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| Arulagiri Fort Trek |
- Place: Arulagiri Fort (Tamil Nadu)
- Difficulty: Steep Rocks, not a trek, more of an exploration.
- Distance: 110 km x 2 = 220 km.
- Directions: Bangalore > Hosur > Krishnagiri > Arulagiri Fort.
- Krew: Anwar (Bhai), Karthik (Sp).
- Bikes: Pulsar.
- Previous Visit: Handi Gundi Betta Trek.
- Budget: Rs 297/head (Petrol = 484/2; Breakfast = 110/2)
IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:
Alright, Arulagiri Fort, we had on our radar since February 2026. This is a strange hill. It has 3000-year-old human settlements, but requires a lot of exploration. So this one is not a trek as such, but more of a crazy spooky exploration :)
And this marked 47 weeks, 49 treks, ~11 months, non-stop, since Oct 12th, 2025. This was our 37th trek in 35 weeks for 2026, with 33 first ascents and zero repeats :)
INTRO & PLAN:
Well, the Grand TN expedition was in full roar (Rayakottai, Anchetty Durgam, Ratnagiri Malaikottai, Udedurgam, Mallapadi, Jagadevi Fort, Thattakal Fort, Ankushagiri, Periyamalai, Virabhadra Fort, Maharajakadai Fort Trek, Musattu Malai Trek, Saanarappan Malai Trek, Sanjeevarayan Malai Trek).
To continue this bloody streak and drive new nails into the ground, we decided to pick another offbeat path with a slight twist. It had been only one day since our trek to Handi Gundi Betta, so we decided to pick this fort. As it was the Grand TN expedition, Bhai was on the confirmed list :)
TIME: 18:00 (21 Aug, 2026)
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| The Grand TN - Bhai :) |
ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:
Yeah, was up by 02:30, fresh; it was dark and had rained the previous night. Got ready, had a sip of coffee, went down, wiped the bike, kissed her on the dome and asked if she was ready for the day. By 03:45, delved into the dark, cold streets, listening to some slow doom metal. Head bobbing all the way through the city covered 30km to reach Bhai's place at Attibele. After a formal greeting, we took off from the city.
TIME: 04:30
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| Beautiful Paddy fields enroute Arulagiri |
RIDE 1: (Bangalore > Hosur > Krishnagiri > Arulagiri)
Well, with the strict NO GOOGLE MAPS rule in place, we cruised comfortably in the dark, gossiping about office and events that had transpired last week. Just before Krishnagiri, we realised we had reached too early, and we might not find breakfast, so we pulled over and started stretching, awaiting some sunlight to hit the earth. Finally, once there was some light, we continued on from Krishnagiri, and the surroundings just lit up. Beautiful green paddy fields on both sides of the road, skies pure blue, and the air ultra fresh.
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| The Grand TN Omelettes :) |
Then, we pulled over at a hotel and asked if the food was ready. They said it would take 10 minutes, and we had nothing much to do, so we sat down comfortably and watched them prepare the food. Once the food was ready, had 8idlys, 2dosas, 2 omelettes, and boy, did it feel good. We were their first customer and they were serving us like their own kids :)
After the yummy breakfast, it was a simple cruise. Had studied that a bridge would be there, and then we had to take a deviation. Upon asking locals and riding, we made it to the base of the hill, which houses a temple. Awakening the lizard's spirit within, we were ready for the climb.
TIME: 08:00
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| Bhai and Sippy perched comfortably :) |
ARULAGIRI FORT TREK
ASCENT:
Well, this could be considered more of an exploration than a trek. It took us 15 minutes to ascend, 15 minutes to descend and 60 minutes of exploration. Yeah, we were searching for the 3000 year old human settlements, trying to walk their path and feel what it must have felt like back then :)
And if you see the first picture, it is quite intimidating, right? Vertical walls all around, so we had mentally prepared ourselves to make multiple attempts from all around if things went south. Thankfully it did not come to that :)
Like always, have divided the trek into phases so LET'S GO \m/
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| Gain in elevation |
Phase 1: Initial Trail via steps.
