Tour Date
- Start : 03 December 2024
- End : 13 December 2024
State
- Karnataka India
10 Nights & 11 Days Experience Exuberance
Karnataka is a tapestry of colors, cultures, flavors, landscapes, timelessness and heart stopping beauty. It's a place where vibrant worlds seamlessly meld into one another every few hundred kilometers. Sedate plains suddenly rise to dizzying mist covered hilly heights, and then plunge with careless abandon in a white-watered freefall to become languid rivers that flow past cities where time has stopped altogether. And cities where time rushes a relentless rush to keep up with the world; cities that sometimes escape into the deep quietude of thick forests and sometimes, stretches their arms wide open to embrace the sea. Host to some of India's largest and most powerful dynasties, the state has across the centuries, carried a legacy of art and culture. Its geography – makes it, by all means a 191,791 square kilometre trail of whimsy.
Closest Airport to begin : Bengaluru
Closest Airport to depart : Bengaluru
Day 1 03 December 2024
Place Bengaluru
Mode Mini-coach
Highlights of your tour
Arrive Bengaluru. The best part about Bengaluru (town of boiled beans) is most of the sightseeing is in the vicinity of the Main Railway Station. The two storey pillared Tipu Sultan's Palace can be seen alongwith with 16th century Gangadeshwara Temple & the well manicured Lalbagh Gardens built by Hyder Ali.
Day 2 04 December 2024
Place Hassan
Mode Mini-coach
Highlights of your tour
Depart for Hassan, en-route visit Sravanbelgola, a Jain Pilgrimage centre housing the 18 meter naked granite statue of Bahubali erected in the 10th century & reached by a steep climb over rock cut steps. Once every twelve years the Jain community holds a grand celebration witnessed by millions in which thousands of liters of milk with turmeric are poured over the statue on an auspicious day
Day 3 05 December 2024
Place Hassan
Mode Mini-coach
Visit to two impressive monuments at Belur & Halebid. Consisting of numerous carvings, Chennakesava Temple has a well defined temple rectangular ground. Comprising a complex of temples, the Hoysaleshwara Temple outshines others & is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Day 4 06 December 2024
Place Mysore
Mode Mini-coach
Highlights of your tour
Morning visit Mysore palace built in 20th century one of the grandest place of south India.Travel to Chamundeshwari hIlls. Brilliantly carved from a single rock, the Nandi Bull & neo-Gothic Philomena Cathedral with towering spires & the Sand Castle Museum are worth viewing. An off-the-beaten track visit to the Rail Museum with vintage steam engines & elegant coupes built for Royalty rounds off a memorable day.
Day 5 07 December 2024
Place Mysore
Mode Mini-coach
Highlights of your tour
Day trip to the river island of Srirangapatna, named after the Ranganath Temple inside the main town. More famously known for The Battle of Srirangapatnam which resulted in the death of Tipu Sultan, the fascinating town offers a number of attractions ranging from the Gumbaz to Summer Palace.The Abbe Dubois Church, as well as the Ranganath temple containing the idol of Vishnu resting on a serpent makes this visit well worth the while, a coracle ride on the Cauvery River is a delightful way to end your program & return back to Mysore for the overnight.
Day 6 08 December 2024
Place Dubare Elephant Camp
Mode Mini-coach
Highlights of your tour
The Dubare Elephant Camp is a must-see experience for the elephant lover in you. Karnataka's history with elephants, goes a long way back and currently the state's Forest Department has about 150 elephants in various camps. But in the recent past, after logging operations were ceased, there was a situation of freshly unemployed elephants. The Dubare Camp, the camp where elephants were trained for the famous Mysore Dasara, found a brand new calling. Today, it's a place where tourists get one-on-one with their biggest (quite literally!) dream
Day 7 09 December 2024
Place Dubare Elephant Camp
Mode Mini-coach
Highlights of your tour
Morning take a coracle (circular boat) ride on the Cauvery River. Lap this up by spending time with the elephants. At the Dubare Elephant Camp, a visitor not only spends time by simply watching elephants but of course, learning more about them. A trained naturalist is at hand to explain the various aspects of the elephant history, ecology and biology. The visitor can also participate in various activities like washing and scrubbing. with the elephants.
Yet another landmark is the Tibetan Golden Temple at Bylakuppe. Housing beautifully carved statues of Buddha, Padmasambhava & Amitayus, the sparsely lit assembly hall has numerous paintings & scrolls. The small town houses the second largest settlement of Tibetan refugees in India & numbering well over 7000 monks, students & small families.
Day 8 10 December 2024
Place Bangalore
Mode Mini-coach
Drive to Bangalore, Overnight train to Hampi
Highlights of your tour
Drive to Bengaluru, on arrival short stop in local hotel for rest, bathe & light refreshment followed by drive to railway station for the overnight on train to Hampi
Day 9 11 December 2024
Place Hampi
Mode Mini-coach
Highlights of your tour
Transfer by car from Hospet Railway Station to hotel in Hampi – A Unesco World Heritage Site renowned for breathtaking scenic beauty, amazing views of the countryside from Manjanatha Hill, possibilities of doing river crossing in boats & a variety of monuments built during the Vijaynagar Era (14th-16th century). Your tour is covered over two days – the first part is a visit to the colourful Hampi Bazaar, followed by Virupaksha Temple with colourful paintings, giant statue of Lakshmi Narasimha built from a single stone, well embellished (15th ) Hazara Rama Temple & the Queen's Bath
Day 10 12 December 2024
Place Hampi
Mode Overnight Train to Bengaluru
Highlights of your tour
Sunrise at the Vithala Temple is a spectacular affair, hear musical notes on stone pillars when tapped. Visit King's Balance so named as the King used to weigh himself with gold, silver precious stones & distribute it to the temple priests. A coracle ride across the Tungabhudra River brings you to Anegundi, where some locals claim to be descendants from Vijaynagar Royalty. Depart by train back to Bengaluru, overnight in train
Day 11 13 December 2024
Place Bangalore
Mode Mini Couch
Transfers from railway station to hotel to airport
Highlights of your tour
Pick up from railway station & transfer to airport for flight to onward destination
Tour Price based on twelve persons traveling together for complete program USD 2800/- per person. Single Supplement Charge – USD 800
No triple options are available.
Inclusions
- Accommodation on double/twin sharing basis at places in program with breakfast & dinner
- Air Conditioned Vehicle with English Driver for complete program
- Railway fare in air-conditioned compartment from Bengaluru to Hospet & back
- Local English speaking guide for local & monument sightseeings
- High tea – afternoon with an Indologist
- Elephant Bathings session at Dubare
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Hector Dsouza will escort you for this program
- Local SIM card with free calling worth Rs 2000/- (USD 30)
Exclusions
- Lunch
- Expenses of a personal nature
- Any item not specifically mentioned as `included' in tour program
- Any increase in taxes or fuel, leading to increase in surface transportation
- Optional items mentioned in program
Booking Terms & Conditions
- If you are interested, send us a deposit of USD 500 to block your seat. This amount is non-refundable
- If you are single & willing to share, we will help find you a person from the group also willing to share
- Balance payment to be made 75 days before tour commences