15 Exciting One Day Trips from Bangalore beyond the obvious choices!

Bangalore, the world’s 4th largest tech hub is not just about corporate campuses, traffic, and beer, it is also a perfect city for professionals with a wanderlust spirit. If you are one of them, this list of best one-day trips from Bangalore should help you quench your wanderlust one day trip at a time.

One Day Trips from Bangalore within 50 km

There are many lakes and hills near Bangalore within 50-60 km. Personally, I love going on long drives far away from the city, but if you are taking your kids or older parents with you, you may prefer a relaxed trip. These are also suitable for trekking spots like Savanadurga, Skandgiri and more. The ones I listed below are slightly less crowded than the above.

Bannerghatta National Park

Located within 25kms from Bangalore City, many would argue that Bannerghatta National Park is very much within Bangalore. However, that shouldn’t prevent you from spending an entire day in this wonderland rich with a variety of flora and fauna spread across 65000 acres including the Banerghatta Biological park (currently operating as an independent entity). Apart from the sanctuary that is home to a significant number of protected lions and tigers, the premises also include a zoo, a butterfly park and a lake for boating.

Manchinbele Dam

This is the easiest weekend getaway from Bangalore, a favorite among corporate junkies yet surprisingly devoid of the crowd on the weekends. Originally constructed for irrigation purpose, the place is now famous for water-sports and corporate team-building activities. If you are not into this type of thing you can simply park your car away from the entrance, walk on the hills and enjoy the beauty of nature. The view of the blue water blending with the clear blue sky is spectacularly serene. It is also a great picnic spot for family and friends.

Ramnagaram Night Trek or a day trip from Bangalore

This is the place where the famous dacoit Gabbar Singh used to live with his gang. Yes, Ramnagaram is the shooting location of the legendary Indian movie “Sholay” but this is not its only claim to fame. Amidst the dense forests stand the granite hills that you can never miss being awestruck at. A trek to the peak will take roughly 2-3hours for rookies. This is also one of the few places that are still open for night trek and camping near Bangalore. You can easily start the early morning at 5 am and reaching a peak at night and waking up to the golden sunrise is an experience you do not want to miss.

Nandi Hills

Home to historic temples Nandi Hills became a fortress and summer retreat of Tipu Sultan. Prisoners are said to have been thrown to their death from what is known as “Tipu’s Drop” now. But today it known for its panoramic views. Sitting at an altitude of 4849 ft, Nandi Hills is the most popular day-trip destinations from Bangalore.

Huge crowds queue up for tickets from 5 am to see the gorgeous sunrise. Nandi Hills is also famous for ancient Hindu temples, cycling and paragliding.

Mandargiri – A short one day trip from Bangalore

Just 67km away from Bangalore, accessible through a 1-1.5 hour drive through the amazing Tumkur road lies one of the really off-beat places for travel lovers in Bangalore. Dotted with 1000-year old Jain temples this round hillock also offers a spectacular sunset for nature enthusiasts. The large rocks on the hill and the peacock feather design of the Jain temple provide perfect “Instagramic” backdrop for your photos. You can also visit for a small trekking opportunity to keep yourself fit.

One day trip from Bangalore to Antargange Caves and Hoskote

Antargange in Kolar is one of the most popular attractions for adventure-loving youngsters. At an altitude of 1712 meters, it offers spectacular views and thrilling experience of cave exploration. The 3 km trek will take 2hours uphill, after which you can visit the temple Kashi Vishweshwara. If you are not too tired on your way back you can complete this one day trip from Bangalore with a tour of the historic fort area of Hoskote.

A trip to Avalabetta and Gudibande Fort- Two short treks in a day

On a regular weekend, a drive to Avalabetta will take 2-2.5 hours. After that, a 1.5 km trek will lead you to the cap-shaped rock-cliff, an attractive point for photography. Unless you visit in the dry summer months you will get to see a pond at the hill-top which adds to the beauty. Note that the path to the hilltop is blocked now for many months due to some accidents.

