Treks Near Hyderabad: Rock Hikes, Bhongir Fort, Ananthagiri and Nallamala Weekends

Treks near Hyderabad: what the Deccan actually offers

If you have moved to Hyderabad from Pune or Bengaluru, adjust your expectations. Hyderabad sits on the Deccan Plateau at about 536 m, and the land around it is rolling granite country, not a mountain range. Telangana’s highest point, Doli Gutta on the Chhattisgarh border in Mulugu district, is just 965 m. So trekking near Hyderabad means three kinds of outing: scrambles over the city’s ancient granite rocks, short climbs to rock forts, and forest walks a few hours away in Vikarabad, Nallamala and Adilabad. They are good training, but anyone preparing for a Himalayan trek will need to build fitness at home too.

Hiking inside Hyderabad: Khajaguda rocks and the monthly rock walks

The nearest hike to most of Hyderabad’s IT workforce is inside the city. The Khajaguda hills, also called Fakhruddin Gutta, rise behind Gachibowli and the Financial District: gigantic granite formations spread over about 180 acres, mostly in Nanakramguda, beside Khajaguda lake. They are popular for hiking and bouldering. The hill also holds the tomb of Hazrat Baba Fakhruddin Aulia, buried there in 1353, a temple, and a cave where Meher Baba meditated, so dress and behave as you would at a shrine.

Access has tightened. In October 2023 the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority began fencing the area and limiting access for motorists and visitors, because construction and encroachment threaten the rocks. Check which entry points are open before you go, and stay off rock faces that are fenced.

For guided hikes over the city’s other rock formations, the Society to Save Rocks, founded in Hyderabad in 1996, runs rock walks on the third Sunday of each month at formations in the twin cities and nearby districts, and posts the schedule quarterly on its website. These walks are the easiest way to discover hiking trails in Hyderabad that most residents never see.

Bhongir Fort: the best short trek near Hyderabad

Bhongir Fort, about 47 km from Hyderabad in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, is the closest thing to a fort trek near the city. It sits on an isolated, egg-shaped monolith that rises 184.5 m above road level, and the fort was built in the 10th century by the Western Chalukya king Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI. The climb follows the old steps from the bottom to the top, starting near a Hanuman temple on the south-west side. The Archaeological Survey of India is listed as the fort’s owner and caretaker.

Bhongir is the answer to searches for easy or short treks near Hyderabad: a fit adult can be up and down in a morning, and the steep steps make it a good test of your legs before a longer trek. Start early: from March to May, Hyderabad’s average highs are above 35 °C, and bare rock is no place to be at noon.

Ananthagiri Hills: forest trails at the source of the Musi

Ananthagiri Hills, in Vikarabad district, is the classic green escape from Hyderabad. The hills are dense forest, with teak among the trees, and the Musi river, which runs through Hyderabad, rises here. The Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple that gives the hills their name is about 75 km from the city, and there is a government-run hotel nearby.

There are two forest trekking trails: one begins at the temple, and the other starts about half a kilometre from the temple towards Kerelli. Neither is a hard climb: Ananthagiri is a forest walk rather than a summit, which makes it a good first outing for families and new hikers. It is at its best just after the monsoon, when the forest is green and the trails have dried. In the rain, paths get muddy and slippery, so wear shoes with grip and go with a group.

Weekend trekking near Hyderabad: Nallamala, Amrabad and Mallela Theertham

For weekend trekking near Hyderabad, head south to the Nallamala forest. The Amrabad Tiger Reserve protects a large part of this forest, and its official site puts it about 140 km from Hyderabad by road, or about 120 km from Shamshabad airport. Because it is a tiger reserve, you can’t simply walk in: treks run through the forest department’s eco-tourism packages.

• Tiger Stay Package, Mannanur and Farahabad: safari rides, guided forest trekking and birdwatching, with stays in mud houses, a treehouse or cottages. The official site lists packages for two at ₹5,100–8,500 (checked October 2026).
• Domalapenta Akkamaha Devi package: a visit to the Octopus viewpoint over the Krishna river and a trek to the Akkamahadevi caves through jungle known for sloth bears, with a watchtower on the way.
• Mallela Theertham: a waterfall in the Nallamala near Achampet, about 185 km from Hyderabad and 58 km from Srisailam, reached by 350 steps down. The climb back up is the workout.

Waterfalls and wildlife: Kuntala and Pocharam

Kuntala Waterfall, in Neradigonda mandal of Adilabad district, is where the Kadam river drops through two steps in a forest inhabited by Gond communities; after heavy rain it appears as two falls side by side. A road reaches the entry point, and steps lead down to the bottom, about 10 minutes’ walk each way. Telangana’s state bus corporation has run weekend buses from MGBS, JBS and other Hyderabad stops, and the nearest railway station is Adilabad. Sources disagree on the fall’s height, so we haven’t quoted one. Never swim in the plunge pool after rain.

Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuary, about 115 km from Hyderabad and 15 km from Medak, covers about 130 km² around Pocharam lake, which was created by damming the Allair stream between 1916 and 1922. A former hunting ground of the Nizam, it has an eco-tourism centre and is better suited to nature walks and birdwatching than to trekking. It pairs well with a visit to Medak.

When to trek near Hyderabad: the November to February window

Hyderabad’s hiking season is short and set by heat. The 1991–2020 normals show average highs of 35–39 °C from March to May, when rock hikes are only safe at dawn, and the monsoon from June to September brings 114–204 mm of rain a month. From November to February, average highs are 28–32 °C and mornings are cool.

A 4-week fitness plan for Hyderabad hikes and bigger treks

Hikes like Bhongir and Mallela Theertham are dominated by steps: hundreds of tall stone steps up, then the same steps down. This four-week plan builds the leg strength and stamina for them. If Hyderabad hikes are training for a bigger trek in the Western Ghats or the Himalaya, extend it to eight weeks and follow our national guide on how to prepare for a trek, because the Deccan hills alone won’t give you enough climbing.

Hyderabad’s apartment towers make good training ground. Twenty floors of stairs is much closer to a trek than another hour on a treadmill, and in April and May it is the only climbing you can do safely after 8 AM.

Hyderabad trek checklist

• Water: at least 2 litres for Bhongir or Khajaguda; more for forest days in Nallamala, where shops are far apart.
• Start time: on the rock by 6:30 AM from March to May.
• Shoes with grip: granite is smooth and polished on popular rocks, and slippery after rain.
• Permissions: book Amrabad treks through the forest department, and respect fencing at Khajaguda.
• Respect for shrines: Khajaguda, Ananthagiri and Bhongir all have temples or tombs on the route.

To stay fit between trips, Personal Gym Training in Hyderabad puts a coach on your phone in your gated-community gym. If friends from your trek group want to train together, group classes in Hyderabad cost ₹499 per person for a live session. For other outdoor options, see our guides to running tracks in Hyderabad and cycling in Hyderabad, and check your starting point with the BMI calculator. For everything else, see online personal training in Hyderabad.