A Mahindra 4 wheel drive Jeep Safari to Kodachadri (Kudajadri), Mookambika, Karnataka, India

“A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”

Lao Tzu

ROUTE MAP

We visited Kollur Mookambika temple in November 2015. We decided to include Kodachadri in this trip and I feel that inclusion was a great decision. I would certainly recommend Kudajadri to my fellow travellers here. The Mahindra 4 wheel jeep safari to Kudajaadri is a great experience. You get the jeep to Kodachadri from the entrance of the Mookambika temple itself.

The route that we followed was : Bangalore –> Agumbe –> Jog Falls –> Mookambika Temple (Kudajadri) –> Murudeshwar –> Gokarna Om Beach –> Shimoga –> Bangalore.

My fellow travellers in Bangalore: This is one of the best trips that you can plan from Bangalore. You can cover some beautiful places in this entire road trip. Our’s was a 4N/5D trip; 1 night in Agumbe, 1 night in Gokarna , 2 nights in Shimoga

Mookambika temple is an ancient temple located at Kollur in Karnataka. Kollur is about 125 kms away from Mangalore and around 400 Kms away from Bangalore. And is easily accessed from Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka by train and road. Kudajaadri is 25+ Km (1.5-2 Hrs by jeep) away from Kollur temple.

Kudajadri/ Kodachadri is a mountain peak with dense forests (altitude – 1343 meters above sea level) in the Western Ghats in South India (Karnataka State). Kodachadri forms a background to the famous temple of Mookambika in Kollur. Situated in the middle of the Mookambika National Park, it is home to several endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna. This tourism spot is a secret hill station of Karnataka State popular for amazing beauty and natural scenery. This is a also a trekking spot and many people come in their Bikes aswell.

You can also visit the ‘Kodachadri Moola Mookambika Temple‘ at the top of the hills (The jeep takes you till this point)

There are 2 Waterfalls nearby (Trekking Spots)(Not personally visited these waterfalls)

Hidlumane Waterfalls:

If you are at Kodachadri then you have cover the distance of just 5 kms to reach the waterfall area. Hidlumane Waterfalls is basically a trekking site

Arasinagundi Waterfalls:

The distance between waterfall and town is only 6 kms. Go to down area of Dhalli village of Kudajadri to enjoy this Properly.

How to reach Mookambika (courtesy:wikipedia)

By Air: Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) (ICAO: VOML), at Bajpe, about 20 km from the city centre. Currently there are daily flights to Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Kochi and Calicut in the domestic segment and weekly/bi-weekly flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat (Oman), Doha (Qatar), Kuwait and Bahrain in the international segment. Kollur is two hours drive from Mangalore.

By Train/Road: Byndoor (Mookambika Road Station – BYNR) is the nearest stations to Kollur, road distance is ~28km to temple from Byndoor. From railway station to Byndoor city, catch rickshaw & from Byndoor to Kollur private bus facility is there. Other option is private taxi from Byndoor or from the railway station. Big disadvantage of Byndoor station is its located remote border area of Kundapura taluk and there is risk of getting facilities during night hour.