Karnataka trip and question on Coorg

divadino

I'm preparing for my third trip to India and am starting to get excited. The helpful and knowledgeable Jorge Reverter has been a great sport in giving me feedback already on my trip but I thought I'd open it out to all you Indiamike folks especially as I have a few questions/gaps in my schedule...

I arrive 3rd March and have just under a month..... let me know if there's anything you would cut out (as not worth it), shorten or lengthen. Planning mostly to go by train and bus but not averse to hiring a driver on odd days.

3 - Bangalore
4 - Bangalore
5 - Mysore (train)
6 - Mysore and Sriraganpatnam and other nearby places (buses)
7 - Mysore
8 - Sravanbeglola / Hassan (buses)
9 - Belur / Halebid / Hassan (buses)
10 - Hassan - Madikeri (bus)
11 - Madikeri (Coorg) - not sure of what I'm going to do up here and how to get about and don't have big budget for fancy homestays/lodges and can only do a bit of walking - any thoughts?
12 - Madikeri
13 - Madikeri
14 - Jorge suggested going from Madikeri to coast - Fort Bekal / Kasaragod but not sure how I get there - is there a bus and how long does it take? If not then I'd just get a bus to Mangalore and then a bus or train up to Udupi and around
15 - Udupi / Gokarna
16 - Gokarna
17 - Paolem / Goa and around
18 - quiet areas in Goa
19 - Panaji / Old Goa
20 - need to get a train from Madgaon at 8.15am or Vasco at 7.40am to Hospet. Is it best to stay night in Madgaon to catch early train as buses from Panaji or Paolem or anywhere really don't start until 7am so I'd probably miss the train
21 - Hospet- Hampi (stay Hampi or Hospet??)
22 - Hampi (it's Holi - do they celebrate it in Hampi?)
23 - Hampi in morning and then bus from Hospet to Badami or any alternative (how much to hire driver and is it worth it?
24 - Badami
25 - Aihole/Pattadakal (buses)
26 - bus from Badami to Bijapur
27 - Bijapur
28 - Bijapur and then bus in late afternoon to Solapur to catch train to Mumbai overnight (22.35)
29 - Mumbai
30 - Mumbai (staying my last night at the Marriott near Juhu in extreme luxury as I have Marriott points to use!!!)
31 - fly home

Phew! What do you think? Welcome suggestions of how to smooth the way and good bus and train connections etc.

Lovely to be back on here.

Dinah

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Chintuthewhizkid

There are a few options of modest homestays in Coorg ideal for a "bit of walking". I was in Honey Valley Estate last year and recommend it. 11th, 12th and 13th are weekdays, aren't they? So it will not be crowded and you should easily get reservations.

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arunchs

I can see you are rushing. Here is a bit to slow you down, and may be cut a few places from the list.

11 - search around, and you would be able to find homestays at around Rs.500 and above
14 - Take a bus to Mangalore and switch over to another bus
14-16 is a little ambitious stretch. Would suggest adding at least 2-3 more days here.
17-19 again, may be at least 2 more days
21 - stay in Hampi
22 - No, may be mildly, if at all. Suggest adding at least another day in Hampi
24 - 26 Takes 6 to 7 hours of your day time just to get to Badami. Add another day here.

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pmvelu

Hi,

We visited some time back Belur / Halebeedu from mysore in Train /Bus and the following write-up what I wrote for my office friends will be of some help to you.

Mysooru - Halebeedu -Belur- Mysooru

If you plan to visit both Halebeedu & Belur in a single day, it’s better to get a bus to halebeedu first as there are N number of buses from Belur to Hassan towards the evenings rather than Halebeedu to Hassan.


We took 10:15 am Shimoga Fast Passenger from Mysore Jn (21 Rs per person) and got down at Hassan at 12.15 . Just walk out from junction and without any bargaining ( No need to Bargain as autowallahs are damn honest) get an auto to bus stand ( around 1.5 kms – 15Rs).

