Sankara and I had started early in the morning. The destination was Gundal dam, a small reservoir near Kollegal. Situated amidst hills, it promised some nice views. We also expected to see some birds in the vicinity. We had our breakfast at Maddur, stopped at Malavalli and Cheluvanahalli lake for birding. After watching the migratory ducks, we proceeded towards Gundaal lake. The road was good for most of the journey except for the final stretch.
At the end of the road, Gundal dam made its appearance. It looked big. We reached one end of the dam and parked our vehicle. Since the gate was locked, I was wondering whether there was any restriction in entering the dam. The villagers assured that there was no issue in walking on the dam.
The dam was constructed between the two hills. We realised that there was a viewpoint, but it was on the other side of the dam. It was a pleasant day, and we felt that it would be a nice walk on the dam.
The entrance of the dam was littered with plastic and liquor bottles. Signs of parties was evident. Authorities had built a park but had not bothered to maintain it. It was in ruins. We walked along the dam, appreciating its beauty. The hills surrounding the dam looked majestic and the water pristine.
On the other side of the dam was a temple. Behind the temple, were the steps that lead to the top of the hill. We were surprised to find an Inspection Bangalow at the top of the hill. A nice place, I must say. The view from the top was stunning. It provided the bird’s eye view of the dam, backwaters, hills and the surrounding villages. The entire place was very peaceful.
The walk back to our car felt long as the sun was high up in the sky!!
Travel tips
- Gundal dam is about 145 km from Bengaluru and 17 km from Kollegal.
- Kollegal has some decent restaurants to have food.
- You can combine the visit to this place with Shivanasamudra and BR Hills.
- Good time to visit is during monsoon and winter. The hills will be greener during that time.
Sadananda Hegde
Good place,
aravindgj
Thank you.
Srinath Rao
Very scenic place and well described
aravindgj
Thank you.
Niranjan R
Lovely frames there!
aravindgj
Thank you!
Varun
Wow amazing blog, just came across your blog yesterday & since then have been reading it, amazing pics & desc of the place, planning to visit this one.
aravindgj
Thank you.
altaf
Hi,
Very nice article.
I really enjoyed going through all the great information you’ve provided in this great article.
Keep up the great work.
Thank you
Sai Kushal
How far is it from the car parking place? Any trekking involved?
aravindgj
Not much walking on the dam. 5 minutes climb if you want to see the view from the top.
Sai Kushal
Is it raining? Planning to visit tomorrow. We’ll leave Bangalore by 11:30.