Gudibande Fort Trek – An offbeat scenic hill near Bangalore

Gudibande is a city in Chikkaballapur District in the Indian State of Karnataka. “Gudi” means temple and "Bande" means rock in Kannada. So as most of you have guessed it, there is a temple on hilltop, and you can expect the amazing views that is going to unfold in front of you 😊. While you can google on the history and rest of the details about this place, I will take you through my experience of visiting the place with some do’s and don’ts as always. 

This is a simple trek with both ascent and descent covering 5 kms. You can reach on top and come down in 1-2 hours or so depending on your pace and the stops you take to click pictures. We had heard a lot about this trek and finally this weekend got an opportunity to visit this place. Thanks to BMC (Bangalore Mountaineering Club) for organizing this. 

We all were picked up from our points in Bangalore at around 7 am. We took an intermediate stop for breakfast and started driving along the airport road(Hyderabad Highway). You need to cross Nandi hills entry point and keep driving straight along the highway.  After some time, you need to keep watching on the left, you will see a service road with a signboard saying Gudibande. Take this left and keep driving along this road. One tip – please ensure you have breakfast before this point since once you take this diversion you will not find good hotels. 

Drive towards Gudibande city is very scenic  with Gudibande lake on one side, hills on the other side with well-built roads which will add to your view and experience. We decided to cover the lake on our way back. 

Finally, we reached Gudibande city. On our left we saw KSRTC bus stand. So people who want to explore on their own, you can take bus as well to this place. Please check the timings. 

We then headed towards the base point of the trek and after a quick briefing started our ascent at around 10. There is no entry fee for the fort neither for vehicle parking. 



The way to the top is majorly through some steps which has been cleared carved. In few places you will see plain terrain as well with lush bushes. 






During your hike up you will see many entry gates and also escape routes. We tried our luck by entering into one of the escape routes which was little thrilling. 




Also, would suggest everyone to plan this early in the morning. The scorching heat of summer really makes it hard to climb. Please make sure you carry cap and lot of water. Good trekking shoes are a must if you are adventurous and love rock climbing since there are few instances where you can try this out here.     

At one point you can take right where in you will see clear steps to climb up in order to reach the temple which is the topmost point. If you go straight you will see the fort’s topmost point. We decided to take right first and took the steps to reach the top point. 





Once you reach on top, you can walk along the fort edges and get a panoramic view of the surrounding areas which includes the Gudibande lake as well. 


"The best view comes from the hardest climb" and it totally holds true for this fort since your step at any edge of the fort will give you a WOW view for sure.



We next walked towards the other side from where we had taken right. From here you can get a complete view of the fort and temple on the hill-top.





We found a nice shade and had our packed lunch provided by BMC here. Best part is this place is not flocked by many tourists since it is not yet explored. Due to this we did not find plastic waste around. This place is very well maintained. Hence request you to not litter around. Carry your own plastic bags to keep all the waste. 


We started our descent by 12:30 and reached the base point at around 1 pm.  While waiting for our vehicle, we had butter milk, bottled water, soft drinks at a shop near the road from the trek exit. But you will not find good eating places/hotels. Better to get food from home or have on the way back at Nandi hills base point. 

On our way back we took a pit stop to enjoy the enchanting views of the Gudibande lake. You can see the Gudibande fort from here. We clicked few pictures and started our drive back. We reached Bangalore at around 3 pm. 


Overall it was a good one day adventure trip with some scenic views to absorb from yet another hill-top. We also saw lot of families with kids who made it easily to the top. Please don't hesitate to take them as well. In the current situation, its better to get them a taste of some adventure and digital detox as well 😊.

Every hill we visit around Bangalore has its own charm and Gudibande also didnt fail to surprise us with mesmerizing views. 


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