5-day North Karnataka itinerary

A heritage, pilgrimage, and sightseeing trip to North Karnataka is one of the most unforgettable cultural experiences. We finally decided to visit and explore North Karnataka after much deliberation. Our trip itinerary can help you in planning your next trip to the well-known sightseeing destinations of North Karnataka. It includes a pilgrimage visit to Mahakuteshwara, Kudala Sangama, and popular dams in the region, as well as to the magnificent carvings and sculptures of the Pallavas and the Vijayanagara Kingdom. An ideal itinerary for Popular and Heritage sites in North Karnataka is a suggested itinerary of 6N 5D from Bangalore based on our experience.

Circuit: Bangalore – Vijayapura – Badami – Mahakuta – Pattadakal – Aihole – Kudala Sangama – Bagalkot – Almatti dam – Hospet – Hampi – Bangalore

Day Wise Itinerary

Day – 1 Itinerary

Circuit 1: Bangalore – Vijayapura – Badami

• You can take the Golgumbaz Exp train from Bangalore to Vijayapura. It leaves Bangalore around 6 pm and arrives in Vijayapura at 8.30 am the following day.
• After that, you can either book a lodge nearby or freshen up at the railway station before hiring an auto for the day to see all of the major monuments. The major monuments include Golgumbaz, Ibrahim Roza, Jamia Masjid, Bara Kaman, Malik-e-maidan, Jod Gumbaz, Taj Bawdi, and Upli Buruz. You can also discuss with the auto driver if you have a list of places like Gagan Mahal, Shivagiri, Asar Mahal, etc you want to visit in addition to those designated by the government as monuments and ask them to take you there. Depending on the bargain, an auto will cost between 600 and 1200 rupees.
• One day is sufficient to visit all of the major attractions, and you can catch the Golgumbaz Exp train to Badami by 6 pm.
• You’ll arrive in Badami around 8 pm and stay overnight there.

Day – 2 Itinerary

Circuit 2: Banashankari – Badami caves – Shivayogi Math – Mahakuta – Pattadakal – Aihole – Kudala Sangama – Bagalkot

First half itinerary

• On the second day, rent a car and leave early in the morning for the Banashankari temple, which opens at 6 am. If you stayed in Bagalkot the day before you will need an hour to reach Badami so plan accordingly. It is approximately 33 km from Badami and the roads are in good condition. After breakfast, proceed to the Badami caves.
• Banashankari temple is about 5 km from the caves. The time required here will vary depending on the crowd. We spent about 1 hour and 30 minutes at the temple due to the moderate crowd.
• Next, you can visit the Badami cave temples. The caves open at 9 am, and you can explore them without encountering too many people. It will take approximately one and a half hours to explore all four caves and Agastya Lake. Allow additional time to visit Shivalaya and Bhoothanatha temples.
• Next proceed to Shivayogi Math, which is 12 km away on the way to Pattadkal. You can visit the site in 30 minutes and then continue to Mahakuta.
• Mahakuta is about 4.5 km away and you will arrive in 10 minutes. Spend around 30 minutes to an hour here taking blessings from Mahakuteshwara before continuing on to Pattadakal.

Second Half Itinerary

• Pattadakal is 12 km away and will take approximately 30 minutes to reach. Within the Pattadkal group of monuments, there are approximately ten temples. It will take approximately 2 hours to explore all of these.
• You can eat lunch at the small mess outside the Pattadkal temples because there are no food options near Aihole or on the way.
• Further proceed to Aihole, which is 13 km away. Durga temple is a well-known temple in the Aihole complex. There is also an archaeological museum and a few other temples within the complex, including Suryanarayana Gudi, Gaudara Gudi, Chakra Gudi, Chikkigudi, Ambigera Gudi, and Badigera Gudi. It will take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to visit all of the temples within the complex.
• You can then travel to Kudala Sangama, approximately 35 km from Aihole. The roads on this route are not very good in between, so it will take more than an hour to reach. Kudala Sangama is the meeting point of the Krishna and Malaprabha rivers. You can halt at Bagalkot after visiting Sangameshwara temple and Anubhava mantapa.

