Highest Altitude: 1048m (3438ft) Location: Kasargod District State/Country: Kerala/India Base Village: Ranipuram Trek Open: Year Round Total Distance: 6KM Return Time: 1-1.5h ascent, 30-45 min Descent.   Difficulty Level: Easy Ranipuram is situated in Kasargod district of Kerala. It is around 100km from Mangalore which is a 2 hour drive. I left home at around 5:30AM. I took the national highway till Kasargod before taking a left turn towards the hills. The entire stretch was covered in mist. I passed through small, clean villages. I was impressed by the fact that there were hardly any hoardings or posters of any kind anywhere on the way. No ubiquitous display of political preferences, religion or self obsession. This was unlike in most other parts of India.  By the time I reached Ranipuram, it was 7:45AM. There were a few tourists already waiting. The lady forest guard at the counter told me that they would open at 8AM. There are some food shacks, a big parking lot and a toile...