52 Beautiful places around Bangalore for a Day Drive,Visit and Hike...

Bangalore is a such a hotspot ( If ur reading from the Covid-19 era I can understand what kind of hotspot you are imagining in my mind :p) for beautiful hills and hillocks around it for a day or even half day trips, in the last 10 years of my I have hiked around these ones apart from the very famous Navdurgas around Bangalore.. Just an article to focus on these places..Happy reading..

Note : At the end of the article I have given links of other Full fledged articles I have written about places which can be completed on a days trip from Bangalore...

Ramdeverabetta

This Lovely place is like around 56 kms from Bangalore towards Ramnagara and is also a Vulture Sanctuary ...This whole trek can be done in like a 2 to 3 hours in total and has neat steps almost 90% to the temple at the top.. What's interesting here is the last view point where we have to climb a litrellay 70* ladder to reach the topmost view point and might be difficult for elders but till the temple anyone can go.. Do lookout for Vultures flying around the peaks and one could think they might be kites or crows but they are the mighty Vultures flying around..Its a safe place and good car parking is available and infact few forest department officials are present at the base for any help...

Google location:

Ramadevara Betta View Point

Sugganahalli, Karnataka 562159

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qmgZj3YBNP1SawAD6

Akkayama betta & Chikkajala fort

This hidden gem is just just just just 10 mins from my home in Sahakaranagar and absolutely worth for 3 hours if your time in the evening after 5 and especially in the monsoon months of June to December as the grasslands on top blossoms a beautiful pink flowers from the grass there.. We can take the vehicles almost to the top of the hill and evenings are mighty pleasant here.. Very proud to say we have kept almost 50 plus trees around this area taking permission from the temple management there...We have also done plastic cleanups here many times...One can also visit the old Chikkajala fort and also a 100+ year old Banyan tree which completely grew on a first floor stone..

Google maps

Akkayamma Betta Hill

Maranayakanahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562157

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SV1ML28d6SdZhwig8

Chikkajala fort and old temple :

Chikkajala Fort

Chikkajala, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562157

https://maps.app.goo.gl/7KWm7QTppbwEfhFr5

Bhairavadurga

Another beautiful place for adventure lovers just like 1 hr drive from Bangalore... This place is towards Kunigal in the Hassan highway and in monsoon is a stunning place to visit with early morning mist and greenery grasslands.. There are two ways to hike to this fort and front side route is very straight forward with a descent hike but for adventure junkies the backside route is a bit of rock climbing and vertically at times so kindly avoid the back side route during monsoon where its slippery so try the back route from Dec to June but still again handle care..The top of the hill has a small ruined fort and a small temple... Its a beautiful place to spend 4 to 5 hours on early morning. If you need a guide from the local village do comment below and I can help giving the contact... This Bhairavadurga is one among the 9 durgas around Bangalore...

Google maps

https://goo.gl/maps/VMwv657qRvBQXD1f9

Hulukadi Betta

A very personal favourite hill trek for me as its just like 1 hr drive from my home towards Doddaballapur.. Whenever I feel I need a climb I hit the hill and trek the place.. Its a simple climb with steps leading to the hill for 80% and rest 20% grasslands and fort ruins at the top.. Anyone can hike here and for kids this will be a good trek to start their trekking life. There is a beautiful pond at the top and also couple of temples where Pooja is done everyday... On the way to the hill you can have breakfast in a lovely place near Doddaballapur which offers amazing breakfast (details in picture below).. The views from the top is very beautiful with surrounding hills and one can also see Nandi hills and Kaurava Kunda from here... We have done several plastic picking events here to keep the place keen so kindly avoid plastics and be aware of the monkeys here..

Google maps

https://goo.gl/maps/jDj4oQEepQe7ig3D7

Dandiginahalli Dam and secret trek spot on the way

Quite a scenic place and not many will believe such place exists just like an hr drive from Bangalore... This place is like 70kms from Bangalore towards the Chikkaballapur side and an awesome place to spend your mornings or evenings.. The dam is surrounded by hills and also it has few islands inbetween.. This is an lovely place to do photoshoots and also few people camp here in the nights... We can take our cars to the edge of the water and has a beautiful bridge to take some awesome snaps.. Kindly take a village route via Rajanakunte to reach this place and the inside roads are beautiful than the highway... You can also spend few mins at the Gunjur lake near Doddaballapur..

If you are a trek Junkie then you can also combine this trek with a small trek on the way, kindly ping me if you need to know the trekking hill as its quite diff to explain the place...

Google maps

https://goo.gl/maps/c2qiQ5pfQBeLQkjHA

Back side trek of Nandibetta ( Paradise for bird watching)

Again one of my favourite place for 3 reasons, the greenery it offers thought the year, for being a bird watchers paradise and its close to my home around a 45 mins drive.. Well many flock to Nandi hills and drive by vehicles to the top but many doesn't know the fact there is a back side trekking route to reach the top and again 80% of this trek is very much idle and interesting before it joins to the top of Nandi hills so I always quit the trek at 80% level before seeing much of humans..

