Karnataka Uncovered: Empires, Temples & Wild Landscapes

On arrival at Bangalore International Airport, you are met and assisted before being driven comfortably to your curated city accommodation. After check-in, you explore Bangalore with an expert city guide, beginning at Lalbagh Botanical Garden, renowned for its exceptional diversity of tropical and subtropical flora and its ancient granite rock formation, among the oldest in the region. You then visit KR Market, where flowers, spices, and produce reveal the city’s enduring commercial rhythms. Lunch is at the iconic MTR, followed by guided stops at Vidhana Soudha and Bangalore Palace, offering insight into Bangalore’s transition from princely town to modern capital.
Overnight: Bangalore

After breakfast, you check out and travel in comfort to Hampi, once among the largest and wealthiest cities in the world as the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire and today one of the largest ruin landscapes globally. With your guide, you explore Virupaksha Temple, a living temple at the heart of the city, followed by the Two Ganeshas carved from massive granite boulders and the monumental Lakshmi Narasimha, reflecting imperial ambition and scale. The day concludes at Hemakuta Hills, where sunset views reveal the sacred geography of the former imperial capital.
Overnight: Hampi

You travel in comfort into the Chalukyan heartland, a region central to the evolution of Indian temple architecture between the 6th and 8th centuries. At Aihole, with your guide, you encounter early experiments in temple form; at Pattadakal, royal coronation temples bring northern and southern styles together; and at Badami, the former Chalukyan capital, cave temples carved into sandstone cliffs demonstrate how architecture, landscape, and royal authority were unified. You return to Hampi by evening.
Overnight: Hampi

With your guide, you explore how the Vijayanagara capital functioned as a planned imperial city. Beginning with a walk along the Tungabhadra River, once vital to trade and ritual life, you continue to Vijaya Vittala Temple, where ceremonial architecture culminates in the iconic stone chariot. You then explore the Royal Enclosures, including the Mahanavami Dibba and Lotus Mahal, followed by the Elephant Stables, before concluding at Hazara Rama Temple, where sculpted panels reveal the close relationship between kingship, ritual, and epic tradition.
Overnight: Hampi

After breakfast, you check out and travel in comfort to the Bhadra landscape, where forests, reservoirs, and river systems support one of Karnataka’s important wildlife regions. After check-in at River Tern Lodge, located on the fringes of Bhadra Tiger Reserve, you head out with a naturalist for an afternoon safari through dry deciduous and evergreen forests that support elephants, gaur, deer, rich birdlife, and predators such as leopards and tigers.
Overnight: River Tern Lodge

You begin the day with an early morning safari before travelling in comfort into the hills of Chikmagalur, set within the Western Ghats, one of the world’s great biodiversity regions and a recognised global hotspot. After check-in at your curated accommodation, you explore a working coffee estate with a knowledgeable guide, learning how shade-grown coffee evolved alongside native forests and shaped the region’s landscape and livelihoods.
Overnight: Chikmagalur

From Chikmagalur, you travel in comfort to Belur and Halebidu, where you are joined on site by an expert temple guide. At Chennakesava Temple and Hoysaleswara Temple, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites and widely regarded as some of the finest stone temples in the world, you explore monuments built in the 1100s and distinguished by thousands of outstanding soapstone carvings depicting epics, deities, courtly scenes, and everyday life. You return to Chikmagalur by evening.
Overnight: Chikmagalur

After breakfast, you check out and travel in comfort to Shravanabelagola, where you climb the sacred hill to explore the colossal Gomateshwara, a powerful symbol of Jain philosophy and renunciation. Continuing onward, you arrive in Mysore, a former princely capital that emerged as a major centre of administration, culture, and royal patronage. Here, a palace specialist introduces you to the Mysore Palace, one of India’s grandest royal residences, followed by the Jaganmohan Palace Art Gallery, offering insight into courtly art traditions and royal collecting.
Overnight: Mysore

After breakfast, you check out and visit Devaraja Market, before travelling to Srirangapatna, a fortified island capital of the Mysore Kingdom under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. You explore the remains of the Srirangapatna Fort, followed by Daria Daulat Bagh and the Srirangapatna Dungeon, before enjoying lunch by the Cauvery River. The journey concludes here, bringing to a close a rich nine-day exploration of Karnataka’s landscapes, empires, sacred centres, wildlife regions, and living traditions.