After descending from the peak you can either drive back home (why the hell? ) or drive just 24km ahead to reach the Gudibande Fort. This is a massive 17th-century fort with well-preserved walls, which can be reached by a flight of steps. Personally, I (and all 3 of my travel buddies in the trip) liked the Gudibande fort way more in all respects – no crowd, interesting architecture, cave temples, and panoramic view.

One Day Trip from Bangalore to Madhugiri 

Madhugiri is the second largest monolith in Asia, a feat that deserves attention in itself. However, perched atop the hill is a historic fort of the Vijayanagara empire. The Madhugiri Fort has some of the earliest water tanks of India which were built to harvest rainwater. The trek to Madhugiri fort is of moderate difficulty but the grandeur of the fort and the views from the hill-top will make it worthwhile.

One Day Trip to Sangam, Mekedatu and Chunchi Falls

A scenic 2-hour drive away from Bangalore lies the beautiful natural spot, the confluence of the two most important rivers of Karnataka – Arkavathi and Cauvery. On your way, you will drive through winding uphill road lined with seasonal trees on both sides which look surreal in summer when they dry-up. It was a hot summer afternoon when we visited the place, but it was still throbbing with travelers. 

Drive just 4km from here to reach Mekadatu to see the stunning natural designs formed on granite rocks formed by the river Cauvery cutting through it for thousand years. On your way back you can also trek to the Chunchi Falls. A trip covering all these three locations will take 10 hours.

Day Trip to Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation Reserve

Jayamangali blackbuck conservation reserve is located in the Tumkur district of Karnataka, at the border of andhra Pradesh. Besides blackbucks it is famous for beautiful vineyards. The arid grasslands provide a great location for photography. These endangered species is a dark colored antelopes indigenous to India. It is also the state animal of Andhra Pradesh.

Day trip from Bangalore to Hogenekkal Falls and Forests 

Hogenekkal falls is wide plunge formed by the Kaveri river in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu. It is a charming perennial waterfall and one of the most popular places near Bangalore for one-day trips despite its distance. You can also take a coracle or boat ride in the river here. Unlike Shivanasamudra Hogenekkal still allows tourists to reach till the bottom of the waterfall. Since it is a perennial fall, it is the best time to visit is between October – March. The water gets extremely muddy in monsoon.

A day trip from Bangalore to Lepakshi 

Lepakshi is a historical town in Andhra Pradesh which is home to the iconic Veerabhadra Temple. The temple is an architectural masterpiece which has so many mysteries surrounding it. Did you hear of a temple with a hanging pillar? This is that temple. Apart from this, you can find the giant Nandi Statue (a monolithic bull structure) and the Jatayu theme park. These 2 attractions apart from the great temple are enough to keep you engaged for 4-5 hours at Lepakshi, if not more.

One Day trip from Bangalore to Shivanasamudra

Drive about 30 km more from Talakadu and you will reach this picturesque village Shivanasamudra which is home to the Barachukki and Gaganachukki falls. These perennial waterfalls have been consistently ranked among the 100 most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Best time for a trip to Shivanasamudra is in monsoon. Unlike Hogenekkal, the water is not muddy here in the rains.

Shravanabelegola – Tallest monolithic statue in the world

Shravanabelegola is most famous for the Gomateshwara Bahubali temple which has a 58 ft statue of Mahaveer Jain – the tallest monolithic statue in the world. The temple is accessible via a flight of 620 steps. The temple dates back to 983 AD but is in such a great condition that it is hard to believe its age. Apart from the architectural wonders, the temple also offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the town.

One day trip from Bangalore to BR Hills

The BR hills are located at the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, in the Western Ghats. It is named after the Biligiriranga temple built atop the hill. It is an ecological hotspot with a large variety of wild beasts including sloth bear, antelopes, peafowls and even tigers. These are not easy to catch a glimpse of though, as they are scattered all over the region. You can, however, see a lot of monkeys and birds in the picturesque wildlife sanctuary. The view from the hill is also a sight to behold. It is on the same route as Shivanasamudra so you may try to club it with the same.