Skandagiri is one of the hill forts in the Nandi Hill ranges. The dilapidated walls of this sturdy, self sufficient fortress was built by Tipu Sultan and was used as a military base in his fierce fight against the British. It surrendered to British troops on 19 October 1791 and was later dismantled. It remained in British hands until the peace treaty of 1792, which concluded the third Anglo-Mysore war. There are 2 unexplored caves on the mountain. Supposedly, there are 6 Samadhis in that cave and thus the area is considered holy.

Trekking is a popular activity in Skandagiri. One must carry water, first aid box, snacks or light foods. Local villagers camp on the peak and sell tasty omelettes, cool drinks, tea, and other refreshments. You can also ask them to provide wood in case you want a campfire and to serve as guides over the terrain. It is common to trek in the dark, and it’s a lot fun on a beautiful full moon night. Trekkers start climbing at around 2:00 am and aim to reach the top by around 5:00 AM to catch the sunrise. You must carry one torch each person if planning a night trek. Sometimes the night trek is banned because of security reasons.

Another route for trekking starts from the Papagni Temple at the foot of the hill. The fortress is in full sight throughout the trek uphill. Just as you reach the fort wall content that you have topped the hill, you see another ring of fort. No sooner do you reach there, than you find another majestic fort wall waiting to be conquered. There are six such series of stonewalls protecting an abandoned ancient temple on the hilltop.

Recently the Karnataka Forest Department has established a parking place for all the vehicles visiting there. An Entry Fee of Rs 15 is charged for each person visiting the hill. Safety signs have been added by the government to prevent injury and further development in the hills is expected. Don’t forget to carry your camera to take breathtaking pictures of 360 degree view of surroundings.

Best time to Visit: November to January

How to Reach: Skandagiri is 60 km from Bangalore which is well connected to all other parts of the country by Air, Rail and Road.

Options are many out here, from visiting numerous view points for a pleasant picture of the lush hills and fertile plains, to visiting Seaview point which offers a rare glimpse of the land upto the Konkan coast, to going to Nagatta falls or going fishing or angling at Hiranya Keshi. This is the perfect place to get away from the mad rush of cities and spending some quality time with yourself and loved ones. One can also undertake a pleasant expedition to the Bauxite mines which is around 10 km away from Amboli.

One can view the exotic sight of migratory flamingoes that choose Malshej as their Monsoon resort. The Shivneri Fort, the birthplace of the legendary king Shivaji is around 40 km from here. There are also Buddhist caves dating back to the 3^rd century.

Since it’s a Mumbai getaway, the best option would be go via Mumbai. The nearest railway station is Kalyan and Sawantwadi. The nearest airport is at Belgaum, 64 km away. Amboli has a cool and rejuvenating climate, ideal for summer breaks and you can get around in taxis and rickshaws that are available though, hiring horses or bicycles would give you the sense of being on an actual holiday!!

We checked into the much famed Johnston Canyon resort. We were mighty pleased with the quaint log cabins conveniently located between Banff and Lake Louise and away from the hustle and bustle of the hot tourist zone.

The trail begins from the parking lot on a paved walkway for the first 1 km to the Lower Falls. Here, the water plunges 10 m into a depression below. When we reached the Lower falls we crawled through a low cave opening to reach the waterfalls right where it crashes down. The sound created by the crashing water on rocks in all gusto seemed like music to the ears. We stood there enjoying the spray of cold water, cupped our hands and also tasted the pristine water straight from nature.

We had heard that one gets a glimpse of wild life on the treks and I was thankful not to have bumped into a wild bear.

The trail from the Lower falls to the Upper falls and to the Ink Pots gets increasingly difficult. The water at the Upper Falls cascades down more than 30 m and a viewing platform has been constructed for a breath taking view of the same. At this point, the trail leaves the creek and continues on to the Ink Pots in spectacular open forest meadow. The Ink Pots are six clear greenish pools filled with spring water that remains at a constant 1-degree Celsius year-round and though few people continue beyond the Upper falls on account of the tough climb the view of the Ink Pots makes the effort worthwhile.

We sat there smiling to ourselves and taking in the tranquility of Nature as much as we could. We also had a small snack of sandwiches we had carried and decided that we should come back again for a small lunch by the Ink Pots.

We returned to our resort mesmerized by the power and beauty of the Nature in Canyon and thirsting to explore more of it in Canada.

As we approached the fort, we were surprised to note that most of the architecture was intact; especially the recent structures which are about 250 years old. We entered through the Ganesh Darwajaa. There are 3 other entrances: the Narayan Darwajaa, Hanuman Darwajaa and the Maha Darwajaa.  On many rectangular pieces of stone there were inscriptions detailing the year it was constructed and under whom.

Between Narayan & Hanuman Darwaaja there are two godowns that were used as granaries. Across the Maha Darwaaja is an old ‘Dargah’ where we come across the remnants of the court. Beyond the Dargah is a small temple of Lord Shiva.

To the western side of the fort is ‘Vinchu Kata’ meaning (scorpion). From the fort this appendage of the fort looks like a scorpion’s sting and hence the name. The ‘Vinchu Kata’ was used for keeping a watch on activities and enemies in the nearby area without being noticed. Walking the entire length of the Vinchu Kata can be quite an experience. The width of path being just around 20 feet and the sides falling steep on either side, the ground seems to be moving faster when you walk. Avoid looking down and concentrate on the path to make it enjoyable.

We climbed on to the very top of the mountain from where it was a breath taking view of the panoramic plains below. The fort being at a height of 3400 ft above sea level, we were on level with the clouds. As soon as the first wisp of cloud touched us all the tiredness just vanished. We waited with open mouths to devour clouds as they came floating by and had a hearty snack of sandwiches which we had carried. The sight of the canons strewed around took us back in time when brave Marathas fired canon balls on the enemies below.

After spending around an hour more of eating clouds, admiring nature and clicking pictures we began our descent. Lohagad is an easy trek and is necessarily a single day’s affair since there are no hotels around. Make sure you carry eat things and plenty of water too as there are no eateries in the vicinity.