Saj kicked this off - there were numerous options for the trek destination , but we finally zeroed-in on Savanadurga. The rendezvous point was KSRTC Bus-stand . Sreejith,Saj,Sajeev came there in the hired Tavera . Shrini & I joined them there. we set off at ~9 am from here. Our plan - to reach Savanadurga via Magadi Road .
It was actually a risk , considering it was raining this time of the year . If it had rained that day, the trek wouldn't have been possible at all. Luckily , it was good weather - not too much sun , cloudy but no rain. Ideally , this trek must be done in Jan/Feb when there is no rain and no heat.
My attire - a cotten T-shirt , a khaki baggy and woodland hiking shoes with good tread .
My backpack contents - A raincoat , sunscreen lotion SPF 30 , a compass , Enough drinking water , Food - 3 Nutri bars , an apple and lunch pack : 3 sandwiches , some plastic covers , newspapers .
Magadi Road was quite crowded - The Road gets better only after you reach the NICE road junction . we start having the view of the monolith savanadurga ~10-15 km before Magadi itself .
It took us close to an hour and we reached a petrol pump just before the Magadi town : ~45 km from bangalore . we don't have to enter Magadi town . we have to take a left after this place . This is the Magadi-Ramanagram Road.
Another 6 km and we get a lake . Immediately after this lake you see a big board to take a left to Savanadurga. Another 5 km inside this route and after passing by the Forest Dhama , you will arrive at a hamlet having 2 temples. This is where you have to park the car and start the trek.
Savanadurag is a massive Monolithic rock structure - It's actually 2 hills BiliBetta - "White Hill" and KariBetta " Black Hill" , separated by a ravine. The Bilibetta is the trekkable one . Some local boys tried to convince us to use them as guides - we refused flatly.we started the climb at 10:30 am - a generous application of sunscreen to the neck is advised , especially considering our time of the day.
The climb began in the most innappropriate direction- misled by some locals doing it and seeing sreejith being able to do it easily. Halfway some of us felt really miserable - we couldn't climb up , neither we could get down ! An old man standing at another end gave us a loud call : showing us another way which had a white mark . Somehow , we managed to come down using all 4 "hands" .
This time re-started towards the right direction , now accepting this old chap as the guide. Savanadurga gave an immediate taste of what we were to experience time & again - "It's all in the mind!" . Shrini with our guide is seen here .
we made sure we never stepped on any water flowing on the rock - greatly advisable to take a deviation around it , otherwise the slip can cost bad !
Sreejith and I are giving a good pose , with the backdrop of the monolith :
En-route , the soothing view of the manchinabele reservoir gets better and better.
After sometime , we approach the steepest point of the trek - it's almost a 60-degree incline climb . They have made small dents in the rock , which one can use both hands/legs on and climb up . Immediately after this you see the remnants of the fort . Here's shrini taking a snap of us resting after this steep climb.
After this , one can see the pathway built on the fort bricks . we didn't go on that , but on the path right of that , closer to electric poles . The next important landmark is the Kalyani and the derelict mantap .
Just after this , the Nandi - the final destination to the top can be seen to the left. There are actually two options : Nandi to the left and the Anjaneya to the right - Most opt to go to the Nandi . There is a lot of vegetation after this and is actually the more enjoyable part of the climb. we even get a small windowy entrance enroute :
After some 4 legged climbs and almost 2 hours later - at 12:30 pm , we reached the top .
From the top , the parked cars and the temple really look miniscule .
The "Karibetta" , the one with lots of vegetation can be seen from the top - No wonder why the normal level-one trekkers can't think of going there !
Victorious , eh ?
While climbing up , we had jitters regarding whether or not we would be able to go down easily . All such fears were laid to rest , since the climb down was far easier "in the mind" . However , the knee and the ankles really hurt during the down phase.
we had our lunch just before the base-point , on a small divergent path behind rocks . we really deserved our lunch that day. The climb down just took us under 45 minutes .
Came back to the cab and decided to have a view of the Manchinabele reservoir . For this , we have to join back the Magadi-Ramanagram Road , the direction towards Ramanagram. After some 7 kms again , we have to take a left - don't miss the signboard . Another 8 kms later , we reach the reservoir. There are no good pointers or direct roads , so keep asking the locals for the muddy strech . This was brimming with water and we saw a huge crowd - cars very close to the bank, people swimming etc . The backgrop of the rocky hills makes it a good picture .
After this , we continued on the same Road . This road hits the famous "Dodda-Alada-Mara" - Big-Banyan-tree . Since most of us had seen this place before , we didn't stop-by. After this, we reach the Mysore Road - we get a lot of good nurseries on the way - good to buy some flowers/plant varieties . Back to the city & homes after another hour or so .
All in all , a good trek . Not a very physically exhausting one , but certainly tests "your mind" . We concluded that it definitely makes a good case for a management training - How to tame your fears , how to be cautious yet bold , how to take balanced rests and how a good company(team) is helpful to reach tough places ! The body is indeed stretched and you feel like a well-oiled machine in the end.
More interesting trek places lie ahead surely ....
