Chikmagalur Tour & Travel Guide

The Aboriginal Land of Coffee, Hills, Waterfalls & more…

The Coffee Land at Karnataka, Chikmagalur is much more than a beautiful hill station, which has attracted holidayers of all types. Be it family holidayers or trekkers & hikers, be it honeymoon couples or explorers and nature lovers, every type of travelers enjoys this place. Interestingly, tourists are not seasonal here, the place is an all-weather destination. The name Chikmagalur is a combination of two Kannada words, ‘Chikkamagalu’ & ‘uru’ meaning ‘Younger Daughter’ & ‘Town’, respectively; hence it means 'The Town of the Younger Daughter'. It is believed that the legendary chief of Sakrepatna, Rukmangada had given this town as a wedding gift to his daughter and ever since then, the same is Chikmagalur.

Chikmagalur is very popular tourist destination down in south and has a number of tourist spots, which attracts tourists all through the year. This picturesque place is often explained as a paradise for relaxation, which has been beautifully decorated by nature with low flatlands to the lofty hills of Western Ghats and with waterfalls & lush green vegetation. Some most visited hills here are, Kemmangundi - a picturesque hill surrounded by dense forests is a mesmerizing picnic point at around 55 km from Chikmagalur town on the Baba Budan Giri range of mountain; Mullayanagiri –16 km from Chikmagalur town, this 1930 meters hill is said to be the tallest peak in Karnataka state. On your way, visit Sitalayanagiri Shiva Tempe. The road to Mullayanagiri is narrow with steep cliffs from mid-way, making driving not possible. The place is any trekker’s delight to trek up the hill. Other scenic hills and viewpoints here are Kudremukh, and Baba Budangiri hill, where the first ever coffee plantation in India took place when Baba Budan planted seven seeds of coffee that he had secretively bought from middle east way back in 16th Century .

Other attractions in Chikmagalur are its cascading waterfalls and temples, and some must see are Manikyadhara Falls, Kallathigiri Falls with ancient Veerabhadra temple, Hanumana Gundi Falls, Sirimane Falls and Kadambi Falls.

Sringeri is a popular temple town here around 90 km from Chikmagalur. Situated on the banks of Tunga, Sharadamba and Vidya Shankara temples here, are popular. Vidya Shankara shrine, has 12 zodiac pillars that are constructed in such a manner that sunrays fall on the zodiac pillar of the month. 100 km of Chikmagalur is Horanadu, a small town with an ancient Annapoorneshwari Temple, also called as Adi-Shaktyatmaka Shri Annapoorneshwari. Kalasa at 92 km Chikmagalur is on the banks of Bhadra river has the revered Lord Kalaseshawara Temple. Other must see religious places here include Madhawacharya bande, Shakatapuram, Guru Dattatreya Bababudanswamy Darga, Amrithapura Amritheshwara temple of 1196 A.D., Belavadi’s ornate temple of Veeranarayana and temple of Udbhava Ganapathi, Simhanagadde Jwalamalini Temple and the Shrimad Jagadguru Rambhapuri Veerasimhasana Mahasamstana Peeta (matha) and the Veerabhadra Temple at Balehonnur.

Wildlife at Chikmagalur is another prime attraction that invites wildlife enthusiast from far & near. 38 km north-west of Chikmagalur town is the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary surrounded by Mullayanagiri, Hebbe Giri, Gange Giri and Baba Budan Giri mountains. The tributaries of river Bhadra meanders through this sanctuary as a life line for the various wildlife here. One can sight Porcupines, Gaur, Leopard, Sambar, Chital (spotted deer), Wild Boars, Elephants, and Tiger, here. Birds such as Peacock, Parrot, Partridge, Pigeon, Munia and Bee eaters are common. People have also seen King Cobras and Indian Rock Pythons here. The largest declared Wildlife Protected Area of a tropical wet evergreen type of forest in the Western Ghats, the Kudremukh National Park is also here. This place is one of world’s twenty-five hot spots for bio-diversity conservation. The Kudremukh National Park is a marked under Global Tiger Conservation Priority-I.

This all in one Hill station in Karnataka will surely fill your holiday with required amount of relaxation and action, all in one place.