 |
| Periyamalai Trek in Tamil Nadu |
- Place: Periyamalai Fort Trek (Tamil Nadu)
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 130 km x 2 = 260 km.
- Directions: Bangalore > Hosur > Krishanagiri > Periyamalai
- Krew: Uzumaki (Uzi), Anwar (Bhai), Karthik (Sp).
- Bikes: Pulsar.
- Previous Visit: Kabbaladurga Solo Trek.
- Budget: Rs 290/head (Petrol = 550/2; Breakfast = 30/2)
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
Alright, Periyamalai (Periya = BIG, Malai = HILL) is one of the biggest hillocks of the Krishnagiri belt. It can be seen from kilometres afar and stands menacing. But the climb it offered was surprisingly very scenic, and views from the top are something out of this world. To celebrate my birthday on this hillock felt really special with Bhai and Uzumaki:)
And this marked 36 weeks, 37 treks, 8.5 months, non-stop, since Oct 12th, 2025. This was our 25th trek in 24 weeks for 2026, with 22 first ascents. :)
INTRO & PLAN:
We had opened up the OMR (Old Madras Route) and finished a couple of treks on that side of town - Ambaji Durga Trek and Kurbooru Fort Trek. With Bhai back in town, he had taken leave for my b'day and me, well had take the whole week off :)
Well, the grand TN expedition had to be started at some point of time. (Rayakottai Fort Trek, Anchetty Durgam, Ratnagiri trek, Udedurgam Trek. Mallapadi Fort, Jagadevi Fort Trek, Thattakal Fort Trek, Ankushagiri Trek). So, decided to hit on the biggest hillocks of this region - Periyamalai fort.
It had been just one day since my solo trek to Kabbaladurga, so the rest in between was very crucial and important.
TIME: 20:00 (10 June, 2026)
 |
| The first glimpse of Periyamalai |
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Had slept at 19:30 the previous night and was up by 2 a.m. Stretched out a little; feet were itchy; couldn't wait to hit the roads. Got ready in a jiffy and messaged Bhai, and he was also up. So, with darkness looming around, delved into the city streets listening to some slow heavy doom metal. Had to pick Bhai from Attibele, about 30km from my place on the way to Periyamalai. Well, nothing was stopping me from singing all the way, so head bobbing happily to some heavy doom metal, made it to Bhai's place after a formal meeting, thanked him for taking a day off, and we crossed the state's border.
TIME: 03:45
 |
| Periyamalai as seen from the base |
RIDE 1: (Bangalore > Hosur > Krishnagiri > Periyamalai)
Having covered about 30km, we had about 100km to complete. We rode at a decent pace in the dark. And riding in the dark hits you different. Oh yeah, as always, NO GMAPS rule applied without saying. We had a rough idea that this hillock was opposite the Thattakal hill that we had covered a month back, so yeah, that was good enough :)
We reached Krishnagiri in a jiffy, and then with the sun half awake, we started hunting for a breakfast spot. It was quite difficult to find, on as still 6:30 am. But finally found an elderly woman making idlis in a small hotel, with a scenic backdrop of farmlands all around. We had about 8 idlis (4 idlis each), with some awesome sambhar and chutney. When asked how much the idlis were, she told Rupees 30 in total :) - with my best broken tamil, I uttered "Amma, romba nalla irakka, Nandri" (Ma'am, it was superb, thank you very much) Hearing me trying to speak Tamil put a smile on their face haha :)
Parking our bikes at the temple at the base of the hill, we awoke the lizard's spirit and were set to begin the trek.
TIME: 07:45
 |
| The most scenic trek - Periyamalai |
PERIYAMALAI FORT TREK
ASCENT:
Well, Periyamalai has to be one of the most scenic treks done to date. The factors that favour this one are its elevation over the other hillocks surrounding it, and the fact that other hillocks surround it. The climb is surprisingly pleasant, and the trails are really beautiful. But a long one; it is truly a grinder. And yeah, the climb is like tapping a cobra's head if you have had the opportunity to try one; it is like getting behind the head and tapping its head; you cannot simply take it head-on.
We took about an hour to reach the summit. One can keep it anywhere between 90 and 120 minutes if you're trying it for the first time. Like always, I have divided the trek into phases. LET'S GO!
 |
| Olá, Uzi... come! |
Phase 1: The well-made steps
Well, as we were about to start the climb, a white dog came and tried jumping on us. Calming her down, we asked what she wanted. She was just overjoyed seeing us. Asked if she was interested in climbing alongside us. And she took off like a bullet and waited at the starting point haha :) We named her Uzumaki (Uzi)
The initial stretch is well-laid steps; on both sides of it is actually thick forest. So what should have been a boring, monotonous climb turned out to be interesting. Uzi was dashing around as though she had spring below her legs. It was surreal to watch her in action, chasing behind lizards, peacocks and anything that moved in the forest. She was a hunter for sure :)
 |
| The Natural Trails at Periyamalai |
Phase 2: The Original Trail
Now, post the well-laid steps, things got interesting. It opened up to the original trail, made from boulders and rocks. The sunlight was fighting hard to touch the floor as a canopy formed above us, making the micro-environment gloomy and humid. Now, we were confused whether actual clouds had formed or it was only the bubble in which we were walking. Either way, we kept grinding and the well the trail? - it just kept coming.
