Start with the hills: Mullayanagiri, Karnataka's highest peak, Seethalayanagiri, the Baba Budangiri shrine and Manikyadhara Falls in the morning, then Hirekolale Lake, about 84 km by cab. A second day goes south to the Hoysala temples of Belur and Halebidu, and a third north to Kemmangundi and Z Point. The hill road needs an online vehicle pass, with a morning slot from 06:00 to 12:00.
Each plan is a real route by cab, timed against opening hours.
Mullayanagiri, Baba Budangiri and Hirekolale
5 places · 84 km by cab
See the plan →Mullayanagiri, Baba Budangiri and Hirekolale · Belur, Halebidu and Belavadi
8 places · 174 km by cab
See the plan →Mullayanagiri, Baba Budangiri and Hirekolale · Belur, Halebidu and Belavadi · Kemmangundi, Kalhattigiri Falls and Ayyanakere
11 places · 306 km by cab
See the plan →Call or message a local Chikmagalur operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
We are still listing Chikmagalur operators. Write to [email protected] and we will put you in touch.
With the best time to go and how long to stay.
| Place | Open | Best time | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mullayanagiri | Vehicle passes for the hill road in two slots, 06:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 18:00; book online for your cab's number before you go. The road closes on red-alert days and festival days | Early morning, before the clouds come up the valley. | 2 h |
| Seethalayanagiri | On the same pass road as Mullayanagiri: 06:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 18:00. No published temple hours? | On the way down from Mullayanagiri. | 30 min |
| Baba Budangiri (Dattatreya Peetha) | About 06:00 to 18:00 (listings differ: some say 08:00 to 17:00). The road needs the same online vehicle pass as Mullayanagiri, in the 06:00 to 12:00 or 13:00 to 18:00 slot? | Mid-morning, after Mullayanagiri. | 45 min |
| Manikyadhara Falls | Daylight, about 06:00 to 17:00, on the same pass road as Baba Budangiri; small entry fee at some times? | Late morning, after Baba Budangiri. | 45 min |
| Hirekolale Lake | Open in daylight, about 06:00 to 18:00 (one listing says 17:00); free | Any time; it is quietest on weekdays. | 45 min |
| Chennakeshava Temple, Belur | 07:30 to 19:30 every day; free. The inner shrine may close for about an hour after 13:00 | In the morning, when the light is soft on the carvings. | 2 h |
| Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu | About 06:30 to 18:00 (listings go to 18:30); free for Indian visitors. The ASI museum next door is open 09:00 to 17:00; one listing says it closes on Fridays | Late morning, after Belur. | 2 h |
| Veera Narayana Temple, Belavadi | Usually open in daylight, about 08:00 to 18:00; no published hours? | Afternoon, on the way back from Halebidu. | 45 min |
| Kemmangundi and Z Point | The forest ticket for the Z Point walk is sold 07:00 to 16:00 (Bhadra Tiger Reserve); the Raj Bhavan gardens are open about 09:30 to 17:00 | Morning, before the afternoon mist. | 3 h |
| Kalhattigiri Falls | About 07:00 to 18:00; free? | Around midday, on the way down from Kemmangundi. | 45 min |
The highest peak in Karnataka, at about 1,930 m. From the car park a flight of about 500 steps climbs to a small Shiva temple on the top, with views over the Western Ghats, the coffee estates and, on a clear day, the plains to the east.
In the 1-day planA small mutt and Shiva temple on a ridge about 2 km below Mullayanagiri, on the same road. It is a quiet stop with a wide view of the hills, and a common place to wait out the fog.
In the 1-day plan
A cave shrine in the Baba Budan hills, holy to both Hindus, as the seat of Dattatreya, and Muslims, as the shrine of the Sufi saint Baba Budan. The story goes that Baba Budan brought seven coffee beans from Yemen in the 1600s and planted them here, the start of coffee in India.
In the 1-day plan
A thin waterfall that drops off a rock face like a curtain, about 3 km past the Baba Budangiri shrine. Pilgrims stand under it, and the hillside round it is open grassland with long views.
