A “Sunrise Trek” sounds exciting, and it sure is! You trek at night, camp at the peak and wake up to a beautiful sunrise. Uttari Betta is one such option close to Bangalore. We opted for a trek organised by BMC, during the good monsoon months and it was a great experience by all measures.

Uttari Betta, also called Hutridurga, is one of the Navadurgas, the nine fortified hills around Bangalore. The ruins are still visible all along the way. Being fairly easy and short, it is a great place for a quick getaway for people of all ages.

Trek difficulty: Easy

Duration and Time of Visit

1 night
August mid

To and From

Itinerary

• We assembled at the BMC pick-up point in Indiranagar and departed by 11pm, reaching the foot of the hill by 1:30am
  • At that hour, the bus journey passed like a breeze, especially once we were out of the city area

• Right away, we started the trek into the dark, armed with a flashlight each
  • This was the first time I was trekking at night. Since you can not see anything, you need to be extra vigilant, strictly walk in a queue and definitely follow the instructions
  • The hill is actually a rock, with vegetation all over it and the trek route is ~3km long, the terrain being easy
  • Besides our backpacks, we were also carrying a sleeping bag each, since the plan was to sleep at the peak till sunrise
  • Without much difficulty, and without being able to see any of the natural beauty around us, we reached the top in about 1.5 hours, packed ourselves into the sleeping bags and dozed off

• With the first rays of sun falling on us, we got up to a surreal view and for the first time, saw what a beautiful place we had come to
  • The peak had a lot of vegetation, small entrapments of water and obviously, a lot of boulders; and a vast stretch of green all around
  • It was extremely calm - we sat silently for a long time. It was extremely inviting - we walked around for a long time

• After about an hour, we started the descent, this time looking at the beautiful path we had come by
  • While the terrain is all rock, it has thick intermittent patches of green
  • There is a temple of Lord Shiva on the way, and ruins of a fort built by Kempegowda in the 16th century
  • There comes a spot where we had only small steps cut into the boulder. While it was actually not that difficult, but I am not sure how we had crossed it the previous night - ignorance is bliss!
  • It took us about 45 minutes to descend, stopping every once in a while to click pictures

• Finally we reached the bottom and saw in full, the hill that we had spent the night on

• We boarded the bus, stopped in between for a quick breakfast and reached Bangalore by 11am, bringing the short and sweet trip to a close

Major Expenses

• BMC trek cost: Rs. 1,300

Tips and Resources

• If you do the night trek, definitely be extra careful and carry a good flashlight. Also, I think you should do the night trek only with an organised group
• It can be windy at the top, hence it’s advisable to carry an extra layer of clothing for the night
• It’s best to wear a cap, apply sunscreen and carry sufficient water for the morning trek
• You should carry the camping essentials (toiletries, first aid)