Skandagiri Trek

About the Place :

Skandagiri is a hill in Chikballapur near Bangalore. It has become a household name among trekkers and the easiest trek one can ever come across. From 3-4 years, it has become very famous for night treks. It is also known as Kalwar betta, and is a prominent hill visible from Nandi hills.

The Journey :

I have been to this place some 3-4 times and so I am writing in general about this trek this time.

Skandagiri is around 75-90 km far from Bangalore. From Bangalore, you have to go in the new airport road and reach Chikballapur in Hyderabad road. After reaching Chikballapur, there's a Sir M Visveswaraiah circle in the main road, which can be identified by his statue. You have to take a left there, go till dead end, take a right and then take a left at the next dead end. It leads to a small temple accompanied with 4-5 houses. that is the parking lot. you have to park your vehicles there. And on Friday nights and Saturday nights, no wonder if you can't find a place there to park your vehicle also. It is that crowded now during weekend nights.

On the way, usually you will be stopped by cops telling that you can't trek at nights and it is closed. If you give them 100-200 bucks, they will only guide you to the parking lot. Unwillingly also, you will end up bribing them, since nobody wants to go back to Bangalore after riding till there. After walking in a road for half a kilometer, you will have to take a left where the trek actually starts. There're very less chances of you getting lost since the path is full of arrows and inscriptions. It is an easy trek and takes around 1 hour to reach the top if you trek properly, especially in the night since you won't be getting tired. If you are going with girls as well, it might take around 2 hours. There's a small temple at the peak. usually it will be always covered with clouds in the early mornings before sunrise.

Skandagiri is more famous for its sunrise. Hundreds of people gather there on Saturday and Sunday mornings to watch the sunrise. It is famous for a view where you will be above the clouds and can't see anything other than the clouds below. It is like a once in lifetime experience if you are lucky enough to be above the clouds. It is usually worth visiting from May to December, when it will be cloudy.

If you want to trek during day time, its not at all worth it to trek in the sunlight and get drained. The view from the top is not that great. You can only see Nandi hills properly and Chikballapur village. otherwise, the view consists of dry landscapes and nothing else. It takes around 40 mins for the descent usually.

Guidelines :

- Optimum time to start the trek would be 3 a.m since its worth spending time atop and view the hues of a pleasant sunrise, with mist and chilling breeze.

- Optimum time to leave from Bangalore would be 12 in the midnight. There is a 24 hours Cafe Coffee Day on the way as well to spend some time.

- These days, Maggi, coffee, tea and many eatables are available at the peak during early morning. All you need to carry is water.

- Due to the upsurge in the number of trekkers, the peak and the entire trek path has become polluted now. Please avoid throwing plastics. Carry it back along with you.

Final Review :

For those who are new to the Bangalore city, and for those who haven't trekked much before, this one is a must visit place. And not many would have experienced how it feels in a night trek. The trek route is totally safe for girls as well and the best time to go with girls would be on a friday night or a saturday night. When we went here for the first time, 4 years ago, many didn't know about the place only. It was much more pleasant and we had the peak for ourselves at that time. Don't expect any privacy at the peak these days.


Routes :

Bangalore - Yelahanka - Chikballapur - Skandagiri