Nandi Hills
Nandi Hills makes it to almost every list on 'Places around Bengaluru'. The reason why this happens is because of its proximity to Bengaluru. It is the nearest hill station from Bengaluru and a good option for somebody looking to go for a long drive. To reach Nandi Hills take the Hyderabad highway (NH7/Yelahanka Road) from Bengaluru. After 38kms along the highway, couple of kms past Devanahalli, you can see a road going to the left towards Nandi Hills. There is a sign board there and you should not miss it, if you are careful. After another 10kms you will reach a T-junction, from where you should take a left. 4 more kms, it is one more right turn followed by a ghat road leading to Nandi Hills.The place offers a nice bird's eye view from the top. An early morning drive to the hills, in time for the sunrise, is an exciting option.
Sivanasamudram
Sivanasamudram (aka Sivasamudram) is a nice waterfall near Malavalli, Mandya district. The waterfall is around 50meters tall on River Kaveri (Cauvery) and is a beautiful sight, especially during monsoon. To reach Sivanasamudram, take the NH209 (Kanakapura road) and continue till Malavalli, past Kanakapura. Around 10kms past Malavalli, along NH209 (Kollegal road), you can spot a board to your left, indicating a 4km detour to Sivanasamudram.
Talakkad
Talakkad (Talakad/ Talakadu/ Talakkadu), situated in the banks of Kaveri (Cauvery) is known for its sand dunes and the temples buried underneath. River Kaveri flows very shallow here and is ideal to take bath and play around. Talakkad is in Mysuru (Mysore) district. To reach there, take the NH209 (Kanakapura road) past Malavalli. Soon after Malavalli, there is a T junction, with road on the right going towards Mandya/Mysuru. Take the left and continue in NH209, towards Kollegal. About some 5kms before the detour for Sivanasamudram, there are sign boards indicating Talakkad, 22 kms to the right.
Hogenakkal
Hogenakkal is located in Karnataka - Tamilnadu border, around 200kms from Bengaluru. Its situated near Dharmapuri. To reach Hogenakkal from Bengaluru, take the NH7 (Hosur road) and go to Dharmapuri, via Hosur and Krishnagiri. At Dharmapuri, you can see a junction, one of the roads going towards Hogenakkal, via Pennagaram. Another route, which is shorter, but less travelled is via Hosur - Rayakkottai - Palakkodu - Pennagaram. Or even shorter, but bad roads, via Hosur - Denkanikota - Pennagaram. Hogenakkal is also along Kaveri river, this time dropping down around 100ft into a deep canyon forming waterfalls on all sides. Small round boats are available to take you to the middle of the canyon and from there to a river bank, where you can get an oil massage. Check out Hogenakkal Trip Page for some photos.
Savandurga
This is a monolithic peak famous for rock climbing and is situated along the Ramanagar - Magadi road. There are two routes available from Bengaluru. First one is via Magadi. Take the Magadi road from Bengaluru. At Magadi, take the Ramanagar road to the left. Around 7kms from Magadi, there is a board on the left side, indicating Savandurga. A better route, though longer, is via Mysuru road. From Bengaluru, take the Mysuru road, till Ramanagar and then take the road going to Magadi on your right side. The same board for Savandurga can be located on the right side 7kms before Magadi. Check Savandurga Trek Page for more elaborate route information, but dont get scared by my trekking experience there!!!
Lepakshi Nandi & Temple
This is for people interested in historical monuments. Lepakshi village hosts an old temple and a huge monolithic Nandi, constructed more than 500 years ago. Nandi here is 15 feets tall and 27 feets high, the largest in India. The temple has several beautiful structures demonstrating the finesse of our ancestors.
Lepakshi is about 15 kms from Hindupur along the Hindupur - Kodikonda state highway. Two alternate routes are available. Both involve NH7 (Hyderabad/ Ballary/ Yelahanka road, starting from Hebbal flyover in outer ring road) uptill Yelahanka. From there, one can continue past Devanahalli, Chickballapur, Begapally and Andhra border up to Kodikonda and then take the Hindupur road to the left. Lepakshi is 12 kms from Kodikonda and total 112 kms from Bengaluru along this route. An alternate route is to take the Doddaballapur road from Yelahanka and continue through Gauribadanur and Andhra border, till Hindupur. At Hindupur, one has to take the road going to Kodikonda. Road is bad from Gauribadanur till the Andhra border.
