Cosmopolitan Bengaluru is the number one city in the Indian deep south, blessed with a benevolent climate and a burgeoning drinking, dining and shopping scene. It is filled with every sort of activity. Indeed this makes Bangalore, a favourite place to live and travel.
Find out the top nearest places to travel when you are in Bangalore-
1. Bannergatta National Park
Bannerghatta National Park is the most famous wildlife park and also one of the top tourist places in Bangalore. This park is spread in reserve forests of Anekal Range with an elevation of 1245 – 1634 m under the Bangalore Forest Division. This park is part of a wildlife corridor for elephants which connects the BR Hills and the Sathyamangalam forest.
#Wildlife
Bangalore to Bannergatta National Park – 23 Kms
2. Wonder La
Wonder La is an amusement park situated on Bangalore – Mysore Express way. It is India’s biggest amusement and water park and also one of the most visited among Bangalore tourist places.
Spread over 82 acres, the park offers over 50 kinds of rides – water sports and open rides. Attractions include musical fountain and laser show, virtual reality show, high thrill rides, kids’ rides, heated wave pools, and numerous water rides.
#Amusement Park
Bangalore to Wonder La – 26 Kms
3. Muthyala Maduvu
It is a small & cute waterfall. Also known as Pearl Valley, this is one of the popular Bangalore tourist places to visit for halfday. Muthyalu means Pearls and Maduvu means Pond or Pool in Kannada. Situated in the midst of hills, nestled deep down in a valley, this secluded place makes a fascinating picnic spot. It is known for its verdant surroundings with water falling from a height of over 100 ft. Take a dive in this crystal clear water and feel one with nature.
#Waterfall, #Nature
Bangalore to Muthyala Maduvu – 43 Kms
4. Savandurga Hills
The Savandurga hill is considered to be among the largest monolith hills in Asia. Savandurga hills are located at an altitude of 1226 m above the sea level and are also considered to be a part of the Deccan Plateau. This is one of the popular destinations for trekking near Bangalore for a day trip and also one of the ideal weekend getaways from Bangalore.
#Adventure, #Hill, #Trekking
Bangalore to Savandurga Hills – 48 Kms
5. Janapada Loka / Folk Art Museum
The Folk Art Museum or Janapada Loka is situated on the Bangalore – Mysore highway near Ramanagaram. This is one of the popular places of interest in Bangalore.
Numerous collections of masks, artifacts, costumes, collection of folk music and videos of folk dances are exhibited in the museum. Spread over 15 acres, the artifacts in the museum are kept in three buildings namely Lokamahal, Lokamatha Mandira and Chitrakuteera. In Lokamahal the visitors can find interesting folk puppets, utensils, instruments, weapons and masks.
#Museum, #Art
6. Nandi Hills
It is geographically located close to Skandagiri. With an altitude of about 1,478 meter, it is one of the best places for trekking in Bangalore. This is also one of the most popular weekend getaways from Bangalore for a day trip. It gets its name from the ancient Nandi or bull which is meant to be the mount of Lord Shiva. These hills are the source of the rivers Palar, Arkavati and Pennar. It was one of the Tipu’s summer retreats.
#Trekking, #Nature
Bangalore to Nandi Hills – 60 Kms
7. Skandagiri / Kalavara Durga
Skandagiri is an ancient mountain fortress lies at an altitude of about 1350 m. It is geographically located close to Nandi HIlls. This is among the best places for trekking near Bangalore especially famous for night treks, camping and bird watching.
Skandagiri is also known as Kalavara Durga. It has an ancient dilapidated fort that belonged to a local king and was later concurred and used by Tipu Sultan. After Tipu’s downfall, the fort was ignored and laid in ruins. Today one can only see parts of the fort wall in some places.
#History #Monument
Bangalore to Skandagiri / Kalavara Durga – 61 Kms
8. Devarayanadurga
Devarayanadurga is a rocky hill situated in the midst of picturesque locality at an altitude of 3940 ft. The main attraction of Devarayanadurga is the temples of Yoga Narasimha & Bhoga Narasimha. The Bhoga Narasimha temple is located at the foothills while the Yoga Narasimha shrine is located at the top of the hill. This is one of the popular tourist places to visit near Bangalore.
This is also an ideal place for trekking. Motorable road is available till the hill top. Many people trek the hill from the Bhoga Narasimha temple at foothill. One can driver further from Yoga Narasimha temple to the peak of the hill to capture a nice view.
#Trekking #RoadTrip
Bangalore to Devarayanadurga – 72 Kms
9. Kolar
Kolar is a small town which was once famous for gold mines. Kolar has several tourist attractions like Someshwara Temple & Kolaramma Temple. Anthargange is about 4 kms from Kolar. Kolar is one of the popular tourist places to visit around Bangalore.
Someshwara Temple is a beautiful temple built in 14th century during Vijayanagara rule. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Someshwara Temple is famous for large temple tower built on a stone carved mahadwara. The temple has nice carvings on the pillars and large mahamandapa. There is also a stepped temple tank adjacent to the temple.
#Spiritual #Monument
Bangalore to Kolar – 80 Kms
10. Chunchi Falls
Chunchi Falls on the River Arkavathi is one of the famous weekend getaways around Bangalore and also among the most visited Bangalore tourist places.
Water drops from a height of about 100 feet through multiple tiers into a small pool creating a swimming pool with running water. It is an ideal place to swim, play & relax in water amidst naturally formed rock formations. This place is usually crowded on weekends. A little walk is required from the nearest road point to reach the falls.
