Kudur Bhairavadurga Betta Trek: The Test of Shiva's Fury & Descent into the Thicket of Annihilation Chapter 214 (Nov 8, 2025)

Kuduru Bhairavadurga Fort Trek

Place: Bhairavadurga trek

Distance: 60kms x 2 = 120kms

Directions: Bangalore > Nelamangala > Solur > Bhairavadurga

Krew: Anwar (Bhai) > Dileep (Koof) > Karthik (Sp)

Bikes: NS400 > Pulsar                                                                                  

Previous Visit: Ratnagiri Fort Trek

Budget: Rs 210/head (150 = Petrol + 60 = Lunch)

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

Alright, Bhairavadurga is the craziest among the Navadurgas. (Kabbaladurga, Makalidurga, Savandurga, Huthridurga, Huliyardurga, Nandidurga, Devarayanadurga, Channarayanadurga). Bhairavadurga is just 10-15km from Shivagange. I think this is my 5th visit to the place, we have not once found the route right. So, you have to have the mindset of leaving some scars behind when you visit this place. 

INTRO & PLAN:

As far as planning goes, I had an office travel planned on 9th Nov, the 8th was pretty much free. So decided to go to a nearby place, and really beaten to the bone. Riding doesn't destroy you as much as treks. Hence a tough climb, but nearby. So Bhairavadurga was chosen. Bhairava is a wandering form of Shiva who annihilates. So yeah, does the place some justice :)

TIME: 22:00 (14/9/2019)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Yeah, I was up at 02:30, did a few push-ups and sit-ups, had a sip of coffee and was all set to go. The meeting was scheduled at my place at 5am. I went down and sat on the footpath again, listening to some doom metal and doing air guitar. And the cops arrived like last time, saw me, thought I had gone full crazy and left me be, haha. Koof and Anwar arrived at 5am, and after formal introduction and greetings, we left Bangalore. 

TIME: 05:15

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Nelamangala – Solur - Bhairavadurga)

This was  60km easy ride to Bhairavadurga as most of it was on highways. As we left Bangalore on two bikes, we zoomed ahead through the Outer Ring Road and reached the Tumkur highway in a jiffy. Post which some fog set in, but didn't bother us much, we cruised till Nelamangala and took the Hassan route, searching for a hotel, but since it was very early, all hotels were closed. We had some tea and decided to conquer the hillock. 

And yeah, the surprise was that, without maps or asking locals, we made it to the base of the hillock. The hillock is usually visible from afar, but owing to the fog, we could not spot it.  Requesting the locals to take care of our bikes, and with the goat's spirit wide awake, we were ready to get beaten up.

TIME: 06:45

We don't chase the sun; it's the other way around.

BHAIRAVADURGA TREK:

The trek is one of a kind, I tell you. We usually take the stone route up and forest route down, but yeah, we got lost on both this time, haha. The place is so menacing, it always brings us to our knees every time. But we love her, no matter what! I have divided the hike into these sections, so keep up!

i) Initial Thicket 

ii) Stone wall 

iii) Final stretch 

iv) Forest route - trek down

Initial thicket

Initial thicket:

Alright, as we parked our bikes. We walked through the fields (which is pretty much straightforward), and then we took a deviation much earlier than the forest route to start climbing the hillock on its steep rock face. Wait, Wait. Not so early, we got lost in between the deviation we took and the rock face itself, haha. The vegetation, I mean, was so thick that we literally had to crawl through it. Hands were completely bruised, but the rock face was nowhere to be seen. Grinding through the thickets, we made it out of the forest and onto the rockface. 

Koof on stone wall

Stone wall:

Once on the rock face, we felt comfortable. But not too much. The rock faces are steep here, but with a good grip. I was behind, Anwar led, and Koof was in between. Slowly, we progressed through the rock faces. This hillock will teach you a lot about how to read the cracks and grip them. The last part of it is really steep, and this must be done with extreme caution.

Final stretch

Final stretch:

The last stretch starts from the point where the forest route also merges. This is still a rock face, but not as steep as the previous one. It was fun navigating this one, as we felt it was easier than the previous. But if you decide to take the forest route, then it will be slightly tough. We could spot Shivagange shrouded in mist afar from here. After the final grind, we reached the top.

TIME: 07:45

Top of Bhairavadurga

TOP:

With the sun still hitting the snooze on the alarm button, the air was cold and windy. And without breakfast, we had managed to summit the hillock. Once we hit the trails, we forget sometimes even the most basic necessity - food. It felt good, we sat down, sipped some water and decided to rest and recuperate. We had made one BIG assumption that we would take the forest route, and it would be EASY. Haha, nature always has surprises in store.

