Trek to Gopalaswamy Hill & Edakkal Caves: [31 Jan-1 Feb 2009]

Sulthan Bathery:

Sulthan Bathery, earlier known as Ganapativatom, is a quaint town in the Wayanad district of Kerala. The place became known as Sulthan Bathery after Tipu Sulthan of Mysore invaded the region and used the Jain temple here as a battery. During Tipu Sulthan.s invasion in the 18th century an imposing fort was built here; unfortunately no remains of it stand today. This picturesque town is situated at an altitude of 1000 meters above MSL, flanked by majestic hills with patches of cliffs, valleys and plains interwoven with the mountainous terrain. Present day Sulthan Bathery is not only the largest town in Wayanad but also the hub of all tourism and commercial activities in the district. The regional population predominantly comprises of tribals and the economy is essentially agrarian in nature.

EdakkalCaves:
Edakkal caves are situated on the Ambukuthi Mountains at a distance of about 16 km from Sulthan Bathery. Located at an altitude of 1000 m above MSL, is a set of three caves, considered to be one amongst the earliest sites of human settlement on the face of the planet.  Each of these caves has numerous ancient stone scripts, various animal and human figurines, symbols, ancient weaponry figures et cetera depicted on the walls. These depictions, estimated to be over 7000 years old, have contemporaries only in Stiriya in the European Alps and a few places in Africa.

WayanadWildlifeSanctuary:
En route from Sulthan Bathery to Mysore is the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary at Muthanga. The sanctuary is a safe haven for a diverse variety of flora and fauna including many rare and endangered ones. This fragile eco-system falls under the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The sanctuary shares borders with the Nagarhole and Bandipur reserves of Karnataka and with the Mudumalai reserve of Tamilnadu. Wayanad Sanctuary puts much emphasis on scientific conservation measures that are eco-friendly and sustainable. 

Total Travel: Approx 780kms.

Food: From Hotel

Accomodation: Lodge/Homestay

Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate

Tentative schedule

Friday 30 Jan 2009

09:30PM:       Pickup on Windtunnel Road -> Manipal Hospital -> Domlur (New Shanti Sagar)
10:00PM:       Start from Symphony Theater (Now named as Fame Cinema), MG Road.

                 You have facility of parking your vehicle overnight in the basement.

Saturday 31 Jan 2009

06:00AM:      Reach Sultan Bathery (Base camp).

07:00AM:      Check into the hotel, freshen up, have breakfast and head towards Edakkal Caves. Explore caves, Have lunch

03:00PM:       Visit Soojipara/Minumutti Water falls.

07:00PM:       Back to Basecamp.

08:00PM:       Have dinner.

Sunday 1 Feb 2009

05:30AM:      Leave Sultan Bathery.

06:00AM:      Reach Muttangana for Wildlife Safari.

11:30AM:      Reach Gopalswamy Hilltop by bus, start trekking down Gopalpura.

03:30PM:      Start back to Banglaore. Have (self sponsored) dinner on the way.

09:00PM:       Reach back to Bangalore.

Participation Fees: Rs. 1800

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--
"A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." -- Lao Tzu