In the 1-day plan
A reservoir about 10 km from town that supplies Chikkamagaluru with water, with Mullayanagiri and the Baba Budan hills standing behind it. It is a calm place to sit after the hill road, with a path along the bund.
In the 1-day plan
A Hoysala temple begun in 1117 for King Vishnuvardhana, now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The outer walls are covered in carved elephants, dancers and gods, and the brackets under the roof hold the famous madanikas, carved women in dance poses. Inside, the lathe-turned pillars shine like metal.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
The twin-shrined Shiva temple of the Hoysala capital, Dwarasamudra, from the 1100s, and part of the same UNESCO site as Belur. Its outer walls carry bands of carved elephants, lions, horsemen and scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Two big Nandi bulls face the shrines, and the ASI museum and two Jain basadis are a short walk away.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A Hoysala temple from about 1200 with three shrines, to Narayana, Venugopala and Yoga Narasimha, joined by a long pillared hall. It is far quieter than Belur and Halebidu, and the carved ceilings and the figures in the side shrines are as fine.
Day 2 of the 2-day plan
A hill station built as the summer retreat of the Mysore kings, at about 1,430 m. The Raj Bhavan has terraced gardens, and a forest path of about 45 minutes leads from it to Z Point, a ridge with views down to the plains and the Shola forest.
Day 3 of the 3-day planA waterfall that drops in steps beside the old Veerabhadra temple, which sits right at the foot of the falls. It is about 10 km below Kemmangundi on the Tarikere side.
Day 3 of the 3-day plan
An old irrigation lake near Sakharayapatna, with the Shakunagiri hill rising over it. The long stone bund is a good walk, with a small temple at one end.
Day 3 of the 3-day planThe Coffee Board's small museum on the Kadur road tells the story of coffee in India, from Baba Budan's seven beans to how the beans are grown, picked, cured and roasted today.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.An old temple in Hiremagaluru, 3 km from the town centre, with a Hoysala-style shrine and a later Dravidian tower. Rama is shown here with his bow, as at his wedding, and Sita stands on his right, which is unusual.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
Also called Buttermilk Falls: a waterfall in a coffee estate below the Attigundi road, with a pool at its foot.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A 168 m waterfall in two drops in the forest below Kemmangundi, reached by a rough jeep track and a short walk.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
The Muthodi side of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, about 31 km from town, with forest safaris for gaur, elephants, deer and birds, and sometimes a tiger.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.
A dam on the Yagachi river about 3 km from Belur, with a reservoir that hosts water sports run by Karnataka's adventure body.
Not in our plans. Add it if you have time.Two days for the main sights: one for the hills (Mullayanagiri, Baba Budangiri, Manikyadhara Falls, Hirekolale Lake) and one for the temples of Belur and Halebidu. A third day adds Kemmangundi and Z Point.
Yes. Since September 2025 every vehicle on the road to Mullayanagiri, Seethalayanagiri and Baba Budangiri needs an online pass, booked through the district tourism page for the vehicle's number. There are two slots, 06:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 18:00, with a cap on vehicles in each. Your cab needs a pass under its own number, so ask the driver to book it or send you the details. Big buses are not allowed. The rules change, so check before you go.
On red-alert rain days, when the district may close it for days at a time, and for several days round Datta Jayanti in December, when the Baba Budangiri shrine draws large crowds. Check local news the day before.
October to March, when the hills are green and the views clear. The coffee is in flower in March and April, and the falls are biggest from July to October, when rain can close roads.
No. Cars stop at the turn for Jhari Falls and local 4x4 jeeps go the last 5 km. Hebbe Falls is reached only by the forest department jeep from Kemmangundi. Both are on this page but not in the day plans.
Yes, at Muthodi in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, about 31 km from town. Safaris start at 06:00 and 08:00 or 14:30 and 16:30 and are booked on the reserve's ticket site. They are usually stopped in the monsoon.
Yes. Many estates and homestays round town run plantation walks; ask where you stay. The Coffee Board's Coffee Museum in town is open on weekdays.
