Skandagiri is a hill, located off Bellary Road (NH-7 Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway), and is very close to Nandi Hills and Chikkaballapura. The peak is every adventurer’s paradise with beautiful night trek, altitude camping, stunning sunrise, and serene and swimming clouds that sometimes limits visibility to just a few meters. The village is called Kandavara Halli and the hill is called Kandavarahalli Betta (aka Skandagiri and Kalwarahalli Betta). It is in the Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka.

Statistics (for nerds):

Altitude: About 1350m above sea level.
Distance: 78 km from Bangalore.
Nearest Town/Medical Help: Chikkaballapura, 5 km.
Co-ordinates: 13°25?3?N 77°40?58?E

Getting There:

There are two routes to Skandagiri:

1. From NH-7, turn towards Nandi Hills. At the base of Nandi Hills turn right and proceed toKalawara village via Muddenahalli (birth place of Bharath Rathna Sir.M.Visweswaraih).

2. From Chikkaballapura proceed directly to Kalawara village.

Plan with the second route, as it will be easy to catch an early bird on this route to guide us if you get lost in Chikkaballapura town.

Directions:

1. Follow the Bangalore International Airport, better known as Bellary Road. After crossing the BIAL, you will be on Chikkaballapura Road. Follow the same road until you find aVisweswaraih statue on to our Left.

2. Take a left at this place and a right turn at the City Municipal Council a little further down. Later this shall directly lead to Papagni Mutt, which is the basement of Skandagiri.

3. At Kalawara village ask for Omkara Jyoti Ashrama / Papagni Mutt (13°25?26.6?N 77°41?28?E for nerds). There is a Shiva temple near the base of the hill, where vehicles can be parked.

- Nandi to Kalawara to Papagni Mutt is 6 km.
- Chikaballapur to Papagni Mutt is 3 km.

Trekking:

Level of Trekking: Moderate, but Exciting.

- It is common to trek in the dark, and it’s a fun on a full moon night. Trekkers usually start the climbing around 2:00 AM and aim to reach the top by around 5:30 AM to catch the sunrise. This timing allows viewing of sunrise against the backdrop of golden clouds.

- This is a tedious trek as the hill is precipitous and high. The trek starts from the Papagni Temple at the foot of the hill. The fortress is in full sight throughout the trek uphill. This steep and fantastic trek through a maze of dense shrub is highly intriguing.

- Skandagiri is a teaser. Just as you reach the fort wall content that you have topped the hill, you see another ring of fort. No sooner do you reach there, than you find another majestic fort wall waiting to be conquered. There are six such series of stonewalls protecting an abandoned temple on the hilltop.

- Recently the Karnataka Forest Department has shown interest in Skandagiri due to the frequent visit of people and has established a parking place for all the vehicles visiting there. An Entry Fee of INR 15 is charged for each person visiting the hill.

- For the beginners, trek guides are available on Weekends only. These guides charge INR 200-1000. The exact charges depends on the weather and obviously your negotiation skills. They speak understandable English & Hindi language.

- Local villagers sometimes camp on the peak and sell Omelette and Tea. We can get Maggi also, if lucky. They even gather wood for you in case you want a campfire. They charge for this from INR 50-250.

Must Carry:

- Personal first-aid medication.
- Water bottles (At least 2 liters per head).
- A Torch with new batteries (At least visibility of 75-100 meters).
- Energy Food (Chocolate bars, Flavored Milk, Electrolyte/ Energy drinks – Glucon-D, Red Bull etc).
- Rain Gear (As per weather.com)
- Winter Gear.
- Camera with batteries.
- Cash, as no cards accepted there.

Please note that, temperature is likely to drop enough to make you shiver at the peak.

Feel free to share your confusion/thought/suggestion/information, if any.

Hoping an Excellent and Safe trekking & nature experience in an elusive search of Clouds and the place above them, called Skandagiri!

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