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| Acchalu Betta trek |
- Place: Acchalu Betta Trek.
- Difficulty: Easy with a clear trail to the top. But runs through thickets.
- Distance: 60 x 2 = 120km.
- Directions: Bangalore > Kanakapura > Acchalu Betta.
- Krew: Chethan (Zethu), Datta (Dattu), Karthik (Sp).
- Bikes: Meteor, Pulsar.
- Previous Visit: Nidagal Betta Trek.
- Budget: Rs 313/head (Petrol = 700/3; Breakfast + Tea = 240/3)
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
A new place in the books. Acchalu betta is a small hillock near Kanakapura, which is both famous and not famous at the same time. It is the perfect Schrodinger's cat of a hill. This chapter saw the return of the mighty BIG SHOW - Chethu. One of our core members. Felt so good having a big brother return. The trek as such is easy in terms of technicality, but runs through thickets. We acted like the same old high school kids, which we were around 25 years back - giving pedigrees and stunners to each other :)
INTRO & PLAN:
During the Minchu Kallu betta trek, Dattu and I had discussed about rebooting the original members a little. With Jan 19, 2026, being a US holiday, Chethu gave a green signal, and Dattu, like always was up for a morning ride and trek on any day of the week.
TIME: 10:00 (16 Jan, 2026)
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| The thicket route of Acchalu |
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Yes, I was up by 3 a.m., did a few pull-ups and stretches. Had a sip of coffee, woke up Chethu, and went downstairs to wipe the bike. Gave her a gentle kiss and took off in the wrong direction, haha. Fueled up and rode to PES NICE road, where, as I waited, two of my dogs came up and started playing. Chethu and Dattu arrived; rather than greeting and heading out, they started playing with the dogs, haha. It had been ages since Chethu came for a trip. Felt good having a brother back. We finally left by 6 AM as planned.
TIME: 06:00
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| Start of Acchalu betta trek |
RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Kanakapura – Acchalu Betta)
This was a simple and straightforward 60km ride on Kanakapura Road. As we left and started hitting the open lands, the air temperatures dropped severely. Hands started becoming numb. As it had been years riding together, it was a great joy to just follow Chethu, the always reliable rider. If you guys remember, we had pulled off some massive runs like the 660km, 1-day run, which covered MM hills, BR hills, Shivanasamudra in a single day. And how can one forget the blood running down our faces ride back from Hogenakkal. All these were done in 2011.
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| View from the top of Acchalu betta |
As I was spiralling down a timeline, realised my hands were hard as ice, and we had cruised past Kanakpura in a jiffy. Here we pulled over for some hot tea, still shivering, we were discussing as to who would get a stunner, pedigree or a low-blow on top of the hillock.
TIME: 06:30
Post tea, we rode cautiously. Oh yeah, the instructions were clear, NO Gmaps. The town of Acchalu is 8km from Kanakapura Road. We could spot the hillock about 10km back; it looked freaking huge. Asking the locals for trails, we parked our bikes and requested one of the residents to keep the helmets at their house. We woke up, I guess this time, Triple-H, Stone-Cold and Rock's spirit within us and decided it was time to have a new trek in the books. Someone was gonna get their ass whopped on top of a hillock for sure ;)
TIME: 07:30
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| A perfect sunrise as we hiked up Acchalu |
ACCHALU BETTA TREK
ASCENT:
The ascent took us about an hour, with no stops. Being the first ascent of ours, we were glad we had picked the right hill for the return of Chethu. As the trek began, the overall idea was clear: follow the electric poles, get on the back of the hillock and then make your way to the top, traversing on its back. There is also a muddy trail that runs directly to the top, suitable for off-road bikes.
