As one starts his or her journey towards fitness they start thinking of adventure opportunities which they can do it. One such trek is a trek to Madhugiri Fort.
About the trek
Madhugiri Fort is Asia’s second-largest monolithic rock and is about 110 km away from Bangalore towards Tumkur district. It is famous for its Madhugiri Fort which is quite popular among trekkersThe ruins of Madhugiri Fort lies atop the steep hill of height 3950 ft, approximately and is quite an adventurous trek. It takes about 2 hours from Bangalore to reach Madhugiri and can be reached by car or by bus. The nearest railway station is Tumkur which is 40 km away from Bangalore. It would be ideal to start early and reach early to the base of the fort to avoid harsh sun unless it is raining. But then the trek is not recommended during the rainy season for its extra slippery hill and it can be dangerous.
The Tricky Trek
There are not many options for breakfast on the way so it is advisable to carry your breakfast along with other eatables, energy bars, fruits and hydration for the trek. There are no fees for the trek however you have to register yourself for safety reasons with the guards. So do not forget to carry your photo id card.
We started our trek and it looked so easy and comfortably doable. Just about 200 steps away are the watchtower of the fort. This tower was once used to see at distance during the kingdom. Also lies there a well with steps but is dry now. As you climb higher, the steep and rocky hill becomes very tricky and demanding. Though there are small steps, just enough to rest your toes and a rope along the path for support still it is quite strenuous and scary at a couple of places. The trek till halfway is quite interesting. The real adventure starts after midway. The way upwards from there is not vertical rather horizontal or zig-zag and again without any support.
There are a few points where iron rods and side pillars are there for support but are very scary. At some point, we found a flat area with a huge rock as a shade and we stopped for some refueling. After breaking for 15 -20 minutes we started again. From this point, the way up was rocky with small rocks to step up. The view of the town from here was magnificent. Several small hills surrounded by Madhugiri fort made us feels on top of the world. This is the spot ideal for photography. At this point, we thought we have almost reached the top but were deceived by bigger rocks. We had reached only a little more than halfway and almost the same distance was left to reach the top. It was becoming even more challenging and interesting.
How to reach
Air
Nearest airport is Bangalore which is about 100 km. Taxis can be taken to reach Madhugiri.
Road
The road from Bangalore via Tumkur is well connected to Madhugiri. It can be reached either by your vehicle or by KSRTC buses which ply from Majestic Bus stand at regular intervals.
Rail
The nearest railway station is Tumkur which is around 45 km from Madhugiri.