SORAB SYED Vattiyoorkave: Agasthyakoodam Trekking

2014-November 8 to 10^th Agasthyakoodam Trekking organized by Tree Club for 3 days. It was an Adventure trip with an experienced team of 7 people with 2 local guides.

About Agasthyakoodam

Part of the Sahyadri ranges (Western Ghats) of mountains, Agasthyakoodam, at a height of 1,890 m above sea level, is the second highest peak in Kerala. Teeming with wildlife, the forests of Agasthyakoodam abound in rare medicinal herbs and plants, and brilliantly hued orchids. A bird watcher’s paradise, this legendary mountain is accessible by foot from Kotoor, near Neyyar Dam and also from Bonakkad. Trekking to Agasthyakoodam is believed to be healthy, the very air here is supposed to have healing properties. It is believed that sage Agasthya, the mythological character lived here

We Started Trekking at 7:30 AM from Bonacaude – 36 kms to Agasthyamala. It was very hard trekking, on the way we found several waterfalls and different kinds of Snakes and Wild animals. We were stayed in Athirumala 2 nights. During the trekking we took several kind of photos of butterflies, flowers, animals, landscapes.

We have reached Athirumala evening 04:00 hrs, our guides start preparing foods, we stayed Two nights, the huts are already available and we fixed our tents, it was wonderful nights, the weather was so cold, we were shivering the whole night.

2^nd Day we start trekking to Top Station, it was little hard tracking in my life, the weather was very pleasant and top station was clouded with fog. During our trekking we saw some wild animals, but we are not prepared for Photography because it was hard trekking and we are climbing steep mountains

Evening we reached Athirumala and we had our Lunch, our guides were prepared an excellent lunch, after that we went Putharikandam, “Wheat filed” The olden days British people were cultivating wheat, the area was completely leaches and they baited our complete body, finally we run away from there.

3^rd day Morning we start return form Athurmala after the breakfast, we reached evening 04:00 hrs Bonacude Tea Estate, during our returning time we saw some bison’s, and we took Photos.