Narayanagiri Trek
Ramanagara (now Bengaluru South district), Ramanagara taluk, Karnataka
Opens without signal on this phone, with the map file and checklist. Saved for offline →
1,158 mhighest point- Max altitude
- 1,158 m
- Satellite terrain suggests about 1,012 m
- Days
- 1 day
- Distance
- 3 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
A short climb of about 1.3 km each way from Jalamangala village, most of it on stone steps (Indiahikes counts about 560) with railings on the lower part; the only effort is a steady stair climb of roughly 200 m on open rock that heats up quickly.
The route
Day by day
Day 1 · highest point
Jalamangala → Jalamangala (via Narayanagiri summit)
800 m → 1,158 m → 800 m
Ups and downs
Altitude profile
Where it is
Map
Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.
Weather
Next 5 days on the trail
Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.
Trailhead · Jalamangala
at 800 mLoading forecast…
High point · Narayanagiri summit (Lakshmi Narayana temple)
at 1,158 mLoading forecast…
Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h
Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.
Plan the trip
How to reach
- Trailhead
- Jalamangala (nearest town: Ramanagara)
- Nearest railway
- Ramanagara (about 20 km; trains from KSR Bengaluru take about 1 hour)
- Nearest airport
- Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru
- By road
- Bengaluru (about 70 km): Mysuru Road to Ramanagara (about 55 km), turn right at the government bus stand, then about 20 km of village road to Jalamangala; the trailhead is on the tank bund past the village lake; Ramanagara bus stand (about 20 km): local bus or auto to Jalamangala
- Drive
- About 2 h from Bengaluru
Plan the trip
Permits and fees
We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.
Plan the trip
Cost
Self-guided
₹200–1,200
With an operator
₹1,200–2,000
Per person, ex-Bengaluru, day trip. We found no operator with a current (2026) published price for this hill: past Narayanagiri sunrise-trek listings by Escape2Explore and Tripbae on Insider have ended and the pages could not be opened, so the guided range is an estimate based on Bengaluru day-trek pricing (Escape2Explore's 19 Sep 2026 Ramanagara day outing lists ₹1,499 onwards with transport and meals). Self-guided is an estimate: train or bus to Ramanagara, a local bus or auto to Jalamangala, and food. Indiahikes says no permit or guide is needed.
Gear
Top picks for this trek
The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.
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Packing checklist
Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.
Packed 0 of 22
Monsoon months (Jul–Sep): pack everything in plastic or a dry bag and wear shoes with good grip.
Tick each item as it goes in the bag.
Know before you go
Good to know
- Mobile network
- Not confirmed by our sources; the hill is open granite above a village, so expect patchy coverage and do not rely on it.
- Last ATM
- Ramanagara town (about 20 km); none confirmed in Jalamangala
- Nearest hospital
- Ramanagara district hospital, about 20 km away
- Water
- None reliable on the trail and no food stalls (Indiahikes); rock pools on the top hold rainwater only and are not drinkable. Carry 1–2 litres per person.
Highlights
- About 560 stone steps cut into a granite monolith, with railings on the lower section
- Lakshmi Narayana temple of Bhagwan Vishnu on the summit, among ruins of the Jalamangala hill fort
- Sunrise over Jalamangala lake at the foot of the hill, with views across the Ramanagara boulder country towards Savandurga and Manchanabele
- A broad flat summit plateau with rock pools, birds such as booted eagles and kites, and golden grass after the monsoon
Risks
- Open rock heats up fast from March to June; climb at sunrise and carry enough water.
- Rock and steps get slick in heavy monsoon rain (July–September); avoid very rainy days and take care on the unevenly cut steps while descending.
- The last 1 km of road to the steps is rough with three hairpin bends; only high-clearance SUVs should drive up, other vehicles park at the foot of the hill (Indiahikes).
- Villagers have reported a sloth bear family using a cave on the far side of the hill (JLR Explore, 2021); stay on the main stepped route and avoid going alone in the dark.
- On 11 May 2026 Karnataka's Chief Wildlife Warden suspended trekking paths in leopard, tiger, elephant and bear areas until each is certified safe. Narayanagiri is a temple hill reached through a village and is not on the Aranya Vihaara portal, and our sources describe no permit, but check locally in Jalamangala or Ramanagara that no forest restriction applies before you go.
- No shops or water on the hill, and litter has been a problem; carry all rubbish back down.
Know before you go
Questions
Do I need a permit or guide for Narayanagiri?
Indiahikes says no permission is needed and that the trek needs no permit or guide, because steps lead to the top. It is not listed on Karnataka's Aranya Vihaara forest booking portal. We could not find an official notice, so check locally for any new restriction.
How long is the Narayanagiri trek and how hard is it?
About 3 km both ways from the foot of the hill at Jalamangala: roughly 600 m of rough road to the steps, 450 m of steps to the Jalamangala lake viewpoint and 250 m more to the temple. It is beginner-friendly; plan about 30–45 minutes up and 30 minutes down.
How far is Narayanagiri from Bangalore and how do I get there?
About 70 km. Drive down Mysuru Road to Ramanagara and then about 20 km of village road to Jalamangala, or take a train or bus to Ramanagara (about 1 hour 30 minutes by bus, 1 hour by train) and an auto or local bus to the village.
What is the best time to climb Narayanagiri?
Indiahikes says the trail is open year-round but July to February is best: green in the monsoon, crisp and clear from October to February. In March to June the open rock gets very hot, so go only at sunrise.
Is the temple on top open?
Indiahikes says the Lakshmi Narayana temple on the summit is open primarily on Saturdays. The hill itself can be climbed on any day.
In an emergency
Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.
- 112All emergenciesIndia’s single emergency number — works in every state
- 108Ambulance
- 1077District disaster control room
You are in
District: Ramanagara (now Bengaluru South district), Ramanagara talukKarnataka
- Nearest hospital
- Ramanagara district hospital, about 20 km away
- Last ATM
- Ramanagara town (about 20 km); none confirmed in Jalamangala
- Phone network
- Not confirmed by our sources; the hill is open granite above a village, so expect patchy coverage and do not rely on it.
Before you set off
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
- Download an offline map of the route.
- Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
Questions about Narayanagiri
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Where this comes from
Sources
Last reviewed:
- A Complete Guide to the Narayanagiri Trek — Indiahikes
- Trek to Narayanagiri — Bangalore ASCENDers
- Narayanagiri: The monolith hidden in plain sight — JLR Explore (Jungle Lodges & Resorts)
Photos: KshitizBathwal, CC BY-SA 4.0
