6:30 am was the reporting time for the Nature Walk from the hotel. The idea of a nature walk sounded good and exciting !! The scenery was going to be new and I like the tit bits of info that guides provide. Gireesh was our guide, an employee of the hotel. He handed us canes made of bamboo and we set off into thicket; we were a group of seven.

“Chikmagalur is home to Arabica coffee while Coorg has mainly the Robusta variety.” starts our guide

“Chikmagalur has the highest peak in Karnataka – the Mullayanagiri peak and is home to five rivers – Bhadra, Tunga, Hemavathi, Netravati, and Vedavathi.” he continues.

“The forests in Chikmagalur are dominated by sandalwood and teak trees. Both are prized wood and hence theft is a problem.” He points out to sandalwood saplings growing here and there.

Gireesh pointed out to makeshift altars made by stacking stones – he said they were devoted to Buthappa and Chinnadevi – am not sure what deities they represent.

We were just in time to catch the sunrise 🌄 .

We plodded along, and we were on a climb atop a small hill. The hill was made up of big boulders and the the bamboo cane was very helpful in keeping balance.

It was a bit tricky, jumping from boulder to boulder ensuring that my feet did not get wedged into the crevice; success !! A glimpse of the valley on the other side 👇.

The climb down was proving to be more challenging than uphill; again the bamboo cane to the rescue. Next stop, a lake !!

Gireesh pointed out to a peacock on the opposite bank. He mentioned that a small leopard cub was seen sitting on the branch of a tree here a month ago; showed us a snap of it on his mobile. We didn’t encounter any animals though 😊.

There were tiny flowers everywhere – white (I think it was jasmine), red, and lots of mimosa pudica (touch-me-nots)🌸

By 8:00 am we were back, one and a half hours, it was a good expedition !! Now for a scrumptious breakfast 😀. The walk felt good; being stuck in the flat for months due to the pandemic, this change was exhilarating.

Today is 26 Jan, here’s wishing everyone a Happy Republic Day today 🇮🇳!!

Till next post, take care !!