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First views of the formidable Makalidurga hill |
Location: Makalidurga or Makkalidurga, Doddaballapura, Near Bangalore
Date: Dec 27th, 2015
To get there: [
Click here for Google Map]. Go on Hebbal Road and take the exit to Doddaballapura a few kms after Hebbal Lake. Go through Doddaballapura towards Makalidurga. Trail head is few kms after the Makallidurga Railway Station. You need to take a left on a dirt road just before a village(Gunjur) and go on that for about a km. Parking is next to the railway tracks.
Distance: 60km from Bangalore
Trail type: Rocky. Few places may need a bit of scrambling for the inexperienced trekkers. Trail is marked with a white arrow painted on rocks in few places. At the top, there is a temple and fort which one can explore. We had kids aged 10 who did the trek quite easily. Still I would suggest to be careful as it was quite slippery in many spots due to small mountain streams. Also, younger kids can find it a bit strenuous.
Facilities: Doddaballapura is close by. Shops selling drinks and snacks are there on the main road near the trail head.
It had been a while since we had gone
on any family trek close by. When a few friends also expressed
interest to just go out and get relief from the City's chaos for a
day at least, it seemed like our trek drought will end. After some
internet research, we settled on Makalidurga near Doddaballapura even though it is on
the other side of the city, as most reviews seemed to suggest that it
a nice 1/2 day trek which is what we wanted.
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Breakfast with a view! |
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Parking near the railway line |
So, bright and early on the last Sunday
of year 2015, 27
th December, 4 adults, 2 kids and one teen
set out in 2 cars northwards. We had packed sandwiches, fruits and
snacks for our breakfast on the trek, some of which disappeared during
the drive! Reached the trail head around 9, a bit late but not too
bad. The Makalidurga hill towers over the railway line and the trail
curves around a temple and them upwards. We met a few brave souls who
had camped out at the top in the night.
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White arrows to guide you in tricky places |
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Slippery slopes had to be maneuvered carefully |
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Black-shouldered Kite hovering over our lunch spot looking for its own lunch! |
While relaxing there, we were treated to close up
views of the hovering ability of the Black-shouldered Kite.There were
also numerous Barn Swallows and Swifts putting on a nice aerobic
display.
We finished up the rest of our food and
started back. The trail back was somewhat easier. Or so we thought.
By the time we reached our car though it was close to 2 pm and lunch
was on everyone's minds. So, we stopped in Yelahanka on the way which had some good eateries. By evening we were
back in our house after the much needed break from city pollution!
Hope to do the next one without such a
long break!
If you do get to visit this or similar place around Bangalore, please ensure that you do not litter *anything* there to keep the place as pristine as possible for others.
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Spotted a Common Kestrel as we were climbing down. |
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Trudging through some tall grass |
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Rose-ringed Parakeets |
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View of the railway line |