Well, there are steps behind the temple, and that is pretty much the trail. The climb hardly takes 10-15 minutes. But the ambience is spooky: dead silence with lots of animal noises. So yeah, carry a stick and climb cautiously. Finally, the man made steps gave way to something really beautiful.
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| Final push to the top. |
Phase 2: The Summit push
Here, the rocks were very ancient, and it felt really good navigating this stretch. And a couple of monkeys just sat there looking at us peacefully. And we looked back at them. It was like both of us looking into mirrors haha. In a few minutes, we pushed and hit the summit.
TIME: 08:15
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| View from the summit |
TOP:
The view from the summit was crazy, no doubt; loved every bit of it. But somewhere we were not satisfied. Where were the human settlements? So, looked at Bhai and asked him if he was game for some offbeat exploration at the top and around the place. He replied, "Have the whole day boss; anything is fine"
And then began what would be one of the craziest and first-time explorations of a fort hill we have done in ages. Reminded me of our 2012 first ascent of Channarayanadurga Fort Trek. No time limitations, no one else on the hill; it's you and your wild curiosity left free :)
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| Bhai having some fun at the natural cavities :) |
We explored the top and found nothing much; hence, we had to carefully descend one lair down and start circumnavigating the hill. The drops are steep, but the reward is great. We started finding these natural cavities in the rocks, which I believe date back to 3000 years, and were used by early man as homes. Sitting in those cavities, putting ourselves in their shoes, it made total sense. With thick forests below, this was a clear vantage point, and you could clearly have your back against the wall. Finding multiple such pods, we were exhilarated. Then finally decided to head back down.
TIME: 08:45
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| Bhai was on a roll :) |
DESCENT:
Now the descent got really interesting. As we made it back to the temple on top, the monkeys returned (I meant the real ones - not us) so, we went beyond the temple and found some more kick-ass spots. This hill was surprising us moment by moment and it was absolutely crazy.
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| Old cave routes :) |
After exploring the top further, as we proceeded down, we spotted a narrow mud path which led sideways into the forest, and no decision had to be made; we followed it. And boy oh boy, it led to some steep cliff hangers with huge honeycombs perched high up and a few fallen down. It was "Hejjenu" - the big honeybee; a sting from it is really fatal. Still, we pushed through and found more settlements. It was a jackpot alright. We spotted wild mushrooms, cacti over 25 feet in height. IT was a surreal feeling :)
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| Exploring the cavities below the summit :) |
Finally feeling strangely satisfied, it was not the standard trek, but a kid-like fun exploration, we reached back to the temple and looked back one final time at the hillock, thanked her for the rich experience and, more importantly, "LETTING US GO BACK"
TIME: 09:30
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| Tata Arulagiri :) |
RIDE 2: Arulagiri > Krishnagiri > Hosur > Bangalore
The ride back was a smooth one. We cruised past Krishnagiri and rode non-stop until we just, I mean, literally just crossed the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border; not even 100meters in, we pulled over at a bar for some ice-cold beer and had a short debrief at 10AM. Then dropped Bhai and proceeded to reach my place back :)
TIME: 12:30
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| View from the top of Arulagiri. |
CONCLUSION:
Well, this was unexpected. Every TN hill hits you different. MARK THESE WORDS! We had planned to climb the hill from multiple angles, thinking it was unscalable. But the climb turned out to be simple. But what truly was fascinating was the exploration. Sitting down in the same caves where early men sat 3000-year ago and feeling what they must have felt. That is Arulagiri for you. The hill is like an old grandma's face, full of wrinkles and cavities (Sorry, had this thought and had to SAY it out loud haha)
Past 47 weeks, we have pulled off 49 treks, ~9825 kms in total, 11 months, non-stop. The Flame lives on \m/
KREW:
Sippy: Wanted to try the mushrooms, but yeah, was pulled away haha. With 49 treks done in 47 weeks, lets go towards 52/52 on the FLYING NIMBUS \m/
Until next time, Ta-da Cia \m/
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| 3 more left for 52/52, wish us luck :) |
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