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| Thalavadi Betta Fort Trek |
- Place: Thalavadi Betta Fort Trek.
- Difficulty: Easy with one tricky spot.
- Distance: 65 x 2 = 130 km.
- Directions: Bangalore > Bidadi > Ramanagara > Thalavadi.
- Krew: Gundachar (Gunda), Datta (Dattu), Karthik (Sp).
- Bikes: Ignitor, Pulsar.
- Previous Visit: Hosadurga Trek.
- Budget: Rs 295/head (Petrol = 585/3; Breakfast = 100/3)
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
This was the 3rd trek of Feb-2026 and the 9th trek of 2026. Oh yeah, feels good. With 7 first ascents, the rush is back. Thalavadi Betta is a hidden gem very close to Bangalore. Picking up popularity, but still widely off the radar. The trek is simple, but the final push to the summit requires passing a tricky cross-wall traverse.
INTRO & PLAN:
After the lost priest tales of Hosadurga trek, we decided to hit one small but undiscovered place. I had stumbled upon 60-70 new places, and yeah, the "feel" was there. A weekend without being on the road felt like an empty biryani. Called Dattu on Tuesday and asked if he was game, a simple "YES" came back, no questions at all. Then on Friday, Gunda messaged me "Is the plan on?", again, which place wasn't asked :) And it was ON, alright. We picked Thalavadi for this hit.
TIME: 20:00 (19 Feb, 2026)
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| Welcome to Thalavadi Betta Fort |
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Yes, I was up by 3am sharp, fresh and ready. Did a few pull-ups and lunges, listening to some doom metal early in the dark hours. Yeah, feels home alright. Then by 04:45, left home, riding into the darkness towards Mahalakshmi layout (12km) to pick up Dattu. A happy, smiley dattu already was already awaiting my arrival. Then the meeting was scheduled at RRMC, but since the traffic was cruel on Mysore Road, we decided to head ahead and reach Bidadi. Gunda joined us at Bidadi directly, and after a formal introduction, we belted on some piping hot, legendary Bidadi Tatte Idly's.
TIME: 07:15
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| Bidadi Tatte Idly |
RIDE 1: (Bidadi > Ramanagara > Thalavadi)
After a good breakfast, we rode towards Ramanagara. And yeah, as usual, no GMAPS. Well, in this case, it actually paid off. The GMAPS route is actually wrong in this place, haha. Asking locals does pay off, trust me. We had done most of the homework, but we asked locals, by locals I meant a small baby calf. It looked confused, and happy at the same time.
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| Always converse with locals |
Do not use Google Maps in this place. Bookmark the route provided here (Gmap - Trek start point). The ride was extremely smooth, with country roads post Ramanagara and the horizon opening up to some scenic views. We just glided along, allowing the bike to do her thing.
The last stretch involves some good off-roading on a muddy path with some rocks, felt ebetterven more good and yeah, the trek had not even started. It was already feeling like a good chapter. During the off-road, even though there were only a few small trails, we made sure we asked a lot of locals, just to speak to them. Felt good. Spotted the hillock, parked the bikes, awakened the Ibex's spirit within us, and YES, IT WAS TIME.
TIME: 8:15
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| First Glimpse of the Thalavadi Betta Fort |
THALAVADI BETTA FORT TREK
ASCENT:
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| Initial smooth trails |
Initial smooth trails:
This is the easiest part, flat ground walking, where you either gauge the mountain. You need to take a left after parking and then go around the mountain until you find the lake. I know it would feel like going away, but with time, you realise that humans are not meant for climbing 90deg walls, hence we have to take the round-up route to find a better slope.
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| The rock face |
Rock Face:
Now this is a mini grinder. I mean enjoyed this piece a lot. It is a small stretch, but reminds off the bigger tougher hillocks like Kabbaladurga. The grip on the surface is excellent, so nothing to worry a walk in the park. While climbing this stretch, Gunda asked, "Which hill is this?" It hit me like a rock. I was slowly turning around, wearing a poker face, before I could answer, Dattu energetically spurted out "Tadiandamol". That was the time I realised, we still HAD, IT.
