Makalidurga ~ Doddaballapura -

Distance: 60kms away from Bengaluru (2hrs drive)
Duration: 6hrs
Terrain: Rocky and Vegetation (State forest)
Difficulty: Moderate
Gradient: Gradual uphill
Trekking distance: 4kms one way to the fort.
Best Season: from June to January.
Best time to climb: From 6 am to 10am
AVOID: Night trekking is banned
Bookings: www.myecotrip.com
Adventure organisations: Nature Admire Globetrotters | Plan the unplanned | Get Beyond Limits | My Hikes | MAD Adventurers
Activities offered by operators: Rappelling, Jummering, Slackline, Lake rafting, Coracle ride, Camping, Bon-fire, Outdoor cooking and Bird watching.
Nearest food point: Sri Srinivasa Foods & Bakery ~ Gunjur (2kms)
Nearest hospital: Ghati Subramanya (3kms) Tondebhavi (6kms) Doddaballapura (15kms)

The perfect destination for trekkers ! the place can be a perfect holiday with experiences of few adventure activities and Camping organised by few adventure companies.

Nestled within two hours drive of namma Bengaluru on the periphery of Doddaballapur, after descending from the valley towards Gowribidanur, comes the famous Railway station named as “Makalidurga”, the train traverse through the foothills of the hillock.

The majestic hill Makalidurga invites the city trekkers to explore. The trekking begins as soon as you take a left turn from the main road where there is the route map, drive for a km on the metal track towards the Railway track, at the end of it there is a huge land where vehicles are parked. Before you begin you make sure:

Carry water bottle (2ltrs)
Sun cap.
Good Sports shoes.
Snacks.
Personal medicines.

Trekking after the Briefing & Permission Verification from the Forest Department.

After crossing the railway track, the forest guards will check your bookings and permit you to trek with the trained forest guides to the hillock, the routes are well marked till the top as you start walking beside the temple at the entrance, As you slowly walk on the mud path for 200 metres, you can see the board and route map,as the trek begins with the gradual uphill climb with proper arrow markings on the rocks.

As you begin climbing towards the fort , you walk through the shrubs, lemon grass, few custard apple trees, date trees and the big lake on your left hand side is breathtaking with the background of hills, this lake is known as “Gundamma Cheravu”. As you cross the big boulder, you take a left turn towards the fort, this stretch is a bit comfortable on your feet. The last leg before the fort is exhausting but once you reach the top you will wander the beauty.

LORD SHIVA TEMPLE ON TOP INSIDE THE FORT FACING TOWARDS NANDHI HILLS.

This Shiva temple is built in 1700 AD, facing towards Nandhi hills and East direction as per Vastu, few years back it has been damaged by the fellow indisciplined trekkers, but however the view from top is breathtaking as you see the small pilgrimage village hamlet Ghati Subramanya and the tabletop mountain “Nandhi Hills”. Behind the temple there is a lake, which is not portable for drinking but localites use it, along the fortress you can walk and enjoy the scenic views on the both sides of the hill you can find the lakes and the chain of hillocks.

During the season you can find custard apples and Guavas. The descending is quite tricky on the knees, one need to be careful as you descend down mind your steps on the loose rocks. takes around 45 minutes to an hour with decent breaks to reach the base. Caution is to be careful take it easy and be slow and gentle on your knees.