One-day drive from Bangalore, Best Scenic Route: Budikote Dam

If you have a car/bike of your own or can rent a car/bike, this is one of the best one-day weekend getaways from Bangalore.

Travel during these pandemic times is tricky. But with a bit of preparation, you can travel safely and visit several places around Bangalore. And we all know, Bangalore has several amazing places around the city. One such hidden gem is the Budikote Dam in the Kolar district.

Located at a distance of approx., 60 km from Bangalore, Budikote Dam offers fantastic scenic routes amidst lush green fields. And the best part is, the roads are in good condition. It was indeed an exhilarating experience — one of the best one-day trips from Bangalore. We were driving and connecting with nature, and stopping almost every 30 minutes to soak up the beauty of the surroundings.😃

If you search Google Maps, there are three routes to reach Budikote Dam from HSR Layout. One goes via Hosur; the second goes via Sarjapur; the third via Whitefield. We took the Hosur route while going to Budikote and the Whitefield route while coming back.

Click here to refer to the map routes.

So, we started from HSR Layout at 6 AM on a Saturday. I insist you guys take the route via Hosur because we hit some of the best roads and scenic spots on this route.🤩

It’s a shame we can’t upload videos on this platform. I tried adding one above; I hope it works!🤞

I added several images below. But trust me, these images don’t do justice to how beautiful the route was!

It took us close to 4 hours to reach the Dam. The road leading up to Budikote Dam is wide. We could drive our car without any difficulties. Car parking is available. For more information on things to do in Budikote Dam, check Tripadvisor.

There are monkeys on the way and near the Dam. Be careful if you’re carrying food.

Once you reach the dam, you can walk up to the bridge by climbing a boulder. For people who can’t / don't want to climb the boulder, there are stone steps.

If you manage to reach the dam before afternoon (when the sun is up), you can sit there, relax, and enjoy the water.

We found a nice, cozy spot on a boulder, under the trees. We spent around 2 hours near the dam. There were very few people, and everyone was following social distancing.

We packed some biscuits, bananas, and cake because we didn’t want to risk eating outside.

If you have more time, there are several temples, restaurants, and museums you can visit in and around Kolar. Do your research and check out the best places to visit in and around Kolar. If you are an architecture nerd, I am sure you’ll find several interesting temples.

We took the Whitefield Route on our way back to Bangalore and decided not to stop ANYWHERE this time… but… we had to! We came across this small, calm temple.

The Whitefield route wasn’t as scenic, but the drive was smooth. Since we started early in the morning, by 6 AM, we didn’t hit much traffic. And the monsoon weather of Bangalore made the drive even better.

We were back home, safe and sanitised, by 5 PM! 😃