Driving Holidays From Bangalore: Savandurga

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

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