#Waterfall, #Weekend-getaway #RoadTrip
Bangalore to Chunchi Falls – 83 Kms
11. Kokkare Bellur Bird Sanctuary
At a distance of 71 Kms from Mysore, 85 Kms from Bangalore City Junction, Kokkare Bellur Bird Sanctuary is located in Mandya District of Karnataka and is about 20 km from Mandya. The name of the village is derived from Kokkare meaning stork and Bellur meaning village of jaggery. It is famous for having large colonies of Painted Storks and Spot-billed Pelicans nesting in trees within the village. It is home to cranes, painted storks and pelicans.
The best season to visit the migratory birds is October to March.
#BirdWatching, #RoadTrip
Bangalore to Kokkare Bellur Bird Sanctuary (Near Mysore) – 87 Kms
12. Bheemeshwari
Bheemeshwari is a small town in Mandya district of Karnataka. It is located between the Shivanasamudra Falls and Mekedatu on River Cauvery. This is one of the popular tourist places to visit near Bangalore and a well known place for the activities of trekking and adventure near Bangalore city, apart from being a famous Bangalore weekend getaway for one day trip.
#Weekend-getaway, #RoadTrip
Bangalore to Bheemeshwari – 100 Kms
13. Madhugiri
Madhugiri is famous for a hill which is the second largest monolithic rock hill in Asia after Savandurga. It lies at an altitude of 3,930 feet and is becoming a famous destination for trekking from Bangalore.
There is a fort on the slopes of the hill which derives its name Madhugiri from the Honey bee colonies that were abundant during those days. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, and Mysore Gate are the three gateways of the fort.
#Monument, #Trekking
Bangalore to Madhugiri – 106 Kms
14. Kaigal Falls / Dumukurallu Waterfalls
Kaigal Water Falls, also known as Dumukurallu Water Falls is a nice waterfall located on the Palamaner – Kuppam Highway.
The waterfall is natural, perennial and water comes from a big rock at a height of 40 feet, irrespective of seasons. But its force and beauty is increased during the Monsoon season. The name Dumukurallu waterfalls came into prominence because of its sound resembling the fall of stones from above.
#Waterfall
Bangalore to Kaigal Falls / Dumukurallu Waterfalls (Near Kanipakam) – 123 Kms
15. Shivanasamudra Falls
This is one of the best waterfalls near Bangalore and also among popular Bangalore weekend getaways. These waterfalls are also known as Siva Samudram, literally meaning Shiva’s Sea. Shivanasamudra is a segmented waterfall with several parallel stream formed adjacent to each other.
Situated on River Kaveri, Shivanasamudra is also called as Bluff. The island of Shivanasamudra divides Kaveri River into two parts that form two waterfalls, one is Gaganachukki and the other is Bharachukki.
#Waterfall
Bangalore to Shivanasamudra Falls – 130 Kms
16. Shravanabelagola
Shravanabelagola is one of the most popular Jain pilgrimage center in South India. This place is named after the pond in middle of the town (Bela-Kola means White Pond). This is one of the popular weekend getaways from Bangalore and a major heritage / historical site in Karnataka.
Shravanabelagola is famous for the Bahubali Statue which is supposed to be the tallest monolithic stone statue in the world with a height of 58 feet carved out of a single block of granite. The Gomateswara temple is built on top of a hill at an altitude of 3347 feet, called as Vindhyagiri hill.
#Spiritual, #Hill
Bangalore to Shravanabelagola – 138 Kms
17. Brindavan Gardens
The garden was designed by Sir Mirza Ismail, Diwan of Mysore based on Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir in the Mughal style. Spread over an area of 150 acres, the Brindavan Gardens is considered as one of the best gardens in India. The garden is enriched with fountains, terraces, parterres, running and cascading water channels, lush green lawns & flower beds.
#Garden, #Hangout
Bangalore to Brindavan Gardens (Near Srirangapatna) – 142 Kms
18. Hogenakkal
Hogenakkal Falls is a waterfall in on the Kaveri (or Cauvery) River located in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu. It is a major tourist attraction and one of the best waterfalls in India, sometimes referred to as the ‘Niagara of India’.
It is also one of the best waterfalls and one of the wonderful tourist places to visit near Bangalore & Chennai. When the River Kaveri enters the Tamil Nadu border after winding its way through the state of Karnataka, it descends down the lofty landscape forming the Hogenakkal falls.
#Waterfall, #Nature
Bangalore to Hogenakkal – 146 Kms
19. Biligiri Ranga Hills / BR Hills
The Biligiri Ranga Hills popularly known as the BR Hills is a lofty hill range in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is considered to be the wildlife corridor that connects Eastern Ghats to Western Ghats. This is one of the popular tourist places to visit near Mysore & Bangalore.
BR Hills is famous for BRT Wildlife Sanctuary (Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary). The sanctuary is situated at an altitude of 5091 feet and is spread across an area of 540 km. It was declared a tiger reserve in 2010 by the Karnataka State Government.
#Wildlife, #Hill
Bangalore to Biligiri Ranga Hills / BR Hills (Near Mysore) – 185 Kms
20. Yercaud
Tiny Yercaud, a very affordable hill station, is rich in natural charm. ‘Yericaud’, Tamil for ‘lake-forest’, lies in the Eastern Ghats which, unlike the lush Western Ghats, are generally dry and feature short and rocky hills. It is thus a wonderful aberration. Tucked away in the Shivaroy Hills in Northern Tamil Nadu,
While there is lot to look forward to by way of sightseeing, a couple of most popular spots are Tipperary View Point offering great views of the White Elephant Tooth and the town’s omnipresent lake called ‘The Big Lake’ or ‘Emerald Lake’. There’s a well groomed garden, Anna Park, nearby. Lady’s Seat offers a spectacular view of Salem. Shevaroy Temple is the highest point in Yercaud at 5,326 ft.
#Lake, #Forest, #Hill
Bangalore to Biligiri Ranga Hills / BR Hills (Near Mysore) – 185 Kms