It’s the monsoon season now, and everyone I know seems to be in a good mood. And everyone I know who was quiet in summer is now thinking of places to travel to. Keeping in mind the flavour of season, I thought of making a small image gallery of photos of monsoons. Click on the image below to go to the gallery.
And if you are in Bangalore and planning to head out on a weekend, here are some trip reports and pictures from the past monsoon journyes I have made.
1. Driving to Chikkamagalur
2. Hiking up the Brahmagiri peak
3. Trek on the railway track to Yedakumeri
4. Driving to Karwar and Kali river region
5. Riverside picninc – places around Bangalore no the bank of Kaveri
So this monsoon, enjoy the blissful rain, and have a nice journey.
Monsoon is the time that most of us look forward to. It takes away the heat and makes the world look alive and beautiful. People travelling to India, especially foreigners often want to know if it is good to travel in the monsoon season, or how would monsoon force them to shift their travel plans. This FAQ is primarily aimed at helping these people to resolve such questions.
Colors of the tropical forest, on a wet day
Monsoon, what is it?
Most of India has a limited season in a year when it rains – primarily between June and September. In this season, rain clouds are carried in from the Indian Ocean by a seasonal wind called ‘monsoon’. The wind is in turn dependent on oceanic currents and more scientific stuff etc,.. Wind travels northwards into India from South-West direction and so, it is occasionally called South West monsoons.
What areas does it affect and in what season?
As I said before, it moves upwards from Indian Ocean in North East direction. The ‘normal date’ when it hits the southernmost portion of India every year – coast of Kerala is June 5th. But you need to give or take a week or two from this date. Met department usually gives the exact date. It is not difficult to predict rains if you look at the satellite map. See the map at Met department website and look for the white patches on the map which indicate clouds. It usually rains where-ever you see the clouds, but not necessarily so.
So it hits Kerala on June 5th, reaches coastal Karnataka in a few days, Goa and Mumbai in a week, and moves all the way up to Delhi in 2-3 weeks. In July, it will be raining in most of India. Tamil Nadu is an exception, it is not affected by monsoon and it doesn’t rain much there in this period. Instead, it rains there in last few months of the year when clouds hit this region from North West, travelling southwards. An exception is western hilly region of Tamil Nadu where it pours heavily during monsoons.
It is all lush green when it rains
How bad is the rains? Does it pour heavily or is it mild?
It varies considerably across India. For example, coastal Karnataka gets a lot of rain, but if you travel around 200kms inlands, there isn’t much rain. Such contrast can be seen in most parts of India. The typical regions where it rains heavily are like – Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, Sahyadri mountain ranges, parts of MP, Orissa. Rains in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are unpredictable – you can have floods in some years and drought in some! It generally pours very heavily in entire North East India. All this is a general observation – my knowledge of monsoons is fairly good about South India, but my observations of Northern parts is mostly news based than personal experience.
Keep in mind that there is no exact pattern of rains. Even in places where it rains heavily, you may get to see a few days with no precipitation. There is every kind of possibility – it may rain or drizzle the whole day, it may clear up after quick showers or you may see some dry days.
Forest streams and waterfalls come alive in the monsoons
How is it generally when it rains? Good, bad or unbearable? Can I travel?
Actually it is pleasant. The heat of the summer will wear off with the onset of rains and it feels good. That’s the case with the plains. In the early days of monsoon when it is still a bit hot, it is fun to get drenched in the rain. Of course, it will be cold showers and cold wind in higher altitudes. The northern planes – Gangetic planes and around Rajasthan can still be hot and humid.
Down south, especially in Kerala and Karnataka around Sahyadri mountains, the concept of monsoon travelling is catching up. It is lush green and beautiful during the monsoon, and the wetness has it’s own charm. Seasonal waterfalls and streams come alive in the jungles and rivers run full. It is as if earth has sprung to life with the rains coming down. I personally love going driving, hiking or trekking in this season. To get an idea, see about some of my past monsoon photographs and travel experiences in my blog – trek and driving.
But journey from place A to B could be a bit painful when it is raining, especially if you are taking public transport. Waiting for public transport in rainy day, going around in damp, slushy places can be annoying, but manageable.
Is there anything else that I should keep in mind?
Yes. Don’t get drenched too often and you might have to stay in bed for 2-3 days. In places where it rains a lot, carry an umbrella all the time. Cities can be a problem when it rains. Unlike the pleasant countryside, cities can get slushy, drains can get flooded, cause traffic jams etc. It’s an annoyance you will have to live with. And some parts of the country are notorious for flooding, especially the north east. Be careful and be informed if you are going to be in such places.
Any book recommendations?
Yes. Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater is a nice book. He travels along with the monsoon all the way from Kerala to Delhi and then to Cherrapunjee. Cherrapunjee is the place where it rains most in the whole world. He describes every thing – about India’s passion with the monsoons, how it affects people’s lives, the science of monsoon, etc. It is set in the seventies and feels little outdated, but still a worthy read.
When I got into the bus last Friday evening, I was headed towards fulfilling a long-standing plan: to climb up the Brahmagiri hills. Brahmagiri peak, located in Coorg district of Karnataka is a part of Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. The climb goes through leech ridden tropical forests to grasslands and shola(forest high in the hills where grass is the dominant vegetation, and trees are found in small groups where water is available) above the forest line, and offers great vistas of Sanctuary area and the planes below.
