Kudremukh National Park

The Mangalore Airport is the nearest to Kudremukh. From the airport one will have to take either a bus or a taxi to reach the National Park. Kudremukh is well connected to major cities by road. KSRTC buses can be taken to reach Kudremukh. One can also use the local bus service or even hire a taxi to reach the National Park. The closest railway station to Kudremukh is the Mangalore station from where one will have to take a bus or a taxi to reach Kudremukh. The best time to visit the National Park is from the months of October to May as it shines with greenery. It is best to avoid this place during the rainy season because this region receives heavy rainfall.

There are many hotels to stay at around the National Park. The prices too are affordable. Some of the names of the hotels are Nagagiri Comforts,Uttunga Homestay,Suprabha Residency, Coffee Gudda, Balgal Homestay,etc There are also many restaurants where one can eat food at. Some of the names of the restaurants are Hotel Thrupthi, Jayanna Cafe, Udayachandra Hotel,Gumminkad Cafe, Horanadu Heights Hotel pure veg,etc

A great diversity of flora and fauna can be seen in Kudremukh National Park. This National Park is a home to many endangered species of Flora and fauna as well. Because this place receives heavy rainfall, it has a dense forest cover and evergreen and semi evergreen trees are found here. We find rare plants such as Nilambur Cobra Lily, South Indian Jewel Orchid, etc which are on the verge of extinction here. Other trees found here are eucalyptus, acacia, silk oaks, casuarinas, etc Grasslands are also spread over the hills here.

One finds various animals in the National Park.  The animals found here are leaping leopard, tiger, langur,spotted deer, the endangered lion tailed macaque, sambar, sloth bear,etc Many reptiles and also vulnerable species of amphibians are also found here.

For all the bird lovers,they should definitely visit this place because here there are around 200 species of birds. Many bird watchers come here to see rare species of birds and also birds that have mass migrated. One gets to see birds like the imperial pigeon,great pied hornbill,Malabar Trogon, etc It is best to do this activity early in the morning if one wants to see many birds.

One can also go trekking to the Kudremukh Peak. It is quite an interesting experience as one is greeted with breathtaking landscapes, clear skies, thick forests and rich grasslands. For those who want to do this trek they need to have a mandatory permit that can be taken from Kudremukh town.

There are many tea and coffee plantations that one can visit here. The Gangamoola Hill is located in the Aroli Gangrikal range and is almost 1460m above sea level. This place is within the Kudremukh National Park and the rivers Netravati,Tunga and Bhadra originate here. One also gets to see waterfalls,streams, and a few cave temples on the trek to Gangamoola Hill.

The VidyaShankara Temple is another place that one can visit. Vidyaranya is an important figure in South India and also in the history of Karnataka. During his time Muslim incursions began in the South. It was he who helped Harihara and Bukka establish the Vijayanagar Empire which then served as a fortress to defend Hindu Temples and Traditions against the Muslim invaders of the North. Vidyaranya influenced  Harihara and Bukka to construct a temple over the  Samadhi of his Guru Vidyatirtha. Thus this temple is called the VidyaShankara Temple. The architecture here is a mixture of both Dravidian style and Vijayanagara style. There are five shrines here. The main shrine here has a Shiva Linga over the Samadhi of Sri Vidyashankara and it is known as Vidya Shankara Linga. This temple also had a broken sandalwood idol of Sharadamba which is believed to have been put by Adi Shankar himself but now there is a good statue there instead.

For all the beach lovers one can drive down to Udupi which has many beautiful beaches. The Malpe beach here is very popular. The St. Mary's island in the background offers the visitor a beautiful sunset to see thus making this place a photographer's delight. Other beaches here are Matu, Kapu, Polipu,etc. These beaches too are very beautiful.

Udupi is also famous for having many temples. Some of the temples that one can visit here are the Anantheshwara Temple,the Anegudde Vinayaka Temple,etc. The most popular temple here is the Kanakana kindi which is a Krishna Temple. Many tourists from all over visit this place. The Kanakana kindi is a small peephole in the Krishna Temple where it is believed that the great Indian saint Kanaka Dasa saw Lord Krishna. Kanaka Dasa was believed to be from the lower caste and not allowed to enter the Temple but he was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. He prayed with intense devotion and thus Sri Krishna created a hole at the back of the temple and turned to face the hole so that Kanaka Dasa could see him. This place thus came to be known as Kanaka's window( Kanakana kindi). Now there is a tower built over the window that enables pilgrims to view Lord Krishna's image without entering the Temple. Many tourists visit this place during the Paryaya festival because it is held here once in two years.

Thus, filled with fun and adventure the Kudremukh National Park is a must visit for those looking for an exciting holiday.