Coronavirus has ruined all travel plans and the past year has been quite dull in terms of treks and travels. I longed for a good trek and had made plans to go hiking in the Western Ghats. None of that worked as the trails were being closed in fear of forest fire. So, I decided to do the Hutridurga trek near Bangalore. My friends Naresh and Nagesh decided to join me.
Hutridurga (also known as Uttari Betta) is one of the 9 hill forts (Navadurgas) built around Bangalore. It was built in the 16th century by Kempegowda, a chieftain under the Vijaynagara empire.
On Sunday, the 7th of March, we drove towards Kunigal at around 6:30AM. Hutridurga is situated 65km from Bangalore and 15km from Kunigal. It is located off Kunigal-Magadi state highway (SH94). Google maps and helpful locals will be able to guide you to the base. There is a designated parking area at the base, near the village temple. Villagers will collect a nominal fee.
Hutridurga trek is mostly done in the night or at dawn to view the sunrise. By the time we reached, many were heading back after having watched the sunrise. The place is safe for night treks.
Hutridurga trek is an easy trek and can be completed within an hour. Most of the trail has rock-cut steps. The first stop, is at Shankeshwara temple. There is a small pond by the temple. We relaxed there for a while.
In front of the temple is a trail that leads to the summit or the sunrise point. This route is quite interesting as it takes you into the wilderness. It is easy to take wrong routes here, so follow my video to find your way to the correct spot.
At the summit, is a huge rock. You can climb this through a narrow path cut naturally through the rocks. You can find a "Go" mark painted at the entrance of what looks like a cave. Crawl up this narrow path. It may seem impossible but with some adjustments in your body orientation, you shall make your way up the cave to reach the top of the rock. It is undoubtedly the best part of Hutridurga trek.
The view from the Hutridurga summit is undoubtedly incredible. After relaxing there for a while (Up to 11AM), we decided to head back. We stopped at a village restaurant for some much needed breakfast - Thate idly and coffee.
If you are looking for an easy, refreshing trek, not so far from Bangalore, then Hutridurga trek is a perfect choice. It is probably just a half-day trek. But the cave route to the summit is the jewel in the crown.
Checkout my video on this trekking experience -
Well made video. Without any voice over, it coveys the message and the route detaisl so well. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for that comment. I am glad some took notice of that. Most of my videos are meant to be self explanatory, through visuals rather than being verbose.
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