TIME: 08:30

Forest route (at least when we followed it)

Forest Route / Lost route - trek back down:

As we finished our naps at the top, we put in about 25pushups and were set to go. We navigated the "final stretch" with ease and had already started making plans on where to have breakfast, haha. Then we took the forest route, it was smooth until a point. Then the thick vegetations fooled us and took us off track. 

Now, getting lost in a forest with 6-7-foot shrubs is no joke, huh. And over this, the shrubs had thorns, which speaks about a fatal wrong turn. We kept our cool and made the plan simple. We kept going down until we hit the flat bottom, then we spotted the hill, and based on the rock face we had climbed, we could find our bikes. 

Crawling through the thickets

But easier said than done. The shrubs and grass got so thick that walking was impossible. We had to literally squat down and see the water flow paths and follow it. And oh yeah, in between all this, getting pricked by 1000 thorns. It was gruelling and tiring, but also fun. Thorns were getting embedded all over the body, and some bruises had started bleeding, but we kept persisting. At one point, trust me, this is funny and scary, we were walking on thick grass, not knowing how deep it was below.

Finally, after a lot of struggle (it is actually difficult to express the full depth of the experience. All I can say was, it was a not humbling, but a MIGHTY ASS-WHOOPING), we rejoined the main path. And hardly with 5 minutes to go to the bottom. Haha, so basically we kind of (not explored) but survived the Kudduru forest (known for bears) in its purest and wild form. Something magical :) 

Once we set foot on flat ground, we cleared off all the thorns and other things from our jackets and trousers. We felt a sense of relief. Sweat was pouring all over our faces as it was hard gruel. We felt a sense of relief and kinda missed the action, haha, as we made back to our bikes and were ready to ride back home.

TIME: 09:30

Shivagange afar

RIDE 2: ( Kuddur – Solur – Nelamangala – Bangalore)

As we started, we said screw breakfast and quenched our thirsts at a local bar. We spoke about engineering days and, as usual, pulled each other's legs. From there, we cruised along at a superb pace to reach near college for some well-deserved "Mudhe Oota". Whew, tasted so good :) a perfect finish to a crazy chapter.

TIME: 12:30

A perfect end to a wild chapter.

CONCLUSION:

"Gotta say, this was one crazy chapter where the hillock tested us until the last moment. Getting lost amidst the thickest of forests, we could actually feel the forest trying to make us bend down and keep us to the ground. It is a force you wouldn't wanna mess with!!

Koof - as usual, an old schooler, ready for any adventure. Anwar - had a totally crazy experience, enjoyed the trek down more than the climb up. Sippy - will shut and bow down, voluntarily to any place I visit (before the trek only, next time, haha)

Until next time, tata :)

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Ratnagiri Fort Trek Guide | Chapter 213 (Nov 2, 2025)

Place: Ratnagiri Fort Trek

Distance: 150kms x 2 = 300kms

Directions: Bangalore > Dobbaspete > Madhugiri > Ratnagiri Fort

Krew: Anwar (Sharief Bhai) > Karthik (Sp)

Bikes:  Pulsar                                                            

Previous Visit: Medigeshi Fort trek.

Budget: Rs 500/head (Total: 500 - Petrol, 100 - breakfast, 400 - lunch)

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

This was the first run of Nov'25 and the 5th trip in 22 days. Damn, yeah, this is how it should be. Ratnagiri trek as such is light, but finding the routes is tricky. Also, since it's an unheard place, usually locals venture. SO, this was chosen, as it was a SUNDAY. But the ride to the place in this chapter was something else. About 100feet of visibility and chilling cold. 

INTRO & PLAN:

It was about a week since our gruelling trek at Medigeshi. Oh boy, did she show a totally different face of herself, leaving us in bruises, trashed, and strung out. But yeah, cannot stagnate, have to keep moving. So, with Anwar and my official travel plans for the next 2 weeks, we decided to pull one off before he head out. Since it was a Sunday and we wanted a light one, we picked Ratnagiri for this run.

TIME: 20:00 (1/11/2025)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Oh yeah, woke up at 03:00, and did a few pushups and situps. After which, I had a sip of coffee and went down and sat on the footpath awaiting Bhai's arrival at 5am. The usual beat cops came and stared down at me again :P, the senior cop explained to the junior cop that I was a regular haha! Anyway, after Anwar arrived, without wasting any time, we took off. And, that's when all hell broke loose!

TIME: 05:15

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Dobbaspete – Madhugiri – Ratnagiri Fort)

This was 135kms ride. Started of slow but steady, we cruised at a decent pace to reach Nelamangala. And from nowhere, a heavy, I mean real heavy, fog set in. The visibility was reduced to about 100 feet. And the temperatures dropped. Literally, we were shivering in spite of having a rainproof jacket. This stretch between Nelamangala and Dabaspete, is under construction and it was the most hated stretch of ours, but this time it turned out to be something special. Post Dabaspet, it didnt end, it actually got more even intense due to open lands on both sides, but since the traffic reduced, it was soothing, but only trouble was it was a 2-laner. So the opposite side vehicles would blind us. Cruising at a slower speed, we reached our regular spot for some piping hot breakfast, and boy did it taste good considering all the shivering. 

