ve travelled by all means of transportation right from aeroplanes to ships, but road trips have a charm of their own. And as far as road trips with friends where you convert the car into a full blown concert stadium with songs of every genre played for the entire journey are concerned — absolutely top tier. 

Well, our itinerary was a pretty packed one because ‘vacationing’ was not on the bucket list by any means. And after an amazing drive – where we appreciated the super smooth Karnataka highways a million times — we headed straight to Hebbe Falls. This waterfall is one of the most spectacular ones around Chikmagalur. And if you thought that the adrenaline rush would be limited only to the waterfall, you are absolutely mistaken because that is when the approach road and the jeep ride to Hebbe Falls actually come into play. 

The road to Hebbe Falls is one where you are surrounded by thick jungles and green foliage on all sides. It’s a few kilometres long journey where you have to sit in a jeep, fighting for dear life and yet having the time of your life with all the ups and downs of the ride. So after a solid ride along the muddiest road I’d ever seen, we reached the trail to Hebbe Falls, where we had to walk a short distance in the middle of the forest to reach the falls. 

The moment we saw the waterfall — milky white and pouring down in a ferociously beautiful way, there was just one thought that crossed my mind — it definitely was worth the time and energy spent to get there. It was huge, and amidst all the euphoric excitement, I was once again reminded of the magnanimity of nature and how small we as humans actually are. 

By the time we returned to our starting point after yet another jeep ride, all we wanted was some steaming hot Maggi and nothing else. After that, we called it a day and headed to our hotel in the evening. 

The next day began even earlier than the previous one because this time we had a different quest which was the Merthi Gudda trek. This peak is about three hours from Chikmagalur and is among the lesser known treks around the place. 

Now here we diverge from the main story for a quick side story that’s worth mentioning. I DID NOT WANT TO GO ON THIS TREK. Nope, I didn’t. For all possible random reasons that I could think of. But that’s when my friends came up with a brainwave to not tell me about the whole plan, until we were already into it and I could not back out. And I’m so glad that they did! I absolutely had the time of my life!

Okay so getting back to the main story where we were headed to Merthi Gudda. After a quick pit stop for a mandatory South Indian breakfast, armed with a pack of Ferrero Rochers and some (horrible) energy gel, we started our hike. With wilderness on all sides and intermittent rains, the atmosphere was something where you forget for a while that things like Claude and Copilot even exist in this world. There were valleys and mountains on all sides while we trekked uphill. Clouds made the whole experience a totally dramatic one. I am totally glad that I actually signed up for this. Going uphill and coming down Merthi Gudda made me realise one thing — it’s neither the journey nor the destination, it’s the people who are responsible for etching a memory in someone’s mind forever. 

The next day, we headed to Mullayanagiri peak which is the tallest peak of Karnataka. This was the day when we were subjected to the weather’s mood swings throughout the climb to the top of Mullayanagiri. There were strong winds and clouds on all sides, with very less visibility — a scene straight out of a Dan Brown book. We reached the top, clicked a few hundred pictures and were about to start our descent. When suddenly the canopy of clouds cleared for a fraction of a second, leaving us awestruck at the mesmerising view from the top of the highest peak in Karnataka. The moment we were able to fully comprehend our surroundings, a thick layer of clouds enveloped us yet again. Instantly as if on cue, the wind started blowing vociferously. Amidst the clouds and wind, we were able to come down safely. It definitely was an experience of a lifetime. 

After that we started our return journey to Bangalore, once again on the same Karnataka highways, amidst tall trees on either sides of the road.

As I reached home late in the evening, looking at my bag the only thing that I remember thinking is that ‘I never knew that a bag full of muddy clothes, a dirty raincoat, wet shoes and an extremely happy heart can coexist together.’ With that, I must’ve fallen asleep with dreams that floated somewhere between huge white waterfalls and tall green mountains.

– Mugdha