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| Hiregundagal Betta Trek |
- Place: Hiregundagallu Betta Trek.
- Difficulty: Medium. Absolutely raw and find your own path kind of trek.
- Distance: 100 x 2 = 200km.
- Directions: Bangalore > Tumkur > Hiregundagal.
- Krew: Gundachar (Gunda), Anwar (Bhai), Karthik (Sp).
- Bikes: Enfield, Pulsar.
- Previous Visit: Kengal Betta Trek.
- Budget: Rs 600/head (Petrol = 1200/3; Breakfast = 170/3; Lunch = 400/3)
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
Alright, 6th trek for Jan 2026 and a new place again. Nice. Hiregundagal trek is a raw and virgin hill. There are no defined routes. Hence takes some good skill to ascend. And more importantly needs a crew with the right mindset. From finding the place to climbing, every turn is confusing. So a perfect DIY trek :)
INTRO & PLAN:
After the Kengal trek last week, my feet were still itchy. With 5 treks already in the bag for Jan-2026, I was planning for Feb. But with Bhai's return to town, he was excited and pushed me to plan one. After scouting for a few places, I asked if he was okay with an unknown place. As always, "Anything is okay" was the answer. And the trek mode was switched ON. With Bhai, Gunda also decided to join for his first trip, making "hireGUNDAkal" a destiny.
TIME: 16:00 (30 Jan, 2026)
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| Raw and unexplored |
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Yes, got up at 3:30am, did a few push-ups and pull-ups. Warmed me up really well. The previous night called up Bhai and said we would take the Tumkur road, not the Dobbaspete route. Anwar said OK. The meetup was scheduled at the NICE road junction in Nelamangala. So, headed out at about 4:45am and reached the spot by 5:20am. As I waited for the two arrive, I played with some dried leaves fallen on the road. Bhai called me multiple times to know my location. Well, I could have shared the live location, but then coordinating over the phone, describing places and landmarks, felt so much more fun and lively. After a formal greeting, we changed the route via Dobbaspete and our standard breakfast stop.
TIME: 06:00
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| Last trails of Bengaluru Winter |
RIDE 1: (Bangalore > Dobbaspete > Minchukallu > Hiregundagal)
This was a simple 100km ride. As we left Nelamangala, the air started turning cold and the roads chaotic. The traffic was insane, but we kept cruising. We cruised along as one unit and reached our standard idli shop ((Tejas Shree Laxman Hotel Gmaps- 13.3, 77.2) for piping hot idlys.
TIME: 06:45
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| Tejas Shree Idly shop |
The warm couple greeted us, and we had some satisfying idlys. We were still shivering and the sun was rising. The rays of the sun penetrating through the tree branches were a sight to behold. The plan was simple, no Gmaps, at Minchkallu junction, take left and join the parallel state highway and keep seeing right until you spot Hiregundagal. I took the lead, and we rode past the beautiful and mighty Minchukallu betta. It was country roads with some beautiful farmlands on both sides of the roads. Once we reached the highway and road back some distance towards Tumkur, we could spot the mighty Hiregundagal hillock.
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| Bikes resting in front of Hiregundagal betta |
When we asked the locals about ascending the hillock, they gave puzzle looks. "you want to climb it huh?" was the response and then a chuckle followed. We knew it was a raw hill. It was the most satisfying part of the trip. Parking our bikes in a field near by, awakening the lizard's spirit WE WERE READY.
TIME: 08:15
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| Hiregundagal Trek |
HIREGUNDAGAL BETTA TREK
ASCENT:
The ascent took us about 60 min. Firstly, since it was our first ascent from the fields, we gauged the hill. Mentally marked the points, then decided to head right, climb the right shoulder, and make our way to the top. Since there are no trails at this one, I can divide it into only two sections - to the right shoulder and the final ascent. And in case we couldn't make it? Well, sit at the topmost point, enjoy the view and return back. Simple.
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| Climb the right shoulder and then ascend to top |
To the Right Shoulder:
This is the bulk of the trek. It is the gruelling part of the trek as getting lost is a common thing. The terrain is filled with loose mud, gravel and lots of dried leaves. Oh yes, also deep pits. SO, every step requires a lot of attention. With dried tall grasses, knowing whether a pit is ahead of us requires some clearing to do. So a lot of work is to be done for every step, hence a lot more mental energy is required.
