While there are tonnes of lakes in and around Bangalore, I think Thattekere Lake stands out because of its size, but more importantly, because of being so cut-off from the mainstream. It is a pure delight to sit here alone in the early morning hours of the day.

It is also a well-kept secret of Bangalore - rarely do I hear people talk about it. As with most secrets, there are also several rumours associated with Thattekere Lake - that it has crocodiles, that access is denied to public and that elephants frequent the place. But these were not sufficient to hold us back, and we planned to explore it ourselves.

Duration and Time of Visit

1 day
November end

To and From

Itinerary

• It was a pleasant November morning, and before it could get sunny, we picked up our car and left for the short roadtrip trip at around 6:30 am

• We followed the route suggested by Google, took a quick breakfast at the only Cafe Coffee Day open that early, and finally landed right at the Thattekere Lake
  • It is a huge, tranquil expanse of water, with no people around, only birds for company. It was also a pleasant surprise to see the water and the banks so clean
  • There was a barricade restricting access to the lake: seems rumour number 2 was actually true! But we crossed it and proceeded towards the water

• We sat at the lake for about 1.5 hours - clicking pictures, chilling, chatting, eating, napping
  • The lake is located in the middle of a dense forest. The area is also an Elephant Crossing Zone - with cautionary boards and electric fences / barbed wires all around, proving rumour number 3 also true!

• We definitely did not want to test out rumour number 1, but even before we could, an old forest guard appeared at the barricade and started yelling at us in Kannada
  • We quickly picked up our stuff and made a dash. Sadly our car was on the other side of the barricade and we had to cross the guard. He was so furious, we felt as if he may literally hit us. Luckily we were inside our car unharmed. Without wasting a second, we were on our way back to Bangalore

Major Expenses

• Self-drive rental car: ~Rs. 2,000 (including fuel)
• Food and drinks

Summary of Things To Do

Things we did:

• Thattekere Lake

Things we didn’t do:

• Watch Tower: We had planned to find it, but our plan was cut short by the forest guard
• Kanive Mahadeswara Temple

Tips and Resources

• You can park at the Kanive Mahadeswara Temple, which is near the lake
• Don’t venture into the water - you never know if the crocodiles are there for real
• Beware of the forest guards!
• Please don’t litter the place
• There are no restaurants or shops nearby - you can carry your own food and drinks