ये AGUMBE क्या चीज़ है?

YES, this blog post is with reference to my trip to Agumbe, and NO, Agumbe is NOT in Africa! And YES, 'Malgudi Days' was definitely shot here. If you’re not from Karnataka, then there’s a 9 in 10 probability that you’re hearing of Agumbe for the first time. And even if you’re from Bangalore, I would say it’s 7 in 10.  Saying that Agumbe is a camper's delight would not suffice. You have to experience it. I hope that Agumbe remains the camper’s well-kept secret, just as Kasauli  was for Delhiites. 

Now  this blog post has nothing to do with the information that you can get 

here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agumbe

Or

here:  http://www.agumbe.com/

It’s about what mindset you need to carry along when you’re headed for Agumbe. The trekking requires some stamina, so if you’re not fit enough, you might get tired too early into the trip. We were 3 guys and we must have burned a great deal of calories in our 2-day Mission Agumbe. We stayed at a certain Mallya Residency, and the guy who sits there confessed that he had never seen anyone do all that trekking so fast! (We wanted to cover as much as possible and did some tight bargaining to that end) We covered all the main areas for 2700 bucks – 900 per head. If you’re a large gang, Agumbe is the best place to go on a camping trip. There is a local old guy (I forget his name, so let’s henceforth refer to him as Old Guy) to show you around. He does the job well. And there is a Hotel Guruprasad – with a Brahmin couple making home-made vegetarian food. They’re very sweet people and lovingly make you eat the food. I remember the meal just cost 30 bucks. Memorable! Old Guy who tagged along with us made us visit some local households too. After all, the people know one another very well, a village that it is. Sixty families in the village, was what Old Guy  told us.

Snakes. Well, you might see them every once in a while. They can sense human presence and they aren’t of any harm since they prefer staying away. Wild dogs roam about the forests. It’s best to go around with a local as guide if you’re a first-timer or even a second-timer to the forests of Agumbe.

Sunset Point, Barkana, Jogi Gundi, Koodlu Theertha, Kundadri, Unakke Abbi, and Sunrise Point were the places that we covered in less than 48 hours that we spent there. Trekking was actually a pre-requisite to get to some of the names mentioned above. A fantastic experience altogether. NEVER EVER miss the sunrise point if you’re at Agumbe. What you get to see is other-worldly.

I and my friends made the most out of the trip. For one thing, I’ve lost all fear for snakes slithering past me when walking through dense bushy areas.

I personally recommend Mallya Residency (opposite Bus stand) for your stay and itinerary planning at Agumbe. He can be contacted at  9448759363. Or 08181-233042. And send Old Guy my namastes

Some Stills from Agumbe -

the GuyNextDoor

PS: I just remembered. Old Guy's name is T J Naik. Some Naik, that's for sure.