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| Create your own path |
As we began ascending, the bikes resting in the fields slowly started fading. The wind speed started picking up. As the ascent was slow and cautious, we didn't require many breaks in between. We had to keep the right shoulder at the back of our mind throughout the climb, even though we came face to face with huge boulders which blinded us. Finally, after 30-45 min, we reached the right shoulder and winds were really hitting. It was a flat land and not muddy, felt good. Now what lay ahead was the final climb on the neck line of the hillock.
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| Sippy and Gunda before the final stretch |
Final Push:
The final push is kind of the smoothest part of the trek. A rock face leads one to the summit, but the rock offers very good grip, and it was merely walking up at a slow pace. I kept a very slow pace and told Gunda, no matter what, do not overtake me. This put the adrenaline in check and embraced the situation of being on the slope for a longer duration. Finally after an hour of climb and exploration, we reached the summit.
TIME: 09:15
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| Finally, at the summit |
TOP:
At the top, winds were off the charts. We rehydrated ourselves. Drinking water became a challenge. We sat on a rock overlooking the village of Hiregundagal enjoying the sun and the extreme winds. About 4 eagles were dangerously close and flying all around us. We weren't sure, if they were happy to see people on top and welcoming us, or looking at us like prey. We assumed the former and waved a big hi back at all of them. They got confused and left :)
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| Constant course correction |
Bhai as usual, whipped out a surprise meal. Some Kadak Jolad Rotti, curd and Moringa chutney pudi. We started belting on it, felt light and healthy. I had take a tutorial from Gunda and Bhai as to how to eat it authentically. From the edges to the centre. Sitting atop a barely summited hillock eating kadak rottis and chatting felt really special :) After about an hour we decided to head back down.
TIME: 10:15
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| Kadak rottis placked for the summit |
DESCENT:
The descent took 45 min. We mentally mapped the terrain and marked some landmarks. And then began our way back. Taking turns in the lead (front and back), we glided our way. We were sure that we would never be able to take the same path back again, as there is simply not a single way you can climb this hillock. The climb down was more challenging as the dried leaves on loose muddy gravel are a recipe for a loosing a foothold. But made it back to flat land, turned back and thanked the hillock for giving us a raw, unfiltered experience and, more importantly, LETTING US GO BACK. We saw the bikes resting peacefully, asking if they were good to ride back.
Then a question popped into our minds: what if we were in the mountains and saw some people stealing the helmets? Bhai said, we would say "Statue" and then get back down and take the helmets, then I quipped, I would probably steal whatever they had in possession as well haha. Hopped on and left Hiregundagal :)
TIME: 11:00
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| The views from the right shoulder blade |
RIDE 2: (Hiregundagal Betta > Tumkur > Bangalore)
The ride back was a smooth one. We rejoined the Tumkur road and rode non-stop for some ice cold beer at Whity (12:30). After about 2.5 hours of sitting, relaxing and recalling the trek, welcoming Gunda. It was Gunda's first time with us. And it was a crazy trek to start off with. We left the Dhaba at about 3pm. Gunda and Bhai had to leave via Yeshwanthpur, and I was in two minds about taking the NICE road / ride back via ORR. Only one was there to resolve this, rock, paper and scissors, haha. Lost to Bhai, and I had to take the NICE road, as onlookers at the dhaba were totally puzzled. At the NICE road, we pulled over, thanked each other for the wonderful day and reached home safely :)
TIME: 16:00
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| The climb down was easy and tricky at the same time |
CONCLUSION:
The sixth trip for Jan 2026. And the 4th first ascent of 2026 feels good. Hiregundagal provided a perfect raw experience to hone our navigation skills. Every single moment until we found our way to the shoulder felt lost. Was it worth it? Hell yeah \m/
KREW:
Gunda: For the first trip, extremely surprised that he was calm and composed, seeing the other two monkeys hopping around. Welcome to the club, brother :)
Bhai: One of the monkeys from the last sentence. Had a different version this time, as it not only required technical climbing, but also involved gauging and mapping the hillock.
Sippy: The second and final monkey was in his natural element - getting lost, falling down, getting up and finding the way back - set in an infinite loop. 18 weeks, 18 treks baby \m/
Until next time, Ta-da Cia \m/
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| Bhai approved. |
"Young riders pick a destination, Old school pick a direction \m/."
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