Ratnagiri, Malaikottai Trek
- Place: Ratnagiri, Malaikottai Trek (Tamil Nadu)
- Difficulty: Easy trek.
- Distance: 75 x 2 = 150 km.
- Directions: Bangalore > Attibele > Ratnagiri.
- Krew: Anwar (Bhai), Karthik (Sp).
- Bikes: Pulsar.
- Previous Visit: Vade Malleshwara Gudi Betta Trek.
- Budget: Rs 202/head (Petrol = 300/2; Breakfast = 80/2; Tea = 24/2)
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
Alright, this Ratnagiri, Malaikottai is a hillock in Tamil Nadu, not to be confused with the one in Andhra - Ratnagiri Fort trek. The trek as such was a small one, but a very beautiful one. This expedition marked the 3rd TN trek since our burst from Oct 12, 2025, nonstop every weekend. The previous being - Rayakottai trek and Anchetty Durgam. And this marked 27 weeks, 27 treks, 6 months, non-stop, since Oct 12th, 2025. This was our 15th trek in 15 weeks for 2026, with 13 first ascents.
INTRO & PLAN:
With a hectic office week and Bhai back in action and with the crazy Vade Malleshwara betta trek past week, we wanted to continue the new ascent series. And this time, we had planned to enter Tamil Nadu. On the day before, while researching about 15-20 places, we narrowed it down to one region. The place is yet unknown. A roughly 75km ride towards Anchetty Durgam, and then we would decide on the place.
TIME: 20:00 (3 Apr, 2026)
Silence wins at Ratnagiri, Malaikottai trek
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Yes, I was up by 03:30, did some hanging leg raises. Then had a sip of coffee and was all set to go. With the darkness still looming around, felt nice to leave home at 5am. Bhai was up by 4:30am. Zoomed in the city routes, listening to uh, yeah not gothic metal this time but my chinese songs playlist. Yeah, happy and bubbly I smiled at everybody in the darkness and reached Attibele for some awesome breakfast near Bhai's place.
TIME: 05:45
Simple breakfast at Attibele
RIDE 1: (Bangalore > Attibele > Ratnagiri)
Well, having good food in my tummy, realised about 40km out 75km was already in the bag. Haha, looked at Bhai and as we sipped on some chai, asked him, which place would he like to go. This time, it was a clear answer Ratnagiri, Malaikottai.
With clear "NO GMAPS" rule, we knew it would hard to find this place. But hopped onto the bike and cruised along, putting our memory to the test and finally reached the Anchetty Durgam. Now, from here on, we asked locals for directions (in broken tamil) - Bhai laughing at me pushing hard to converse.
Finally, without much hassles and the accent and flow of the "Ask" getting better, we made it to the base of the hill :)
As we parked the bikes, woke the lizard's spirit up, a small kid was riding a TVS excel full speed. When we asked politely - thambi route enga erakka? (little brother, where is the trail?) where the trail starts, he completely ignored us and zoomed out. Laughing at the egoistic kid, we found the trail and began the trek.
TIME: 07:45
Ratnagiri, Malaikottai trek begins
RATNAGIRI, MALAIKOTTAI TREK
ASCENT:
The ascent took us about 20 minutes. The trek has two distinct phases. First is the walk on the muddy trail until you reach the rock face. And then the ascent on the rock face to the summit. So, yeah, ready? Here goes nothing!
Phase 1 - Muddy trails
Phase 1: Muddy trails
Parking our bikes near a Rama temple nearby we started the trek. It is flat, muddy, clear trail. Following it it took us deeper into the forest zone. We could spot a lot of ancient tablets and fort walls. It was getting exciting by the minute. Not before long, we hit our home, the steep vertical rock face.
Phase 2: the rock face
Phase 2: the Rock face
Well, there are steps. But we decided to climb head-on. And it felt really good. The silence was getting heavy, and the views uplifting. We could see hill ranges all around and the sun brought in this thin layer of orange hue on the horizon. Absolutely scenic it was.
The final mantap on the summit
Finally, after finishing the vertical ascent, we could see a lot of fort walls crumbling. It was really something else; it hit a different nerve within us. Once we spotted the final summit mantap, we took it slow and cautiously and made it to the top.
TIME: 08:00
Bhai exploring the ancient buildings at the summit
TOP:
That was a small, but tight trek. Views excellent all long. We touched the topmost point on the hillock and descended back to more scenic ones. With the air flooded with silence, and breeze hitting us gently, we rehydrated and then slept deep for 15-30min. Waking up, we sat for another 20min is absolute silence. So refreshing it was, staring at the sun and the mountain ranges, without saying anything imbibing the nature in its purest sense. After a total about an hour, we decided to head back down before the "aura" faded off.
TIME: 09:00
Bhai is trying to decode an ancient tablet
DESCENT:
The descent took us only 15minutes. It was pure NO non-sense kind of trek back. We discussed about future trips, how the Tamil Nadu treks hit us different. As we approached, the peacocks' call got louder. We called back, and the air was filled with fun and laughter. As we reached the base of the hillock. We turned back one last time, thanked her for the rich experience and more importantly, LETTING US GO BACK.
TIME: 09:30
Thank you Ratnagiri, Malaikottai
RIDE 2: (Ratnagiri > Attibele > Bangalore)
As we mounted on the bikes and began the ride back. We rode slow through the final roads, as it was pure bliss. Thick lush greenery and fresh air are actual luxuries and we took in as much of them as possible. Also, this route would become a common thing in upcoming weeks, hence, we slowed the pace down took breaks to get used to the conditions, roads and people. Without much hassle, we reached back Attibele, thanked Bhai for making it and head back to reach my home.
TIME: 11:45
The ancient gateway in ruins
CONCLUSION:
Well, Ratnagiri, Malaikottai in Tamil Nadu proved to be one heck of a find to add to our first ascents. Very peaceful and nice trek it proved to be. And yeah, surprisingly close by too. So, yes, the grand TN expedition begins. Lets see how it shapes in the upcoming weeks eh?
Past 27 weeks, we have pulled off 27 treks, ~5200km in total, 6 months, non-stop. The fire is being structured now.
KREW:
Bhai: The brain behind the selection of the place. Usually, he tells "anything is fine" but the first time he voices his opinion, the trek turns out to be this. Wow! Thanks for choosing this place, Bhai.
Sippy: Was extremely happy to kick of the grand TN expedition. Will improve my Tamil in the upcoming weeks or get beaten up for speaking something irrelevant, ready either way. 27 weeks, 27 treks \m/
Until next time, Ta-da Cia \m/
Wish us luck on the TN expeditions.
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