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| Follow the trail, follow the electric fences. |
Initial stretch:
Initially, the trail is very narrow and runs through thick vegetation. The trail is no doubt clear, but early morning has the most animal activity. And this region is known for bears and leopards. We started cooking up stories, how a leopard gang would try to attack us, and after seeing Chethu, how they would double back, and the head planner would get fired for picking such targets :P
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| Initial trail is clear and very good |
Final Stretch:
Once out of the forest, the trail opens up to beautiful views of the hillocks surrounding. We could spot Kabbaladurga. Now, the trails got tricky. Tricky being, each junction had what looked like multiple paths, splitting up, we explored, re-grouped and took the right path. There are clear arrows painted on the rocks; sometimes, it is at a distance, hence the scouting.
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| Finally some rocks |
After a fun scouting, cooking up stories about Chethu and how his dog Rex would respect him more if he could pull off this trek, we reached the boulder face. Chethu, by this time, was holding a stick in his hand, chasing us all over the place, haha. Regrouping helping each other out, we climbed the boulder face cautiously to reach the summit. A giant Nandi rests on top.
TIME: 08:30
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| Giant Nandi at the top of Acchalu |
TOP:
Firstly, we were happy that we reached the top and we were the only ones at the hillock, considering it was Monday, the gamble had paid off. But the locals had told us that Sankranthi starts on 19th Jan. So crowds would have flocked to the place in the days to come.
Also, since it was our first time meeting this Nandi, we petted him for a few minutes, speaking to him and then found a nice place to crash. We could spot Kabbaladurga completely shrouded in mist, she looked scary even from afar.
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| Rest at the summit of Acchalu |
We rested for about 15 minutes, post which we sat up, rehydrated. Took in the nice cool air which blew all around us. Discussed about our lives, how they had changed since school days, and plans for the coming months. All the while inserting typical high school jokes, and with only us being present, we realised that we restore that being (past being) in the right circumstance and in the right atmosphere. Felt good being like an 8th standard kid again. After a while, we realised we had forgotten to eat our breakfast, hence rehydrated again and decided to head back down.
TIME: 09:45
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| Dattu and Chethu at the top of Acchalu betta |
DESCENT:
The descent took us 45 minutes. It was quite straightforward, and on the route we climbed up. But again, we were careful enough during the first part of the descent, as the route can be confusing. So, allowed Dattu to lead the way back as Chethu and I looked for alternatives at every junction we faced. As we reached back the base, turned back, thanked Acchalu for making it a good trip and thanked her for LETTING US GO BACK. Promising her a return shortly, we thanked the locals for keeping our helmets and looking after our bikes. We took off from Acchalu towards Vasu Hotel Kanakapura.
TIME: 10:30
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| Another morning walk for energetic Dattu |
RIDE 2: (Acchalu Betta – Kanakapura – Bangalore)
The ride back was smooth. With the trek in the bag, we felt we deserved a good breakfast. Hence, we rode into the town of Kanakapura for one of the best dose at Vasu hotel. After which, we rode non-stop to reach Bangalore for some ice-cold beer to put the last rites on this chapter.
TIME: 12:30
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| Tata Acchalu, thank you :) |
CONCLUSION:
The second first ascent in the books. Felt really good. Having the high school spirit rekindled is like going into super Saiyan mode. Acchalu betta was the perfect spot. Mild short trek, with some intense vegetation. With no one around, the trek was intense and at the same time funny with all jokes pouring in.
KREW:
Zethu: A grand welcome back to the BIG BROTHER. Some of the most classical and magical chapters during the initial years of ours have been pulled off with Zethu. To return and do a no-rest climb is nothing short of mental strength.
Dattu: The endurance machine and a morning walk. Not sure what is a challenge to this monster, which keeps a smiley face for every situation. Maybe a pedigree on the rocks ;)
Sippy: Very happy, carving the second first ascent in 2026 and also turning into a high school kid after ages. 17 weeks, 16 treks \m/
Until next time, Ta-da Cia \m/
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| I want to take one home. |
"Young riders pick a destination, Old school pick a direction \m/."
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