Biligundlu Cauvery River Trek

Arrive at Hosur Station on your own. The drive from Hosur to Biligundlu takes about 2 hours without any breaks. You drive through a few towns before entering the village lanes. The last stretch to Biligundlu is through very remote roads. 

Biligundlu is a small village with less than 80 families staying there. Most of the people living here are occupied with farming. Your trek starts here. 

Start your trek by navigating through the lanes towards the west. You will go through the village houses, a few shops, the church, and then follow a trail towards the outskirts of the village leading to the forest section. 

The walk now leads through the forest trail. This forest is very unique compared to what you might have in mind. It is the Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Scrub Forest. 

The setting is similar to something you might have seen on television about the African Savannahs. There are short bushes, and long, thick grasses, with a majority of acacia trees. In between lies a nice, wide mud trail for trekkers to walk through. 

About 1.2 km from the start of the trek, you get your first sight of the Cauvery River and the sandbanks. If you are lucky enough, then you will spot the Indian Grey Hornbills flying around their nests. 

In fact, keep your senses open and observe as you trek. The entire trail is a paradise for bird watching and spotting many different species. 

Trek further on the trail for the next 1 km to come across the first big clearing with good shade. Big tamarind trees surround this section, and the dry riverbed, which flows with water to the main river during the monsoon season's peak, is just in front.

A gradual climb from the river bed takes you next to a blue structure with a white cross. The villagers of the region use this as a graveyard. The trek stays similar in terms of altitude gain. It's pretty much a flat walk through the forest zone.

The forest is a mix of both dry deciduous forest and semi-evergreen forest. About 1.5 kilometres into your trek, you start spotting silvery trees. Keep a lookout for the birds flying around, the insects, and the flora of this region. These are very unique and interesting to observe.

After another 800 meters of trekking, you come across stone markers similar to cairns, indicating you are close to the campsite of Rasimanal. From here, the campsite is just about 500 meters away, where you can see electric fencing done by the forest checkpost. 

The forest checkpost has a watch tower and a building for the forest guard to stay in. You will see the green-coloured building surrounded by a fence. The fence protects against wild animals or elephants who can come to drink the water from the river. 

The whole setting at this Rasimanal campsite is a surreal experience. You get to camp on the sandbanks of the river while the famous Cauvery River is gurgling and meandering through the rocks. Take time to go around the campsite. Explore the region and take in the views, the sound of the river flowing, and all the birds chirping around. 

Note and for information purposes: If you continue further on the trail from Rasimanal, the trek gets more challenging. It takes you through sections with big boulders to be traversed and trekking for a long distance. Our exploration team continued to recce until Ugeniyam, the only exit point. This was around 18.5 km of trek one way from Biligundlu to Ugeniyam.