If you enjoy the outdoors, consider spending a day each month trekking around Bengaluru. We have explored numerous hiking trails in the area and can assure you that each trek is unique and offers a different experience based on the season.

One particular trek we undertook in April 2024 was the Halu Chilume Gange trek. Although it seemed relatively easy based on our initial readings, things took an unexpected turn when we arrived at the starting point. I’ll share more details later.

How to Get to Halu Chilume Gange Base

Location: This trek is in Doddaballapur, which is 90 km away from South Bengaluru and has a good road. It’s around 60 km from Bengaluru city centre. It’s advisable to reach the base camp using your private vehicle, as we did not see any Public transportation facility to the Base.

Use this link to set up navigation in Google Maps: Linked_here

Things to know before you go

Length of the trek

The trek is approximately 3 km from the parking area. There is a temple about 2.5 km from the parking, and then another 500 meters to the viewpoint. Depending on your pace and the number of breaks you take, this route could take around 3 hours. For reference, we started our hike around 4:30 PM, reached the top around 5:30 PM, and finished the route around 7:00 PM.

Once you reach the parking area, continue walking on the dirt path. There was a gate at the entrance, although it was not guarded, so we walked around it. We asked a few families living there if we were on the correct path, and they informed us that there had been recent leopard sightings on the hill. This news scared us, so we decided to carry some sticks in case we encountered one. We knew it wasn’t a good idea to trek in this situation, but we took the risk as none of us had seen a leopard before and hadn’t read about it in the articles we had previously come across.

Level of Difficulty

We consider this trek to be relatively easy, although the last section from the temple to the viewpoint may be a bit tricky due to walking on boulders. We advise you to exercise extra caution while walking on the boulders, as slipping or falling could result in serious injury. However, individuals with a relatively active lifestyle should be able to handle this as their first trek.

Additionally, we completed the trek during the dry season, so the rocks were not slippery. However, it may be more challenging during the monsoon.

Best Time to do

This trek is an all-season trek. As mentioned earlier, it would differ in every season. After monsoon, it can get difficult to navigate as it has very thick vegetation on the entire trek. We did it in dry season and it was perfectly fine as we had great views from the top.

We also suggest packing some snacks like dry fruits, fruits, or sandwiches. Bringing plenty of water is a must because you want to stay hydrated. We recommend having reusable water with you.

Please note! – Whatever you bring with you, you make sure to either take it home with you or dispose of it responsibly. We also suggest bringing a garbage bag with you where you can collect all your waste. Enjoy your time in nature but leave no trace.

What to wear and bring with you

We did the trek during the dry season, but there was thick vegetation along the trail. We recommend wearing a full-sleeved dry-fit t-shirt with trekking pants. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to protect your skin. Although some parts of the trail are shaded by trees, we suggest wearing a cap and bringing sunglasses. While locals might wear anything, we recommend wearing trekking shoes with good grip.

Trail Information

The Halu Chilume Gange trek is very easy to follow. For a more detailed description of the trail, I divided the route into 3 main sections as follows :

• From the Parking to the Starting point : Park your car or bike on the right side of the small open field. Start walking on the dirt path for 1.5 kilometers. While walking, you will see fields on both sides. Keep walking until you see the hill on your left. You will also come across a recently installed gate. After the gate, continue walking through the farms and follow this trail until you reach the base of the hill.

• Starting point to the Halu chilume Gange Temple : After hearing scary stories about cheetahs and bears from the locals, we set off on a well-marked trail, each of us carrying a stick for protection. The ascent was moderately steep, and we encountered a variety of flora and insects, including reptiles and chameleons along the way. We hurried through this part of the trek, covering 1km in about 30 minutes due to the locals’ warnings about wild animals. After half an hour, we came across a stone shelter on the right, which was unfortunately littered with single-use plastics. Near the temple, we found large iron blades (Coconut grater) fixed to the rocks, possibly used by devotees for cooking in ancient times. We also spotted many monkeys in the area, searching for food and making noises, which made us nervous. Despite our unease, we continued walking past the temple, which was about 100 meters from the iron blades. It was a small temple with unique bells attached to the rocks and a small idol at the base.

• Halu chilume Gange Temple to View point : From the temple, the clear path begins to disappear. Look for a few boulders with way markers on them as you continue through the jungle until you find a clear opening near a big rock, which is the viewpoint.We couldn’t find a safe way to proceed further, so we decided to sit on a big rock, enjoy our snacks, and take in the fantastic panoramic view. If you have time, consider meditating for a while and immerse yourself in the surrounding sounds. If you’re visiting during sunset, it’s best to start descending before it gets too dark. When descending, be extremely careful on the boulders and move slowly, as a slip can be very dangerous.