KARNATAKA
Itinerary
Tipu Sultan’s Summer palace : Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, also known as Dariya Daulat Bagh, meaning “wealth of the sea” has been captivating visitors since long. This palace, which used to be the summer retreat of Tipu Sultan, was often called as the ‘Abode of Happiness’ and ‘Envy of Heaven’ by the constructor himself. Built on a raised stone platform, with pillars of teak and artistic interiors, this palace is one of the most interesting places to see on a Mysore tour.It was Hyder Ali Khan who started constructing this palace in the year of 1778. However, the construction was completed by his son Tipu Sultan in the year of 1784 AD.
Timings : 10:00 am – 6:00 pm on all the weekdays, on Sundays 08:30 am – 5:30 pm
Entry fees : INR 15 per person for Indian Nationals, INR 200 for Foreign Nationals. Check into to the hotel. Freshen up and by 5.00 pm drive to Brindavan gardens to enjoy the sound and light show.
Brindavan Gardens : Brindavan Gardens of Mysore is undeniably one of the best terrace gardens in the world. It is located about 12km towards the north west of the Mysore city. Brindavan gardens with its illuminated fountains, botanical park, extensive varieties of plants. It was the idea of Sir Mirza Ismail, the then diwan of Mysore state to beautify the area around the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam (KRS Dam) which is located in situated in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district. This dam, named after Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, has been built over Cauvery River, which is one of the prominent rivers of South India. Brindavan Gardens have been designed by seeking inspiration from Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir, which have been created in the ancient Mughal style. Hence, it also radiates grandeur and beauty, comprising of a wide array of fountains, terraces, water channels, parterres, lawns and flowerbeds, etc.
Timings : Weekdays : 6:00 am – 8:00 pm & Weekend : 6:00 am – 9:00 pm
Illumination Timings :
From Jan to Sept : Weekdays – 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm & Weekends – 7:00 pm – 8:55 pm
From Oct to Dec : Weekdays - 7:00 pm – 8:55 pm & Weekends - 7:00 pm – 08.25 pm
Entry fees : INR 20 per person
Return to the hotel. Dinner & Overnight stay at Mysore.
(The itinerary changes as per your time, schedule and the hotel area which you stay in)
(Entry fees & activity cost to be paid directly wherever applicable).
Chamunda Hills : Beautiful view point and Situated on the top of Chamundi Hills, Sri Chamundeshwari Temple is another gem in Mysore’s crown. The way the temple is built and how it impeccably shows the fierce form of Goddess Durga is awe-inspiring.
Timings: 7:30 am - 9:00 pm all days
Entry Fees: NA
Mysore Zoo : From bears to jaguars, there is every animal you can spot at the famous Mysore Zoo. Visiting this place and exploring it to the fullest with your loved ones is undoubtedly amongst the top things to do in Mysore in a day. It’s right here, you can taste a little thrill in the city and calm the wildlife enthusiast in you. It is one of the best things to do in Mysore India.
Timings: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM every day except Tuesday
Entry Fees: INR 50 for adults and INR 20 for kids on weekdays, and INR 60 and INR 30 on weekends
Explore Rail Museum : Being the second of its kind, this rail museum is a place worth visiting. Be it the vintage locomotives exhibited outside, the photographs and paintings of the history of the railway, or the fun toy train ride, everything here would surely add more joy to your holiday experience.
Timings: 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Entry Fees: INR 20 for adults, INR 10 for kids, INR 10 for toy train ride, INR 20 for still camera, and INR 30 for video camera
Government Silk Weaving Factory : Apart from sandalwood and sweets, if there’s anything that a Shopaholic must take back home from Mysore, it is the finest silk sarees. While there are a lot of stores you can visit, the Government Silk Weaving Factory is the best place to buy every type of silk saree, that too at very reasonable prices. Mysore
Timings: 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM, and 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Location: Mananthody Road, Ashokapuram, Mysore, Karnataka
Mysore Palace : The present building of Mysore Palace was completed in 1912. Mysore Palace mesmerizes everyone with its magnificent architecture. Known as Indo-Saracenic, a beautiful blend of Hindu, Islamic, Rajput, and Gothic architectural style which the palace represents has been alluring watchers since time immemorial. Surrounded with an aesthetically designed vast garden, the palace is three storied building, built with stone and marble domes. It also has five-storied tower with a height of 145 feet. The most striking feature of the palace, its deep pink marble domes on top of grey granite three stories building, was designed by Henry Irwin. Its portico is designed with seven vast arches while the central arch is bordered by two smaller arches, surrounded by tall beautiful pillars.
