MakaliDurga is a hill fort that is about 60 kilometres from the city of Bangalore in India. Just the paltry distance from where we stay was reason enough to get us interested in the trek for the weekend.
So this Sunday, we started off on bikes from 4.30 am in the city and reached MakaliDurga’s parking lot by 6 am. What caught us off-guard was that we were asked to pay Rs 250 (3.5 USD) per person on an online site called Eco Trails before embarking on the trek. We wasted about 15 minutes trying to connect to the site because the network wasn’t that great. None of the sites or blogs that we had looked up mentioned anything about it. So basically it’s better that you make your payment before you come to the place. Since we weren’t able to get any network, we paid them by cash after finishing the trek.
Another important thing about the MakaliDurga trail is that it used to be a famous night trek but now night treks are banned. Also, they only allow a limited number of people to do the trek in one day, so it’s better to do your booking on the site beforehand.
As far as the trek is concerned, the initial 10 percent is very easy, more like a walk, after that, as you go uphill it gets a little tricky but despite that, it’s a very easy trail. It took us just about an hour to reach the peak and the ruins of the fort. The view is pretty good. Luckily, since it’s just January, the weather was amazing, so that made the uphill climb a breeze. However, while we were descending, people who had barely began going uphill seemed very exhausted, probably because it was getting sunnier by the minute. So starting the trek by 6 am should be perfect. We had started by 6.25 am, since we wasted some time trying to buy the tickets online. Also, they don’t allow you to start after 9.30 am.
I will be honest, the fort ruins are nothing worth looking at. MakaliDurga trail was fun for us because it was a perfect one day weekend activity close to the city for us. I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who is coming from another state or country and is hard-pressed for time.