Day – 3 Itinerary

Circuit 3: Bagalkot – Almatti – Bagalkot

• After a busy day on Day 2, you can take it easy and start visiting from Bagalkot Museum around 10 am. This museum has life-sized models depicting early-day folk life essentially of North Karnataka. The museum opens at 10 am and takes about 2 hours to visit.
• After visiting the museum, you can travel 45 km to Almatti Dam by bus, which will take approximately 2 hours to reach. There, you can see the Lava Kusha garden, the Rock garden, and the Krishna gardens until the evening. Then enjoy the fantastic musical fountain and 3D show along Mughal and Rose gardens. Following the performance, you can either stay at Almatti or Bagalkot.

Day – 4 Itinerary

Circuit 4: Bagalkot/Almatti – Hospete – Tungabhadra dam – Hospete

• On Day 4, you can take a bus from Almatti to Hospet. It is approximately 144 km long and will take nearly 4 hours by bus. You can also take buses to Hospet if you stay in Bagalkot and it will take nearly 5 hours to reach.
• Pre-book a lodge near the bus station and relax till noon. After lunch, proceed to Tungabhadra Dam which is only 15 km from Hospet. Buses run every 30 min to the TB dam. You can also take advantage of shared and private auto to TB dam.
• Spend the afternoon at Tungabhadra Dam grounds exploring the gardens, mini zoo, play areas, and boating. In the evening, go to the crest gates and climb up to the Viewpoint near Vaikunta Guest House to watch the sunset and dam. When the dam gates are open, you can enjoy the stunning view of the colorful lighting on the water. Climb down by 7 pm to enjoy the musical fountain show, which will last 20 minutes. Following that, you can enjoy boating and other rides at the play area if you desire. Then return to your room and call it a day.

Day – 5 Itinerary

Circuit 5: Hospete – Hampi – Hospet – Bangalore

• You can allocate the entire fifth day to visit Hampi.
• Even though it is unlikely to visit all of Hampi in a single day, you can visit the monuments in the Hampi area. If you have another day, you can go to Kamalapur and the Anjanadri Hillside.
• Every 15 minutes, buses run from Hospet to Hampi, which is located 13 km away. It will take about 30 minutes to get to Hampi.
• In Hampi, you can begin by visiting the Virupaksha temple in the morning.
• Then hire an auto for a reasonable price of around 500-1000 rupees to cover all of the monuments. They will drop you at Virupaksha temple after covering all of the areas within the entrance area, Royal Enclosures, and Vitthala complex in 3 to 4 and a half hours. You can also climb down from Vitthala temple to Virupaksha temple and cover the remaining areas. Otherwise, you can eat lunch and rest near the Virupaksha temple. Then go exploring near the Tungabhadra River, climbing either Matanga or Hemakuta hills to watch the sunset.
• You can take the bus back to Hospet after sunset.
• Board the Hampi express train at 9 pm, and arrive in Bangalore by 6 am the following day.

Travel Tips to visit North Karnataka

• The above locations are best visited between August and January. It is preferable to visit the dam during the monsoon season when the dam gates are open. Moreover, the region becomes excessively hot during the summer months.
• If you have limited time, you can visit all of the above locations in four days by combining Day 2 to Day 4. In one day, you can visit Banashankari, Badami, Shivayogi Mandir, Mahakuta, Patadakal, Aihole, Kudala Sangama, and Almatti dam. The following day, you can travel from Bagalkot to the TB dam. Day 2 will be a bit hectic for this schedule, but you can complete them in a day if you start early.
• You can also modify the Day 3 itinerary by taking the 8.45 pm Bjp Ypr Exp train from Almatti to Hospet. You will arrive at Hospet by 1 am. In this way, you can avoid the next morning’s journey and spend the first half of the day in either Hampi or Bellary until the evening. Then you can visit TB dam in the evening.
• Certified guides are available in Golgumbaz, Bara Kaman, Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole, and Hampi.
• The majority of the sites have restrooms and drinking water facilities.
• Because the area is extremely hot, it is best to bring hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Also, if visiting during the monsoon season, don’t forget to bring rain ponchos or umbrellas.
• When visiting North Karnataka, you should try Jolada rotti meals and Girmit. They are tasty and reasonably priced.
• Vegetarian meals are available at all locations. In some areas, there are no large restaurants, but small canteens nearby serve good food, so you can try it there.
• Sunflower is a major crop in North Karnataka, so you will most certainly pass through sunflower fields. If you prefer, you can stop by and visit the fields.
• Check out our post on Belgaum and Gokak, which you can combine into your current trip to North Karnataka if you have an extra day.

You should certainly include a trip to North Karnataka on your bucket list to enjoy the diversification of nature as well as to appreciate the Hindu and Islamic architecture of the ancient period.