 |
| Shri Narasimhaswamy betta trek |
- Place: Shri Narasimhaswamy Betta Trek.
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Distance: 65 x 2 = 130 km.
- Directions: Bangalore > Bidadi > Ramanagara > Narasimhaswamy betta.
- Krew: Gundachar (Gunda), Anwar (Bhai), Karthik (Sp).
- Bikes: Ignitor, Pulsar.
- Previous Visit: Thalavadi Betta Trek.
- Budget: Rs 323/head (Petrol = 540/3; Breakfast = 100/3; Lunch = 80/3; Tea + Snacks = 50/3)
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
The 4th trip of February 2026 and the 10th trip of 2026. Yeah, feels good. Narasimhaswamy betta, is unheard of in the trek circles. Thus, we enjoyed it. The trek as such is a pleasant one, and the view she offers from the top is amazing. Also, this was a scouting trip, i.e., en route we marked a few more hillocks for the upcoming weeks. Happy to find a new place, Cheers :)
INTRO & PLAN:
After last week's trip to Thalavadi Betta Fort, energies seem to keep going up. With Bhai missing last trip, he gave the surge. Gunda and Bhai were on the confirmed list. The week at office was physically draining and a place had not been selected. Feeling dead tired, took out the diary, dusted it off and looked at nearby unheard places. One name popped up. By 10pm, without overthinking, slept like a baby.
TIME: 20:00 (27 Feb, 2026)
 |
| Purging some life into the landscape |
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Yes, I was up by 3am sharp, fresh and ready. Did a few pull-ups and RDL's. Sent a wake-up message at 3:30am, and swift came the reply. Made me very happy. Getting up and showing up shows a lot more character than technical climbing skills. But we decided to try something different here, to meet directly at Bidadi, even though Anwar and Gunda had to pass right in front of the home. Why? Feels good to start at a point outside the city. So left at early hours, embracing the darkness and last pinch of cold from the heavy winter which was in the past now.
TIME: 05:00
 |
| Bidadi Tatte Idly |
RIDE 1: (Bidadi > Ramanagara > Narasimhaswamy betta)
Rode slow and smooth so I could feel the road. Reached Bidadi and waited for Bhai and Gunda. And they turned up pretty fast, too. I was mentally prepared to sit on the highway and wait for an hour, but nope. This surged up some real positive energy for the trip. Belted some idlis and were all set to go.
 |
| First glimpse of the mighty Narasimhaswamy betta |
Before hopping onto the saddle of our bikes, told others we would be taking the Ramnagara route, which was 10-15km extra. The reason being I was hoping it would be a simpler route. But the overall route idea is vague and strictly NO GMAPS. Gunda and Bhai laughed. When asked why, they said, "You don't know the route; we don't even know where we are going today"
Bamboozled and happy, we took the route post Ramanagara. The roads turned pleasant, and so did the sky. The ball of fire in the sky was a clear orange circle rising behind the hillock-ridden horizon with an eye patch made out of clouds. What a scene it was. The ride was extremely good, with all cows and calves tied roadside, yawning and waking up. And guess what, asking a few locals, we reached the base of the hillock without any hassles. Parking our bikes, we woke up the "ibex's spirit" within us and were READY!
TIME: 07:15
 |
| The trek starts |
SHRINARASIMHASWAMY BETTA FORT TREK
ASCENT:
 |
| Entering the fort |
To the fort entrance:
This is the easy part. The initial trek starts on a muddy trail that slowly reveals its power as you progress. The trail is at a gradient and slowly saps the strength out of your calves. But it was fun doing this nonstop, even though we realised the ground was draining our energy through our feet.
 |
| The ancient steps |
The Ancient steps:
Ok, this started off as Nidagal, Hosadurga or Pavagada. Well-planned rock steps. But as we progressed, we realised we were the only ones on the entire hillock. We could hear the peacock calling out clear as crystal. We called back in the same language, trying to communicate or confuse the poor creatures. This stretch is draining if you do it at once. So rest in between, or better, pace yourself slow and keep going.
 |
| The sun rose and so did we! |
Summit Push:
TIME: 08:00
 |
| At the top, we REST. |
TOP:
Whew, after reaching the top. The skies alit as the sun rose. And we were very happy. We found a nice place to crash. First, we rehydrated ourselves and then removed our shoes and just slept for a good 20-30min enjoying the sounds of nature - a true and only lullaby. Then, as we woke up, a strange type of eagle wooshed past us. It had a beak similar to a crane (the curved, extended one), a face like an owl, body of an eagle. We sat and admired it, and we all chuckled a little inside.
 |
| At the top, the Narasimha rests peacefully |
Rehydrating again, we got a conversation started - "Which is the most uncommon male/female name that you know of in your circles?" And oh boy, did that get us going. Recalling our school friends, our exes, our aunt's uncles, office colleagues, engineering class batch mates, we are literally crawling within our own head pace. After 20-30 minutes of may I say positively "name-calling", we decided to head back. We had spent 1.5 hours at the top.
TIME: 09:30
 |
| The view from the outpost enroute summit |
DESCENT:
The descent took us 30 minutes. We continued the mental crawl, remembering faces of friends from school photos and trying to recall names that sounded the strangest. Then, Anwar and me looked at Gunda. He looked puzzled, we said, Gundachar is a very uncommon name too. We all laughed and were surprised that we had already made it back to the bikes.
TIME: 10:00
 |
| The beautiful trails |
RIDE 2: (Narasimhaswamy betta > Ramanagara > Bangalore)
As we hopped onto to our bikes, we looked back, she stood majestic across the fields, where goats were grazing, thanked her for the experience and most importantly, LETTING US GO BACK. As we left the base of the hill, Gunda's bike fuel was empty. So Anwar and myself approached the locals and asked where a near by bunk is, we got the petrol in a bottle and with fuel in the tank. We started riding back. It was almost like the mountain wanted us to see us again :P
The ride back was smooth, but with the onset of summer it was draining as well. Felt really sleepy midway. Immediately pulled over for some tea. Feeling refreshed, rode back at a good pace to reach back Bangalore for some ice cold beers!
TIME: 12:00
 |
| The steady climb |
CONCLUSION:
Well, Shri Narasimhaswamy betta proved to be a super-duper hit. Zero People, excellent experience. The ancient fort gave us a reminder of the past. And well, the summit experience was surreal, from the strange-looking eagle and the uncommon name game - the spirits were fed with some good vibes.
KREW:
Gunda: Fourth trip, and has got adjusted to the pure energy of the group. Pushed himself and kept his state just stretched so that after a good rest, he will rise stronger for the next one!
Bhai: Started the name-calling and other monkey business. Kept the flame burning in high spirits. Returning a text at 3:30am requires some mental fortitude.
Sippy: Was pleased that we pulled this one off from a hat. No info, vague directional idea, still ended up pulling a jaffa. 22 weeks, 22 treks \m/
Until next time, Ta-da Cia \m/
 |
| Sippy signing off, until next time. "Young riders pick a destination, Old school pick a direction \m/." ⛰️ ESSENTIAL TREKS: THE LOAPERS ARCHIVES Explore the full archive of solo guides, seasonal ascents, and fort history. |
No comments:
Post a Comment