Bangalore - Places around, day trips

Assuming you have read the first post on the key attractions of Bangalore and how to cover it in one day. Lets now look at the what you can do if you have more days in Bangalore. There are very interesting things around Bangalore which you can do.

1. Bannerghatta National park - Around 18 Kms from City center, this National park offers wildlife safari tours. It has a children park , zoo and elephant Rides. There is also a butterfly park. I would recommend you go for Carnivours safari. Skip Herbivours Safari. Butterfly park is worth a visit too. Check out the park timings before you start. Usually very crowded on weekends, so its better to visit on weekday. This can easily take half day of your time. We mostly take the elephant ride, kids enjoy it a lot. The pigeons in the zoo and white peacock are memorable. You can also spot the white tiger in the safari. Checkout http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bannerghatta_National_Park for more info.
2. Wonder La Amusement park: Around 30 Kms from City Center. This park is built as per international standards. Again it will be crowded on the weekends, but there is a water park and amusement park both here. This is usually a full day trip so start early , book a cab or take a bus to reach there.  Their website is upto date , check http://www.wonderla.com/. You will get a discount on weekdays , also you can call them for group discounts.
3. Innovative Film City:  Around 45 kms from City center. This is a theme park and it is fast becoming popular. The best attractions I like here are 4D films, Water park, Haunted house, Dinasor park  and Horse riding. Of course everything comes with a price tag, but some of these are worth the money. The park is well maintained and once you are inside it feels a different city altogether. I would recommend this for a full day tour.  The rate is INR 299 for basic rides and INR 499 for Rides + Aqua park. I have heard that recently Aqua park is not well maintained. You need not decide everything at the enterance you can always go inside and buy more tickets if you are interested in any of these. Some people have also complained that its not clean and maintainence needs to be stepped up.
4. Bangalore walks is a innovative concept of guided walking tours at designated places in the city. They have got immense media coverage and huge number of recommendations. The tours start at 7 AM to 10 AM and follwed by a buffet breakfast. The guides are really good and explain things well. An engaging tour, on foot, led by a passionate guide. Like London Walks. There are limited spaces and you will need to reserve to get your space. They have two walks currently and they are coming up with 2 more walks. Visit their website for more information http://www.bangalorewalks.com. I would recommend this too.
5. Pyramid Valley is worlds largest meditational Pyramid and was voted as one of the 7 wonders of Bangalore. This is situated on Kanakpura road 35 Kms from city center and 26kms from Banashankari bus stand. Its spiral and vibrant King's chamber, the most energetic spot of the Pyramid, stands 34ft. tall and accommodates 40-pepole for meditation at a time. 5000 people can be inside the pyramid at any given point of time.  Its a unique place and you can visit it even if you are not into meditation. I am sure everyone will have some take-aways after visiting this place. 

 From Nice road junction of Kanakpura road its 17 km. Look for Pyramid valley sign on the left hand side , take left here and ride another 1.5 km to reach Pyramid valley

• 6. ISKCON Temple Bangalore: (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Built in an ornate architectural style, the Krishna Temple is a blend of modern technology and spiritual harmony. The 7-acre (28,000 m2) temple is situated on west of chord road, Rajajinagar and finest fusion of modern and traditional elements of architecture.

 You can easily start your day with Bangalore Walks, goto Bannerghatta Park and ISKCON (or Pyramid Valley) all on the same day if you plan well. Pyramid valley and Bannerghatta park are both towards the southern part of city. There is a road from Bannerghatta park to Pyramid Valley, you dont necessarily have to take the NICE road.  Wonder La and Innovative Film city would take up an entire day.