Hill Stations
Popular Hill Stations in Karnataka
Nandi Hills:
60 kms north of capital city Bangalore is the summer resort called Nandi Hills. Also known as Nandidurga, it was one of the summer retreats of Tipu Sultan. Nandi Hills was popular with the British too who built bungalows and laid out gardens here.
Kermana Gundi :
In the Tarikere Taluk of Chikmaglur District is a picturesque hamlet - Kemmanugundi, also called K.R.Hills, after the Wodeyar king Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, who made it his favourite summer camp.
Biligiri Hills:
120 kms from Mysore and 247 kms from Bangalore, the Biligirirangana range of hills is picturesquely situated between the Cauvery and the Tungabhadra rivers.
Kudremukh:
The Horse-Face Hill Station 95 kms south-west of Chikmaglur town is the Kudremukh (Horse Face) range, so named because of the unique shape of the Kudremukh Peak. more...
Some of famous Hill Statios of Karnataka
Chikmagulur Kudremukh
Madikeri Coorg

Beaches
Beaches in Karnataka
Karnataka has a 320-km long coastline, arrayed with famous beaches, that invites those wants a break from the chafing grind of urban life.
Karwar Karwar is situated just 100 km from Goa is a perfect holiday with gentle waves, palm-laced beaches, silver sand, and calm, peaceful alleys. A voyage through Goa makes a good starting point of discovering the thrills of the sea, sand and sun.
Murudeshwar Beach Located 16 km from Bhatkal, Murudeshwar beach another famous beach of Karnataka is believed to have been sanctified by Pranalinga of Mahabaleshwara thrown by Ravana. It is a popular picnic spot, having beautiful blue waters of the sea and the majestic mountains.
Kurumgad Kurumgad -a tortoise-shaped island is situated at a distance of 4 km from the mainland. The beach is famous for the hilltop Narasimha Temple where thousands of devotees throng the temple during the annual jatra held on Pushya Purnima every year in early January.
Malpe About 6 km from Udupi is Malpe, Malpe is a perfect hangout zone with its virgin beach. more...
Some of famous Beaches of Karnataka
Kabini malpe
Mangalore Byndoor
Gorkana

Culture & Heritages
In India, Karnataka is well-known for it's rich culture and arts. The ancient city of Vijayanagar(now called the Hampi ruins)in the Bellary district (close to Hospet), is a good example.
This city was as big as the city of Rome. Mysore, also is a cool city with many palaces.
The fantastic palaces here, reflect the rich cultural and art pieces of ancient times.
The support to arts and crafts given by the Wodeyars (rulers of Mysore ) during their reign can be seen here. Bidar is another city situated in the north of Karnataka, famous for handicraft products. Tourists get attracted to these products which are called Bidari handicraft products. Bidar was prosperous during the period of 11th to 16th century.
The magnificient structure of the great Mahmud Gawan Arabic University is reminiscent of the rich architecture of the Bahmani sultan era.
The Bidar fort situated very close to the city is one of the biggest forts in India. more...
Famous Heritages of Karnataka
Hampi
Hassan
Hubli

Piligrimages

Cave Temple : Badami town is best known for its beautiful cave temple, cut into the cliff face of a red sandstone hill. They display the full range of religious sects which have developed in India. Two of them are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple. There's also one natural cave which is a Buddhist temple.
ISKCON Temple : The ISKCON Temple was built recently by the International Society for Krishan Consciousness. As you climb the granite steps you will encounter three small shrines before the main temple. The three idols of Lord Krishna in the main shrine are made of brass.
Durgah Of Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Shah Suharawardi : Situated in the heart of Cottonpet this Muslim saint's shrine has been associated with the Hindu festival of 'Kangra'. The famous Kangra procession, while passing through the city, visits the 'Durgah' of the sufi saint Tawakkal Mastan whose tomb attracts thousands of both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Gangadhareswara Cave Temple Built by Kempe Gowda, this temple with four remarkable monolithic pillars, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. more...
Some of famous Piligrimages of Karnataka
Murdeshwara Mangalore
Thirthahalli Badami

Adventure & Wildlife

The state of Karnataka located in South India has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It has a recorded forest area of 38720 kms square which constitutes 20.19% of the total geographical area of the state.
These forests support 25% of the elephant population and 15% of the tiger population of India. Many regions of Karnataka are as yet unexplored and new species of flora and fauna are found periodically.
The mountains of Western Ghats which are in the western region of Karnataka are a biodiversity hotspot. Two sub-clusters of these Western Ghats viz.
Talacauvery and Kudremukh which are located in Karnataka are in the tentative list of sites that could be designated as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks which fall outside these subclusters were included in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve in 1986, a UNESCO designation. The state bird and state animal of Karnataka are Indian Roller and the Indian Elephant respectively.
The state tree and state flower are Sandalwood (Santalum album) and lotus respectively. more...
Adventures places in Karnataka
Nagarhole Sakleshpur
Bandipur Dandeli

Homestays
The concept of home stays is gaining ground in many regions of Karnataka. There are around 800 Home Stays in Coorg alone and more and more people are opening their doors for domestic as well as foreign tourists. As such Home Stays is fast emerging as an industry in many of the popular tourist destinations. Home Stays are a welcome relief for those looking for a blend of low budget accommodation and basic amenities. Apart from the cozy ambience of a family environment,
Home Stays are a good option from the security aspect, particularly for females traveling alone. While staying with a family, one gets to experience the local culture first hand besides gaining valuable information regarding local transportation and timings of museums and other government offices. As Home Stays have great potential in improving the condition of local economies, efforts are on to replicate the Home Stay culture of Coorg in Chikmagalur and in the Western Ghats where accommodation remained a problem. Home Stays must not be allowed to degenerate into purely a commercial proposition, especially as lack of accommodation and increasing popularity of Asia as a popular tourist destination could put pressure on the segment. more...
Homestays in Karnataka
Chikmagulur Homestays
Coorg Homestays