We passed by two temples, both dedicated to Vishnu. The second one had a water source from the mountain; we washed our faces and resumed the trek. After about 30-35 minutes of I must say brisk walking, some short races with Uzi, we made it to the rock face - we felt home :)
Phase 3: The rock face and summit push
The last face is the rock face to the summit. Well, there are clear markers and railings here. But the rock also offers very good grip. Slowly and steadily grinding, as much railings-free as possible, we pushed on. The views here began to really lift up, and we were beginning to feel the gain in elevation with every step we took. And being high up, the winds began to caress us gently; it felt really good :)
There is a short stretch where the climb is almost vertical, and people have made a vertical ladder. Now, Bhai and I could get past this, but poor Uzi would not be able to. Where we were contemplating carrying Uzi across this, we heard a bark; it was Uzi, who had cross-traversed the entire fort, found a crack in the wall and made it to the top! Our jaws literally dropped to the floor, and our hearts melted away at the same time! She was a spring-footed monster :) We had summited Periyamalai!
TIME: 08:45
 |
| The summit of Periyamalai :) |
TOP:
Well, first things first. We paid respect to the Vishnu temple at the top, and began looking for a nice spot. With zero people around, we decided to crash in a small patch of grass right in front of the temple for two reasons - the winds and the view.
With Uzi still hyperactive, we gave her a whole packet of biscuits and calmed her down. Then Bhai revealed his surprise - a birthday cake! It was really special; I am not used to celebrating birthdays, so this was really warming to celebrate it on top of one of the biggest hillocks with two special friends. I actually held the knife in combat position and cut the cake; Bhai burst into laughter. All three of us had the cake, and then I whipped out some homemade Badam burfi as well. Uzi found a nice shady spot and crashed, and so did we :)
 |
| Thank you for making the b'day memorable Bhai :) |
After having spent about 45 minutes at the summit, we hydrated and were set to go. Uzi was resting. Sat beside her and checked if she was all set to go. And off she sprang up and ready for action. Her energy was something out of this world. The descent began :)
TIME: 09:30
 |
| Uzi - the hunter! |
DESCENT:
The descent was another 60 minutes, done non-stop. As we carefully navigated the rock face, Uzi was having a blast hunting for Othikheta (Oriental Garden Lizard). She was sprinting up and down the steep rock face like a morning walk, making us humans look very stupid. Laughing and admiring her energy, we kept tapping her head!
We made it back to the mid-temple where a water source flows through a small temple; we washed our faces and refilled our bottles with ice-cold mountain water. The water tasted different; I guess it would have picked up all the minerals from the stone wash. It hit different, alright!
 |
| You good to go, Uzi? |
With the last grind through the natural stretch pending, we descended it with precision, speaking all the way, taking turns in leading. Uzi was either in the last or first; she was always in the side, hunting for peacocks haha. Crazy crazy girl!
We made it back to the temple, looked up the massive hillock, thanked for the experience and more importantly "LETTING US GO". Kissed Uzi on her forehead for being such an awesome guide, it was time to let her go too. She understood and ran back to the temple shade and silently dived into deep slumber :)
TIME: 10:30
 |
| The final push to the summit :) |
RIDE 2: (Periyamalai > Krishnagiri > Hosur > Home)
Okay, this was a 130 km ride back home. Being a weekday, the traffic was thin. This helped us a lot; we cruised along at a decent pace. We had to make a small pit-stop back at the office; we handed over the cake and sweets to friends. Felt really good meeting them, not having seen them for a week. After being picked for the torn and stitched-up pants and condition we were in, we decided to head back haha :)
We headed towards a dhaba nearby, had some ice-cold beer and lunch. After lunch, dropped Bhai at D-Mart for some shopping, and I put on some doom metal and started cruising on the NICE Road and down came a cloudburst. It was really hard-hitting rain, but like the saying goes, "if you do not ride in rain, you do not ride". Slowed down, but did not stop. Bobbing my head, enjoying the heavy rain was gliding in peace, when all of a sudden the rain disappeared. As I rode the last 10km, people were looking at me as if I had entered from another dimension or rode directly out of a pond after having fallen into it haha :)
TIME: 16:00
 |
| Thank you Bhai and Uzi :) |
CONCLUSION:
Well, Periyamalai is one of the most scenic treks of this region. Each hillock of TN hits you differently. And this one surely did. From finding Uzi to guide us, the extremely scenic trails and the vertical climb on the rock, this is the whole package :)
Past 36 weeks, we have pulled off 37 treks, ~7500 kms in total, 8.5 months, non-stop. The Flame lives on \m/
KREW:
Uzi: Thank you, girl, for guiding us, keeping the spirits high. We could never keep up with that energy of yours. Infect others with that as well :)
Bhai: Thank you for taking a day off and making my b'day special. Means a lot! Baking a cake and getting it was something none of us had done earlier; thank you for carving this side into our chapter.
Sippy: A perfect birthday, very happy with the trek, the hillock and companions, Perfect vibes \m/
Until next time, Ta-da Cia \m/
 |
| Sippy and Uzi :) |
No comments:
Post a Comment