We started from Bangalore in the morning along with 2 other families, who were my college friends. It was a trip filled with lot of fun. It took about 2 hours to escape from the traffic blocks in Bangalore. But once we are out of the town, the fun started. Before started the uphill drive in the Nandi hills, most of the kids moved to an SUV in our group and they started singing and enjoying.
We parked the cars in the parking area and had some coffee and snacks. The monkeys walking around our kids trying to steal our food looked interesting in the beginning but it quickly turned into troubled. One of the aggressive monkeys walked straight into the middle of our kids, grabbed a pack of snacks and walked away. Someone from our group tried to scare the monkey but it turned back and gave a scary look which turned our friend pull back.
We decided to climb the rest of the hill by foot so that we can enjoy the nature to its best. Our cameras never had a rest since the sights from the edges of the roads were really amazing. A lot of young pairs of boys and girls, probably college students, were having a lot of fun time along the road and under the shade of the big trees.
Kids started running around the roads and rocks. A security man came and shouted us to move to the park and play there. It made a lot of sense since it was dangerous to run around the place through the rocks. A small slip can cause serious accidents. Also, some sides of the hill have very steep edges.
While the kids continued playing in the park under the supervision of one of the parents, rest of us moved to the top to visit other attractions including the temple. The place was very calm and relaxing. However, unfortunately, the place is poorly maintained. The toilets looked very dirty.
Activities: There are no rides or specific activities there. I read in blogs about paragliding at Nandi Hills but could not find anything there. I must admit that I didn't really make any serious attempts to find paragliding. If you are into yoga and meditation, you have the right environment there. Trekking is the primary activity you can do there other than just sitting and relaxing.
What to see: Sunrise is the best attraction at Nandi Hills which we missed every time we went. During this trip, we really wanted to be there before sunrise but by the time we picked up all the families and drove there, sun had already started the day! Nandi bull, the ancient temple, the park and the amazing view of the valley from the hill are the primary attractions there. Read more about our visit and Nandi Hills tourist guide in my blog.
Food: There are few coffee shops and they all serve tasty snacks but again unhygienic surroundings. It was hard to hold any snack in hand and eat fully without being grabbed by the monkeys. There was a small vegetarian restaurant which was under maintenance. There is another decent hotel called "Mayura Pine Top" maintained by KSTDC. They serve good food and is a safe place to eat without being attacked by the monkeys.
We spent about 4 hours in total on top of the hill and park enjoying the place. Just before the sunset, we returned with a promise to come back together to rebond our long term relationship from the college.
Nandi Hills is an excellent picnic place to spend time with friends, family and relatives.