Karnataka tour packages

• Duration: 1 to 9 days; most travellers take 4 or 5.
• Price: from ₹1,199 per person, stays, local travel and the sightseeing listed on each trip page.
• Places: the ruins of Hampi, the cave temples of Badami with Aihole and Pattadakal, Chitradurga Fort, the Gokarna, Murudeshwar and Udupi coast with Jog Falls and Kollur, the Dandeli jungle, and the coffee hills of Coorg with Mysuru.
• Travel: Every trip here is private, with a car and driver from the start point: Bengaluru or Hyderabad for the Hampi drives, Hubli or Hosapete station for the Hampi, coast and Dandeli trips, and Mysuru or Bengaluru for Coorg. Trains, buses and flights to the start are not part of the package, and the trip pages say where each one begins.
• Stay: a 3-star or 4-star hotel or heritage resort in Hampi or Hosapete and in Badami, hotels by the sea in Gokarna, Murudeshwar and Udupi, a jungle resort in Dandeli, and hotels and resorts in Coorg, Mysuru and Wayanad.
• Best time: October to February is the season across the state: cool, dry days for walking the Hampi and Badami ruins, a calm sea on the coast and misty mornings in Coorg.
• Weather: Karnataka has three climates.
• Trip type: 1 fixed-date group departure and private trips on your own dates.

1 Day Lepakshi Adiyogi Trip from Bangalore1D/0N · ₹1,1992 Days Hampi Bliss from Hospet2D/1N · ₹10,4992 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Coastal Getaway2D/1N · ₹10,4992 Days Coorg Quick Getaway from Bangalore2D/1N · ₹10,499

Three days covers Hampi from Bengaluru or Hosapete. Four or five days adds Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, or takes the coast from Hubli: Gokarna, Murudeshwar and Udupi, with Dandeli on one plan. Six days joins Hampi to the coast with Jog Falls, Kollur or Udupi, and four to eight days loops Mysuru, Coorg and Wayanad, with Ooty on the longer ones.

3 days / 2 nights, from ₹10,999 per person: 3 Days Hampi Bliss from Hospet (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hampi Chitradurga Bliss from Bangalore (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hampi Bliss from Bangalore (3D/2N, from ₹10,999).

4 days / 3 nights, from ₹11,499 per person: 4 Days Gokarna Dandeli Udupi Coastal Adventure (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Mysore Wayanad Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹11,499).

5 days / 4 nights, from ₹13,999 per person: 5 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hubli (5D/4N, from ₹13,999); 5 Days Wayanad Coorg Green Escape (5D/4N, from ₹13,999); 5 Days Coorg Chikmagalur Estate Escape (5D/4N, from ₹14,850).

6 days / 5 nights, from ₹14,999 per person: 6 Days Mysore Coorg Super Saver Bliss (6D/5N, from ₹14,999); 6 Days Mysore Wayanad Coorg Green Bliss (6D/5N, from ₹16,499); 6 Days Mysore Coorg Chikmagalur Bliss (6D/5N, from ₹16,499).

7 days and longer, from ₹21,999: 8 Days Mysore Coorg Wayanad Ooty Grand Escape (8D/7N, from ₹21,999); 7 Days Gokarna Mangalore Udupi Coastal Yatra (7D/6N, from ₹21,999); 9 Days Mysore Coorg Mangalore Udupi Gokarna Grand Tour (9D/8N, from ₹29,440).

3 Days Hampi Bliss from Hospet3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hampi Chitradurga Bliss from Bangalore3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Gokarna Dandeli Udupi Coastal Adventure4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet4D/3N · ₹11,4995 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hubli5D/4N · ₹13,9995 Days Wayanad Coorg Green Escape5D/4N · ₹13,9996 Days Mysore Coorg Super Saver Bliss6D/5N · ₹14,9996 Days Mysore Wayanad Coorg Green Bliss6D/5N · ₹16,499

3 days / 2 nights from ₹10,999 per person. leave Bengaluru early for the drive to Hampi, check in, and the Tungabhadra dam and gardens near Hosapete at sunset. Then a full day in the ruins: Vittala and the stone chariot, Virupaksha, the giant Ganeshas and Lakshmi Narasimha, then the Royal Enclosure, the Queen's Bath, the Lotus Mahal and the elephant stables. Then to Badami for the red sandstone cave temples above the Agastya lake, then Aihole and Pattadakal; the night in Badami. Then the Banashankari temple and its stepped tank, and the drive back to Bengaluru.

14 plans: 3 Days Hampi Bliss from Hospet (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hampi Chitradurga Bliss from Bangalore (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hampi Bliss from Bangalore (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet (3D/2N, from ₹10,999).