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| Spooky Forest Route |
Spooky Forest Trail:
After the rock face, it took us directly into the spooky and eerie forest route. It had overhangs of old tree roots and fallen fort walls. We caught overhangs and were hanging around like monkeys. It was FUN. This is the main meat of the trek, the rocks might be loose and dried leaves are like oil on the floor. So word of caution on this part.
Cross Traverse:
Oh yeah, the forest spits you out into the final test. A cross-traverse or a vertical climb up? Does it look nice? Oh yeah. As wild children from heart, we looked at each other. And yes, it was the vertical climb going up and cross-traverse while coming down. The vertical climb was absolutely insane and pumped some extra grams of soul into our bodies from the universe. After the vertical push, the skies opened up and the beauty of the summit revealed.
TIME: 08:40
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| Getting comfortable in the verticals |
TIME: 08:40
TOP:
Whew, 25 minutes and we were on top with all the goofing around like monkeys. I say that with pride huh, wait till the full moon and we transform. The top was pleasant, looking like a scene from Dragon Ball Z. We re-hydrated ourselves. A stone mantap resides on top of the hill and we climbed it up and chilled.
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| Final push to the summit reward |
The sun was up, and the onset of summer could be felt. Our nostrils flared, indicating good air. And we sat and discussed all sorts of topics and pulled each other's leg. And oh yeah, not a single soul around. Since it was the first time Gunda and Dattu were meeting, both being shy, I had to be the joker and victim of most of their jokes haha, worth it. We crashed for a good 30-45 sleep, seeping in the silence and fresh air. After about an hour at the top, decided to head back down.
TIME: 09:45
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| The primal self awakened |
DESCENT:
The descent took us 30 minutes. Let me explain. The cross-traverse was done in a jiffy. And as we entered the forest, we explored other routes. While climbing up, we saw a lot of other trails join. Hence, we decided to head back down in one of them as we had nothing to do for the whole day. Getting lost was OK. And boy did we get lost haha
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| Another morning walk for Dattu |
The forest route became dense, and the thickets 6feet high with thorns engulfed us. We waded through some of them, and then finally squatted down, followed the water path and made it out. Brought out full-on Bhairavadurga trek vibes. With few bruises on hand, felt really good. Finding our bikes, rehydrating ourselves, we were all set to ride back.
TIME: 10:15
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| The stone mantap at the summit |
RIDE 2: (Thalavadi betta > Ramanagara > Bangalore)
As we hopped onto to our bikes, we looked back, thanked the hill for the experience and most importantly, LETTING US GO BACK. The last stretch amidst the thickets almost felt like she wanted us to stay back for a little longer. Maybe next time.
The ride back was smooth, first on the off-road. Damn, never wanted this stretch to end at all. Such raw, pure beauty of country life. Then we reached the town of Thalavadi and cruised to Ramanagara. With the sun up, the ride was turning really draining and dizzy, we pulled over for some tea and headed back to reach our respective homes.
TIME: 12:15
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| The eerie routes |
CONCLUSION:
Well, Thalavadi Betta was a super hit. The trails, the timing, and the view were all good. It was easy, no doubt, but the feel of the trail hit different on this one. And well, please do not go to the Gmaps Thalavadi Betta. It will take you to the wrong place of start. I will again attach a Gmaps link and photo of the same.
KREW:
Gunda: This was the third trip with us. Felt smooth and all three being first ascents even for us, have to say he has been ultra-calm amidst all the chaos.
Dattu: Another morning walk for this energy monster. The master of wrong routes successfully led us into the thickets, which was more fun and engaging :)
Sippy: Was very happy with the 9th trip and 7th first ascent in 2026. 21 weeks, 21 treks \m/
Until next time, Ta-da Cia \m/
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| Sippy signing off |
Here is the correct trek start point:
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| The top pinned one |
"Young riders pick a destination, Old school pick a direction \m/."
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