Mangalore tour packages

• Duration: 3 to 9 days; most travellers take 4 or 5.
• Price: from ₹10,999 per person, stays, local travel and the sightseeing listed on each trip page.
• Places: Kukke Subramanya and the Manjunatha temple at Dharmasthala, the Sharada Peetham at Sringeri, Udupi's Sri Krishna temple with Malpe and St Mary's Island, Kollur Mookambika, Murudeshwar, the Gokarna beaches and Jog Falls.
• Travel: Every trip here is private, with your own car and driver from a pick-up in Mangalore, Bengaluru or Hubli; the trip pages say where each one begins and ends. The journey to the start point is not part of the package.
• Stay: a hotel in Mangalore city, a stay within walking distance of the Dharmasthala temple, a hotel near the Krishna temple in Udupi, a stay by the sea at Murudeshwar and one near the Gokarna beaches; the longer plans add Coorg, Chikmagalur, Mysore or a jungle stay at Dandeli.
• Best time: October to February is the season: dry days, a calm sea, the St Mary's Island boats running and clear mornings for the temples.
• Weather: Mangalore and Udupi are on the coast at sea level: 21 to 32°C and dry from October to February, humid days of 25 to 35°C from March to May, and a heavy monsoon from June to September, one of the wettest stretches of the Indian coast.
• Trip type: private trips planned around your dates and your group.

3 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Udupi Tour3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra4D/3N · ₹11,9274 Days Dharmasthala Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹13,6505 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour5D/4N · ₹15,147

Three days covers Mangalore city, Kukke Subramanya, Dharmasthala and Udupi. Four days adds Sringeri and Murudeshwar, or starts in Bengaluru with a long drive down the ghats; five and six days add Kollur, Horanadu and the Gokarna beaches, and seven to nine days add Dandeli, Jog Falls, Chikmagalur or Mysore and Coorg.

3 days / 2 nights, from ₹10,999 per person: 3 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Udupi Tour (3D/2N, from ₹10,999).

4 days / 3 nights, from ₹11,927 per person: 4 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹11,927); 4 Days Dharmasthala Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹13,650); 4 Days Coorg Kukke Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹15,718).

5 days / 4 nights, from ₹15,147 per person: 5 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour (5D/4N, from ₹15,147); 5 Days Mangalore Murudeshwar Gokarna Jog Falls Tour (5D/4N, from ₹15,242); 5 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Kollur Gokarna Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹16,837).

6 days / 5 nights, from ₹18,102 per person: 6 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Sringeri Gokarna Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹18,102); 6 Days Gokarna Mangalore Udupi Temple Trail (6D/5N, from ₹20,600); 6 Days Chikmagalur Udupi Gokarna Coffee and Coast (6D/5N, from ₹21,500).

7 days and longer, 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 Mangalore Dharmasthala Udupi Tour3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra4D/3N · ₹11,9274 Days Dharmasthala Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹13,6505 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour5D/4N · ₹15,1475 Days Mangalore Murudeshwar Gokarna Jog Falls Tour5D/4N · ₹15,2426 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Sringeri Gokarna Yatra6D/5N · ₹18,1026 Days Gokarna Mangalore Udupi Temple Trail6D/5N · ₹20,600

4 days / 3 nights from ₹11,927 per person. Three days covers Mangalore city, Kukke Subramanya, Dharmasthala and Udupi. Four days adds Sringeri and Murudeshwar, or starts in Bengaluru with a long drive down the ghats; five and six days add Kollur, Horanadu and the Gokarna beaches, and seven to nine days add Dandeli, Jog Falls, Chikmagalur or Mysore and Coorg.

3 plans: 4 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹11,927); 4 Days Dharmasthala Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹13,650); 4 Days Coorg Kukke Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹15,718).

4 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra4D/3N · ₹11,9274 Days Dharmasthala Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹13,6504 Days Coorg Kukke Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹15,718

5 days / 4 nights from ₹15,147 per person. Three days covers Mangalore city, Kukke Subramanya, Dharmasthala and Udupi. Four days adds Sringeri and Murudeshwar, or starts in Bengaluru with a long drive down the ghats; five and six days add Kollur, Horanadu and the Gokarna beaches, and seven to nine days add Dandeli, Jog Falls, Chikmagalur or Mysore and Coorg.

3 plans: 5 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour (5D/4N, from ₹15,147); 5 Days Mangalore Murudeshwar Gokarna Jog Falls Tour (5D/4N, from ₹15,242); 5 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Kollur Gokarna Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹16,837).

5 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour5D/4N · ₹15,1475 Days Mangalore Murudeshwar Gokarna Jog Falls Tour5D/4N · ₹15,2425 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Kollur Gokarna Yatra5D/4N · ₹16,837

6 days / 5 nights from ₹18,102 per person. Three days covers Mangalore city, Kukke Subramanya, Dharmasthala and Udupi. Four days adds Sringeri and Murudeshwar, or starts in Bengaluru with a long drive down the ghats; five and six days add Kollur, Horanadu and the Gokarna beaches, and seven to nine days add Dandeli, Jog Falls, Chikmagalur or Mysore and Coorg.

