Breathtaking Z Point

After the refreshing visit to Bababudangiri on the day one of our Chikmaglur trip, Our itinerary for the day two was very simple. We included only two places in our plan for today, viz Z Point and Hebbe Falls, as we had to return to Bangalore on the same evening. Though there were only two places to visit, we did not guess it would take a whole day’s time. However, both the places were breathtakingly beautiful and glad that we made a great choice by visiting them.

Z Point

Our first destination for the day was Z Point, which is a popular viewpoint in Kemmangundi. It can be reached by an uphill trek of about 2.5 km from Kemmangundi (near Rajbhavan). There is even a jeep service available which will cover a certain distance of the same trek trail. We decided to visit this point in the early morning to avoid the crowd and also to enjoy the beautiful nature.

Reaching Kemmangundi

All of us woke up to a pleasant morning, quickly got freshened up, and started towards Kemmangundi at around 6.30 AM. Kemmangundi is 12 km from the homestay where we stayed. The road leading to it was heavenly in the early morning. With greenery all around, the narrow, curvy road traversed through green coffee plantations. The light rain was playing hide-and-seek with our journey. As we approached Kemmangundi, it started to rain heavily and also started to become foggy, which made the scenery look even more blissful.

Parking at Kemmangundi

There are two parking lots in Kemmangundi. The first one is where the security guards would stop and ask you to take a walk to the top of Kemmangundi. The second one is at the top itself, near to the garden maintained by the horticulture department. The starting point of the Z Point trek trail lies between these two parking lots. We missed noticing this point and went ahead towards the second parking lot. Later, came back to the trek starting point and decided to park our car in the first parking lot because usually the second parking lot gets crowded during daytime and even the roads get jammed because of visitors. So, Thilak and Vineeth dropped all of us near the Z Point trek starting point and went to the first parking lot to park our cars.

Trekking Options

You can take the jeep ride to Z Point, but note that they take only till halfway, and you need to walk from then on. Also, we felt that their price was not worth it. There is no parking facility near this starting point. Only the jeeps that give a ride to the tourists for Z Point were parked there. When we were about to start trekking, two jeeps offered the ride for 800Rs. We wanted to walk rather taking the jeep. So, we ignored them. They reduced their price to 500 Rs at last but still we preferred walking. Jeep driver’s efforts to scare us by telling that the bad road condition and presence of leeches went in vain.

Starting the Trek

As we went in the rainy season, leeches we anyway unavoidable. We took enough precautions by applying shampoo on our legs and carrying salt. Still, there was no escape from them. The forest trail was amazing. Though the road was muddy, it had its own beauty. Water streams in between added their own charm to nature. There is an off-road trail till the half of the trail till which, the jeeps can come. But the actual adventure starts after this point. The trail becomes extremely narrow, with a deep valley on one side. Since it was very foggy, we could not see anything, but it was very scary.

Trek Trail

The trail is literally breath-taking. As we proceeded further, the weather was becoming more and more foggy, was drizzling in between, the pathway was completely wet and slippery. What followed was the most amazing thing we have ever experienced, after a certain point, the weather became extremely windy. It was almost at cyclone speed. All of us enjoyed it to a great extent. The wind force was only increasing as we were climbing up. It was pushing us with all its strength. We made it to the top and the feeling that we felt was indescribable in words. We were awestruck by mother nature. The clouds were passing through us at full speed, giving us glimpses of the surrounding mountains. We could not get the proper view of them because of the fog. But whatever we saw made it worth all the efforts that we put in.

Experience at Z point peak

After spending some time enjoying the weather and nature at the top, we returned. The weather became terrifying with rains and the extreme wind. With the utmost care, we trekked down the hill and reached the parking lot. This trek is an unforgettable experience of a lifetime for us. The Z Point is highly underrated. Maybe it is because of the danger involved in the trail. If you love adventure, we highly recommend going on this trek.

We returned to the homestay at around 11.30 am and had our brunch at the homestay. By the time all of us got ready and checked out the homestay, it was 2 PM. Our next destination was Hebbe Falls.

Tips:

• Carry salt or apply shampoo to get protection from leaches to some extent.
• Carry food and water as you cannot find any hotels nearby.
• If you are going in a rainy season, prefer raincoats to umbrellas, as the umbrellas can’t stand that extreme wind at the top.

Directions:

Live the experience!!

Do watch our video on visiting Z point and let us know your feedback…