Places to visit Around Bengaluru

WONDERLA

WonderLa, which is nestled between the picturesque hillocks near Bidadi on the Bangalore-Mysore highway, is said to be the largest water park in the country. It has come up on 82 acres of land, of which 45 acres is exclusively for land- and water-based rides.
There are 24 land-based rides, including eight rides for thrill seekers
The indoor musical fountain and laser show, a giant wheel mounted on a 300-metre platform and a 48-seater virtual reality theatre with high definition video projection system and surround sound are some of the highlights of the park.
The park will also have on offers 26 water-based attractions, including two wave pools and two play pools.
While hot water will be made available at the pools during the winter, the changing rooms will have hot water always, they said.
There are six caterers, including Empire, Adigas and Le Meridien, for visitors.
ENTRY FEE: Rs. 380 per person(Monday to thrusday)
Rs. 480 per person (Friday to Sunday) all inclusive for recreational facilites

The park is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during weekdays and up to 8 p.m. on weekends.
Has around 50 rides (dry & water) and can accommodate approx 6000 people.
Visitors are impressed by the cleanliness, safety and hygiene offered by Wonder La in Bangalore, despite the regular thronging of innumerable people. The rides have safety measures and undergo regular maintenance. Lots of restaurants cater to a variety of foods
NOTE:
28 Km on Mysore Road

Bannerghatta National Park

Bannerghatta National Park is situated 22 kmfrom Bangalore. IT is the home for one of the richest natural, zoological reserves. The 25,000 acre zoological park makes this a major tourist attraction of Bangalore. , where you can find everything from avifauna to panthers in the Bannerghatta National Park.
Park is home to panthers, lions, tigers and a large variety of birds. Indulge your sense of adventure with a lion and tiger safari. We can also wander through the Zoological Garden, with its canopy of shady and sturdy trees, find a quiet resting spot. Beside a pond and watch waterfowl frolic. The zoo boasts an amazing reptile collection and a snake park . A children’s corner provides an added attraction.

Bannerghatta National Park include the elephant, gaur, leopard, jackal, fox, wild pig, sloth bear, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, porcupine and the hare. The Park has a lion and tiger safari, a herbivore safari, a mini zoo, a reptile park, a mini aviary and a museum
This earth is not inherited by us, we merely borrow it for a while. And it behoves us to return borrowed things in good condition. It is in our own interest to stem the mindless destruction of our environment. So , every year the first week of October is celebrated as the Wildlife Week to spread public awareness about the need to save our precious flora and fauna.
The tour of the safari is the most exciting part. Tourists are accommodated in large well equipped vans managed by Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC). The safari takes us into dry deciduous forest and thorny scrub, with moist deciduous bamboo patches along the streams. The guide tells to watch out for the sight of the magnificent felines roaming freely. A flash of black and yellow stripes among the thicket brings a group of fearsome Panthera Tigris, the Indian Tiger, into view. A 300 kg, six foot long bundle of energy comes a bit too close to the van for our comfort. We cringed in the safety of our well barricaded vehicle.
The entourage now takes us to the Lion enclosure where the king of animals can be glimpsed in all his glory. These ferocious creatures have to be kept apart to avoid bloody confrontation. Even tigers belonging to different families are kept apart for the same reason. The enclosures have a deep trench dug along the boundary and solar electric fencing for added safety. At present, there are 25 adult tigers and 10 lions in the park and their numbers are growing

Butterfly Park
The Butterfly Park is spread across 7.5 acres of land. It comprises a butterfly conservatory, museum and an audio-visual room. The butterfly conservatory has a polycarbonate roof and is a 10,000 sq ft circular enclosure, inside which the living environment has been carefully designed to support over 20 species of butterflies. The environment has a tropical setting — complete with the humid climate, an artificial waterfall and host plants and shrubs that attract butterflies. The conservatory leads to the second and third domes, which have a museum that will have dioramas and exhibits.
Trip to Bannerghata National Park is truly an unforgettable experience for nature, history, botany and wildlife buffs

Doda Alada Mara

Translated to English means Big Banyan Tree, which in turn was the name of a Banyan tree that had grown to gigantic proportions in the precincts of a tiny village called Ramohalli.
The 400 years old tree is, 28kms away from Begaluru on Mysore road. This is sprawled over 3 acres. The vertical root system of the tree is a botanist’s delight and gives the tree an imposing and quaint appearance.
Choose the highest ideal and live your life upto that.Look at the "ocean" and not at the wave. -Swami Vivekananda

‘Mukti Naga Temple’ which is just 1km from ‘Ramohalli’ and about 3kms from Doda Alada Mara. Located in the temple is world’s largest monolithic statue of Lord Naaga, about 16 feet tall and 36 tons of weight

Mekadatu

Sangam is actually the confluence of Rivers Kaveri (Cauvery) and Arkavathi. Water is not so deep at Sangam, which lets people to cross it on foot. We can even take a small boat to cross the river
Mekadatu, literally meaning the goat's leap in the local language got its name, because of the holy river Arakavathi flowing through a ravine narrow enough for a goat to leap through. Mekadatu is a place where the River Cauvery flows through a very narrow and deep Gorge, which makes it to rampage along the Rocky valley. The Gorge is very deep but the width is as small as 10 feet at some points.

