Skandagiri

Info

Location: Chikkabalapura
Type:
#Trek
,
#Night Trek
,
Difficulty:
#Difficulty/Moderate
-
#Difficulty/Hard
The trek is intermediate/difficult if your fitness level is low. Not having the sun during the uphill is an advantage

Prepration

Book tickets on MyEcoTrip.com
INR 250 per head + tax, in Oct 2021
Carry enough water and food as there are no shops etc on the trail

Plan

Drive from Bangalore the previous night
Start trek at 4am
Watch sunrise, and eat snacks
Trek down, and reach bottom by 10am
Brunch at the stay

Notes

The Karanataka Forest Tourism has mandated guided trips from 2016. You'll need to
There are 24 guides, and only 300 people are allowed on any given day. Each group will get one guide
The trek starts at 3am, and you can stay at the peak till 5pm
The trek is done in 2 batches - one starting at 3am, and another starting at 8am. The earlier slot is better because of the weather, night trek experience, and sunrise.
The views from the top are amazing if the skies are clear
There's Kaurava Kunda, Kandavara lake while climbing up
Nandi Hills, Chennagiri, Srinivasa Sagara Reservoir is very clearly visible from the peak
It will be cold (expect 10-15 deg C) and windy (expect high winds in all places) at the peak
The path is well defined. There are painted arrows on rocks that help in case you get lost
But given the number of people moving around on the weekends, it's difficult to stray off the path accidentally
The guide will demand extra payment