3 Days Hampi Bliss from Hospet3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hampi Chitradurga Bliss from Bangalore3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hampi Bliss from Bangalore3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet3D/2N · ₹10,999

4 days / 3 nights from ₹11,499 per person. Three days covers Hampi from Bengaluru or Hosapete. Four or five days adds Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, or takes the coast from Hubli: Gokarna, Murudeshwar and Udupi, with Dandeli on one plan. Six days joins Hampi to the coast with Jog Falls, Kollur or Udupi, and four to eight days loops Mysuru, Coorg and Wayanad, with Ooty on the longer ones.

17 plans: 4 Days Gokarna Dandeli Udupi Coastal Adventure (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Mysore Wayanad Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Udupi Coastal Escape (4D/3N, from ₹11,499).

4 Days Gokarna Dandeli Udupi Coastal Adventure4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Mysore Wayanad Bliss4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Udupi Coastal Escape4D/3N · ₹11,499

5 days / 4 nights from ₹13,999 per person. Three days covers Hampi from Bengaluru or Hosapete. Four or five days adds Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, or takes the coast from Hubli: Gokarna, Murudeshwar and Udupi, with Dandeli on one plan. Six days joins Hampi to the coast with Jog Falls, Kollur or Udupi, and four to eight days loops Mysuru, Coorg and Wayanad, with Ooty on the longer ones.

13 plans: 5 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hubli (5D/4N, from ₹13,999); 5 Days Wayanad Coorg Green Escape (5D/4N, from ₹13,999); 5 Days Coorg Chikmagalur Estate Escape (5D/4N, from ₹14,850); 5 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour (5D/4N, from ₹15,147).

5 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hubli5D/4N · ₹13,9995 Days Wayanad Coorg Green Escape5D/4N · ₹13,9995 Days Coorg Chikmagalur Estate Escape5D/4N · ₹14,8505 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour5D/4N · ₹15,147

6 days / 5 nights from ₹14,999 per person. Three days covers Hampi from Bengaluru or Hosapete. Four or five days adds Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, or takes the coast from Hubli: Gokarna, Murudeshwar and Udupi, with Dandeli on one plan. Six days joins Hampi to the coast with Jog Falls, Kollur or Udupi, and four to eight days loops Mysuru, Coorg and Wayanad, with Ooty on the longer ones.

12 plans: 6 Days Mysore Coorg Super Saver Bliss (6D/5N, from ₹14,999); 6 Days Mysore Wayanad Coorg Green Bliss (6D/5N, from ₹16,499); 6 Days Mysore Coorg Chikmagalur Bliss (6D/5N, from ₹16,499); 6 Days Mysore Coorg Ooty Grand Bliss (6D/5N, from ₹17,000).

6 Days Mysore Coorg Super Saver Bliss6D/5N · ₹14,9996 Days Mysore Wayanad Coorg Green Bliss6D/5N · ₹16,4996 Days Mysore Coorg Chikmagalur Bliss6D/5N · ₹16,4996 Days Mysore Coorg Ooty Grand Bliss6D/5N · ₹17,000

These are the places Karnataka trips are built from. Each trip page lists exactly which of them it covers, and a private trip can swap one for another.

• Hampi: The ruined Vijayanagara capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site among granite boulders on the Tungabhadra: Virupaksha temple and the bazaar, the Vittala temple with its stone chariot, and the Royal Enclosure with the Lotus Mahal and the elephant stables.
• Badami cave temples: Four rock-cut cave temples of the early Chalukyas, carved into red sandstone cliffs above the Agastya lake, with the Bhoothanatha temples on the water.
• Aihole and Pattadakal: The two Chalukya temple towns near Badami: Aihole with its Durga temple and early shrines, and Pattadakal's group of temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Chitradurga Fort: The hill fort of seven concentric walls among the boulders, on the Bengaluru road and an easy stop on the way to or from Hampi.
• Gokarna: The temple town of the Mahabaleshwar shrine, with Gokarna, Kudle and Om beaches along the cliffs, and the Yana caves and Vibhuthi falls inland.
• Murudeshwar: The giant Shiva statue and the tall temple tower on a headland with the sea on three sides, and the beach below them.
• Udupi and Malpe: The Sri Krishna temple and its mathas, Malpe beach a few kilometres away, and the boat to St Mary's Island and its basalt columns, which usually runs only outside the monsoon.
• Kollur Mookambika: The Mookambika temple in the forested foothills of the Western Ghats, inland from Murudeshwar and Udupi.
• Jog Falls: The Sharavathi river dropping over a cliff in four separate falls, among the highest in India; at its fullest from July to October and thin in summer.
• Honnavar and Mirjan Fort: The mangrove boardwalk and backwater boats at Honnavar and the laterite Mirjan Fort, on the coast road between Gokarna and Murudeshwar.
• Dandeli: The forest on the Kali river near Hubli, with jungle resorts and water activities; our Dandeli plans include boating, kayaking and zorbing.
• Coorg and Mysuru: Coorg's coffee hills around Madikeri, with Abbey Falls, Raja's Seat, Mandalpatti, the Dubare elephant camp and the Tibetan Golden Temple at Bylakuppe; and Mysuru on the way, with the palace, Chamundi hill and the Brindavan gardens.

