8/12/2019 Karnataka Itinerary

1/2

Day 0: Take a night bus from Bangalore to Chikkamagaluru ( Airavat- Volvo/Mercedes Benz- INR490: Pre-booking website: http://www.ksrtc.in/AWATAROnline/preEbk.do;jsessionid=0000AG6p6AwGF9xvaoHiAGKNGr9:12pb18uqd ) reaching at around 6 am of Day 1.Day 1: Upon arrival, check into a decent hotel( Hotel Soundarya Residency, or the more upmarket http://www.dmvilla.com/location.html) , freshen up, breakfast.Contact the hotel travel desk for a minimum-two-days outing towards Kemmangundialong the following route:Onward to Kemmangundi: Chikmagalur-Deviramma Temple-Kalathi Falls-KemmangudiBack from Kemmangundi: Kemmangudi-Bhadra Wild Life Sanctuary -Attigundi-Bababudangiri-ChikmagalurIt will be convenient to rent a car with driver on a day-to-day basis( say, around max 2500 per day all inclusive, for the car- ask for a decent driver who'll patiently stop anywhere you ask him to, for reasonable amounts of time)Accommodation in Kemmangundi is either the Karnataka Forest Department( pretty basic rooms/dorms) PRE-BOOKING WELL IN ADVANCE IS NECCESSARY - Contact directly the DFO office-Bhadravati, or if you know someone in Forest Dept., it'll help.( http://karnatakaforest.gov.in/english/contacts/Telephone.pdf) or the Horticulture Department ( http://www.horticulture.kar.nic.in/kgundi.htm#Accommodation)While in Kemmangundi, places to visit are Hebbe falls, Mullaiyanagiri peak, et al. Jeeps are available near GH.

So, Days 1,2 spent Kemmangundi. assuming one is not looking for a touch-and-go trip.

Day 3: Leave Kemmangundi by the abovesaid route, spending ample time in each ofthe stops enroute, reaching Chikmagalur before nightfall.Day4: Start as early as possible towards Belur( about 2 hour journey max): Put the luggage someplace( cloak room of the hotel, perhaps). Spend day4 in Belur temples.Tuck into Hotel Mayura Velapuri( 8177-222209)( PREBOOK!)Spend Day5 in Halebidu temples and post afternoon, leave for Dharmasthala(a 2-3hour journey to a famous temple town). Check into clean temple accommodation inDharmasthala.Day 6: Have early darshan at temple and leave to Subrahmanya( another 2 hr journey to a deep-in-forests temple). Have darshan and lunch in temple premises.Depending on how you feel, you can spend the day in Subrahmanya and leave for Madikeri next day.

Day 7: Start early,take a 3 hour drive to Madikeri( District HQ of Coorg) . Take a decent room( or stay at Taj Vivanta, if you don't mind the cost for a day) and spend a day or two at Madikeri, taking in the coffee gardens and the rest.Day8: Leave Madikeri and go to Kabini reservoir, a 3- hour- drive. . Check in at Kabini River Lodge, ( http://www.junglelodges.com/accomodation)Spend Days 8 and 9( maybe more ) at Kabini River Lodge till you have your fill of the abundant wildlife( supposedly the single largest congregation of wild elephants in India)Day 10: Proceed to Mysore, which is about an hour-and- a half drive. Check in to Hotel Dasprakash paradise, one of the oldest hotels in Mysore( http://www.mysoredasaprakashgroup.com/paradise1/) or , if you prefer newer ones, Ginger is a good bet( http://www.gingerhotels.com/mysore/hotel-profile.aspx)Spend days 10,11, or more in Mysore. Places worth seeing are :

Somnathpur, T-narasipur, Palaces( Mysore Palace ,JaganMohan Palace and perhaps,dinner at LalitMahal Palace, a hotel on the Chamundi Hill), Karanji Lake, Srirangapatna( temples and Tipu's summer palace museum).Day12 or later: Leave to bangalore, a 3hour drive/train journey.

* Carry some candles, warm clothing, et al for the hilly parts of the trip* Make good use of the Lonely Planet Guide that I've attached.* Some electrolyte for hot May weather could come in handy.* If the same trip were taken in December, the ruins of Hampi would be a must-vi

8/12/2019 Karnataka Itinerary

2/2

sit.* If the same trip were taken in Monsoon/just after Monsoon, Jog falls can't bemissed.