Skandagiri - the journey is the destination

Impromptu trips can make a bad day great and a good day awesome. Just the action of getting away from the urban mess to a place so green and tranquil can soothe the senses and calm frail nerves. The best part of these trips is that they don’t require much planning and are surprisingly low on cost and high on fun. One such place is Skandagiri. Less than 100 kms from Bangalore, this small places has a lot to offer for a willing traveler.

Popular for its night trek, Skandagiri is thankfully overshadowed by its more popular cousin - The Nandi hills. Thankfully, because one does not find a lot of tourists and the place has escaped the sheer consumerism that afflicts most other scenic spots. A pleasant drive down the Bangalore International Airport turns into a beautiful journey as one crosses into Chikkaballapura. On a good day, or rather a good night, the city will be a distant speck in the rear view mirror in a matter of minutes. For many, a journey is just a block between the destination and you, but when you are visiting Skandagiri, the journey is the destination.

The second part of the adventure begins when you reach the foothills - Kalawara village, a quaint place which looks like a setting out of a Tamil movie with its small shops and big farms. Making friends with the locals who bless you with their ancient wisdom for a pack of cigarettes or beedis is part of the fun. This time around, we dint have to get permission from the forest department as it was closed. However, this might not be the case other times and it is advisable to check in advance if the night trek is available.

Once you start the moderate trek up the easy trail – it is easy to lose sense of time and immerse oneself in the sheer beauty of the place and feel the joy that pierces through the tired limbs. One gets a feeling that no challenge is too small and no trail is impossible. The big hills beckon instead of mocking at you with their sheer size. Trekking with a group of friends can be the best way to deepen the bond and lift up the sprit. One realizes that things that bother us in the city are so superficial and what really counts is how we survive when no one is there to break a fall and what we do when no one is watching. The place gives you a deep sense of solitude even when amidst people and makes you feel one with yourself.

Certain things that one should keep in mind while trekking up Skandagiri is that

· One should have enough food and water,

· Have a powerful torch if it’s a night trek,

· Respect the ecology and not litter,

· Use your common sense ( includes not drinking and smoking, and sticking to the trail )

If you are lucky, you will catch a magnificent sunrise, beautiful clouds spread like a magic carpet under you and a hot bowl of noodles on the top of the hills. If you are not, you will go back to it as soon as you can, because you just cannot escape the charm that Skandagiri envelops you in.