Will suggest to reach this place at-least by 5.30 and start the trek as it offers so much of mist and birds around.. On reaching the top there is a temple and can see the views of Channagiri, Skandagiri and Kaurava Kunda hills around.. 2020 new year day My 3 year old son and 65 year old Father in law did this trek and its a easy one but take ur time, enjoy the views and walk.. One can combine this trek with a 800 yr old Bhoga Nandiswara temple which is like 3 kms away from this place...

Google maps

https://goo.gl/maps/vFazY8DdDH5Kkv2m6

Bhoga Nandiswara Temple

I make a trip at least once a month here due to the heritage and peace if brings. This is a 1000 year old temple at the base of Nandi hills and around 45 kms from Hebbal. It has the same beautiful structure like the Hampi's and the Badami's...It has 3 Shiva's inside ( Arunachaleshwara, Bhoga Nandishwara and Uma Maheshwara) and the Kalyani (Pond) of this place is absolutely stunning and majestic...

This is a quite huge temple complex with beautiful lawns and spending a lovely evening with family.. The entrance Tree has like 1000 plus parrots with nests and makes amazing ambience...Kindly go before 4.30 pm as the Kalyani is closed by that time but the temple is open till 8pm.. Dont forget to get a free fish spa done at the temple pond :)

Google maps

https://goo.gl/maps/Wf3c1kDoYxiyHAg29

Avalahalli State Forest

This beautiful state forest is again very close to my home near Yelankha and offers a beautiful forest feel within the city limits.. This forest is maintained by KFD and allows people to use for walking and cycling in the mornings and the evenings... The whole walk can be around 4 kms and offers some beautiful dense trails and peacocks...

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/wqJf13wDAzQyUZ2q6

Jakkur Lake (Birding and Long walks)

A lovely serene natural lake with a dense forest feel is this Jakkur lake and situated around 7kms from Hebbal.. The whole lake has amazing well maintained walking path and the whole round takes about 7km of walking.. The side paths of the lakes are very dense and has lots of Flaura and maniy varieties of flowers..

One more beauty about this place is from Jan to June the migratory birds like Pelican, spoon bills, Comarants, Painted storks, Darter's etc flock this place and nest there..The lake is open in the mornings and in the evenings for visitors and offers amazing landscapes around the lake... There is also a mini gym and workout area for fitness enthusiast...

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/iGyY7KBfa3X9zaEg8

Deverayanadurga

Another very famous hill part of the Navdurga's of Bangalore and around 75-80 kms from Bangalore.. We can either walk to the hill temple from down or we can choose the drive in our car till the hilltop.. This Devrayanadurga is a part of a forest reserve and very often people spot Leopards and Bears surrounding this area but its a quite safe place to visit the temple.. Monsoons are quite beautiful at the hilltop with mists and rains around.. On the way to the hill there is a very serene lake where we can do some family picnic as well....

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/qLzUu1D346udR19W8

Gummanayaka Fort

This small beautiful fort is situated around 115 kms from Bangalore in the airport road towards Bagepalli... The route driving to this fort is quite beautiful and its a very small trek of 20 mins to reach the top of the fort.. We can spend half day in this beautiful fort and can combine Gummanayaka fort and Lepakshi temple in one day trip.. There is also a beautiful stepwell just a km before the fort...

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/oiGwZ4R5NCMqXJxeA

Savanadurga

Savanadurga has one amazing speciality as its one of the tallest monolith of Asia and rock climbers paradise.. Its near Magadi and around 60 kms from Bangalore... Do a hike very early in the morning as its very diff to climb on day time and also on monsoon where its slippery.. We did this trek on a hot summer morning and was a daunting task. Take enough water and on reaching the top we can see the beautiful Arkavathi river coming and joining the Machinabele dam... There are some beautiful old temples at the base where we park the car and this place is very specific for hiking and rock climbing lovers and might be diff for old people or young kids..

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/N53y7aynNBeCjwkm6

Avani Group of Monuments

A very loving place like 1.5 hrs drive from Bangalore and a paradise for Architecture lovers.. It has a group of monuments built by early Cholas and has spectacular heritage sites.. Ramalingeshwara, Kotilingeswara and Brahmalingeshwara are some places to see and one can also cover this place with Kolar visiting the Someshwara and Kolaramma Temple.. One can also hike to the Lakshmi Theertha hill near by..On the way to Bangalore people can also plan to visit Markandeya hills and Anjaneya betta hill...

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/Cu6J4x7NzcGBUFjbA

Kengal Betta

Very much unknown place but offers thrilling vertical short climb for adventure junkies... This betta is exacty opposite to the Shivagange hills and around 1300 mtrs above sea level.. This betta is very small and takes about 20 to 30 mins max to climb up but the last 50 meters gets very vertical and holding rods are kept there to hold as support.. Not a very difficult trek but if someone is bored on a weekend morning and want to spend 2 to 3 hours on a nice hill top then this place suits.. Reaching on top of the betta one can see the beautiful front view of Shivagange hills and also near by Devere Kere lake.. A old Basavanna temple is situated on top of the hill and on monsoon months mists and breezy wind will make you feel good..

