Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Somwarpet taluka of Coorg district and is one of 21 wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka. This sanctuary is home to rare and endangered birds and hence, is designated as one of the important bird areas of the world.

 Within Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, there is Kumara Parvat peak, which is the highest peak. This sanctuary is joined with the Bisle reserve forest in north and Kukke Subramanya forest range in west.
Located on the northern side of Coorg, the Pushpagiri Peak can be reached by two different routes.

 For those with an eye to scale high peaks, grab your gear and experience the adventurous Pushpagiri trek! The eastern entrance for the peak is from Beedehalli through the Heggademane Temple. For the observant traveler, there is a check post of Somwarpet Wildlife Range.

Details

Kukke is about 7 Kms from Girigadde and takes about 3-4 hours (moderate level). It keeps raining most of the time on the peak; carry rain coat. This place is full of leaches; carry salt and necessary powders to get rid of leaches.

Albizia lebbeck, Artocarpus lakoocha, Dysoxylum malabaricum and Mesua ferrea' are some of the species of flora found here.

Indian Wild Dog, Brown Palm Civet, Indian Giant Squirrel, Indian Hare, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Indian Muntjac, Gaur, Asian Elephant, Wild Pig, Giant Flying Squirrel, Travancore Flying, Otter species, Stripe-necked mongoose and mouse deer are some of the animal species found here.

Best Time To Visit: 

November to March is the ideal time to visit Pushpagiri. This is the time for migrating birds to visit the sanctuary. Hence, you will see a lot more interesting species around this time.

Things to Carry

1. Day Pack (Ruck sack)
2. Cap (Sun hat)
3. Trekking (Hiking) boots with anklets
4. Raincoat or Poncho
5. Small Towel
6. Water Bottle
7. Sun cream / Cold Cream / Lip cream
8. Torch (Flash) light
9. Change of thermal wear / clothes / underwears / Socks
10. Woolen clothes and wollen Socks
11. Batteries
12. Toiletries
13. Light weight wind sheeter / Jacket / Pullover (Sweater)
14. Slippers or Sandals

How to Reach

By Road: 

Coorg is well connected to nearest cities i.e. Managlore (2 1/2 hrs by road), Hassan, Mysore (2 hrs by road), Bangalore (5 hrs) and Goa (6 hrs) by round the clock bus / cab services.

By Rail: 

Nearest railhead are Managlore (2 1/2 hrs by road), Hassan, Mysore (2 hrs by road) and Thalasserry. Mangalore is the major railway station close to Coorg, Mangalore is connected by rail to all cities in India. Take a bus or cab to Coorg.

By Air: 

Nearest domestic airport is Mangalore, which is 159 km away and International airport is Bangalore which is 259 km away. Mangalore is connected by air to airports in South India, especially to Chennai and Bangalore.