Road Distances to base : Bangalore 150km/ 3 hours, Mysore 32 km/ 1 hour
Trail : 5 km to & fro
Terrain : mostly rocky
Level : easy to moderate
trek cost ~ 1200 rs apprx
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| kunti betta night trek (a blog) |
History relates that the Pandavas had stopped by Kunti betta during their vanavas. There is a small temple at the foothills where we spent some time. It was almost 9 pm. We are to meet up with a group from Bangalore anytime now.
'But why night trek?' I was curious
'The hill and trail leading to the top is basically made of big boulders with very little tree cover, thus making the stones hot during the day, and the climb tougher.' said Lina. The bus swerved in just then.
The group lead greeted us, and after a short and silly introductory huddle, we switched on our flashlights and started the trek. Many of the smart dudes had picked up walking sticks along the way. As we scrambled through the boulders, the thought of snakes along the trail did cross my mind. But one interesting thing that I found out during a previous Onake Abbi falls trek at Agumbe, is snakes actually stay clear of well-trod human paths.
The trail was blinded with flashlights, and every now and then I could see guys and girls in the group stretching out a helping hand to each other. The upward climb is no doubt tiring, but the cool night makes the effort so much lesser. After a few tricky patches, and some fusses we made it to the top in 3 1/2 hours.
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| A bonfire lit atop Kunti betta (hill) |
It was near midnight and folks were finding their sweet spot on the plain rocky surface here and there. Some guys lit up a bonfire which was nice, so we got out snacks and drinks and had quite a picnic. As the night progressed and despite the sounds of office bitching in the background, I got drowsy so I finally found a secure nook among the boulders, and dozed off for a few hours.
Tip : For night treks like this some groups provide a sleeping bag.
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| a view from atop kunti betta at the break of dawn |
At the break of dawn, the sounds of life could easily be heard even in the distance. It's such an incredible experience to wake up on the top of a hill. The downhill climb in the early morning hours gave me such a rush. Everyone was anxious enough to use the restrooms and get some breakfast.
A Wine-tasting tour at Ramanagara
A further 1 1/2 hour down the Bangalore road, we stopped by Heritage winery at Ramanagara. The rocky terrain of Ramanagara or Sholay hills is similar to Kunti betta and other surrounding hills like Narayangiri, but gained popularity owing to the famous scenes of Gabbar Singh in Sholay, a 1975 blockbuster that was shot here.
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| A wine-tasting tour in progres |
The 3 hour wine tour is elaborate. We were taken around the plant and oriented on the process of making their signature Sula wines. Our expert guide explained the nuances of swirling the glass in such a manner, color, texture and aroma, interspersed with tasting some of each type of wine. It's embarrassing to admit this, but I was pretty tipsy at the end of the tour. I think they charged 700 rs for 🍷 wine-tasting and tour. You can also buy wine bottles here.
We summed up the day with a decent lunch at their in-house restaurant, before heading back to Lina's place at Mysore.
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