Did the Valikunja hike on a rainy day in October 2024. Following a ride in tempo traveller and arduous 30+ min ride in open jeep, we started the hike around 9:15am. Although the hike is fairly long (17 km), most of the part is gradual & since its long jeep track, surface is clear of bushes/grass for the most part. Last part of the hike is a challenging and steep climbing which was made harder due to wet weather and lot of grass all along. Entire trek was leech infested and while anti-leech socks did help, I did end up with 10+ leech bites and we couldn't sit even for one minute due to them. Taking rest anywhere meant leeches would start climbing. Having to stand the entire time made the trek lot more tiring. Heavy downpour on the way back meant we were sort of walking through the streams all along and everyone was completely drenched. As per the guide this trek is the only one in Kudremukh range which has so many leeches. Please make sure you carry 2-3 liters of water + snacks + lunch for this trek since its a day long trek and you will get drained at the end of the day.
The route mentioned on AllTrails is completely different than the one we took for this trek. Even though we couldn't get any views from top due to clouds/fog but views along the way of grasslands + forest are amazing and there are lots of flowers all along the hike.