There are hourly Buses ( It will look like our KSRTC townbuses in mysore )-- >This is a very important hint as I asked 5 to 6 Drivers/ conductors to find the bus (Which is already Standing) to Halebeedu ( 30 Kms , 1 ½ Hours , 15 Rs, Road is Medium to Average towards the end) . Just get down at the last stop (I meant Bus Stand) and just come out of bus stand you can see the Marvellous Hoysala Architecture with a Sivan Temple . No Admission fees . (Maximum 1 Hour is enough to cover the temple)


Walk back to Bus stand (Hardly 100 metres) and ask the Timekeeper, is there any bus to Belur (They run buses to Belur with no Proper fixed timings). When we traveled , I asked 3 to 4 times the time keeper and atlast a Bus with no name board went to Belur with a passenger Strength of 8 people ( 17 Kms 12 Rs 1 Hour) --- If they tell no bus, come out and stand near the bus stand entrance , every ½ an hour or so , you will get a Mahindra Van sort of thing to Belur ( This may be over-crowded Sometimes) – But on a Sunday, these Cabs also left almost empty to Belur

Once you reach Belur Bus Stand , Come out of Bus stand, get an auto and Say “Gudi” (Kannada for Temple” ) and it’s hardly ¾ kms , While getting down I just gave 10 rs . This is a Venkatesawara Temple (Called Chennakesava Gudi). This is a MUCH MUCH Famous Hoysala architecture temple and it’s atleast 3 times bigger than Halabeedu temple .. Mandatorily , get a Official Guide (With Identity cards displayed ) for Around 50 to 75 rs (It’s worth or else it’s not possible to appreciate the Many Sculptural wonders which lies unnoticed and we will realize only when the guide tells .Even Binoculars are preferred to see 2 or 3 Extra-ordinary idols with Some super designs which is not noticeable using naked Eye. 1 Hour to 1.5 hour is enough to Cover --- (A Lot Of Movies / Song Sequence have been shot here …)


Get an auto back to Bus stand. You will get buses to Hassan every 30 minutes . If a bus is over-crowded Just stay on as you may get the next bus with free seats ( All Buses Starts from Chicmagalooru and Terminates at Bangalore VIA Hassan , 20 km away from Belur and the frequency is more). Get down at Hassan and if you prefer bus, get 1 (again there are buses to Mysore every ½ an hour).. Not a Rajahamsa anyway . It will be express Or Karnataka Sarige Type of bus . OR the best way to end the tour is to get an auto to Hassan Railway Station (15Rs) and get unreserved ticket to Mysore and the train is at 6.58pm . (This train is passenger from Arisikere and hence don’t get freightened by the HUGE Crowd at the Hassan Station) as when we went around 400 people are there BUT all got Seats Comfortably (Arisikere is 70 kms from Hassan and the train comes to Hassan almost empty).. This train will reach Mysore JN at 10:00 pm .. When you reach Belogola (A Small Railway station around 10 minutes before Mysore), Just prepare yourself and go near the entrance AS the same train continue till Bangalore as a Passenger and YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO GET DOWN AT THE MYSORE Station as people will try to get in Like anything and lot of villagers with different Luggages etc etc will try to board to get a seat ..(We can understand this as this is PASSENGER train in Mysore – Bangalore Circuit with 30 Stops Or so and takes around 41/2 hours (Tippu Express just takes 2.5 hours and Shatabdi takes 2 hours to cover the 150 km odd MYS-BNG Route)…


General Note:

1) Car is not required at all as there is no Scenery OR any place enroute
2) Last 10kms in Hassan – Halebeedu Route and last 8 kms in Halebeedu –Belur route Is below Average
3) Belur – Hassan Route is the BEST one (It’s State Highway )

4) Belur is a bigger Town when compared to Halebeedu and hence have ur Lunch in Hassan OR Belur .. In Halebeedu, nothing you will get Except 1 or 2 very poor Hotels (And anyway you will get Water and other Basic things)

5) Hassan is more colder than Our Mysore Nights and it rains inadvertently and hence a Sweter , Rain Coat is advisable for atleast the Kids & Ladies



Pronounciations:

Hassan -> Haaaasan
Halebedu à Halabeeeedu
Belur -> Belur

Travelogue on Coorg


We visited Madikeri/ Bhagamandala / Talacauvery some time back and the detailed travelogue I wrote in another Travel site (More for Indian Travellers with their own car) will give you an idea of accomodation / Places /Distances /
what to expect etc.