Timings : 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Sound & light show Timings :
07.00 pm - 07.40 pm on weekdays (Monday to Saturday) except Sundays, National Holidays and State Festivals.
Illumination Timings :
07.00 pm - 07.45 pm on Sundays, National Holidays and State Festivals.
07.40 pm - 07.45 pm on Weekdays (Monday to Saturday) after the sound and light show.
Entry fees : INR 40 per person for Indian Nationals & INR 200 per perso for Foreign Nationals
Note: Entry from Varaha gate of the Mysore Palace
Facilities available at Mysore palace :
Free Wheel Chair Facility
Free Camera Custody Counter
Free Stand for Footwears
Drinking Water
Clean Toilets
Govt Approved Guides
Another attractive feature of the Mysore Maharaja Palace is the list of the special events that are organized here. The world famous and Mysore Dussera Festival is held at the Mysore Palace. During this extravagant festival of Mysore Dasara, stages are being set up in the palace ground where many famous artists perform. One the 10th day, when the festival of Dashami is celebrated, a parade with is highly ornamented elephants is conducted from the palace grounds. The festive fervor during this time at the palace and in Mysore is something that every traveler must experience at least once. It mostly occurs during the month of November or October.
During this festival, the Palace is lit with more than 96,000 lights for two months, which add an incomparable charm to the grand palace of Mysore.
Enroute either visit Bandipur National park : Bandipur National Park is located in Karnataka, South India. This park is famous for its wildlife riches. The park covers 874 square km, which covers many endangered species of animals and flora. Bandipur National Park along with Mudumalai National Park, Wayanad National Park and Nagarhole National Park forms the Nilgiri biosphere reserve. This reserve is the largest protected area in South India and the region with highest number of wild elephants in South Asia.
The park is located on the Mysore – Ooty highways. This keeps the park on the route that is covered by numerous tourists, every year. The park has considerable amount of tigers and elephants. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu control this park together. The Tamil Nadu side of the park is called as Mudhumalai reserve. Bandipur national park is recommended for the recognition as a heritage site.
Bus Safari : 6:30 am and 9:00 am & 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Approx INR 100 per person + entry fee INR 250 per person
Elephant safari : 10 am and 11 am.
Jeep safari : 6:00 am to 9:00am & from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Approx. INR 3000 per jeep (min. 6 pax ) + entry fee INR 250 per person
(The safari timings and duration changes with season, weather conditions, crowd and availability of vehicles.)
On arrival in Ooty check into the hotel. Dinner & Overnight stay at Mysore. Ooty
(The itinerary changes as per your time, schedule and the hotel area which you stay in)
(Entry fees & activity cost to be paid directly wherever applicable )
Botanical garden : The Government Botanical Garden in Ooty is a massive garden spread across 55 hectares and the various flowers here are a delight to the eyes. It has over 650 species of flowers and trees.
Government museum : This museum was built around the year 1989 to maintain and promote the culture of Ooty. Housing some of the best collections of culture, history, tribes, tribal objects and sculptures, there are a lot of remains which reflect the nature and ecology of Udhagamandalam. This museum has preserved the historical art, craft and sculpture which are worth witnessing. Alongside that, this museum is known for preserving the important things which were associated with the Todas which is one of the existing tribes of the region. Famous For: Exploring the culture and history of Ooty
World Wax Musuem : The Wax World Museum in Ooty is located at the 130 year old Colonial Mansion, close to the Ooty Lake. The wax museum houses a number of look-alike wax statues of personalities from Indian history. If you are wondering what to do in Ooty with kids, the wax museum will never let your expectations down. (9.00 AM to 8.00 PM)
Thread Garden : Artificial garden featuring flowers, plants & lawns crafted from thread, canvas & wire.
Dodabetta Peak : Doddabetta is the highest peak in the Nilgiris at an altitude of 8606 feet. The Doddabetta peak offers a beautiful panoramic view of the region and has a Telescope House to let travelers catch fascinating views of the surrounding Nilgiri area. (8:30 AM to 6:30 PM), if time permits visit honey and bee museum.
In the evening visit Ooty lake to enjoy boating, horse riding, cycling, mini train ride etc. (activities at additional cost).
