Makalidurga, a small granite hillock with an ancient dilapidated fort atop a hill. A dry barren land, a hill full of boulders, rocks and stones.. Definitely not a holiday resort... And yet a place that very many adventurers love visiting.

A colleague found this place a few years ago and since then has been going on trekking expeditions very often. Having heard so much of this place, 20 of us decided to one day see for ourselves what this place is all about. Most adventure camps chose this spot for rock climbing, rapelling during the day time

We decided to do the rock climbing bit - in the night.

So we set out, last week. Some 60 KMS from the main Bangalore city, via the international airport, we left at around 9.30 PM. After dinner enroute, we reached the base of the hill at around 11 PM.

Pitch dark, except for a dim light at the entrance of the small temple at the base, and dead silent, except for the barking dogs - having awakened them from their slumber...

Well... we started. In the dead of the dark night - all ready with torches, mosquito repellants, water bottles and a few sleeping bags. I had no idea of what was in store during the trek. I had expected a simple muddy path . How mistaken I was. A steep hill with only rocks, boulders and few burnt trees (due to small forest fires that occur here often).

But then what fun would it be if everything went smooth as expected and no surprises?! Climbing up - got steeper as we went higher... gripping on to stones and rocks, taking help from the ones who had been there ealier. And yet, in the dark we lost our way once. Had to climb down till a point and then start the climb again.

We reached atop at 1 PM. What a sight. The city lights in the distance, a starry sky above us. Slowly as the night went by it got chilly and cold..it was time to light the campfire for warmth.

Some of us got our sleeping kits out and snuggled in...gazing at the starlit sky and the "Saptarishis", and the winds singing lullabys

Here are some of the pics of this place

The climb up...

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The city lights in the distance

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Campfire...

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5.30 AM - waiting for the sun rise

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the train in the distance

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The Fort


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We all decided to jump down 1350 metres instead of climbing down ;-)



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The descent back to civilization... I wonder if I would have climbed up the hill had it been daylight?


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Bhavita..Nice pictures. The buoyant spirit of the group is very much evident.

The views from the top are just amazing, especially the morning raagas !! Hope you had a great time.