“Vital Tour of Karnataka”

Overview

Karnataka is a tapestry of colors, cultures, flavors, landscapes, timelessness and heart stopping beauty. 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 quiet 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 as its geography – making it, by all means, a 191,791 square kilometer trail of whimsy.
Karnataka has hosted and continues to host a wide melting pot culture community. Along with the native Kannadigas, Kodavas, Tuluvas, Konkanis and several tribal sects have, across the centuries, lent color and content to the vibrant culture the state calls its own. Karnataka is also home to the largest Tibetan settlement in South India. The recent past has seen a more inclusive populace with a large expatriate community making a beeline for the capital city of Bangalore. In addition to Kannada, knowing Tulu, Hindi, English, Telugu or Tamil will safely get you by. Jainism, Hinduism and Islam are the predominantly practiced religions. But in recent times, Sikhism, Christianity and Buddhism have also found their place and people.
In dance, drama, theatre, crafts, art, poetry, architecture and scholarly pursuits, Karnataka brings with it a legacy of learning that predates the earliest dynasties. Perhaps the reason why the state, even to this date, is also home to some of the country’s best academic institutions.

ABOUT DESTINATINATIONS

BANGALORE: is the most alive city among all in South India. A melting point of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the hoi polloi of Bangalore is charmingly mixed. Nearly every one speaks English, even if it’s only a smattering, and everyone is aware of the privilege they’re bestowed with. Malls, parks, pubs, theatre, cafes, art galleries, palaces – at any given point, Bangalore is buzzing and alive with activity.
Bangalore often reminisces about its days as a sleepy cantonment area of the British – tree lined avenues with quaint sounding names like Richmond Town and Victoria Layout hint that the city does get sentimental about its past. The Bangalore Palace, the Attara Kacheri (High Court), St. Mary’s Basilica, Tipu’s Palace, ISKCON Temple and the Bull Temple highlight Bangalore’s many personalities and are monuments that mark its journey, ante-IT. Now Bangalore is known for its thriving industry and as an IT hotbed.
Apart from sightseeing, markets, and night life; Bangalore is also a preferred place for avid golfers.
CHIKAMAGALUR: It has played host to an event, thanks to which, countless Indians wake up to brighter mornings. Centuries ago, when the Sufi mystic Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee beans from Yemen into India, he probably didn’t bargain for millions of coffee junkies unwittingly blessing his soul everyday, with every sip of their coffee. Chikmagalur, whose hills nurtured the coffee culture at its bosom, is a green slice of heaven on a permanent coffee high.
Rambling hills, pristine pools, fascinating nooks and crannies with a shrine, intriguing caves, lush mists and dreamy woods make the geography of Chikmagalur. The journey to the highest peak in Karnataka is so engaging that you forget to be scared – when there is reason to be afraid, very afraid. The roads are tricky, yes, but getting to the top is worth the while. Just like the 10 km trek to the gorgeous Habe Falls is – it’s almost impossible by vehicle and is inaccessible in the monsoons. Despite all that coffee, Chikmagalur is far from a gracious host. You need to work hard to win her affections. Well, its not for nothing Chikmagalur was a princess dowry. When King Rugmagada Raya’s younger daughter was given away in marriage, she brought with her a pretty portion of the Western Ghats as her dowry, thus giving the place its name – Chikka-magal-uru or Younger Daughter’s Village. Long treks, safaris and breathing plenty of fresh, coffee-scented air – Chikmagalur makes you feel so good that you want to throw your arms around the world.
ST. MARY’S ISLAND – MALPE: About 6km from the Malpe coast into the Arabian Sea, one gets to see the palm-fringed St. Mary’s Island which bears the cross that Vasco Da Gama placed when he landed in 1498. The island is 300m long and 100m wide. It is famous for its unique salt rock formations. Due to this geological importance, St. Mary’s Island is declared as a National Geological Monument.


COORG: A hedonist’s paradise by all means, Coorg is a dream you’ll never forget. Hills, old-world charm, coffee, amazing food, vivid cultures and warm hospitality – there’s something in the air of Coorg that makes all things beautiful. The people are tall and fair. Its hills, scenic and unforgettable. Its food, wholesome and tantalizing. Its pools, pristine and clear. Its cultures, vibrant and exclusive. Coorg is an aristocrat, through and through. The stronghold of the Kodava community, who are believed to be descendants of the Aryans, Coorg keeps its traditions and as warm as your reception might be, you’re reminded constantly that you are a guest – and certain decorum is expected out of you. A certain joie-de-vivre! Madikeri is a cornucopia of the times passed. The green, hilly capital of the Kodagu region has remnants of its past like the Madikeri Fort, the Raja’s seat – where you can catch a sunset just like the rajas once did – acres of coffee estates and the Raja’s tomb where the Kodagu king Veerarajendra and his family sleep their eternal sleep. About 9km away from Madikeri’s giddy heights are the Abbey Falls, which falls daintily in steps, looking like a pretty curtain of the finest lace. The Talacauvery where the Cauvery originates is the hotbed of a phenomenon every year – on the 17th of October, at a predetermined moment, the water gushes up at the fountainhead from a spring.
BANDIPUR: Go wild and see just how therapeutic it can be. Trade those concrete jungles for a fresh breath of green. Put a pause on the rat race and ride an elephant instead. Take a break from bearding the lion in his corner office and go looking for tigers. The Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary puts life back into perspective. Or rather it puts the perspective back into life.
Trying to spot elusive animals, listening for bird calls and commuting on the first elephant into the heart of the forests that were once the private hunting grounds of the Maharaja of Mysore himself – its a little like everyday life, only drastically different. The elephant safari is an experience not only because you feel like the lord of all that lies before you, but also because, you never know what you might see. Depending on the peacock temperament of the moment, you could get treated to a peacock dance, or you might catch it on a bad day when it might get modest and a vividly-hued tail peeking from the thick foliage is all you’ll get. You might spot a bison playing peek-a-boo from behind a bush, or a crocodile sunning itself on the banks of the River Kabini, its wicked grin intact. The Sanctuary is home to the spotted deer, the sambar deer, pythons, sloth bears, porcupines, monkeys and over 230 species of birds. That’s a lot of spotting to do – just might help you see the good things in life again.
MYSORE: A past thats made of kings, queens, conquests, rich patrons, extravagant durbars and pearled hallways must be hard to get over. The streets in Mysore are old and a good part of history can be traced by following their winding paths. The city that gets its name from Mahishasura, the troublemaker demon who was slain by the Goddess Chamundeshwari: whose temple atop the Chamundi Hill watches all over the city, has played host to the reign of a long line of Wadiyars, Tipu Sultan and the British Raj.
An ode to magnificence, the Mysore Palace is a marvel of ornate ceilings, jewelled corridors, open mandaps, stained glass windows, vivid paintings and Wadiyar memorabilia – including the jewelled throne. As the main host of the famous Mysore Dasara, the Palace still has the airs of the headquarters of a sovereign. Mysore’s other palaces include the Jaganmohana Palace, Rajendra Vilas, Lalitha Mahal (which is now the Lalith Mahal Palace Hotel) and the Jayalakshmi Vilas.
The MYSORE PALACE is illuminated on Sundays, national holidays and state festivals between 7.00pm and 8.00pm and during the Dasara festivities from 7pm to 9pm.

Itinerary Details