Evening return to the hotel. Dinner & Overnight stay at Ooty.
(The itinerary changes as per your time, schedule and the hotel area which you stay in)
(Entry fees & activity cost to be paid directly wherever applicable )
Option 1 : Enjoy the scenic Nilgiri Mountain Railway from Ooty to Coonoor (see details and time table of train below) and visit Lamb’s Rock and Dolphin nose.
Or
Option 2 : Day trip to Pykara lake (vehicle cost extra) : Pykara is a village and is known for the Pykara Waterfall and the Pykara lake. One can enjoy the speedboat rides available at the lake, take a walk amid the pine trees, have a picnic with family, among the best things to do in Ooty in June! It is situated about 21 kms from Ooty, on the Ooty-Mysore Road. The tourist attraction are well protected fenced sholas,Toda settlements, undisturbed grassy meadows and also a good wildlife habitat.The Pykara Dam,Pykara falls and the reservoir attracts many tourists.There is a forest Rest House at Pykara. a boat House with Restaurant is available.
Famous For: Speedboat rides
Timings: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Average cost: INR 100 per person
And Mudumalai National Park (vehicle cost extra) : The Mudumalai National Park, one of the first forest ranges to be declared as a National Park is located in the Nilgiri district in the border of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The park is located in the Ooty-Mysore route and can be entered from both Ooty and Mysore. The National park was recently declared a Tiger Reserve with a population of about 50 tigers.
Jungle Safari : for 01 hour ride
Bus safari : 7 AM and 10 AM and evening 3 PM to 6 PM. Cost INR 350 p.p.
Jeep safari : INR 4200 per trip for 4 people
(The tickets can be purchased from the reception at Theppakadu.)
Elephant safari : for 30 mins ride(7 AM to 8 AM and from 4 PM to 5 PM. )
Cost : INR 1200 per person
(The booking is made at the reception )
Evening free for shopping, Dinner & overnight stay at Ooty.
(The itinerary changes as per your time, schedule and the hotel area which you stay in)
(Entry fees & activity cost to be paid directly wherever applicable )
HAL Aerospace Museum : Exploring the HAL Aerospace Museum is one of the best activities to do in Bangalore. Considered to be one of the best aero-engineering museums in the country, it houses amazing exhibits like a pilotless target aircraft (Lakshya), ejection seats with parachutes, ATC surveillance radars, etc.
Don’t miss to see the sustainability park with working models of windmills, biogas plants, and solar-powered systems.
Enjoy a delicious meal at the open-air dining space after the museum tour (meal cost not included)
Timings : 9:00 am-5:00 pm all days
Entry fee : INR 50 per person
Banglore Palace : visit the majestic Bangalore Palace, spread over an area of 45,000 acres! The architecture has influences from Indian, Scottish, and Gothic styles and features beautiful Roman arches, pillars, and vine-covered walls.
One should not miss to see the 35 rooms inside and their carved walls, fountains, stained glass windows, huge chandeliers, and paintings by artists like Raja Ravi Varma. One of the best attractions inside is the mother of pearl-studded dining table belonging to the Diwan of Mysore.
Timings: 10:00 am to 5:30 pm all days
Entry fee : INR. 230 for Indian Nationals & INR 460 for Foreign Nationals Return to the hotel. Dinner & Overnight stay at Banglore.
Vidhan Soudha : This grand building, a very popular tourist attraction, is referred to as the ‘Taj Mahal of South India’ for its grandeur and pristine white architecture. This is the largest legislative building in India.
The design of the building has Dravidian, Rajasthani, South Indian, and Indo-Saracen influences and has beautifully carved granite pillars, walls, and domes. While antiques and rare paintings adorn the inside of Vidhana Soudha, the exteriors are dotted with lush gardens, fountains, and flowers.
Timings: 10:00 am- 5:30 pm – Weekdays (Closed on weekends and holidays)
No entry fee
Iskcon Temple : The temple’s architecture is amazing including a gold-plated flag post, stone carvings, fountains, waterfalls, arches, flowering gardens, and a huge amphitheatre. Don’t miss to see the Vedic museum and the exhibitions here. There are songs, recitals, prayer sessions, and lectures held regularly.
Timings: 7:15 am-1:00 pm & 4:15 pm- 8:30 pm all days
No entry fee
Later drop at Bangalore airport/Railway station to have your connecting flight/train for your home town with the wonderful memories of Karnataka