TIME: 06:45   

                                                 

As we had our breakfast, our hands were still shivering. Sinking our fingers into the hot idlis was actually comforting. We are having breakfast amidst hills, still covered by a fog blanket. It was a beautiful sight. After a good breakfast, we cruised along spotting a lot of peacocks enjoying the fog and the light rains. As we spotted Madhugiri, it took us aback. Without any fog, it looks scary, with the fog, it looked doubly scary. Haha!After Madhugiri, we continued at a decent pace to reach the base of Ratnagiri.

TIME: 08:15

RATNAGIRI FORT TREK:

It took us about an hour to ascend. First things first, we were very happy that we were the only ones at the place. The mighty mountain looked slightly draped in a fog, which was quite haunting, also, yeah, welcoming too. About this trek, it is actually pretty hard to differentiate/segregate the climb into segments, as one would lead to another without any significant change. Even then, I have divided it into 3 segments:

i)   Way to the Door.

ii)  Amazing Mid-Riff.

iii)  Last Stairs.

So, try keeping up with me on this one. Here goes:   

i)  Way to the Door:

As we left the bikes we had to pass through ancient doorways and abandoned wells. The initial walk is through fields. And it truly is beautiful. Balancing on the bunds in fields filled with peanuts and other grains. And then the actual task begins, if you are new to this place, 9/10times you will get lost in this stretch haha. Infact, after this hillock 3-4times, even we got lost, well that is the fun about these trips. Finally knowing roughly where the door lay, we made it to the main door of the hillock.   

ii) Amazing Mid-Riff:

This part of the climb is the core and its amazing. As we enter through the door this stretch begins and its keep getting spookier. Hidden path that runs along fallen ruins of an ancient fort with trees that keep hanging down the fort walls, send chills down the spine. But one thing about this stretch is that, you gotta keep alert. There are lot of misleading pathways and its fun. Yeah i mean it, you need to lose your way and that is the only way you explore more. After passing through 3-4gateways you get a few barracks. And from there you can spot the last stairs.

iii) Last Stairs:

This was the last stretch of this awesome trek. As we saw the stairs, kinda turned us off. Climbed it for a while and then got off onto the free boulder and started free soloing. It was fun, and by the end of the stairs we had reached the top :)

TIME: 09:30

TOP:

There were lots of buildings on top. Buildings that seem like resting places. Water storage spots were also there. We crossed the pond to get the best view of the town below. We could spot our bike (and some kids trying to climb it, mentally made a note, to get back at them.) 

At the top, we crossed on a narrow brick wall, on either side of it was water storage places, it was tricky and nice. Then we made it to nice open space and crashed. Had some hesaritu-unde from home, so just ate it on top and slept for a while. Feeling refreshed, we decided to head back slow and explore further of the hillock. 

TIME: 10:00

TREK DOWN:

Well, the trek down was a smooth one. The pace was faster, but we kept the exploratory mode on. Grazing past the top tiers and made it into the narrower paths with lots of shrubs. There was pin drop silence and occasional sounds of only animals here and there. IT was beautiful and slightly scary at the same time. But yeah, that is the cocktail we enjoy. After we crossed the lower gates, now it was time to get past all the fields to the bikes haha. This is not as tough as finding the door. All you gotta do is get to flat ground and keep heading towards to water tank. We spotted a few 4-5 people, we thought they were locals, then when they asked directions, we helped them out. THey had been searching for the entrance for over an hour - goes to show the importance of first stretch.

TIME: 11:00  

RIDE 2: (Ratnagiri Fort – Madhugiri - Dabaspet - Bangalore)

This was a 150kms ride back. The ride back was done very professionally. With some abuses here and there - a must haha! As we took off from Ratnagiri, we rode slow as it was in interior country roads of Andhra. Then we cruised along the SH-3 to reach Madhugiri for some sting. We could spot a lot of people climbing it. Promising her a weekday trip in further months we continued to reach Dabaspet. From here the roads are too bad, too many deviations. We kind of grinded though this strech to pull over at Whity for some lunch. After the lunch it was smooth sailing to home.

TIME: 16:00

CONCLUSION:

“One chapter, which will always have surprises. Enjoying home made ladu ontop of mountain, with complete silence and wind blowing, on a Sunday is some feeling i tell you. And we had the mountain to ourselves. Felt really good. Anwar bhai as usual, with his "anything is fine" attitude, makes any trip seamless.”

Until next time, Cia \m/

⬅️ 212) Medigeshi Fort Trek 214) Bhairavadurga Trek ➡️

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