Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary-(Kodagu District)

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is one of 21 Wildlife Sanctuaries of India's Karnataka state.

This sanctuary is located in Somwarpet taluk,20 km from Somwarpet town northern part of Kodagu district.and has some attractive scenery. It is home to rare and endangered birdlife and is designated as one of the important bird areas of the world. The rich Kadamakkal reserve forest is a part of the sanctuary. Pushpagiri is the highest peak in it. Kumaraparvat (Kumaraparvatha) is the other peak that lies within it. The sanctuary adjoins Bisle reserve forest to north and Kukke Subramanya forest range to the west.

Pushpagiri, at 1,712 meters, is the highest peak in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka.

Pushpagiri Mountains

The Pushpagiri (aka Subramanya Hills) lies at an imposing altitude of 5,626 ft and is 2nd highest pride of Kodagu.

About 36 km from Somwarpet and 1.5 km from Kumaralli, it is located amid the jungle. Trekking can be done from the base, Bhagati, which is a 10 km, three-hour walk. Otherwise, trekkers can cross Subramanya, located in Dakshina Kannada district of Pushpagiri Range. The trekking zone can be approached from Pushpagiri or from Kumaraparvat peaks.

Eastern entrance can be obtained from Beedehalli via Heggademane temple and Western entrance from Kukke Subramanya via Giri gadde. However, the entrance through Beedehalli—tiny hill hock boondock— is less strenuous, comparatively.

The entrance from Kukke Subramanya is located the sea level.

Time to visit

Best: October to January (when the soil is dry)
Worst: June to September (soil is wet due to rain, have to encounter lot of leeches)

Permissions required to be taken for trekking

Need to pay Rs 200 towards forest entry fee to the forest guards.

Flora and fauna

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.
The Pushpagiri Wildlife Sancutuary has been proposed as a World Heritage Site.
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