[Garth]

We drove down to Lepakshi today from Whitefield.

Time taken - Around - 2 hrs 15 mins.
Route taken - Airport road from near Hoskote (after Avallahalli) and then the usual from there on.
Road conditions - Pretty bad till Devanahalli, and butter smooth after that. Once you take the turn towards Lepakshi, its not as smooth, but not too bad either.
Eating options in Lepakshi - There is a AP tourism Haritha restaurant right next to the Nandi Statue. It has some limited options only. Better to have your food around Devanahalli or better still to carry your own.
Crowds - Decently busy.
Overall Experience - Pretty good getaway.

[sanjaykk]

Are there any places where we can pitch a tent and spend sometime?
I know there are some resorts that that have this option. But looking at some public places .

[airbus]

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

Are there any places where we can pitch a tent and spend sometime?

I saw a family putting up a tent for couple of hours at Gunjur lake during our last visit in October 2020. It should be fine during day time.

[sushantk]

Made a visit to Markendeya Temple on the Markendeya hill near Kolar. Fantastic place for a half to one day visit with family if you like serene, peaceful and close to nature environment.
This is around 50 kms from Whitefield.
Exact location - https://goo.gl/maps/rxFnp36q8zbGVHF19

Route: I did not take the Hoskote highway, rather preferred to take the internal roads (blue route below).
It was nice throughout ( a bit more traffic though)


There is no eatery around so please carry your Food.

From the bottom of the hills you can take two routes - Park the vehicle and take the stairs (not sure of safety of vehicle down).
Or take your vehicle all the way to the top to the temple. There is enough parking there.
I tried and enjoyed both the ways. :-)

Park at the bottom of the hill


Way to stairs to the top


Road to take your vehicle to the top


More photos at the top of the hill ...























Thanks for reading

[asethi]

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

Are there any places where we can pitch a tent and spend sometime?
I know there are some resorts that that have this option. But looking at some public places .

I did it at Gunjur lake couple of months back. It was weekend, still no crowd. We did it for the day outing, not sure of safety for a night stay as it's secluded.

Some pics:

- Me & kiddo setting up the tent:


- Camp site:

[saikarthik]

I was planning a drive on my new Nexon this weekend, but friends came up with a ride to less known view point covered with fog.

Mallappa konda View point
https://goo.gl/maps/PMZXaiHdHjnwA6Rb9

Distance: 100 kms from Whitefield area.
Road conditions: SH 17C is double lane undivided, after that it's narrow but surface was good 90%.
Time to visit: around 8: 00 - 9: 00 AM during winter months and rainy days.

[im_chandan]

Did a small outing to Maralawadi dam,
Would suggest to go there in morning as in noon it will be difficult to explore the place due to harsh sunlight.

[im_chandan]

Visited Fort Tirupati temple in Electronic City

This temple is situated on a small easily accessible hill top near electronic city. There is ample parking space. Saw many families coming together for hangout.

It was very nice seating on the top and watching views with cool breeze in evening.

Felt it is a safe place for an evening outing. Saw families were coming with some lite snacks and dinner, even in late evening.

Would suggest to go to left side of the slope for better views and breezes.
In Bangalore hot weather if you are looking for an evening outing, this is a place. Also recommend to take your parents there.

Location
Fort Temple
https://goo.gl/maps/5gr8ZS43rVD9UVVF6

[Nimz]

Nice thread.

Planning a day trip from Bangalore on 13th April (hot hot summer day).

In view of Covid looking for a place we could drive to. Spend some time in peaceful and cool location. (if they have a restaurant - even better but not mandatory). And not very crowded. Decent roads for driving would be good.

Any suggestions?

I did see Gunjur lake. Other options I have are:

- Lepakshi
- Halebid
- rangantittu
- Mekadatu
- Kushalnagar

Any suggestions / recommendations on which would be good for a hot summer day and no dependence on public transport /boat etc. (Mekadatu - I heard has very bad roads + one needs to take a boat / bus after reaching Sangam).

Thanks,

Nimz

[Aiel]

Originally Posted by Nimz

Any suggestions / recommendations on which would be good for a hot summer day and no dependence on public transport /boat etc. (Mekadatu - I heard has very bad roads + one needs to take a boat / bus after reaching Sangam).

Thanks,

Nimz

Considering the heat, I would avoid temples (such as Lepakshi, Halebeedu), as they will involve walking barefeet on the hot stone.

I would choose somewhere shaded, such as Ranganathittu. I have not been to the other places, so will not be able to comment on them.

Throwing another option to the mix, I would consider Krishnagiri dam (https://goo.gl/maps/siZYBep9iDifXvrZ8), which has a nice garden at its base and a nice backwater area also to drive around.

[Nimz]

Originally Posted by Aiel

Considering the heat, I would avoid temples (such as Lepakshi, Halebeedu), as they will involve walking barefeet on the hot stone.

I would choose somewhere shaded, such as Ranganathittu. I have not been to the other places, so will not be able to comment on them.

Throwing another option to the mix, I would consider Krishnagiri dam (https://goo.gl/maps/siZYBep9iDifXvrZ8), which has a nice garden at its base and a nice backwater area also to drive around.

Thank you. We are not looking at places outside the state to avoid any kind of RTPCR requirements etc. when crossing state borders.. Point taken on visiting temples

[mankuthimma]

Looking forward to drive around few mango farms in Kolar region this weekend. No plans to buy or hand picking mangoes, but just for the sake of driving beside the farms.

Sometime in Jan, I had taken the Chintamani-Kolar road and it had some nice farms on either side of the road, but only for a small stretch. Also, there is not much to see when driving along NH 75 as well. May be need to take some interior roads. Any suggestions for good routes to drive?

[ankan.m.blr]

Muninagara Dam is s good destination for a day drive (or more like half-a-day drive) from Bangalore. It's hardly 40 odd KM from the city. One has to take a detour off Kanakpura road to reach here.

Location : Google map

We visited this place a couple of weekends back. There was no one in the place except us. The weather was cloudy and there was a cool breeze soothing us. We had our lunch there and spent a couple of hours chatting.

[balenoed_]

Any latest updates on situation at Gunjur lake, once team bhpians popular getaway place. Is it still open like earlier?

[nitinkbhaskar]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Any latest updates on situation at Gunjur lake, once team bhpians popular getaway place. Is it still open like earlier?

Are you talking about the one near maakalidurga?
If yes, the in road which was used by cars to park near the lake is blocked. So you have to park car of the main road and then walk (5 mins though). Also, the water was quite muddy when we visited last week. Didn't experience the same charm which it had when I visited last year.