Google Maps:

https://goo.gl/maps/YUoBiGj52RjJR4MM6

Gopinath Betta Temple

This again is a very small lovely hill temple suitable for a very very short climb and a drive to view the beauty of all the 3 betta's in one single view ( Nandi betta, Skandagiri and Horagina Betta).. People who have visited Bhoga Nandiswara temple would have seen another small hill temple while the way back to Nandi cross and this is the temple.. One can either take the car and go all the way to the top or can park the car at the base and do a small greener hill climb.. There is a Gopinatha Temple at the peak and the views from the top is Breezy and nice.. One can complete this hill drive combined with the Bhoga Nandiswara temple and also a drive towards Skandagiri.

Google location:

https://goo.gl/maps/9JAhetP5QWr3WxP7A

Shivagange Hill

Personally the most toughest trek within 50 to 75 km distance radius of Bangalore just because its very steep and takes heavy toll on your energies... This Shivagange is a very beautiful heritage town near Dobbaspet, Tumkur and has beautiful old temple at the base and a very beautiful Shivalinga shaped peak.. On top of the peak is a Shivalinga and an Indian flag hoisted.. The initial stretch goes via stairs and some greenery can be spotted on the way especially on monsoons... The first half of the trek ends with a Shiva Parvathy statue and some viewpoints and till here I guess common people and kids can access but from this point to the peak the trail gets very steep and has to be covered via iron ladders so will request elders and kids to avoid further than the Shiva statue... The full trek takes about 4 hours to and fro and request you all to do this not on Summer harsh months.. There are lots of shops on the way selling water, juice and fruits for refreshments

Google location:

https://goo.gl/maps/WEFooNkV9tLpWtuY6

The peak marked with a red circle ( Taken from half way mark)

The base temple

Be careful about the Monkey menace as these monkeys are brave and they have trained themselves to open the bags and steal food items..So avoid carrying food in bags.

Hebbal Lake Park

Deserves not more than 2 hours of your time in the evening and especially in the monsoon months where the bogan villa flowers make the park colorful... Its not a place to plan and come from a long distance and if you stay near to Hebbal, got bored and have nothing to do then have a visit for couple of hours and combine this with a nice dinner at the Druid gardens rooftop restaurant in Sahakaranagar nearby or with Akkayama betta 30 mins from the park.. Cover urself well with full dress due to mosquitos in the lake bed..

Google location:

https://goo.gl/maps/kzKJeJgiUBFZCw19A

Namamalai, Salem

Salem has more than 20 plus short treks near it and is a good trek destination from Aug to Feb...Can be covered in a day from Bangalore and food is amazing here...One of the short treks which can be done in a day from Bangalore is the Namamalai near Salem, the whole trek takes about 1hr to go up and 30 mins to come down and has a beautiful old temple at the peak and surrounded by other huge mountain ranges like Jarugumalai. One can plan a morning drive to Salem from Bangalore covering this place and then having lunch in famous places like Mangalam or Keda virundhu..

Google location:

https://goo.gl/maps/i2j553kXVsyMjJpx7

Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy and Development

Mahatma Gandhi institute of Rural education and its a gem of a place just for the fact 800+ real life statues of various life style of Rural Karnataka is placed in a model village and they looked stunning and informative...Non Kannadigas will learn a lot about the culture and heritage of Rural life in Karnataka. This is a lovely place to visit for 2 to 3 hours on a evening time and can be combined with a walk in the Rachanahalli lake next to the compound or a longer walk at the Jakkur lake with some birding. 50 rs is the entry ticket and worth every penny

Google location:

https://goo.gl/maps/fNWucq5t8ccXCkh38

Sampigehalli Quary hill and sunset watch tower ( 75 yrs old)

Technically this can be the smallest hill ( quary kinds) inside Bangalore limits but offers a stunning sunset next to a lake ( dry now, might be full in monsoon)....This is near Jakkur and deserves 1 hr of ur time on Sundays for some sunset....Dont drive and come if ur even 10 kms away or if ur 10km near Jakkur u can spend evenings playing some cricket and watching some sunsets...Will be perfect trek for ur 3 yr old kid...Dont come up with high hopes its a simple place...During British rule this place was engineers point from here they could see hennur and hebbal

Google location:

https://goo.gl/maps/b9RmaVQcXtVZ9qC8A

Singanayakanahalli Lake bed

This is a very beautiful place 5 kms from Yelankha and intresting fact is its in danger of getting eradicated due to government decisions. This place has 3 kms of walking path inside beautiful trees and a small lake around, visiting early morning we can spot peacocks and birds and also a refreshing sunrise. 2 hours of morning walks can be spent here and be careful if you carry kids as there are some thorny bushes and trees...