Day Trip to Horagina Betta near Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills is a set of beautiful small hillocks located at a small distance of 65 km from Bangalore, Acquiring their name from the tall statue dedicated to the Lord Nandi built on the top of the hills. Due to the presence of Nandi Hills which is a popular tourist destination. Horagina Betta has never been visited by trekkers. The peak hosts a very beautiful Lord Shani-Eshwara temple. A nice drive from Bangalore and good trek makes Channagiri an ideal destination for a day trip. Do carry lots of water and beware of the naughty monkeys at the temple. It is 4724ft. (1440 meters) above sea level.

Activities

The terrain is very diverse, rocky at some places & evergreen forest on the slopes. The hills are very rich in birdlife making it a very popular location for birdwatchers and bird photographers. The evergreen forest patch on top of the hill being a favored wintering location for many migrant species of warblers, flycatchers and thrushes. The forest patch is also home for a relict population of the Nilgiri Woodpigeon. A breeding pair of Shaheen Falcon, the resident race of the Peregrine Falcon is also often seen here. The Malabar Whistling Thrush, Uropeltidae snakes and Pill millipedes which are otherwise known only from the Western Ghats ranges are also found here. The hill slopes are the home of the Yellow-throated Bulbul, a species endemic to the hills of peninsular India.