3 plans: 6 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Sringeri Gokarna Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹18,102); 6 Days Gokarna Mangalore Udupi Temple Trail (6D/5N, from ₹20,600); 6 Days Chikmagalur Udupi Gokarna Coffee and Coast (6D/5N, from ₹21,500).

6 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Sringeri Gokarna Yatra6D/5N · ₹18,1026 Days Gokarna Mangalore Udupi Temple Trail6D/5N · ₹20,6006 Days Chikmagalur Udupi Gokarna Coffee and Coast6D/5N · ₹21,500

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

• Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple: Mangalore's carved and gilded Shiva temple, the centre of the city's Dasara celebrations, and the first stop on most of our city days.
• Mangaladevi and Kadri Manjunatha temples: The temple the city takes its name from, and the hillside Kadri temple with its old bronze Lokeshwara.
• Tannirbhavi, Panambur and Surathkal beaches: Mangalore's wide city beaches, where the city days end with the sunset.
• Kukke Subramanya: The temple of Subramanya on the Kumaradhara river below the Kumara Parvatha hills, about two and a half hours inland from Mangalore.
• Dharmasthala: The Manjunatha temple, run by a Jain family with Hindu priests, its free meals for pilgrims, and the Bahubali monolith on the hill above the town.
• Sringeri and Horanadu: The Sharada Peetham on the Tunga, one of the mathas founded by Adi Shankara, with the carved Vidyashankara temple beside it, and the Annapoorneshwari temple at Horanadu deeper in the hills.
• Udupi Sri Krishna Temple: The Krishna Matha, where the idol is seen through the silver-framed Kanakana Kindi window rather than a doorway.
• Malpe and St Mary's Island: Udupi's beach and fishing harbour, and the boat out to the small island of hexagonal basalt columns, which runs only outside the monsoon.
• Kapu beach: The beach with the old lighthouse on its rocks, on the coast road between Mangalore and Udupi.
• Kollur Mookambika: The Devi temple at the foot of Kodachadri, about two hours inland from Udupi, on the yatra routes.
• Murudeshwar and Gokarna: The great Shiva on the headland at Murudeshwar, and further north the Mahabaleshwar temple, Om and Kudle beaches and Mirjan Fort at Gokarna.
• Jog Falls: The Sharavathi dropping in four streams, inland from Murudeshwar, at its fullest in and after the monsoon.

What to eat

This is the home of Udupi cooking, so the temple towns are vegetarian: thalis, neer dosa, goli baje and filter coffee, and the big temples at Dharmasthala, Kukke and Udupi serve a free meal to pilgrims. Mangalore itself is known for its seafood: fish curry and rice, kori rotti, ghee roast and Mangalore buns, with gadbad ice cream to finish. Lunches and dinners are not part of our packages, so you eat where you like on the way.

Every trip is private, so the plan below is a starting point: the days, the hotels and the pace are set around you.

• Day 1: pick-up in Mangalore; the Mangaladevi, Kudroli Gokarnanatha and Kadri Manjunatha temples, the Pilikula park, and sunset on Tannirbhavi or Surathkal beach.
• Day 2: about two and a half hours inland to Kukke Subramanya for darshan, then on to Dharmasthala for the evening darshan at the Manjunatha temple and the Bahubali monolith.
• Day 3: an early darshan at Dharmasthala before the queues, down to Udupi for the Sri Krishna temple, Malpe beach (the St Mary's Island boat if the sea allows) and Kapu, then back to Mangalore for the drop.

Mangalore packages start at ₹10,999 per person: ₹10,999 for 3 days, ₹11,927 for 4 days, ₹15,147 for 5 days and ₹18,102 for 6 days. That covers the stays (one night in each place shown, on a sharing basis), breakfast every morning, a private AC vehicle with driver from pick-up to drop, tolls, parking and driver allowances, the sightseeing in the day plan and a Travloger trip captain on call. The journey to Mangalore, Bengaluru or Hubli, temple and monument entry fees, lunches and dinners, and boat rides such as the St Mary's Island ferry are not included.

What moves the price is the size of your group, the vehicle you need and the category of stay you pick, since every trip here is private and the car and rooms are priced for your group. October to January and the festival weeks are the busiest on the coast; the monsoon months cost least. Entry fees, lunches and dinners, ferries and anything not named on the trip page stay out of the fare, and 5% GST is added to the package price.

The temple routes: Kukke Subramanya and an evening darshan at Dharmasthala, a ghat drive to the Sharada Peetham at Sringeri, Horanadu on some plans, then Udupi and Kollur Mookambika before the coast at Murudeshwar or Gokarna.

