Skandagiri Trek
One of the easily reachable trek spots from Bangalore is Skandagiri, also known as Kalawara Betta. This was my first trek trial & I was fascinated by the fabulous experience. Trekking comprises numerous activities within, tiring trials, survival activities, scenic beauty and of course, it keeps us healthy. My peers planned for the trek and they invited me as well. We were 5 of us, Ankit, Shashi, Deepak, Nandkishore & myself.
Skandagiri is known for its Moon Light trekking. It’s located about 70 Kms from Bangalore. At an altitude of 1350mts, Skandagiri offers an amazing trek experience & wonderful cloud show; it literally feels like the mountain is floating on the cloud. Due to a mishap which happened in the year 2011, Skandagiri trekking was banned and the only way to experience the clouds were through pics on the internet. The Trek is opened up to public again, night trek is not allowed though. One can start the trek as early as 4 am.
·Distance from Bangalore: Bangalore --- 70 Kms ---> Chickballapur ----10Kms ----> Papagni Mutt (Starting Point) ·How to get: Private vehicle is a most viable option
·Difficulty Level: 3/5
·Distance: 5 Kms (One Way)
·Permission: Trekking is banned at Skandhagiri
Skandagiri is known for its Moon Light trekking. It’s located about 70 Kms from Bangalore. At an altitude of 1350mts, Skandagiri offers an amazing trek experience & wonderful cloud show; it literally feels like the mountain is floating on the cloud. Due to a mishap which happened in the year 2011, Skandagiri trekking was banned and the only way to experience the clouds were through pics on the internet. The Trek is opened up to public again, night trek is not allowed though. One can start the trek as early as 4 am.
·Distance from Bangalore: Bangalore --- 70 Kms ---> Chickballapur ----10Kms ----> Papagni Mutt (Starting Point) ·How to get: Private vehicle is a most viable option
·Difficulty Level: 3/5
·Distance: 5 Kms (One Way)
·Permission: Trekking is banned at Skandhagiri
All of us were geared up for the trek and chose to go by bikes. Ankit with his Pulsar 180, Deepak with Avenger & Nandkishore with his Splendor+. We all met near Yelahanka and started our ride towards Skandagiri around 10.30 pm. Stopped at a Dhaba for dinner, had Roti & Butter Chicken and continued our ride. We reached Chickballapur around 12 am. If you’re alone, the road after Chickballapur which gets to the foot hill is going to scare the shit out of anybody and being there at 1 am adds to it.
We reached the Papagni Mutt, the starting point around 1 am. Parked our bikes, arranged for a guide at a cost of Rs. 300 and started our trek. The initial 30 mins walk is to get around to the actual starting point of the trek and there we go, steep climbing starts. Since it was my first experience, I wasn’t prepared for it. I took numerous breaks and kept moving. The Glucose, Biscuits & Oranges really helped me to gain some stamina. 2/3 of the trek is continuous steep climbing. It was around 5.30 am, we reached the cliff. Apparently, the cliff was crowded with >100 exciting trekkers. There is a small abandoned temple where they sell Tea, Bread-Omlet & Maggi. We weren’t able to control the cold wind, we all were packed into Deepak’s blanket and even got some sleep for an hour or so.
Finally, Sun Rise….. There were a number of trekkers occupied towards the edge of the cliff to capture the best photographs. Watching the Sunrise for some time, we were prepared to descend. We started trekking down at 7 am and took very small breaks and kept going. We reached the Papagni Mutt at 10 and we were back on our bikes to our homes.
I was so fascinated by this trek, I trekked Skandagiri twice after this experience. Jan 2009 with Dell Peers (Saurabh & Syed) & Oct 2011 with FICO peers (Alok, Muthu, Amitabh, Deepak, Prakash, Mohan, Harish, Rishav & his brother.
I was so fascinated by this trek, I trekked Skandagiri twice after this experience. Jan 2009 with Dell Peers (Saurabh & Syed) & Oct 2011 with FICO peers (Alok, Muthu, Amitabh, Deepak, Prakash, Mohan, Harish, Rishav & his brother.