[balenoed_]

Does anyone know of any place for a breakfast (packed) drive on Kolar road? Any lake or any open area as such? Somewhere not beyond Kolar.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Does anyone know of any place for a breakfast (packed) drive on Kolar road? Any lake or any open area as such? Somewhere not beyond Kolar.

There are couple of small ponds and a lake near Kotlingeshwar temple. During my last drive, I saw a small group picnicking there and it seemed like a good spot.


Dropped pin
Near Ysandra, Karnataka 563116
https://maps.app.goo.gl/va6sfHpHp3hxCHwbA



Check out this small dam too in the same vicinity, though I haven't been there:

13°01'45.6"N 78°19'59.1"E
Bethamangalam Palar Dam, Karnataka
https://goo.gl/maps/Uxu8sssKndEgwp5FA

[ankan.m.blr]

One more TeamBHPian visiting Gunjur lake
A couple of weekends back, we visited Gunjur lake situated along SH-9 beside Makalidurga hills. Instead of taking the car down muddy slope near lakeshore (there were already 5 or 6 cars parked there and a small crowd) , I tried to find another bank of the lake. Drove to the opposite end of the lake, parked my car on the road and hiked a little to reach the lakeshore. There was no one around. We placed our camping chairs and enjoyed coffee with some homemade snacks. My 4 year old son happily played in the water. On our way back, we paid a brief visit to MakaliDurga railway station as my son wanted to see a train.

[jkrishnakj]

This lake is now getting super popular amongst BHP'ians.

That said, the picture of the railway station from up the bridge is very cute. The left side roof is Blue, the right one is green, there are a lot of red pave stones on the platforms, the silver electric transmission poles, the green hills, and the black lines of the rail tracks and an open roof goods train - beautifully captured.

[TejasKinger]

Visited Pearl Valley today (near Anekal on the Karnataka, TN border), about 40 kilometers away from my residence in Bellandur. There isn't much to do there at all, except take in the view and enjoy the peace and solitude for a bit.

The place does tend to get crowded after 9, so if you want to enjoy the peace and quiet, I'd suggest getting there a little early. The roads are good, parking is aplenty because of the KSTDC Mayura hotel parking lot atop the hill. There is a 30 rupee entry fee for getting in.

If you have strong knees, you could venture down the 300 steps to see the Muthayala Mavudu falls, but right now it is barely a trickle, so it is best to skip it IMO.

Some pictures from the outing

[ankan.m.blr]

Mandargiri Hill is one of those places that are gradually becoming popular for a day outing. It is located on a right-hand exit on the Bangalore Tumkur highway before Tumkur.

It is a small hill with a temple at the top. There is a peocock-feather shaped Jain temple at the foothills with an attached garden. A beautiful lake called Mydala Kere is located behind the hill. A non-tarred road goes till the lake from the base of the hill. I hiked with my wife and son to the lake, although I have seen people taking their hatchbacks. Not recommended to take your car to the lake if it rains. A few pictures and a youtube video of my outing to Mandargiri hill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz_VV38N_mQ

[airbus]

Visited Vatadahosahalli / Sabbanahalli Lake yesterday. Due to rain, spots to take vehicles near to the lake are limited.

[airbus]

Visited Ramasagara Lake and Bethamangalam Palar Dam today. Enjoyed the drive thoroughly on a scenic route.

[abhi7013]

Visited Gunjur lake twice but the first visit was simply amazing just because of the weather. If you guys have time and prefer driving as opposed to spending more than an hour at the lake, would suggest you to continue on towards Gauribidanur and then Chikbalapur. The roads are good with a small scenic ghat section as well. However, there is a pretty bad stretch of around 5 to 10kms between Gauribidanur and chikbalapur. Attaching a few pics. The weather was simply amazing and it was a much needed break. Really grateful for the contributions and information in this thread!

[SideView]

How is situation in Nandhi hills nowadays? Are vehicles allowed to the top or we have to park at bottom and proceed.

Been ages since i have visited this spot, and this was before the parking related changes.

[bobbyvictor]

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr

Last weekend, made a short visit to Dhondeling and B.R. Hills.
Started from my home near Bellandur at 4.30 AM and took NICE road - Mysore Road till Maddur. From there, turned left towards Malavalli. Reached Kollegala and turned left towards Dhondeling. Kollegela to Dhondeling is sparsely populated. There are solar panel fields of the Adani group on both sides of the road once you cross Kollegala. It took me an hour from Kollegala to reach Dhondeling. Spent the morning there with my family, witnessed the Saturday prayers (the prayer song was hypnotic!). After 11 AM, returned to Kollagala and started for B.R.Hills. Spent that night at Hotel Giridarshini (near the temple). Enjoyed a jeep safari in K.Gudi.
Next morning, decided to make a short detour to Gundal dam on our way back. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! Instead of going to the dam, climbed the small hillock (which has a small park atop). The road to the top is very narrow, only 1 car can pass. But the view of the dam from the top is breathtaking. Spent a lot of time taking in the scenery, finally returned to Bangalore via Kanakpura road.

Has anyone done the trip recently- Do they allow drive through the sanctuary - temple visit and Dhondeling Monastery

[neeravnaik]

Originally Posted by SideView

How is situation in Nandhi hills nowadays? Are vehicles allowed to the top or we have to park at bottom and proceed.

Been ages since i have visited this spot, and this was before the parking related changes.

Nandi Hills is open now. Visited on a weekday and still there were few people there but still parking was easy. I can imagine that it is going to be crazy on weekends

[srikanthmadhava]

Originally Posted by neeravnaik

Nandi Hills is open now

Any idea at what time it opens now? Used to open at 6 AM (Pre-Covid era), wondering if there are restrictions now. Saw an article mentioning its open from 8AM to 5PM, but that was in september.

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.c...w/77877857.cms

[neeravnaik]

Originally Posted by srikanthmadhava

Any idea at what time it opens now? Used to open at 6 AM (Pre-Covid era), wondering if there are restrictions now. Saw an article mentioning its open from 8AM to 5PM, but that was in september.

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.c...w/77877857.cms

They have now started opening it at 6am now. I cannot confirm as I had reached after 8 but saw it on some news I think

[ankan.m.blr]

Thanks to info shared by TeamBhpian mankuthimma, I visited Markendeya Hills which is located between Kolar and Malur, around 40~60 KM from Bangalore depending on where you reside. I took the old Madras road, crossed Hoskote toll, and from Narsapur, took the right exit. Followed G-maps blindly and reached there in 15~20 minutes from Narsapur. The last few KMs passes through a small forest-like area with greenery on both sides of the road. It is a small hill with a narrow approach road (be careful to honk in the corners). There are a couple of small hairpin bends to reach the top. There is ample parking space in front of the temple on the hilltop. Like all jungle-hilltop-temple combo, the area is full of monkeys of all shapes and sizes. Be careful not to bring any food item or plastic packet out of your car. We reached before sunset, enjoyed the views from the top. Just before sunset, we got down from the hill, explored the area around the hills, and finally returned home in the evening. Few photos :