5 trips on this page, from ₹11,927 per person: 4 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹11,927); 5 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Kollur Gokarna Yatra (5D/4N, from ₹16,837); 6 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Sringeri Gokarna Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹18,102); 6 Days Gokarna Mangalore Udupi Temple Trail (6D/5N, from ₹20,600).

4 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra4D/3N · ₹11,9275 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Kollur Gokarna Yatra5D/4N · ₹16,8376 Days Mangalore Dharmasthala Sringeri Gokarna Yatra6D/5N · ₹18,1026 Days Gokarna Mangalore Udupi Temple Trail6D/5N · ₹20,600

The coast road north from Udupi: the great Shiva at Murudeshwar, then Gokarna's Mahabaleshwar temple, Om and Kudle beaches and Mirjan Fort, with Jog Falls inland on some plans.

10 trips on this page, from ₹11,927 per person: 4 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹11,927); 4 Days Dharmasthala Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹13,650); 5 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour (5D/4N, from ₹15,147); 5 Days Mangalore Murudeshwar Gokarna Jog Falls Tour (5D/4N, from ₹15,242).

4 Days Dharmasthala Sringeri Udupi Murudeshwar Yatra4D/3N · ₹11,9274 Days Dharmasthala Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹13,6505 Days Dharmasthala Udupi Gokarna Murudeshwar Tour5D/4N · ₹15,1475 Days Mangalore Murudeshwar Gokarna Jog Falls Tour5D/4N · ₹15,242

Two nights in the coffee hills first, Coorg from Bengaluru or Chikmagalur from Mangalore, then down the ghats through Kukke or straight to Udupi and the coast; the nine day plan adds Mysore at the start.

3 trips on this page, from ₹15,718 per person: 4 Days Coorg Kukke Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹15,718); 6 Days Chikmagalur Udupi Gokarna Coffee and Coast (6D/5N, from ₹21,500); 9 Days Mysore Coorg Mangalore Udupi Gokarna Grand Tour (9D/8N, from ₹29,440).

4 Days Coorg Kukke Mangalore Udupi Tour from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹15,7186 Days Chikmagalur Udupi Gokarna Coffee and Coast6D/5N · ₹21,5009 Days Mysore Coorg Mangalore Udupi Gokarna Grand Tour9D/8N · ₹29,440

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.

Best time

October to February is the season: dry days, a calm sea, the St Mary's Island boats running and clear mornings for the temples. March to May is hot and humid on the coast; June to September is the heavy monsoon, when the boats stop and the sea is rough, but the temples stay open and Jog Falls and the ghats are at their best.

• October to February, 21 to 32°C: The season: dry days, a calm sea, the St Mary's Island boats running and clear mornings for the temples. Dasara at Mangalore and the Christmas to New Year weeks are the busiest.
• March to May, 25 to 35°C: Hot and humid on the coast. See the temples early, keep the middle of the day for the drives, and expect Jog Falls to be thin.
• June to September, 23 to 29°C: The monsoon: heavy rain, a rough sea, no boats to St Mary's Island and swimming unsafe. The temples stay open, the ghats are at their greenest and Jog Falls is at its fullest; ghat roads can be slow after heavy rain.

What to pack

Light cotton for the coast all year, an umbrella or raincoat from June to September, and sandals that come off easily, since footwear stays outside every temple. Carry modest, traditional clothes for the temples, covering shoulders and knees; Dharmasthala, Kukke and Sringeri expect a dress code closer to traditional wear, and some temples on this coast ask men to remove their shirts before darshan. Sunscreen and a hat for the beaches, and a photo ID for the hotels.

Getting there

From Hyderabad, fly to Mangaluru, non-stop on some days or through Bengaluru, and start with a pick-up at the airport or in the city. Two of our trips start in Hubli instead, an overnight train or bus from Hyderabad, and run down the coast from Gokarna. By road Mangalore is over 800 km away, too far for a short trip.

Three of our trips start with a pick-up in Bengaluru. Mangalore is about 350 km away, seven to eight hours by road through Hassan and the Shiradi ghat, which is slower after heavy rain. For the trips that start in Mangalore, take an overnight train or bus, or the short flight of about an hour.

From Chennai, fly to Mangaluru or go through Bengaluru. Overnight trains also run from Chennai Central to Mangaluru through Palakkad, a long journey of most of a day; the trips start with a pick-up at the station or the airport.

Mangalore or Gokarna? Gokarna is a beach town first: Om, Kudle and Paradise beaches and the walk over the headlands between them, usually a two or three day weekend. The Mangalore side is temple country: Kukke, Dharmasthala, Sringeri, Udupi and Kollur, with Malpe and Murudeshwar for the sea. Pick Gokarna for the beaches and Mangalore for a yatra; most of our five day and longer Mangalore routes finish on the Gokarna beaches anyway.