What to eat

Udupi gave its name to the South Indian vegetarian breakfast, and the dosas, idlis and filter coffee near the Krishna temple are worth the early start. The coast from Gokarna to Malpe is known for fish thalis and fish fry; Mysuru for Mysore pak and the Mysore masala dosa; Coorg for Kodava pandi curry with akki roti and kadambuttu. Vegetarian food is easy to find everywhere on these routes, and the Hampi bazaar and Hippie Island cafes cater for both.

A private trip runs the same plan at your own pace; a group departure follows it to the minute.

• Day 1: leave Bengaluru early for the drive to Hampi, check in, and the Tungabhadra dam and gardens near Hosapete at sunset.
• Day 2: a full day in the ruins: Vittala and the stone chariot, Virupaksha, the giant Ganeshas and Lakshmi Narasimha, then the Royal Enclosure, the Queen's Bath, the Lotus Mahal and the elephant stables.
• Day 3: to Badami for the red sandstone cave temples above the Agastya lake, then Aihole and Pattadakal; the night in Badami.
• Day 4: the Banashankari temple and its stepped tank, and the drive back to Bengaluru.

Karnataka packages start at ₹1,199 per person: ₹10,999 for 3 days, ₹11,499 for 4 days, ₹13,999 for 5 days and ₹14,999 for 6 days. That covers the stays, the private cab and driver for the whole route with fuel, tolls and parking, breakfast on most plans (all meals at the Dandeli jungle resort) and the sightseeing each trip page lists. Train, bus and air fares to the start point are not included, and neither are monument and entry tickets, guides, the Hampi coracle ride, boat rides and water sports on the beaches, which are paid on the spot.

What moves the price is the season, the stay category (3-star Standard or 4-star Deluxe on the Hampi plans), the car (sedan, SUV or tempo traveller) and how many of you share it, since a private trip prices the car and the rooms for your group. October to February, the Christmas and New Year weeks and the long weekends are the busiest and dearest; the summer and monsoon months cost less. Entry tickets, guides, coracle and boat rides and anything not named on the trip page stay out of the fare, and 5% GST is added to the price shown.

Badami's cave temples, Aihole and Pattadakal are about three hours north-west of Hampi, so four or five days covers the Vijayanagara ruins and the Chalukya temples together, from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Hubli or Hosapete.

10 trips on this page, from ₹10,999 per person: 3 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 4 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹12,999); 4 Days Hampi Badami Pattadakal Bliss from Hyderabad (4D/3N, from ₹13,499).

3 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Hospet4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hampi Badami Bliss from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹12,9994 Days Hampi Badami Pattadakal Bliss from Hyderabad4D/3N · ₹13,499

The temple coast: Gokarna's beaches, the Shiva statue at Murudeshwar and Udupi's Krishna temple with Malpe beach, in four days from Hubli, or after two days in Hampi on the six day plans from Bengaluru with Jog Falls or Kollur.

28 trips on this page, from ₹10,499 per person: 2 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Coastal Getaway (2D/1N, from ₹10,499); 3 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Beach Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Gokarna Udupi Coastal Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Gokarna Yana Caves Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹10,999).

2 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Coastal Getaway2D/1N · ₹10,4993 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Beach Bliss3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Gokarna Udupi Coastal Bliss3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Gokarna Yana Caves Bliss3D/2N · ₹10,999

The southern loop from Mysuru or Bengaluru: Coorg's estates, Abbey Falls and Dubare, Wayanad's Edakkal caves and Banasura Sagar across the border, and Mysuru palace on the last day, with Ooty and Coonoor on the longer and honeymoon plans.

19 trips on this page, from ₹10,499 per person: 2 Days Coorg Quick Getaway from Bangalore (2D/1N, from ₹10,499); 3 Days Hampi Bliss from Mysore (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Mysore Coorg Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 4 Days Mysore Wayanad Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹11,499).

2 Days Coorg Quick Getaway from Bangalore2D/1N · ₹10,4993 Days Hampi Bliss from Mysore3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Mysore Coorg Bliss3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Mysore Wayanad Bliss4D/3N · ₹11,499

A night at a jungle resort on the Kali river near Hubli, with boating, kayaking and zorbing and the resort's meals included, before the coast at Gokarna or South Goa.

5 trips on this page, from ₹10,999 per person: 3 Days Gokarna Dandeli Adventure (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 4 Days Gokarna Dandeli Udupi Coastal Adventure (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Gokarna Dandeli Yana Adventure (4D/3N, from ₹11,790); 4 Days South Goa Dandeli Offbeat Escape (4D/3N, from ₹13,999).

