It was 3 pm when we reached Virajpet. In fact, we were to be in Kakkabbe by then. The delay was due to the extra amount of time we spent playing in water at Dubare. We rode towards Kakkabbe village via Virajpet. It took almost an-hour-and-a-half’s ride to reach Kakkabbe. Thanks to the bad road. We still had a long way to go to reach Tadiyandamol. We took a short chai-break in Kakkabbe, and also bought some biscuits, water bottles and chocolates. When we casually mentioned that we were on our way to Tadiyandamol, the shopkeeper told us that it was impossible to reach the peak before dark. But we disregarded his warning and without wasting much time we proceeded towards Tadiyandamol, the highest peak in Coorg.

 Parking our bike near Nakanadu Palace, which is three kms from Kakkabbe, we started trekking. A single tar road inside the coffee estate made our journey special. The entire mountain slope covered with coffee estates was a beautiful sight to see. After climbing 2-3 km, we found the route to be very tiring, requiring us to rest frequently. It was already 6 pm! Darkness was fast descending. We managed to trek another two km with much difficulty, which took us almost 45 minutes, and stopped near a stream in the midst of dense and mysterious looking forest.

Since the forest looked scary, we decided to trek further, till we reached open fields, to spend the night. So we started again - chugging and puffing. After a km’s trek, we reached open fields that looked equally scary. Even as we were anxiously wondering what to do for the night, we heard a human voice, from deep in the jungle. We shouted out, “Ho…hoooo…”

At last, a man with a single barrel gun came to our spot. Introducing himself as Thammayya, a forest watcher, he said he had come here in search of his cow. When we narrated our story to him, he invited us to his house closeby, to spend the night. Relieved that we had at last found a safe place for the night, we followed him. His house in the valley, encircled by thick jungle, is a typical Malnad house. There was neither power nor telephone connection. Thammayya's wife served us Malnad coffee. After refreshments, we all set up a campfire in front of the house and sat around, listening to the interesting stories narrated by him. His stories sounded all the more interesting with peculiar sounds from deep inside the jungle for background.

According to Thammayya who belongs to the Malekudiya tribe, his ancestors lived deep inside the forest. Thammayya is very knowledgeable as far as the wildlife is concerned and knows every inch of the forest. We spent over two hours chatting with Thammayya's family. Later, we were treated to a delicious dinner comprising rice, Mangloor sauthekayi sambar and pickle.

The next morning, I woke up first and went for a walk around the place along with Thammayya. The chirping of birds, the gurgle of fresh water streams and wild noises from the jungle... it was a truly memorable walk. I asked Thammayya why he wasn’t offering his house for the home stay programme so popular in Coorg as his house had all the characteristics of a good home stay for nature lovers.

He said, "Trekkers visit our house frequently. Some of them stay here after returning from Tadiyandamol. But we are unable to provide the facilities estate owners are offering as our house is in a very remote place and is also very small. However, we welcome those who don’t mind the lack of luxury.”

What more does a true trekker need? Gurgling streams, chirping birds, roaring animals, hills and dales all around, bamboos, shrubs, huge trees, wild flowers...

Thammayya offers trekkers food and place to stay at a nominal charge. He then guided us to Tadiyandamol which, in the local Kodava language means "the highest point".

While scaling Tadiyandamol, we saw many beautiful sights. Tadiyandamol and Thammayya's hospitality will always remain in our minds.

Getting There

Tadiyandamol can either be reached from Mysore on the Hunsur-Gonikoppa-Virajpet-Kakkabbe route or on the Hunsur-Kushalnagar-Dubare-Virajpet-Kakkabbe route. Take a deviation to the left just before Kakkabbe near Kai kambha.