Hiking and camping

The Sharavathy is by far one of the most interesting hiking destinations for the amateur hiker. It offers a good mix of easy trails with mild undulation, many waterfalls and streams, several remote hamlets who are happy to host hikers, well set trails, dense natural cover that offers a genuine rainforest experience, ancient remnants strewn here and there that add interest in the trail and much more. For years people have been visiting these years and embarking on interesting trail hikes. Some popular trails include:

• Hosagadde – Dabbe – Kanooru – Kote – Gersoppa • Bheemeshwar – Nagavalli – Meghane – Basavana Bai • Bheemeshwar – Kanooru – Kote – Gersoppa • Halemane – Goodanagundi – Belligundi • Kodachadri
Given the hiker traffic, some local farmers have ventured out to create campsites for hikers to halt. These campsites are basic with a toilet facility and the local family typically cooks food. I highly encourage people to use these campsites as they provide supplementary income to these farmers, thereby helping them rely less on sale non-timber forest produce which impacts the forest in many ways. Two campsites are located in Hebbenkeri, enroute to Kanoor Kote, one run by Lakshmana Naik and the other by Ramchandra Naik. Another one is located in Nandigodu run by Gangadhar. Camping with them, sharing their stories will further add to the authenticity of your experience in the Sharavathy. Well worth a shot.