Yana is a small hill station near Kumta in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. This is a trekker’s as well as nature lover’s paradise located in the Sahyadri mountain range of the Western Ghats in the middle of lush green forests. The place is famous for its natural beauty and remarkable gigantic rock formations. This is a popular pilgrimage centre as well as rock climbing and nature walking destination.
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Yana Rock Formations[/caption]
The two large rock formations here are known by the names Mohini Shikhara and Bhairaveshwara Shikhara. Mohini Shikhara is 90m high and Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is 120m high. These two peaks are solid composition of black crystalline limestone. There is a small cave temple dedicated to Goddess Durga below Bhairveshwara Shikhara. There is a 3 m wide passage in the hillock that leads to a cave. You can see many limestone formations inside the cave also. One of such formations inside the cave is worshipped as Shiva Linga by devotees.
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Cave passage[/caption]
The main festival celebrated here is Mahashivratri. During Shivratri Car festival is celebrated for Lord Bhairaveshwara. There is an idol of goddess Parvati at the base of Mohini hillock. From the overhead roof of the hillock, water drips from the projecting rocks over the Shiva linga, and local people call this water as Gangodbhava.
From Yana village base, you need to trek 3 kms to reach these huge rock peaks. You will have to walk through steep forest route, hills and dales, caves and cascades, roaring rivers and splashing streams, which is a biodiversity hotspot of Sahyadri range. There are many Trekking Trails and peaks to explore here.
The best time to visit is during the winter season or from the months of September to May. During the rains the forest will be dangerous to trek as the mud roads here becomes very slippery during the rains. The hill station is located at a distance of 25 km from Kumta and 62 km from Karwar.
There are varieties of endangered species of birds and butterflies here. Bird watching in this area can be a beautiful experience. Travellers can enjoy both sightseeing as well as hiking in this hill station.
Another main tourist attraction here is the Vibhooti waterfalls. There are two falls, one is of 25 feet and the other is about 4 feet. The area is best for camping and enjoying a short stay in the Sahyadri forest.
The hill station is located about 460kms from Bangalore city. From there, regular buses are there to Sirsi and from Sirsi, Yana is 40kms away. You can hire jeeps from Sirsi to Yana village base. If you journey is by train you can reach till Hubli. From Hubli buses are there to Sirsi.
You need to find your accommodation in Kumta or Sirsi as there are no accommodation facilities at Yana. The nearest railway station to the place is Kumta and the nearest airport is Dabolim (210 kms) in Goa. Trekking in Yana is really a wild and enjoyable experience.