'Skandagiri Trek' around Bangalore, India

One Day Hike to Skandagiri around Namma Bangalore, India

Introduction:

Skandagiri or kaiwarbetta is highest peak around Bangalore with 1400 m MSL altitude. This peak is close to Chikballapura Town, on Hyderabad road NH 7 from Bangalore in north side around 60 km from Hebbal. Please follow the map to reach to this peak and around here;

Link Google Map: Treks around Chikballapura Town

Skandagiri is one of the famous trekking spot for all adventure enthusiasts in garden city. Generally people hike this hill in the search of 'Ocean of Clouds' in the month of Nov-Jan (but obvious December is best). Maximum time you can treat yourself after night treks with similar scenario like this one (Photo from Google);

History:

On the top of the hill there is Temple of Lord Shiva with Nandi inside and even one outside. You can even find many ruins there which may be of the same era just behind of temple. But impressively this hill has huge walls around and you can find many rock watch towers same like that on any of the typical forts. There are several not completed rooms with only stone columns all around the hill which are famous photo-shoot locations on this trek.

But as people are hiking every weekend many of them are falling and must be totally ruined very soon :(

This Trek on 18th Oct 2014:

After being here for more than 5 times from the year 2009-2012, it was quite big time.Today I was again planning for same peak.Because of some unfortunate deaths on this hill and around, villagers had stopped trekkers to climb this mountain. But recently one of my friend said its reopen now. So I have planned a day hike for Graduation Students of M S Ramaiah University of Applied Science, Bangalore on 18th Oct 2014. Now a days it is sunny in Bangalore so many of them were not much ready but though 50 joined from university and this was amazing number.

Morning we started around 0800 after gathering all students from various campuses towards Chikballpura.We had packed food for breakfast and lunch from thei hostel canteens and that I could easily figure out from their faces. :P No one likes canteen food but though outsiders feel its better than theirs and vice versa :P. Around 1000 hrs we reached kaiwara village after Pradakshina to entire Chikballpura as 50 seater bus was not entering in any narrow streets.

Idly-sambar-chatney from mess was tasty and was enough for everyone to hike this hill and return back for lunch.Our plan was to walk light and clean as the mess people gave food in big vessels, so no small individual packages were there to walk with.

Trek started with group photos with the peak, today's Lakshya and briefing.

Group was quite young (12th pass students) and enthusiastic to complete the mission asap, and volunteers had hard time to stop runners and keep team together. So I found way to do that, Group Photooooooooo!!!

For every interval I was asking all to pose together and trying to restore the group, but still couple of them were at next point!!! :)

It was quite good climb with clear trail from start to end, so there was no chance for getting lost here. I was alone handling 50 students and their teachers.It was a good task as organizer, navigator, volunteer, sweeper and today photographer too!! I clicked more than 500 photos to keep people active and together. I am happy to do same even for other teams around. :)

We finally reached to that steep patch and I remembered the story of my first climb to Skandagiri in year 2009!! That time, our team of 15+ took more than 2 hrs to reach that spot in an easy night trek and more than 10 were sitting at rock patch saying there is no way ahead. I was already angry on my team mates as my first trek from Bangalore was going so slow, where online blogs say only 1 hr to climb and I am wasting time with these guys.I also saw another group of 10 people waiting there for same reason. I had seen the photos of top and pretty sure that there is way up. I ran towards the wall ahead and climbed it and then started lifting people one by one. It was night and I lifted all 15 and the other 10 people above wall with a little help.Then I found few people with guide walking on trail next to same!!!! :P :P

But today I wanted everyone to climb that, so I asked all my team and even other team to climb the same. On my request everyone climbed steep rock patch and then 6+ feet wall. \m/ Funny part was one guy climbed half way on rock patch and found that he is only finding difficulty in climbing with shoes other all climbed already!!!

After so much of sweating ourselves finally 'Varun Raja' blessed us with drizzling and everybody was thrilled and satisfied to climb the mountain. Also it was great time for shop keeper on top to sell his Egg Omlet, Tea and other stuff!!!