MODS , If this link is against our forum rules, Please delete it .

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ry-mysore.html

If you would like to explore in & around Mysore in Bus /Auto , the following write-up by me some time back in IM will be of some help:

An Early Start from Mysore Suburb bus stand (Buses frequency is so high in Mysore - Madikeri Route) will take you to Kushal Nagara as I mentioned earlier. From there Hire a Auto Or Car to reach Dubare Camp.While returning back to mysore, you could try out "Cauvery Nishadhama" Around 11 kms from the Dubare camp (On the Road back to Kushal Nagara) where you could see a small island formed by River Cauvery with "Loads of bamboo tree" and this place is scenic and has a small Zoo with few deers and also option of Short "Elephant safari". Once you are done, you could get back to KushalNagara and get an Auto to Visit Golden Temple & Dera Sey Monastery(Basically Tibetan Settlements) which are around 9 kms from Kushal nagara and the only mode is Car Or Auto. After completing the Tibetan Camp Visit you could get back to Koppa (A Bus-Stop in Kushalnagara- Mysore Road) and Board the bus way back to Mysore. And if you are interested to roam in & around Mysore the following write-up may help.
1. Mysore Palace (You could Avoid the Jagmohan Museum which is just behind the palace inside the same complex - It's not so impressive when compaed to the palace) - 1 1/2 to 2 Hours is Enough to view- 2 km from Suburb bus stand

2. Karanji Nature Park (A beautiful place Next to Mysore Zoo) with butterfly Park and Boating in the Karanji laks (all in the same complex) - Around 6 km from suburb bus stand - 1 1/2 - 2 Hours is required to see this and you need to walk a km to see Butterly park but it's worth a visit

3. A View of Mysore City from Chamundi hills (After 6pm) - 18km from Mysore City Bus stand - Very well you could try the city bus Or newly introduced Volvo Bus too . Frequency is hourly once
4. Ranganathittu bird Sanctuary (18 kms from Mysore ) -- This place is good to watch Birds BUT Now it's OFF-SEASON. Just Avoid this.I went around August & september and so many birds and my next 2 trips around November , NOT even a single bird, Just the Boat ride is there in the Crocodile infested Sanctuary Waters.
5.Somanathpura (Around 40 kms from Mysore) - Excellent Hoysala Style De-funct temple(Under Archelogical Survey of India) but architecture wise this is too good. --- If you have already visited Belur & Halebidu , You could ignore this place as it's almost same look-alike and relatively small atleast when compared to Belur - (If you want to try bus , you need to get Bannur bus(35 kms - Road is Excellent) from City bus stand and travel the last 7 kms in Share-Van OR Private bus which has already 250% occupancy rate and the road is so so so pathetic for this 7 kms stretch.) . if you could afford, Car is better.
5. KRS Dam (19 kms from Mysore City bus stand) - A Garden & a Dam with fountain show in the evening . But you could not have the view of the Dam water. -- Depends on your interests AS this place is sort of ok . - (From City bus stand, you could take the Government bus to this place)

Hope this helps & If you need any other info or More info, feel free to post .

P.S:- If you could plan a week-day , (1),(2),(3) & (5) you will feel much much better. In the Week-ends , Loads of Tourists buses (right from School ,College upto general tourists) will be thronging especially Palace, Karanchi & KRS Dam


Hope this is of some help..

Qosmos

Maybe you are rushing things just a little bit. Anything less than 2 days in Gokarna is a crime

You could consider taking a bus from Hassan to Mangalore and then down to Kasargod, which is not too far off. Lot of pristine beaches in that part of the world.

