Skandagiri | Night Trek

A google search on Skandagiri will tell you that it is not as unknown as you may think. You will find numerous blogs & pictures on Skandagiri trekking experiences. In fact, based on what I personally saw, I guess every weekend an average of 30 people must be trekking their way to the top of the hill. For starters, Skandagiri is around 60 km from Bangalore and is located along the same range as Nandi Hills. Reaching Skandagiri is not so straight forward and I could not find detailed directions to this place on any site. So let me startight away add some value by providing detailed directions to the place.

Directions:
Drive from Bangalore towards Bangalore International Airport (BIA) on NH7 (aka Bellary Road). After crossing the BIA, you will be on Chikkaballapura road. Follow the same road until you find a Visweswaraih statue on to your Left. Take a left at this place and keep going on this smaller road. Take a right turn at the City Municipal Council (there are two parallel lanes on your right; take the 1st one). Keep going for few hundred meters on this small lane and later take a left turn at the junction. Keep going on this road for almost a km till you see an arc with Papagni Mutt written in Kannada on left. You need to take a left here on this small lane and then take a right on the dead end which will take you to Papagni Mutt (aka Omkara Jyoti Ashrama) through Kalawara village, which is at the basement of Skandagiri. You are likely to spot some villagers just before the Mutt offering their services as Guides and I would recommend hiring one of them for a smooth trek.

The Trek:
I will just say that the trek is awesome. There are 2 routes - one is relatively easy (~ 8 km) and the second one is steep & tougher (~5 km). I liked the latter. We took the tougher one while going up and the longer one while coming down. We started at around 2 am and reached the top at around 4:30 am. It was quite cold at the top - very misty & windy. The mist never cleared and hence we could not witness the much hyped sunrise. That is an incentive to go there again. We started back at around 8 am and reached the base at around 10 am. For folks who want to visit this place - it is better to carry a jacket and some snacks + water. Torch is a must if you plan to trek during the night. You do get tea, Maggi & omelette on top (not very hygenic though). If you go in a non-rainy season, there are ample spots for you to setup your tents and spend the night. That is what I hope to do next.

Verdict:
Must-visit for trekking enthusiasts