Itinerary Part-4: KARNATAKA
Dear Readers,
Moving on with the all India Solo Trip, having started from Hyderabad and covered Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, I'll be entering Karnataka, to continue with this journey. Karnataka, with a mixture of colours, cultures, flavours, landscapes and timelessness will serve as the perfect epitome of the diversity that I am after, in this trip.
As with all the other Itineraries, I've had help from friends, fellow bloggers, tourism department of Karnataka, travel companies and readers, providing me various inputs on availability of local transports, places to visit, places to stay, etcetera, to formulize this itinerary. And, it goes without saying that, this itinerary is loosely based on various ideal situations. Thus, following it may not be possible due to reasons out of our hand during the trip.
So here's the itinerary for the fourth leg of my All India Solo Trip in the diverse state of Karnataka:
Day 1: Coorg. Having reached Mangaluru from Bekal (Kerala) the previous night, an early morning bus to Coorg / Kodagu will be the commencement of this leg of the trip. This region, the biggest producer of Coffee in India, will provide a very relaxing environment with its un-spoilt landscapes.
Day 2: Mallalli Falls. Lying on the foot of Pushpagiri hills, this fall plunges over 200 feet, this is a scenic delight. Night stay back at Coorg.
Day 3: Iruppu Falls. This mesmerizing natural beauty, also a pilgrimage place with a Shiva Temple in the premise, is located in the Brahmagiri Mountain Range. This fresh water cascade located at the lush green forest, has a trail that leads to the Brahmagiri Peak. Overnight bus from Coorg to Banglore
Day 4: Bengaluru: The Silicon Valley of India, the Garden City, the beautiful chaos that is Bengaluru. A day to just relax and some local sightseeing.
Day 5: Nandi Hills: The place that royals, including Tipu Sultan, retired to when seeking an escape from the heat of the plains. Usually people just travel to the top of the hills in buses, but I would rather trek, to soak in the beauty of it. Night stay at Banglore.
Day 6: Sarvanabelagola,Hallebeedu: On this day I'll first visit Sarvanabelagola which is one of the major Jain pilgrimage, famous for its Bahubali Statue-the tallest monolithic stone statue in the world. Later on I'll proceed to Hallebeedu, which houses the 12th century temples of the Hoysala Empire. From here I'll move to Hasan and then to Chikkamagaluru for one of the most exciting period of the trip.
Day 7: Bababudangiri: So for the next 3 days Chikkamangaluru will be my base as I trek to 3 most enticing moderate treks in Karnataka. Starting off in the Baba Budan range of western ghats, I'll trek to the Mullyangiri and Bababudangiri. Fact: Baba Budangiri is known for its shrine to the Sufi saint Hazrat Dada Hayat Khalandar, a pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Muslims. Hmm... Interesting. Night stay at Chikkamangaluru.
Day 8: Hebbe Falls: Next up, is the Hebbe falls, situated inside a coffee estate near the Kemmangundi hill station. The trek trail with small villages surrounded by paddy fields and through misty deciduous forest has quite clearly intrigued me while I was planning the trip. Night stay at Chikkamangaluru.
Day 9: Shankar Falls: Next up is another falls in the midst of coffee plantation and trek trailing through dense forest and water creeks, the Shankar Falls. Night stay at Chikkamangaluru.
Day 10: Udupi: Moving on from a 3 day trekking experience, I'll be travelling to Udupi early morning from Chikkamangaluru and rest the day amongst the famous Krishna temple and the Asta (eight) Math.
Day 11: Kudlu Theertha Falls: Another small trek to the picturesque Kudlu Theertha Falls, which is around 40 kms from Udupi. Located amid the jungle of the western ghats, this fall is considered to be holy due to the penance performed by sages many years ago. Night stay back at Udupi.
Day 12: Uppinakudru Island, Murdeshwar: Early morning visit to "Island of Salts" Uppinakudru famous for its numerous Temples. Later I'll travel to Murdeshwar, the coastal town with world's second largest Shiva statue. Night stay at Murdeshwar.
Day 13: Gokarna: This, one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage, small temple town has been on my list of must visit places from way back, and finally, during this trip I'll be able to visit this place, with mostly unspoiled beaches to relax. Overnight travel to Hospet.
Day 14: Hampi: I've been to this UNESCO world heritage site temple town a couple of times in past 2 years, but you never get enough of this place. And so, I'll visit this ruins once again during the trip. Late night bus to Chitradurga form Hospet.
Day 15: Chitradurga: A town on the valley of Vedavati river, Chitradurga is a town with history of various dynasties. The fort and the numerous temples visit will be the course of the day.
Day 16: Doddahotrangappa Hill: Another trek, the final one of this leg, the largely un-explored trail of Doddahotrangappa Hill will be a challenge as not much information about this place is available. Overnight travel to Badami.
Day 17: Badami: This place, which was the regal capital of Chalukyas, is famous for its rock cut temples located in a ravine at the foot of red sandstone outcrop surrounding Agastya lake.
Day 18: Bijapur: The last stop of the Karnataka leg will be the ancient city of Bijapur, the city of victory, has numerous architectural marvels to get engrossed with. Overnight bus to Kolhapur for the start of next leg of the trip.
So readers, if you feel that I should change the itinerary in some way or other for me to move much better between places, please specify them on the comment section. And ,as I've mentioned in earlier post, if any of you reader wants to join me in any juncture of this journey, especially on the numerous treks that I am going on, I would love to share the journey with you.
You can also write to me at muditacharya28@gmail.com with your valuable suggestions and questions about this trip.
And keep following the blog as I release further details and further itineraries of the trip.
Cheers!
Links to other Itineraries:
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