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Sangam
Sangam is the confluence of Rivers Kaveri (Cauvery) and Arkavathi. One more nice picnic spot along Kanakapura Road (NH209) formed around River Kaveri, it can be reached by taking a 33km deviation to the left, soon after Kanakapura, along NH209. A big arch is placed there to tell you the route. About 16kms from Kanakapura you will reach a junction, to the right of which is Cauvery fishing camp. Go straight for Sangam. The last five kms to Sangam is an enjoyable drive through the ghat roads, with picturesque hills all around you. Water is not so deep at Sangam and is very clean, in spite of the huge crowd generally found here. But the surroundings is filled with litter and plastic. Its a pitty that a place like this is not kept clean.
Mekedatu
After its confluence with River Arkavathi at Sangam, Kaveri flows through a deep gorge at Mekedatu. The gorge is deep and a maximum 30ft wide at places. Some other sections, the rock almost bridges the river so that a goat can leap across. Hence the name, Meke(Goat)Datu(Leap). A lot of strange looking rock formations and deep holes can be found here. To go to Mekedatu, one has to come to Sangam, cross the river and travel another 4 kms through a jeep track through the Cauvery Wild Life Sanctuary or along the Kaveri (Cauvery) river. The area is covered by hills on all sides and its very unlikely that you can spot wild life here. A special bus ply between these two places almost every hour. Walking along the river is a very good option, but not so adviced for families, since there is usually a lot of crowd and booze parties along this river route. And not to mention the huge amount of litter and cow/human dung.
Chunchi Falls
This is a small water falls on the way to Sangam. Take the Sangam Road after Kanakapura and after 23kms you can spot a road on the left side going to Chunchi falls. 5kms more from here for the falls. Thanks to the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana roads are good to this place. This water falls is nothing particular, but worth seeing if you are going to Sangam/Mekedatu.
Bheemeshwari
Bheemeshwari is more known as the Cauvery Fishing Camp (CFC) and famous for the 'Mahaseer' ('Mahasheer') fishes. The place is pasrt of the Cauvery Wild Life Sanctuary. Log huts are available for staying at this place, which can be booked from Bengaluru KSTDC office. This point is almost midway between Sangam and Sivanasamudram in River Kaveri. To reach Bheemeshwari, you should take the NH209 (Kanakapura road) past Kanakapura, take the road to Sangam, till you reach a junction (Halahalli), about 16kms from Kanakpura, from where you have to take a right. One can also trek from Bheemeshwari to Muthathi and also to Mekedatu. Check out Muthathi Trek Page for photos and trip logs from a Muthathi - Bheemeshwari trek.
Shravanabelagola
146kms from Bengaluru, Shravanabelagola (Sravanabelagola/ Shravanabelgola/ Shravanbelgola/ Shravanbelagola/ Sravanabelgola/ Sravanabelgola/ Sravanbelagola) is a huge 18 meter high monolithic statue of Lord Gommatheshwara on the top of a hill (Vindyagiri or Indragiri) is considered the tallest in the world. The most striking feature of the statue is that, it is stark naked yet highly aesthetic. Made in 983 AD, this place is a legendary pilgrim center and shrine of Jains. Just opposite to the the Gomatheshwara statue is another hill (Chandragiri) with some Jain temples and the tomb of Chandragupta Maurya. To reach here, one has to take Tumakuru / Tumkur road (NH4) from Bengaluru, NH48 (Mangaluru / Mangalore Road) at Nelamangala (KM27 on NH4) junction and continue till Hirisave (KM128 on NH48) and then take the state highway (SH8) going to Shravanabelagola. Infact, there are numerous roads going to Shravanabelagola, the major one being SH8 connecting Hirisave (in NH48) to Shravanabelagola to Channarayapatna (back in NH48 at KM147). Hirisave to Shravanabelagola is 18kms and from Shravanabelagola to Channarayapatna is 11kms. Check out my Mangaluru Bike Trip Page for further details and photo.
Bannerghatta National Park
Located 22 kms from Bengaluru city, along the Bannerghatta road, this is a good place to visit. Just about 10kms from IIMB campus, Bannerghatta national park is probably the easiest place, where you can spot wild animals like lions and tigers roaming freely in something resembling a forest. These animals are kept in fenced containment and safari is arranged to see them. There is also a zoo in the national park premises where you can have a look at a variety of animals. An Elephant joy ride or safari is also possible.
A major drawback with the place is that it is more of a zoo than a national park and lacks a wild feel. Also, the animals kept in cages paints a sorry figure. Still, some of the tigers/lions kept in fenced containment looks healthy, offering a rare experience.
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