There are smaller hotels/lodges in Madekeri town. Coorgis are some of the friendliest people you will meet. You could visit some of the many coffee plantations in the district. Do not forget to try the coorgi panni curry (pork curry), it is simply delicious. There is also a Tibetan monastery within shouting distance of Coorg, that could be a day trip option.

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vonkla

Last year we hired a car from Badami to Hampi for 1600 rs. The ride took less then four hours

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divadino

Thank you everyone for your help so far... I only just saw that there were lots of replies!

Some really useful info and now I'm thinking that I should either drop the Coorg bit of my trip or the Karnataka coast bit (and just go straight up to Southern Goa) as it seems from what you advise that I don't have enough time to play with. Now I'm more perplexed as without having been to either I don't know.... I've spent time in the Keralan hills before - Periyar and Munnar and also the Keralan coast (and I'm not planning on swimming at all), so how does the Karnataka areas of Coorg and Gokarna etc compare - which would give me a new experience?

So which to drop? I wish I could be in India longer than a month but this time, I have no flexibility.

Dinah

abracax

Coorg is unlike anywhere else in India, being the only district with anything approaching its original forest cover. Madikeri is rather blah - better to be out in the country, but if you're doing the backpacker cheap as dirt thing, you won't find much worth visiting since the overhead of running a decent place in the forest necessitates a moderate tariff. Worth the splurge to stay at a place like Golden Mist:
http://www.itnatureclub.com/coorg_go...ntations.ht m
or Mojo Plantation:
http://www.rainforestours.com/
Your itinerary is insane: a day in Hampi - why bother? Ditto for Sravanabelagola.
These are serious places where one can crank things down and be sane for a few days - what's the rush?

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divadino

thanks Abracax

I'm actually planning on spending 2.5 days in Hampi (I think it's misleading as I've got Hospet-Hampi - as I'll probably stay in Hospet and commute each day). Useful to know that you think I should spend more time in Sravanabelagola....

I'm not trying to rush, it's just I have only a month so I either cut some places out totally or just see what I can see in the time I have. that's what's hard to judge as obviously I haven't visited these particular places, although I have travelled a fair bit in India before.

Dinah

abracax

Good idea to spend a least two days in each place. And definitely stay in Hampi if possible - Hospet is rather inhospetable (may have the worst mosquitos on Earth). You need to see a sunset and a sunrise in Sravanabelagola to understand why the place is there (I'll be posting a new series embracing both magic hours here shortly). If you land up in the middle of the day like most tourists, it's too damn hot to walk on the rocks! I can recommend the Hotel Raghu - hotel OK, restaurant really good (ah, the onion dosas!). On the Gokarn/Udipi side, I also recommend Turtle Bay:
http://www.nivalink.com/turtlebay/index.html
Again, not the cheapest but a clean beach in that part of India is worth something, I'll tell you. Really good shelling.
Since you're doing the Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebid, you might want to check out the Chinnakesava Temple at Somnathpur, near Mysore. Carving is as good as the others, with the bonus that almost nobody goes there. Just don't forget to shop in Mysore, because the prices will be better there than anyplace else on your itinerary.

divadino

That's a great tip then about spending a night in Sravanabelagola.... I'm now seriously considering dropping the Karnataka coast and possibly even Goa from my trip entirely. I reckon one beach (and I don't swim) is much the same as any other and I spent a while in Thailand last year so I saw some beautiful beaches. Unless anyone thinks dropping the coast from my itinerary is a mistake.

As for shopping in Mysore Abracax, I'm not much into shopping and it's at the start of my trip so I doubt I'll want to cart a load of stuff around with me. The only thing I tend to buy is material for having salwar kameez made (which I then wear the whole time during my trip).

I suppose I had better bottom this all out today as I leave in a week. At a minimum I should book my hotels in Bangalore and Mysore and maybe the two long train journeys.

Dinah

abracax

Have fun. A decent cheap hotel in Bangalore is the Ajantha, just off MG Road (a bitch to get to with the construction). Brindavan Hotel in the same area is OK, too. In Mysore: Hotel Dasprakash is good (near Prabha Talkies), and just down KT road the Chandra Palace is cheap & reasonably clean (great view from the roof, too).