- What – A light hike and then cave exploration at Kolar, 60-70Km away from Bangalore
- When – Multiple times, last in March’2022
- Travel –
- About 70 Km car ride from Bangalore – Very good roads till the starting point.
- Inside Kolar, roads become narrow especially if Google map suggest any short cut.
- Highlights –
- Very light but descent hike till the caves on the top, weather is generally pleasant in the morning.
- There is temple mid-way, and around 150-200 stairs going up till the temple. This is also a good point to stay back in case some one cant hike up the hill for any reasons
- The main cave is must visit. Now it is made mandatory to take guide even if you are not visiting the caves. However if you somehow manage to be there without guide DO NOT venture into the caves without guide / local assistance. There are specific tricks to be followed to get into and exit the narrow caves
- In addition to the main caves there is also another very narrow caves which generally also has some water inside.
- Other than the caves, on top there are random big rocks which are fun to visit and hop on. These rocks too are accident prone if you miss your steps due to gaps between them. Anything falls down cant be recovered. (I lost camera cap in one of the trip)
- On the way there are multiple vendors to supply basic food items including coconut water.
- Lowlights
- Forest Department/State government has started charging to use the trail. However the arrangements are not clear as in Makalidurga. You would find local guide / official guard right after the temple collecting fee officially and unofficially. They say one can as well book online ticket, however I dont find any references online, nor you can open the link they give there due to low connectivity. Its basically a big gray area. Nevertheless it is not advisable to go into the caves without guide, so do the negotiation and fix the charges (roughly 200-300 per person). This is unfortunately unnecessary if you dont plan to visit caves.
- There used to be reports of having Honey bees inside the caves. That was the reason during my initial visit, I never visited the caves. However I have never seen any sign of honey bees inside in last 4-5 years. Nevertheless please ask around before venturing inside
- If you have neck/back pain avoid getting inside the caves. If you are overweight then also you may find tough getting in/out at few places. Take your own call base on your flexibility, however exercise due caution. Once you are in, one cant return back, one has to complete the cave.
- General Location hints
- Antaragange starting point – Trek/Walking starting Point — Map
- Suitable Time Period
- Any day morning try to reach before 7.30 -8 AM.
- Avoid during heavy rains due to slippery surface and also if its very sunny during summers.
- Arrangements – Self.
- STAR Rating – 3.5/5 — Lower ratings only due to administrative ambiguity over entering into the trail and caves
Trip Video – Credit Chandu Indrakanti