Trek to Koodlu falls - Agumbe

"Agumbe" the chirapunjee of South India is one of the prides of Western ghats. It receives the highest rainfall in south India and located in Shimoga district of Karnataka. The belt of Agumbe has dense forest with rich vegetation. "Malgudi days" is a famous television serial which was directed by Shankar Nag and is based on the novels written by R. K. Narayan were shot in Agumbe. The renowned herpetologist, Romulus Whitaker called Agumbe the capital of King Cobra. An area near Agumbe has been converted into a protected area for Medicinal Plants to help in their conservation
A team of 14 members including myself from AOL India had planned for Agumbe trip. After water sports adventure in sita nadi the next plan was to trek to the koodlu thirtha or koodlu falls, the origin of sita nadi.
The falls is located in the dense forest of Agumbe. It is a day trek and the entire stretch was about a distance of 18KM. Guides from adreno adventure groups accompanied us. The weather was cloudy, the rain was bit normal but not so heavy. We had hired a tempo traveller and all of us reached the base of the trek. We had to apply neem oils and tuck tobacco leaves inside our shoes in order to save from the leach bites. After the initial preparation everyone was set for the trek. The Greenery had soothing affect to one's visions, the beautiful scenic view of dense forest is a feast for the nature lovers. The initial trail is pretty easy and after covering a distance of 5 KM through the woods the trail started to narrow down.
Uprooted trees and stream overflowing on the path were the common sights. The day was bit cloudy and weather was bit humid. We were carried away by the chirping sounds of the birds and splashing water in the streams, its a paradise for the nature lovers.
As the journey progressed we approached the dense forest, the trail started to narrow down and was steep. Crystal clear water in the streams were gushing out with high current. After crossing the streams with some difficulties the tobacco leaves became unusable and the salt was dissolved. The hungry leaches started to attack us, everyone had tough time in managing the leach bites. The steep trail had more uprooted trees, and bit slippery. After ascending the woods we reached the base of koodlu falls.
The koodlu falls is about 70 meters of height and had a roaring sound. The fall seemed to be at its best, overnight rainfall had magnified it. Going near the falls was quite challenging since we had cross the stream. The adreno guys tied the rope from one end to the other, one by one we crossed the streams against the heavy water current with the help of rope. The rocks were slippery and one had to crawl slowly to reach near the falls. The sight near the falls was magnificent. The roaring sound of the falls could make anyone deaf. The chilled water splashed all over us. The sight was amazing, the sparkling water formed a rainbow and entertained us for a while. After spending nearly 30 Min's of time in the falls, we started to return from the falls. The atmosphere was awesome. The trek to koodlu falls can be a good initiative for the non trekkers.