Scale New Heights At These Rock Climbing Destinations Around Bangalore

For those of you who love the great outdoors, rock climbing can add a special thrill to your adventures. And you won’t even have to venture out too far to bump into a rock that is waiting to be conquered. Just a short drive out of the city {all of these destinations are less than two hours away} you’ll find opportunities to pick up and master the skill of rock climbing. Added bonus? It is a great way to get fit and toned. LBB points out the hilly destinations around Bangalore that are perfect for rock climbing.

Turahalli

Ramanagara

Just south of Bangalore, these giant, smooth boulders are a big hit with rock climbers. When you arrive, you will find the landscape dotted with boulders and hills of all kinds {and it is surrounded by a forest}, so you choose what you’d like to scale depending on whether you are a novice or a pro. While people with experience can bring their own equipment and climb on their own, for novices we recommend that you travel along with a guide. A routine check on the web will bring up many results for guided rock climbing experiences in the region. You can sign up for these and take your baby steps into the world of rock climbing.

Distance from Bangalore: 21 kms {approx.}

Driving Time: 40 minutes {approx.}

Find out more about it here.

A tumble of rocks make up the hills at Anthargange and it has, over the years, become a popular trekking and camping destination. The clusters of rocks have formed unique cave formations  and offer a thrilling experience to rock climbers. While Anthargange is not a very difficult terrain to master, you better go in with some experienced guides to back you.  You can sign up for rock climbing experiences with companies like Thrillophilia that also pack in cave explorations, trekking and rappelling as part of their packages.

Distance from Bangalore: 21 kms {approx.}

Driving Time: 40 minutes {approx.}

Find out more about packages here.

Believed to be one of the largest monoliths in India, Savanadurga offers plenty for rock climbing newbies as well the experts. Many deem that it offers some of the best slab climbing routes around the city. If you prefer it easy, then we recommend that you go up the ‘Cloud 9’ route and if you have plenty of experience under your belt, then, the ‘Shanti Das’ route awaits you. There are plenty of other routes as well on the hill. 

Distance from Bangalore: 56 kms {approx.}

Driving Time: 1 hour 40 minutes {approx.}

Find out more about climbing at Savanadurga here.

Made famous by the Hindi blockbuster Sholay, Ramanagara’s hills offers many thrills for the rock climbing enthusiast. For the beginners, there is the option of bouldering {where you use your hands, legs, and sturdy shoes to get up the hill} across rock formations that have the least risk. If you are a pro, you can opt for pitch climbing {where you use a short rope to get from one mark to another}. Who knows, maybe you can go fight Gabbar while there!

Distance from Bangalore: 55 kms {appox.}

Driving Time: 1 hour 20 minutes {approx.}

Find out more about climbing at Ramanagara here.

Take the scenic road to Kabbala Durga for a challenging rock climbing experience. Bordering the town of Sathnuru, the steep hill has a temple of Goddess Kabbalamma and an old fort on top and is frequented by night trekkers. Since this is not the easiest of climbs and there aren’t any operators who offer a guided experience, we recommend that the novices sit this one out. If you are a pro, however, you won’t be disappointed here.

Distance from Bangalore: 81 kms {approx.}

Driving Time: 1 hour 50 minutes {approx.}

Find out more about rock climbing here.