Irpu Waterfall
We started our hike a little late on the Saturday morning. By the time we had breakfast, took the necessary permits and changed buses to reach Irpu, it was already 10.30am. Fortunately it was not a sunny day, which made the climbing easy. The climb starts from Irpu falls, a well known landmark in Kodagu(Coorg). Leeches waiting on the forest floor gleefully welcomed us into the National Park once we walked past the waterfall. The initial part of the journey offers easy walk via tropical forest and lot of bamboo, and starts getting steeper slowly. We encountered several streams on the way and water is in plenty. Forest floor all the way is littered with colorful dry leaves and green saplings besides the bridle path.
Rich colors of the forest
It was 2 hours of climb before we left the forest below us and hit the grasslands. Some steep climbing for another 30 minutes and we reached our base camp – the Narimale forest camp.
The Narimale camp inside the forest
A Stream that runs next to the camp
Narimale camp is built to shelter forest guards who are on duty to watch against poaching. It serves as an excellent base camp to visit nearby peaks – Narimale peak and Brahmagiri peak. The presence of the camp also reduces the load of the trekkers by not having to carry any camping material.
More about Coorg on paintedstork.com
* Driving trip to Coorg
* Relaxing in Coorg in the monsoons
Tired and hungry that we were after a good climb, we quickly prepared food and hogged on it. After a short rest, we headed for Narimale Peak, which is 1.5km walk from the camp. As we walked through the grasslands, a Sambar emerged from the shola and ran away after seeing us. Some one in the group sited an elephant too. Narimale Peak offered us beautiful vista of the plains below, the sholas and the Brahmagiri peak at a distance. As the sun moved below the horizon, we made a quick retreat to the camp. It started raining as soon as we reached the camp and we were lucky not to get caught in the rain. We prepared an early dinner at the camp and then went to sleep.
Our escort takes a look at the sholas from the Narimale Peak
View from Narimale Peak
The next morning was foggy and the visibility was low. We contemplated over breakfast if it makes sense to climb the Brahmagiri peak in this weather. But since we did not have much else to do, we decided to make it anyway. The walk to Brahmagiri takes you through grassland, and occasionally through small patches of shola. Small white and pink flowers dot the green grassy plains.
The peak to the extreme right is Brahmagiri where we were headed.
After an easy walk for almost two hours, we reached the foot of Brahmagiri Peak. As we looked up to it, the peak was completely covered in fog and we could not see what is up for us. The bridle path to the peak suddenly got steep and we were quickly climbing at 45 degrees. It soon got worse – it must have been around 60 degrees slope or even worse. It would have been a climb of may be 150 meters to the top but the quick ascent got us tired quickly. But once we were up there, the vista was beautiful and worth all the effort. Interestingly, while we climbed up in foggy weather, other side was completely clear and offered us nice view of a valley in Kerala.
At the Brahmagiri Peak. Inscription reads that the Peak is 1600 meters above the sea level and is 9kms from Irpu waterfall.
Walking on the ridges of Brahmagiri Peak
We rested here for a while and walked a bit on the beautiful ridges. A bit of walking and we saw a few Sambars and a ma elephant with its baby. Weather had completely cleared up as we headed back and offered good view of the surroundings and the Brahmagiri peak itself. We also got to see Wild Gaurs on the way back. A few of us discovered thorns of porcupines here and there. Elephant dung was littered wherever we went. A pair of Nilgiri Langur were spotted on a tree at a distance. There was life in every part of the sanctuary.
Nothing goes waste in the forest. Even the dung of the elephant supports some form of life
As we returned to the base camp, we packed up quickly and headed back to Irpu. An hour and a half and a lot of leech bites later, we were back at Irpu Waterfall for a refreshing dip in the water. We came down from here for a session of refueling our stomach and returned to the city by the overnight bus.
Brahmagiri Information.
REACHING
Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary is a restricted area and one has to take permission from Range Forest Officer(RFO) at Srimangala village. Call the RFO a few days in advance and inform your trekking plans so that they can arrange a mandatory escort for you. Getting permits is easy and hassle free.
To reach Srimangala, take a KSRTC bus to Gonikoppal from Bangalore, which is 6 hours journey. Change buses here and travel for another hour to Srimangala. Pay the necessary fees at Srimangala RFO office and get your permits. You can also shop here for groceries you will need for your stay at the top. Irpu falls, where the trek begins is another 30 minutes by bus. There are not many buses from Srimangala to Irpu and you may have to hire a jeep if you can’t get a bus.
ACCOMMODATION NEAR IRPU
You can get no-frills accommodation at the temple near Irpu offers. There are also some home stay kind of resorts near Irpu, one is Ramcad which is pretty close to Irpu. Nearby village Kutta has some places like Pearl Garden, Chilligere Estate and High Falls Holiday
TREKKING IN THE PARK
The Narimale camp, which is in the middle of the forest, is the best place to stay. Camping elsewhere is probably not allowed, but check with the RFO if you want to. Narimale camp is 4.5km from Irpu falls and can be covered in 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on your fitness. From the camp, you can trek to Narimale Peak, which is about 1.5km, and takes around 1.5hrs to go and come back. Brahmagiri
Peak is 5kms and takes around 2 to 2.5 hours to climb up. Another place to visit is Munekal Caves, which is 3.5kms from the camp. Munekal caves is called as Pakshi Patalam at Kerala side of the sanctuary.