Bengalureans trek their way to an adventurous, cooler summer

Bengaluru: With the summer break beginning, families are prepping for getaways to escape the heat and have fun away from the city's hustle and bustle.

Adventure and trekking trips near Bengaluru are also on the rise.

Bangalore Mountaineering Club (BMC), a popular trekking group in the city, has started receiving bookings for their one-day and two-day summer packages.

BMC operations manager Clement Dominic said sunrise treks in Skandagiri and sunset treks in Gudibande and Uttaribetta are among the popular short trips for Bengalureans. 

"Sunrise, sunset and camping treks have had higher demand over the past week and the trend will continue until the Western Ghats treks are open, which is likely only after the monsoon begins,” Dominic said. Once the rainy season starts, there will be bookings for treks to destinations like Kudremukh, Kodachadri and Kumaraparvata, he said.

Reservations in resorts and homestays in the city’s outskirts have also picked up pace.

A staff from Discovery Village Resort in Kanakapura said the resort’s branches in Nandi Hills, Kabini, and Kanakapura are bustling with families.

Several youngsters and college students DH spoke to said they prefer going to hill stations like Ooty and Kodaikanal post the Lok Sabha elections, while some want to head off to beach and water-sport destinations like Gokarna and Dandeli.

Spiritual destinations

Cab drivers told DH that families have been booking pilgrimages to destinations like Tirupati, Madurai and Udupi.

“The trips are less than usual this year due to the elections,” Kumar, who has been driving cabs for 20 years, said. “But families have mostly been going to temples in Madurai, Udupi and Tirupati. I have some trips booked to parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, too.”

Kumar said people have been travelling to cooler destinations like Ooty and Kodaikanal as well.