A Journey !!: 2006-05-14

nandi hills - year-round picnic destination

a perfect getaway from bangalore, but best time of the day would be sunrise and sunset time. during day time if the sun is out, it can get quite hot .

the height of nandi hill is 1479 meters above sea level which is around 504 meters more than the height of bangalore.

the foot of the nandi hill

at top of the hill

nandi hills is about 68kms from bangalore on hyderabad highway. i don’t know if there are direct buses to nandi hills from bangalore, but surely you can reach there by hopping buses (a japanese guy in my previous company did go there by bus). it is better if you can get your own vehicle. 4-wheeler would be preferred vehicle on highway but going there on bike is a real fun. the uphill road is really good with proper banking.

from bangalore you have to take nh-7, bangalore - hyderabad road. after around 32kms there will be a road for nandi hills on the left. its very easy to miss that road so be careful after your trip meter has reached 29kms. the nh7 is really good but you have to pass through "the bangalore traffic" so it would be better if you leave early morning. after taking left if you can see 2 hills in front of you, you are sure on right path. the road to the foot of the hill is pretty good apart from 4-5 stretches of 60-70m rough road. you have to take left when you hit dead-end on this road. keep moving on this road till you see a turning on right for nandi hills. early morning nandi hills is always under cloud ( atleast i have been there 6 times early morning and it was covered by clouds all the times).

another foggy sunrise @ nandi hills

the road from the foot of the hill to the top is good and there are around 42 properly banked curves. so those who love biking can really enjoy the ride here. there is a gate at near the top of the hill beyond which 2-wheelers are not allowed but 4-wheelers are allowed till the top of the hill. there is a entry fee of 3 rupees per person and 30 rupees for car. there are few shops at the foot of the hill, near the gate and at the top of the hill. one can easily get tea, wada, idli, chips, biscuits etc to eat but the prices are bit high. there is a rest-house at the top where you can stay overnight( i have no idea about the quality of rooms).

at top of the nandi hill, there is a temple, a small lake and tipu's fall. prisoners who were given death sentence during tipu sultan's rule were thrown from this steep fall.