Travel
Viewpoint

Kavikal Gandi Viewpoint

The horseshoe gorge on the Mullayanagiri–Baba Budangiri road — fifty steps up, and the whole range in front of you.

Chikmagalur taluk18 km from town 45 min
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Kavikal Gandi, which people also call the Horse Shoe viewpoint, is a break in the ridge roughly halfway between Mullayanagiri and Baba Budangiri — about 11 km from each. A flight of some fifty steps runs up from a checkpost on the road to a bare, permanently windy shoulder looking straight into a horseshoe-shaped gorge in the Chandra Drona range. There is a small Hanuman idol at the foot of the climb.

What to do here

  • Climb the steps for the horseshoe gorge view
  • Stop here for sunset on the way down from Baba Budangiri
  • Watch for raptors riding the updraft off the gorge

This is the best single stop on the ridge road for understanding the shape of the range — you are looking at the escarpment side-on rather than from a summit.

History

The name comes from the gap (gandi) in the rock at the head of the gorge. It has always been a herders' and pilgrims' pass on the ridge; the steps and the parking are recent.

Travel tips

It is exposed and genuinely windy — hold on to hats, phones and children. There is no railing at the edge. Parking is a lay-by on a blind bend, so pull well off the road.

Please note

Do: stand back from the lip; the rock is loose and the drop is unfenced. Do: carry your litter out. Don't: fly drones — this is inside the forest boundary. Don't: stop here after dark; the road down is unlit and has no shoulder.

Stay nearby

Places to stay around Kavikal Gandi Viewpoint

All stays
TC Resort TRV, ChikmagalurPremium

TC Resort TRV, Chikmagalur

Mullayanagiri · 12.5 km from town

resort
TC Resort BND, ChikmagalurPremium

TC Resort BND, Chikmagalur

Chikmagalur Town · 11.2 km from town

resortfrom ₹1,500/person
TC Resort SLV, ChikmagalurPremium

TC Resort SLV, Chikmagalur

Chikmagalur Town · 9.9 km from town

resort
TC Resort GLV, ChikmagalurPremium

TC Resort GLV, Chikmagalur

Chikmagalur Town · 4.4 km from town

resort

Combine your trip

Places near Kavikal Gandi Viewpoint

Jhari Falls (Buttermilk Falls) Waterfall

Jhari Falls (Buttermilk Falls)

A white sheet of water off a granite face

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Baba Budangiri Peak

Baba Budangiri

A shared shrine on a ridge of coffee legend

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Seethalayyanagiri
Peak

Seethalayyanagiri

The green shoulder below Mullayanagiri, with a Shiva shrine and a view over both valleys.

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Hirekolale Lake Lake

Hirekolale Lake

A mirror for the Mullayanagiri range

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