Agastyarkoodam trek tales...

A long 3 years wait for a trekking pass to Agastyarkoodam finally met fruition during Christmas! It’s the magical atmosphere, adventurous trail, natural beauty, cultural significance that make it every trekker’s dream! Just 100 passes are issued every 3 days during the off season. Which exactly makes it a much sought after and something worth the wait!

Agastyarkoodam is a protected forest area in the Western Ghats between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, recognised by the UNESCO, and is a biological hotspot. It is home to many rare and diverse flora and fauna, including thousands of species of medicinal plants. At 1,868 meters height, it derives its name from sage Agasthya. Kani tribe, one of the oldest surviving tribes in the world live there indigenously and depend on the forests for their livelihood. They are working closely with the Kerala Forest Dept. as trek guides. This trek is one of the most diverse ones in the Western Ghats as it takes you through lush green forests, open grasslands, and rocky terrains.

On Christmas eve, I found myself with an RAC ticket, sharing a berth with a girl on my way to Thiruvananthapuram. The memories about my alma mater in the destination city and the train travels from there to my hometown rippled in my mind and helped me endure the sleepless night! I was hosted by my classmate and his family and had a chance to have tasty food, some rest and catch up with more classmates at my college.  

Next day, I started at 4 am from Thambanoor bus stand taking a KSRTC bus to Bonacaud. A long 2 hrs. zigzag ride, landed me near a dilapidated Old Tea Factory which is the landmark. Had my tea and breakfast and got the lunch packed at Pothikai mess. A 2.5 km walk to the Forest Check post and you are at the starting point of the trek where you complete your registration, officials verify your trekking pass, affidavit, original photo ID, medical certificate, your bags for any forbidden items and plastic covers (they are counted and you need to deposit an amount that would be refunded on the way back if you present the same nos., meaning you have not littered the forest!) Unlike the treks in the Himalayas, which are longer and tent camping kind where mules/ yaks help with the luggage, here in Agastyarkoodam we must carry our own, mine was 6 kgs!!, so the lighter you pack the kinder you are to your body 😊!

Every 5 trekkers are assigned a Kani guide who briefs you about the impending hike (~16 kms) to the Athirumala basecamp. It took me about 5 hrs., depending on your pace and the time you spend cherishing the beauty of the forest unfolding around you, it could be anything between 4 to 7 hrs!

The first few kms of the trek was a casual walk through a thick forest with many waterfalls and streams. You will encounter around 40 of them! From which we can bathe, drink and fill our water bottles. Mind you! There are ample leeches in there. I took refuge in leech socks, others used salt, sanitizer, even odomos, but the tiny organisms found their way to latch and have some bloody feast!! There are 3 major rivers we see, Karamanayar, Vazapaithiyar and Attayar, we halted at Attayar for lunch after 2 hrs. From then trekking trail becomes narrow, and the ascent becomes slightly uphill for the next 4 kms. As the forest starts deepening, we get a first glimpse of the Agastyarkoodam peak in the backdrop of a few mountains towering from behind. Then came the open grasslands, it was scorching hot sun, no trees to give solace of shade and no water streams! Those 4-5 kms seemed endless but offered great scenic views!

The last stretch to the Athirumala base camp is a vertical uphill trek of close to 6 km through an evergreen forest, with rocks on the way. The ascent makes you gasp! Halting and catching your breath while devouring the beautiful, serene forest, finally gives a glimpse of the base camp. The approved trekking pass needs to be presented, and you will be led to the dormitory with cement floor and aluminium sheet ceiling, there are sleeping mats, as it would be cold in the night I had carried a jacket and a blanket. The toilets are clean with running water. We sipped tea and snacks, looking at the majestic Agastyarkoodam peak in all its glory seen from the campsite. The bath in the chilling ice-cold stream flowing nearby was a treat and a quick therapy to the aching body after the hectic trek of the day! When it got dark dinner was served, kanji with cherupayar and pappadam! A sumptuous meal it was, after the hard toil of the day! We retired into our sleeping mats and blankets!

 Early morning at 5,30 am, holding a cup of hot black tea and looking at the silhouette of the summit from the camp site, I was overly excited, as the much-awaited adventure was imminent! A challenging 6kms uphill trek! But alas! Nature had other plans, it was very windy, drizzling, and misty and to boot, a herd of 30 elephants were near the trail we had to maneuver that day. Our guides were apprehensive if we could make it, he waited for instructions from the forest dept. Finally, after a quick breakfast and taking our daypack, we started the journey in anticipation that all the impediments would clear, and we get to meet Agastya!

The trail was quite rocky, steep and tricky to navigate. On a difficult path our guide asked us to run the way up as he could spot the herd with a newborn nearby. Due to their heightened protective instincts towards the vulnerable newborn, herds could become highly defensive, potentially charging at perceived threats, even if unintentionally! Somehow we climbed safe and decided to wait for the rest of the team members at Ponkalappara. That is when the mist covered us again, we could hardly see 20m away! To our disappointment the guides didn’t think it was safe for us to go any further as the upcoming sections were rocks that we needed to climb using ropes and the mist and slight showers made them slippery. We sat there waiting for the mist to clear, munching on the dry fruits and sharing our snacks and anxiety with each other. Finally with much reluctance our guides agreed to let us continue and in an hour of difficult risky rope climbing we hit the destination! Our body tilts to 90 degrees from the rocky surface beneath. This climb is not recommended for people with acrophobia or vertigo.

There is an idol of Agasthya Muni at the top and the views from there are unbeatable even though the mist played hide and seek. We get a bird’s eye view of different mountains and valleys with the clouds floating in the middle. There were strong cold winds, and it became difficult to stay there for a long time, I even felt they will blow me away into the valleys! The base camp view from the top helped me appreciate the distance I covered (vertically that too!) and the power of endurance. 

It was time to retreat, and we were back in the base camp after a 2 hrs. descent for a plate of steaming rice, sambar, and a hot cup of tea. All were joyful and had a great evening chatting, laughing, meeting new friends, promising to stay connected on social media until we meet on a different trail. I must mention a few folks who have been with me on those 3 days, we shared some great moments of our lives together, that is the beauty of these treks, the wonderful people we share them with, and they become your soulmates!!

Next day dawned and it was time to bid farewell to the majestic mountains. Collecting our passes from the officers, I bid farewell to everyone who had become part of my fabulous experience. I could enjoy the mind-blowing wonders of the deep forest and the meadows better on the trek back. We met the new batch of trekkers on their way to the base camp, relished our snacks to recharge ourselves, drank cool water from the forest streams, rested on the rocks and walked past the 3 camps before reaching the Bonacaud forest station by 1pm. The passes, waste brought back were shown again at the counter and got the deposit amount.

As I turned back to grab a final look at the enchanting forest and hills, my mind echoed the words “Take only memories and companionship and leave only footprints”!!