A refreshing day trip to Dodda Ayur aka Chhota Ladakh from Bangalore

Some say it’s over hyped. Others say it’s just another pit stop. However, hungry for travel after seven month of “dry spell”, we decided to do a picnic trip to Chhota Ladakh from Bangalore. And it totally turned out to be worth it! As the lockdown eases and people get more cautious about how to travel during these difficult times.

We also feel ready to take baby travel steps once again. Yes, things have changed. And so has the style of travel. At least in the interim. So, we have decided to start really small. And explore places close to home. And these include the kind of places which are within 100 km. So that we can go there and come back within half a day to one day. This cuts the need of eating outside or even using public washrooms. Also, we are trying to find places which are the least crowded, if not completely devoid of people.

Starting the picnic trip to Chhota Ladakh from Bangalore

This is our second such outing. The first one was to Mariapura Lake & Gundanjenya Swamy Temple. Don’t forget to visit the refreshing Muninagara Dam if you are heading this way. However, unlike most of our trips, this one started on a very relaxed note. (Didn’t I just mention, things are changing!!). As we are located in Whitefield, Bangalore. And the distance from Whitefield to Chhota Ladakh is just 45 km. So, we decided to start a bit late today. Morning we had breakfast at home. And even prepared and packed our lunch for the day. The kids are super excited about outings now a days. And both were restless since morning. However, the prospect of a picnic also made them finish all of their morning chores on time. And the picky eater had a good breakfast, (Oh..how the prospect of a trip improves our appetites. And now I am sure it is in the blood!!) Then, we started around 11:00am for Chhota Ladakh. Within half an hour, we were already crossing Kadugodi. And in no time we reached the Kolar Highway.

The Dodda Ayur Village

After crossing the only toll plaza on this stretch, started the shooting drive to Chhota Ladakh. Mr. Google Maps was very supportive. (Although to search the name of the place in google maps, you should put as “Dodda Iyyur Rock Quarry”) . And for once showed us a proper road all the way to the destination. It is a small village where stone mining was done in the past. We saw a few cars parked just by the side of the road there. And we also decided to leave ours there. After parking the car, picking all the items that we needed for picnic, we started towards the village. After around 300 meters, we turned left to the narrower village road. And walked through soothing green fields towards Dodda Ayur.

Like I have mentioned so many times earlier in my blogs. Monsoons have a magical spell in India. We could see vast stretches of green all through the fields and beyond. Actually we were in a valley, surrounded by green hills on all sides. And it was such a beautiful scene. The fields had fresh scent spreading from the wet soil after recent rain. And the little one was particularly excited to see different plants and crops like tomato & mustard.

The Small Trek to Chhota Ladakh

After walking for almost a kilometer, we turned left on rocky terrain. And started an easy 5 minutes trek to Choota Ladakh. There were other groups of people crossing now and then. I guess everyone is hungry for some fresh air and an outing after months of confinement at home. We were all wearing our masks. And also carrying a hand sanitiser. Apart from this, we made sure to keep a safe distance from other groups. And not to touch any surfaces anywhere. These precautions are of utmost importance in the year 2020. As we reached Chhota Ladakh, we saw the hill flatten. Although there were many groups of people around. But there is enough space for people to spread across, thus maintaining safe distance from each other. I guess this is exactly what is required now a days.

What is Chhota Ladakh

Now that we reached Chhota Ladakh, let me give you a small introduction of the place. This was a stone mining quarry. For years, stones were mined from this place. As a result of which, a 200ft deep quarry was formed. And slowly rainwater filled this quarry. The hills surrounding the quarry are steep, rocky and barren. It provides for a nice visual site. And the presence of water cools the wind down even on a sunny day. There’s not too much to see. But the trek is easy, the location refreshing, and the vast stretch of valley and hills beyond it presents a beautiful panorama for the eyes.

It was discovered by a biker few years back. He saw some similarity between this place and Ladakh. And thus named it Chhota Ladakh. (The word “Chhota” means “small” . And “smaller version” in this case). However, we couldn’t draw any parallel between this place and Ladakh. Anyways, the name is convenient and easy to remember. And that is all that matters when you are searching for the place on google and also asking for directions on your way 🙂

Picnic at Chhota Ladakh

Although, we spent some time on the edge of the quarry. But, then we returned a 100 metre back. And had our food in shade below a tree on one side. We could easily sit on some of the rocks here. While we kept our food bags and purses on another nearby rock. After having food we spent some half an hour roaming around and clicking pictures. And then decided to head back. Because we had seen another rocky hill while on our way to Chhota Ladakh and wanted to stop there as well. The views here reminded me of the scenes on our trip to B R Hills.

Luckily, while we had our food the weather also changed. And it got cloudy. So, we really enjoyed our trek back to our car. By 3:00pm we were back in our cars. And started on our way from Chhota Ladakh to Bangalore. Almost 10 minutes drive from the village, we took our next pit stop. Even this small rock-hill was a perfect picnic spot. If you find Chhota Ladakh crowded or not so suitable for your picnic spread, this hill has some really apt spots. You can simply trek all the way to the top. Or, you can trek to a point mid way. And spread a picnic mat. Enjoy your meals and chats with your group. The only thing to remember is that you can’t leave the children unattended here. As the rocks can be slippery.

From here, we started on our return journey to Bangalore and by 5:00pm we were back in our homes.

Tips on doing a trip to Chhota Ladakh from Bangalore

1. Wear comfortable shoes as the rocks can be slippery, particularly in monsoons.
2. Theres no provision of drinking water or public toilets around.
3. Be careful around the edges of the quarry. Do remember it is a 200ft deep quarry!!
4. Some people trek down to the water but that is highly discouraged.
5. You are not allowed to stay here post evening for obvious safety reasons. Police patrol the area and ask people to leave by maximum 4:00pm. So, do time your trip accordingly.
6. In case you don’t want to spend a day or half a day here, you can always stop by at Chhota Ladakh when on a trip from Bangalore to Kolar.
7. If the day is sunny, carry an umbrella as there is no shade in this region.
8. Although it didn’t happen with us but we have heard (and read) that at times villagers might come and demand a small “fee” for parking the car there. It doesn’t hurt to give away a small note for the safety of your car while you enjoy a picnic up at the hilltop.

Conclusion

To be honest, it does feel weird to drive 45km and just do a half day picnic and return. Particularly to people like us who have been badly bitten by wanderlust. And don’t think of any destination at a lesser distance than the likes of Ooty, Kodaikanal, Coorg, Chikmagaluru, Yercaud and Munnar. But like I said, times are different now. We have to do with trips like this one to Chhota Ladakh from Bangalore. And we are finding it refreshing for now. Like a fresh breathe of air after months of confinement indoors. (And that’s exactly what we have been into!!), I am definitely hopeful things are going to change. Till then, we promise to bring your way more such destinations like Chhota Ladakh. And if you are not keen on stepping out, just armchair travel with us for now. Things will be definitely better with each passing day!!