Shivaganga

Shivaganga in Karnataka is a four-faced hill. It measures up to 1368 meters in height. This hill comprises of Nandi in the east, Lord Ganesha in the west, Siva linga in the South and a Cobra in the north. Its strategic location makes it a popular tourist destination. The Shivaganga waterfall is famous for its scenic beauty. This is probably the main feature of the religious sites in Karnataka. Every holy place is blessed with amazing landscapes; and Shivaganga is no exception. There are two main temples at Shivaganga--Gavi Gangadhareshwara Cave Temple and Honnadevi Temple. The followers need to climb a number of stairs to arrive at the temples. The Patalaganga is situated between the two temples. This is a natural spring. The travelers can take rest at this monolithic rock while climbing the huge stairs. This ancient town houses old temples and it is probably for this reason that it is often referred to as Dakshin Kashi or Varanasi of Southern India.

Savandurga

The word Savanadurga is derived from two kannada words “savina” & “durga” which means “Fort of Death”. During the rule of emperor Hyder Ali Savanadurga played a role of prison to punish and execute the enemy soldiers in immense brutality. It was highly difficult to penetrate into the guarded fort of Savanadurga, that would equalize to stand over his own death
Savandurga peak. A large monolithic rock. Savandurga is a hill 60 Km west of Bangalore off the Magadi road. The hill is famous for a temple and is also believed to be among the largest monolith hills. The hill rises to 1226 m above mean sea level and forms a part of the Deccan plateau. It consists of peninsular gneiss, granites, basic dykes and laterites.
Savanadurga has a famous old temple of narasimha swamy. The temple is located at the bottom of the foothills of the popular granite hills of savanadurga. The main temple has and adjacent temple dedicated to laxmi.

Nandi Hills.

Nandi Hills is a hill station.
This range of craggy hills (the highest peak being 1,478 m) holds the shimmering Amrita Sarovar Lake and offers walks of sylvan beauty. A popular health resort today, it was also the place Tipu Sultan and assorted royalty retired when they sought to escape the din of battle and the heat of the plains.
The hills are located about 60km north of Bangalore and about 3940 ft above sea level. The deviation road at Oordagere on the Bangalore-Tumkur Road can reach it. On the top of the hill, there are temples dedicated to Sri Ugra Narasimha and Sri Yoga Narasimha. On the lower hill there is a temple dedicated to Sri Bhoga Narasimha. There is a Traveler's Bungalow and a Kalyana Mantap on the top of the hill and a Forest Lodge and Taluk Board T.B. at the foot of the hill.
A flight of 1,175 steps leads from the base of the hills to the top. On top was Tipu Sultan's summer retreat and the remains of Tipu's fort bear this out. Tipu's Drop, a 600 metre high cliff face, where prisoners were hurled down the precipice, is an awe-inspiring sight.
Sir Mark Cubbon, when he was Commissioner of Bangalore made this his summer residence. Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Queen Elizabeth II were among the other dignitaries who enjoyed their stay here. More recently, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and the SAARC delegates chose this spot for a retreat after their international deliberations.
You can visit this place at any time of the year. Its best if you are on top of the hill before sunrise. The wind, fog and clouds that blow towards you in the morning is just amazing. To be on top of the hill by 5:30 AM, you need to leave bangalore at around 4 AM. If you are not sure about the route, leave even earlier.
There are many stories about the orgin of the name Nandi Hills. During the Chola period, Nandi Hills was called Ananda Giri meaning The Hill of Happiness. Another story is that Yoga Nandeeshwara performed penance here, and so it was named after him. A temple of Yoga Nandeeshwara is situated on top of the hill. Nandi is also commonly called Nandidurga (Fort) because of the fort build here by the ruler Tippu Sultan. It is also perhaps called Nandi Hills because the hill resembles a sleeping bull (Nandi).
Nandi Hills has been a favourite picnic place for young enthusiasts on a weekend. The pleasant climate appeals to the old and the young alike. Lovers and honey mooners, in search of a quiet, beautiful place, and families on economised budget prefer Nandi Hills. Historians can find a wealth of information and the spiritual minded, peace and tranquility.
From Bangalore, , Nandi Hills is a mere 60 kilometers. Nandi Hills offers a surprise of breathtaking scenic beauty and excellent climatic condition. Situated in the Chikkaballapur Taluk of Kolar District in Karnataka, Nandi Hills, at the height of 4851 feet above sea level is, the most popular picnic spot.

Places of Interest

Amruth Sarovar : A beautiful water lake that brims with lucid water all the year round.

Tippus Summer Palace and Fort: During the Ganga period, the Chikkaballapur chieftains built a fort. Tippu strengthened it further and also build a rest house. This used to be Tippus summer bungalow.

Gavi Veerabhadra Swamy Temple : on the way to the Sultanpet, from Tippus palace, natural formation of huge boulders has been transformed into a temple.

Fort : The fort is on a sprawling area of 90 acres and is above 4851 feet above sea level. A soldier could hide in this well constructed fort and shoot in all four directions at the same time.

Horse Way : A stone doorway in the fort on the North-eastern side, is believed to have been the horse way for helping soldiers to climb the wall on horse back.
Palar River Origin: Palar river takes its birth as a small spring on the eastern side of the hill.

Brahmashrama : A serene place for the spiritual minded, this ashram is built by huge natural boulders.

Yoga Nandeeshwara Temple: A temple of exquisite, intricate carvings, it also has a beautiful Kalyana Mantapa.

Tippu Drop: During Tippus reign, criminals were pushed down from this point to their death as punishment.

Arkavathi River Origin: Arkavathi River takes its birth on the south-west of the hill.
Secret Passage : A secret passage on the west, is believed to have helped the Kings to escape during unforseen attacks.

Childrens Playground : The Horticulture department maintains a lovely garden for children to play games like the slides, merry-go-round, swings etc.

Note
Nandi hills is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.