3 Days Gokarna Dandeli Adventure3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Gokarna Dandeli Udupi Coastal Adventure4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Gokarna Dandeli Yana Adventure4D/3N · ₹11,7904 Days South Goa Dandeli Offbeat Escape4D/3N · ₹13,999

Friends and solo travellers: 1 fixed-date group trip from ₹1,199, travel and trip captain included, rooms shared by gender: 1 Day Lepakshi Adiyogi Trip from Bangalore (1D/0N, from ₹1,199).

Couples: 6 plans with the quieter stays and private transfers, from ₹15,499: 5 Days Hampi Badami Pattadakal Bliss from Hyderabad Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹15,499); 4 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Udupi Coastal Honeymoon (4D/3N, from ₹15,900); 5 Days Ooty Coorg Honeymoon (5D/4N, from ₹17,500).

Families and couples take the private trips: the same places at your own pace, with the room category and the car chosen for your group.

1 Day Lepakshi Adiyogi Trip from Bangalore1D/0N · ₹1,1995 Days Hampi Badami Pattadakal Bliss from Hyderabad Honeymoon5D/4N · ₹15,4994 Days Gokarna Murudeshwar Udupi Coastal Honeymoon4D/3N · ₹15,900

Best time

October to February is the season across the state: cool, dry days for walking the Hampi and Badami ruins, a calm sea on the coast and misty mornings in Coorg. March to May is hot on the northern plateau, close to 40°C at Hampi, though Coorg stays pleasant; June to September is the monsoon, when the coast and the hills are very wet and beach and water activities often pause, but Jog Falls is at its fullest.

• October to February, 15 to 30°C: The season across the state: cool, dry days for walking the Hampi and Badami ruins, a calm sea on the coast and misty mornings in Coorg. Christmas, New Year and the long weekends are the busiest.
• March to May, 22 to 40°C: Hot on the northern plateau, close to 40°C at Hampi in April and May, so sightseeing moves to dawn and dusk; Coorg stays pleasant and fills up in the school holidays.
• June to September, 20 to 30°C: The monsoon: heavy rain on the coast and in the Western Ghats, a rough sea, and beach and water activities often paused for safety, but Jog Falls and the Coorg waterfalls are at their fullest and Hampi gets only light rain.

What to pack

For Hampi and Badami, light cotton, a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and a refillable bottle: the ruins are open ground with little shade, and the walking between monuments is long and uneven, so wear proper shoes. Carry something covering shoulders and knees for the temples, and traditional dress for the Mahabaleshwar temple in Gokarna, which asks for it. Swimwear and a change of clothes for the beaches and the Dandeli water activities. A light jacket for Coorg evenings from November to February, and from June to September a rain jacket, quick-dry clothes and leech socks or closed shoes for the hills.

Getting there

Hampi is about 380 km from Hyderabad, seven to eight hours by road, and two of our private trips start with a pick-up in Hyderabad: four days in Hampi, or five with Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal. For the coast and Dandeli, take an overnight train or bus to Hubli, where those trips begin; for Coorg and Mysuru, fly or take the train to Bengaluru or Mysuru.

Most of the trips here start in Bengaluru with a pick-up in the city. Hampi is about 350 km north, six to seven hours by road, and the longer plans go on to Badami, Gokarna and Murudeshwar. Mysuru is about 145 km and three hours south-west, and Coorg about 260 km, five to six hours, through Mysuru. For the coast and Dandeli trips that start in Hubli, overnight trains and buses run from Bengaluru, and the Hampi Express runs overnight to Hosapete.

From Chennai the easy way in is through Bengaluru: about 350 km, five to six hours by road, about five hours on the fastest trains, or a short flight. Most of our trips start there, or in Mysuru for Coorg; for the coast, go on from Bengaluru to Hubli by overnight train or bus. Hampi is a long day by road from Chennai, so a Hampi trip usually begins in Bengaluru or at Hosapete station.

Karnataka or Kerala? Kerala is backwaters, houseboats, Munnar's tea slopes and Ayurveda, usually a week flown into Kochi. Karnataka is more varied and closer by road from Bengaluru or Hyderabad: the Vijayanagara ruins at Hampi and the Chalukya cave temples at Badami, quieter beaches at Gokarna and Murudeshwar, and Coorg's coffee hills. Wayanad, just over the border from Coorg, is where the two meet, and four of the southern loops here cross into it.

Karnataka or Goa? Goa is the busier beach holiday, with nightlife, water-sports strips, forts and churches. The Karnataka coast, about three hours further south at Gokarna, is the quieter version: a temple town with beaches along a cliff path, the Shiva statue at Murudeshwar and Udupi's Krishna temple, and it pairs with Hampi inland, which Goa does not. One trip here, from Hubli, does both: a night in Dandeli and two in South Goa.