Monday, the 17th of June 2024, Deeksha, Preethi and I left home early. We drove towards Kolar. On our way, we stopped for breakfast at Udupi restaurant and had heavy and delicious breakfast. We then drove directly to Horsley hills.
Horsley hills is located 150 km (4H drive) from Bangalore, Madanapalle taluk of Andhra Pradesh. This set of hills is named after W.D Horsley, a British collector who built his house here in 1870.
There is a paved road till the summit. On our way, we were welcomed with beautiful views, canopy of trees filled with flowers of all colours. It was a beautiful drive. You can stop at Gangotri lake on the way. It is a small seasonal pond.
At the summit, I parked the car and bought the tickets to the Horsley Hills Zoo. This is a small place with very few animals. However, it was interesting as you could get very close to the friendly animals who are happy to be hand-fed by the visitors.
You can take a coracle ride in a small pond within the zoo. The pathway and seating area around the pond are simply beautiful; filled with trees.
We then walked to Whisper winds view point. One has to climb a flight of stairs to reach this view point.
If you cross the fence and follow a narrow path, it will lead you to the rock right in front of the viewpoint. Jumping across the crevasse gave us "Manjummel boys" (Movie) kind of vibes. Deeksha and I went up there are the views from there were amazing.
Next, we drove to Galibanda viewpoint. This is again a beautiful place to spend an evening. We had some fresh and crispy Totapuri mango topped with some spices.
As we got down, we struggled to find a good restaurant to eat. There is Hotel Harita on top of the hill where you can spend the night and also avail food. Apart from that there are not many options. On the main road, we found a local place. A kind lady served us a lot of rice and pappu. The food was basic but descent.
I had intended to go to Kaigala waterfall on the way back but when we reached there the villagers who were issuing tickets told us that there wasn’t any water there. So, we turned around and headed back home.
Horsley hill would be a simple enjoyable drive from Bangalore. There isn’t much to do there but you can simply relax, enjoying the beautiful views.
On our way, we stopped at Hoskote lake. This was a great find. We sat by the lake and watch a spectacular sunset before returning home.
Video on Horsley Hills and Hoskote Lake:
Loved going through the post and the pictures. Hope to visit someday. The lake looks stunning.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sujata
DeleteLovely note about Horsely Hills! We've been to Hoskote lake a couple of times but couldn't get near the water; had to sort of watch from the road. Is there a place where you can actually sir down or walk around the lake? Want to photograph some birds.
ReplyDeleteHello Gowri. Please follow the directions on google maps to Hoskote lake. It will take you to the shoreline. You have steps to sit on.
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