So far we had trekked up Avani Betta and then Thimmappana Betta. And now it was time to do the third one of the long weekend. For this, we decided to do the Nandi Hills trek. I had been to Nandi Hills several times before. But it had mostly been for bird watching, which meant driving up. But I had never trekked up. My wife and I had talked about doing it for a while. And the perfect opportunity had come.

We reached the parking around 7AM. Since we were reasonable early, we got a spot not too far from the starting point of the trail.

Shortly after we were off with a backpack containing water bottles and a couple of fruits. And I of course had my binoculars 😀 . At the start of the climb, here is the view we got.

Looked like it was going to be mostly climbing on steps made of rock. As we slowly climbed up, we started to get a peek of what was coming:

We then went through a small gateway that housed a small Nandi (considered the vehicle of Lord Shiva).

It was more rocky steps after the gateway.

Finally we came to a patch that had an open view on one side. And boy, the views were brilliant! Here a few photos from there:

After spending around 10 mins there, it was time to push on upwards.

We of course had to take some photos of the views as we went further up.

And we finally reached the top of the climb.

And now it was time to walk around and explore the top once again, but this hoping to discover aspects other than birds 😀 .

45 minutes later, we decided it was time to head back down as the sun was out in full force. Here are some photos from the walk down the same path:

And we were finally back at the starting point.

Info for Planning

In case you are planning to trek up as well, here is some information that I think will be useful:

  • It is a very popular trekking spot, especially on the weekends. So be prepared for several other people on the trail. Even then, it should not be overly crowded. Thankfully most people drive up the hill.
  • Best to start early in the morning. Then there will be less people and the heat also will be on the lower side.
  • There are lots of steps to climb. So one needs to be reasonably fit. Go at the pace that is comfortable for you. It is not race. For anyone with knee pain, this is not an advisable trek.
  • Wear proper footwear. If you happen to go during rains, then I would think that some patches maybe a bit slippery
  • Take a hat, drinking water and possible a small snack. One can catch breakfast at the top. But we chose not to.
  • There are plenty of monkeys at the top. They can be quite fearless and snatch away food. So be careful and watchful.
  • The starting point of the trekking trail is here. You can find parking on the approach road to this point.

Interested in the birds that one can find on Nandi Hills? Check out my blog post here.