Quick Overview

Travel Date: 02-October-2011

Location: Nandi Hills/Nandi Betta

Mobile: Spordiac coverage (Tested on Airtel). You can get coverage at certain places.

Transportation: Take KSRTC bus from Majestic, platform 13 at 8:30am
Return buses at 2:30pm,4:15pm and 5pm (Better be early)

Food: Better to carry snacks/water, food available at Hotel Mayura and Hotel Ranjita

About Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills (Nandi Betta) is situated about 60 Kms from Bangalore and was my and my friends destination for the day. Till yesterday late evening we had not decided where we would be heading; then finally we settled on Nandi Hills. Here is how the things went…

How to get there

Early morning at 8:00 am we reached Majestic Bus Terminus, and then moved over to the KSRTC bus stand Platform 13 from where we took the direct bus to Nandi Hills which leaves the terminus at 8:30. The bus goes via Doddabellapur and costs us Rs. 46/- per head. The journey was pleasant and we reached the bottom of the hills also known as the Nandi Hill Cross at around 10:30, the last 8 kms of the journey is completely uphill and we reached the top at 11:00 am.

We then purchased the entrance tickets which were minimally priced at Rs 5/- per head. The first think you see as soon as you enter is the Amrit Sarovar which is a small tank, nothing much to see here, so we moved on.

Exploring the walking path to the top

Instead of taking the motor-able road to the top, we took the walking path situated to the left of the tank. This turned out to be a very good choice as we soon found our self walking along the fort walls which gave us some really amazing views of the land below.

As we continued we came to ‘Gandhi Nilaya’, the rest house where Gandhiji had stayed long long ago, though people are not allowed inside, the view which could be had from the garden area justified the choice for Gandiji’s stay here.

The next stop was at ‘Nehru Nilaya’, this has been nicely maintained; but again no entry inside the building. But it does provide some good photographic opportunities. There is also some seating and playing arrangements on the sides where we relaxed for sometime before moving ahead.

Moving ahead we went to ‘Yoginandishwara Temple’ and then moved on to have our lunch at ‘Hotel Mayur’ which is a part of KSTDC (only other alternative was ‘Hotel Ranjita’).

Tipu’s Drop

After lunch we went to a spot called “Tipu’s Drop” right behind the temple, apparently because Tipu Sultan used to punish people by throwing people down from this place. The spot and the views it offered was just too breath taking. The spot which I am talking is somewhat blocked. But the other side it is completely open; though we were on the safer side and did not navigate our self to the very edge there were some fanatics who took them self to the very edge. We even saw two lovers sitting on the rocks at the very edge and one false move would have been the last anyone would have seen of them. The most amazing thing was that there were parents who wanted to take snaps of the kids aged around 3-5 years, who let them alone near the edge!!! Are people really this foolish or just too ignorant of the risks and the dangers involved; or are they under the influence of “Nothing can happen to us” syndrome.

Heading back and closing notes

After roaming around a bit more we headed back to the bus stop, and found one just arriving, that to a direct one to Bangalore. The charge was Rs.46/- per head and the bus route for this bus was to pass through Chikkabellapura, hence the total distance was 86kms. We left Nandi Hills at 2:15pm and reached KSRTC terminus exactly at 4:15 pm.

Overall the Nandi hills is a good spot for picnic and for a day away for the city life. And it is an inexpensive way to chill out, we incurred an expense of 190/- per head for the whole trip, around half was it for the food items which are quite expensive on the hill. Have a great time.

Facts:

  • Nandi Hills is located 60 Kms from Bangalore.
  • Direct bus to Nandi Hills is at 8:30 am from KSRTC bus stop platform number 13.
  • The top of the hills is approx 4851 Feet (1479 Mtrs) above mean sea level.
  • Places to visit: Gandhi Nilaya, Nehru Nilaya, Yoginandishwara Temple, Tipu’s Drop.
  • Two hotels on the top (Ranjitha and Mayura)

Suggestions:

  • It is better to take any food items which you want to eat from Bangalore itself, everything sold in the hills is priced around 30% above MRP, example Lays MRP Rs. 20/- is sold for Rs. 25/-, Ice cream MRP 18/- is sold at 25/- !!!
  • Walk around and explore for the best experience.

Update (27/01/2022): Added reference image, section headings and formatting changes.