Place: Savandurga Hills, off Magadi Road, Bangalore
Distance: 70 x 2 = 140 km
Route: Vijaynagar -> -> Chikballapur -> Skandagiri Hill
Type: Trekking
Ideal for: Friends
Bikes: Pulsar 150, Discover 150 and Avenger
Crew: Vinay, Lakshmikant, Gajanan, Sanity guy and Sagar
Budget: 100/Head
Crew: Vinay, Lakshmikant, Gajanan, Sanity guy and Sagar
Budget: 100/Head
It was our back to back trips during the month, Siva was abroad so we had the itch to do more trekking. Savandurga had been on my wishlist since a long it was time to conquer another mighty peak.
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| Best of the beast |
Brief about the place: You would have definitely heard of this place as its very famous for trekking, here is the list of things which makes Savandurga special.
- Standing as tall as 4000 ft Savandurga is one of the largest monoliths in Asia
- Savandurga is formed by two hills known locally as Karigudda (black hill) and Biligudda (white hill).
- Savandi Veerabhadreshwara Swamy temple and Narasimha Swamy temple, situated at the foot of the hills.
Saturday Morning: Vinay and I were waiting at Kengeri for Lakshmi and Gaja to join. They arrived at 6.30 am, we headed on Mysore road Lakshmi knew the route so we just followed him. Took a right turn at Bosch Rexroth the road turned into a smaller road. We reached the base of the hill at 7.30 am. Parked vehicle in front of the temple and headed to the hill.
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| Steep trek at the initial beginning |
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| Got tired as soon as we started the trek |
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| Halfway through the trek, Sun was already shining in the sky |
The Trek: Unlike most the hills I had climbed this one is a true rock trekking, there are no support or stairs for entire stretch which ascend bit tougher but thrilling. Trek seemed harder than I had thought. At the beginning the hill is very steep, you need a good shoe with a better grip. I was wondering how difficult it would be to trek in the rainy season. The initial tail was was tiring but after some distance, the route wasn’t much steep making rest of the trek easy to trace. Being the laziest guys no one had brought water, there was no source of water on the hill either (After 9 am local villagers started selling cold drinks). So don’t forget to carry a water bottle and snacks.
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| The small pound inside the hill looked interesting |
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| An abandoned building halfway through the path |
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| Kallina Mantapa (Rock stage) |
The peak: We reached the peak in one and half hours, we all were exhausted but the incredible view from the peak wiped tiredness in a minute. Even though the sun was upon us the cold breeze kept us cool. Had a small photo session before we headed back.
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| Peak visible from distance, some more distance to cover |
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| Ufffff! it was a long way, Hydrating ourselves |
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| Sitting on the edge of the hill and enjoying cold breeze |
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| Ek group photo to banta hai |
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| Steep drop. Be careful while walking on the top |
Trek back: As usual the descend was easier as gravity did all the work. We saw people ascending at 10 am since the sun was already up, the rock would get heater which makes the trek very challenging. Saw local villagers selling cold drinks around 9 am (please don’t throw empty bottles as I saw the place was littered with bottles). After reaching base we had fruits at a small stall and headed back to Bangalore.
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| Climbing down is even more difficult |
We were back to Bangalore by 12.30 pm. Had lunch at Mallige mess in Vijayanagar and we departed.
Important Notes:
- Carry water and food as there is nothing available on the hill or on the way.
- Wear a good shoe with better grip as some part of the route are steep
- Start early as to avoid the sun as the hill will get heated as time passes.
- Please do not litter the place
You can also visit Manchinbele dam on the way back to Bangalore
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