Driving Holidays From Bangalore: March 2015

This journey is of a one day trip to Thattekere, a lake some 50 odd kilometers from Bangalore. This lake is borders Bannerghatta National Park and is very very scenic.

What you will like about this place?

Clean surrounding. A pristine lake. Very less crowd. Maybe one or two families who have driven down.

There is a temple which is open in the morning (9 AM). At that time you will find few people.

Ideal day plan – reach in morning – spend the day – temple, lake and start return by 5. After 6 some of the gates that leads to this place through forest closes.

What you need to take care of?

This is within elephant territory so be careful all the while. Do not stay back after 6.

Roads leading to this place are non existent at many places. A hatchback or sedan cannot make this place in rainy season. I had been in winter and in a swift. The road had loose gravels but could manage.

Other points:

No food joints, eating options. There was a public toilet near the temple. Not in a good shape but then inside a jungle you are probably happy with whatever you get.

Driving directions:

I have given driving directions from Marthahalli bridge. One can take the Hosur road , cross electronic city, Take the u-tuen under the first flyover after electronic city flyover toll ends, then take the first left (Bomasandra – Jigani link road). This road is also good. After you cross the junction that leads to Anekal on the left continue straight and then take left at Shriram YYY. After this continue straight for 15 kms. There are some small diversions that I have marked in the maps. At one junction you have to take left and enter the forest. This road is less than 2 kms but is untarred and in very bad state. In fact once you take the left from Jigni Bannerghatta road the road condition goes bad. The road is good in patches. Out of this 15 kms the first 4 are in very bad state then it’s quite ok.

Google Map:
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Marathahalli,+Bengaluru,+Karnataka/Thattekere,+Karnataka/@12.8066885,77.6412039,11z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae13b4551d0957:0x597894d77e1e4919!2m2!1d77.697419!2d12.9591722!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae67c4787da7c9:0xc6f3c241f8dce831!2m2!1d77.590597!2d12.6791765

Photos:

Jigni Bannerghatta Road

Bad Roads

Good Roads

Bordering Bannerghatta Forest

Take this Left - this leads to inside the jungle

Temple near the lake

Pathway to the lake

Lake First View

Lake

Island in the middle of the lake

This journey is of a one day trip to Shavandurga, monolith hill, a hill fort and temple some 50 odd kilometers from Bangalore. This hill is off the Bangalore Magadi road, inside a forest and is very scenic.

What you will like about this place?

Very less crowd. The start of the hill trek is not that clear and clean but once you have crossed the initial 200 meters the actual hill starts it gets very clean. You get terrific views from top. The trek is of moderate difficulty.

There is a temple near the base of the hill and a small village.

Ideal day plan – reach in morning – spend the day – temple, hill, trek and start return by 5.

What you need to take care of?

This is within forest territory so be careful all the while. Do not stay back after 6.

Roads leading to this place are not that good once you have taken the left from Madagi Ramanagara road.

The trek is entirely on this monolith hill so should be avoided in rainy season. It will get slippery.

Do not take small kids along. They will not be able to do this trek and also there is no proper resting place below.

Other points:

There are eating options in the settlement near the base of the hill. Once you reach this place you will be see one big temple. That is not the start of the trek. Go further down and you will reach another temple and a parking in front of it. Park your car here. From here there is a road that goes down through some forest land. There is a marking as well for this land. Do not get into that road but exactly before it there is a small pathway. Ask locals if in doubt. This pathway will lead you to the trek. The initial 100-200 meters are through shrubs and is not clean, but it can be managed.

The trek is of moderate difficulty but take all precautions required with any trek. Recommendation is you go in group.

Driving directions:

I had taken the Bangalore Magadi road. From Marthahalli take the ring road and cross silk board, Banashankari, PES college, then take right at the Mysore Road, Ring Road junction. From there after sometime take the left towards Magadi road. As you are about to reach Magadi town, you have to take the left onto Magadi Ramanagara road. All these roads are good. After 3 kms on this road you have to take left. There are markings. Once you take left the road is not tarred but is manageable in small cars as well. Not sure how things will be in rainy season but I saw the road being widened. It might be tarred in near future.

There is an alternate rout via Mysore road, Take right after Raj Rajeshwari Dental hospital – Big Banyan tree . But this road is in very bad state once you cross Manchinbele. Not recommended.

Google link:
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Marathahalli,+Bengaluru,+Karnataka/Savandurga+Hill,+Ramanagara,+Karnataka/@12.934804,77.4715132,12z/data=!4m39!4m38!1m30!1m1!1s0x3bae13b4551d0957:0x597894d77e1e4919!2m2!1d77.697419!2d12.9591722!3m4!1m2!1d77.5959755!2d12.9167532!3s0x3bae1508aa2e668b:0xcbe7e640e94aea1d!3m4!1m2!1d77.5278327!2d12.9451424!3s0x3bae3e6882e74b1f:0x96c15a1f9bcaf1bd!3m4!1m2!1d77.5355593!2d12.9664961!3s0x3bae3ddf06b14cef:0x53fcf2b22a735e21!3m4!1m2!1d77.5479008!2d12.9755799!3s0x3bae3de5717cde49:0x80562544f1c0028a!3m4!1m2!1d77.2375564!2d12.9505342!3s0x3bae337fd4e0a93f:0x3bbeeda14b7aee38!1m5!1m1!1s0x3bae3664f8d60951:0x7d23470068713f8f!2m2!1d77.2944334!2d12.9205893!3e0

Photos: