itinerary advice please! 1 month in Karnataka/Kerala
Replies: 10 - Last Post: Oct 15, 2012 8:08 PM Last Post By: fishtails04
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itinerary advice please! 1 month in Karnataka/Kerala
I'd really appreciate some advice on an itinerary for a month flying into Bangalore and out of Kochi in December. I'm not used to having a limited timescale and having to have an itinerary, rather than wandering at will, so I'm finding the time-estimation hard! Also can't find transport details for a couple of sections:Day 1 - arrive Bangalore pm and leave on 10.30pm train to Hospet ( not ideal to leave on same day but time is short and I don't need to see Bangalore)
Day 2,3,4,5 - Hampi & o/n sleeper back to Bangalore
(I had originally planned to head from Hampi - Goa - Gokarna - Mysore but time is too limited)
Days 6 - Bangalore - Mysore (bus/train 2-3 hrs))
Day 7 - Mysore
Day 8 - Mysore - Madikeri (bus 3 hrs)
Day 9 - Madikeri
Day 10- Madikeri to Kannur ( can't find out much about transport for this? I read there is a bus but have no idea how long or what time - any ideas?)
Day 11 - Kannur & Parassinikadavu
Day 12 - Thalasery/Telicherry or an extra day in Kannur
Day 13 - bus to Kozhikode -(2 1/2 hrs from Kannur, less from Talassery)
Day 14- Kozhikode & o/n train to Trivandrum (9-10 hrs)
Day 15 - meet a friend who arrives to join me for the second 2 weeks-
Day16 - trip to Kanyakumari
Day 17 - to Varkala
Day 18,19 Varkala
Day 20 -to Kollam (& trip to Amma's ashram?)
Day 21 Kollam to Allapuzha via Mannarsala Nagaraja Temple
Day 22, 23 - Allapuzha and a couple of day canoe trips
Day 24 - to Kochi and onto Munnar
Day 25, 26Munnar are for a couple of days walking
Day 27, 28 - Kochi
Day 29 - friend returns to Trivandrum for flight next day
Day 30 -Fly out of Kochi
Any suggestions? The second half is a bit looser at present, but i need to get the first part organnised so I make sure I am in Trivandrum on time to meet my mate!
Thanks for any input...
Lisa
2
I know I am, and it doesn't come naturally! Spent a few months in the north of India and am very well aware of how little things go to plan! But also know that attempting it may just get me to Trivandrum on time to meet my mate when she arrives, while no plan at all will pretty much mean I don't maximise my time and miss my friend when she gets in!3
not sure when you are planning your trip, the winter season is very crowded towards kerala, specifically the pilgrimage of sabarimala.That being said, please try this site, kerala road transport service.
http://210.212.239.117:8080/KsrtcOnlineR/
You could also check karnataka road transport service buses...
http://www.ksrtc.in/
maybe you can find some bus to nearest towns and then manage. Can never say what happens in border areas here..for example, travelling on a tight schedule between tamilnadu and karnataka is a risky proposition.
Allow for adequate margins..
happy trails
4
Thanks for the links, will have a good look at those. I know transport can often be haphazard, but getting an idea of journey lengths will at least help me know how much time to allow and if overnighters are possible. I'll be there in December, and I imagine it will be pretty busy. I miss my years of travelling with no deadlines, it allows for far more spontaneity! Thanks again.5
Hi,Kindly see some good additions.
Day 10- Madikeri to Kannur.
Evening spent time at
a) Light house point, near guest house, where u can see sunset.
b) Either stay in any home stays near payyambalam beach (2Kms away from light house) OR guest house or any hotels ( Mascot beach resort- 3 star, Blue nile - 4 star city hotel). Or private beach houses.
Day 11 - Visit
a) Parasinnikadavu - Its a lake side temple 18 kms away from kannur town towards north. You will get plenty of private buses from new private bustand ( 40 mnst journey).
b) Kannur Fort (Must watch).
c) Arakkal Palace ( small palace which is now a museum).
Have some good sea food from palmgrove restaurant.
Day 12 - Thalasery/Telicherry or an extra day in Kannur.
If you are planning Thalassery- Visit Drive in beach between Thalasseri and Kannur (Take a Cab).
OR else you can visit BEKKAL FORT, which is 86KMS towards north of Kannur. You can get trains to KANGHANGAD railway station and then take a private vehicle (14KMS from station). Some local trains stop at BEKKAL railway station too.
Day 13 - bus to Kozhikode -(2 1/2 hrs from Kannur, less from Talassery)
Day 14- Kozhikode & o/n train to Trivandrum (9-10 hrs)
Day 15 - meet a friend who arrives to join me for the second 2 weeks-
Day16 - trip to Kanyakumari. ++Trip to Kanyakumari will take 3 hrs one side. Heavy traffic, which may make you tierd. So best option is to stay at Kanyakumari so that you can see the sunset as well as sun rise next day.++
Day 17 - to Varkala
Day 18,19 Varkala
Day 20 -to Kollam (& trip to Amma's ashram?)
Day 21 Kollam to Allapuzha via Mannarsala Nagaraja Temple
Day 22, 23 - Allapuzha and a couple of day canoe trips
Day 24 - to Kochi and onto Munnar.
From Kochi to Munnar it takes around 4 hrs in a bus 136 Kms.
First bus starts at 6.00AM from ERNAKULAM Bus depot (Kochi).
Must see at Munnar are
a) Eravikulam national park (Rajamalai).
b) Mattupetty lake and dam.
You can also hire a an exclusive cab from Kochi to Munnar for 3 days, which will costs around INR 5000 total.
Day 25, 26Munnar are for a couple of days walking
Day 27, 28 - Kochi
Day 29 - friend returns to Trivandrum for flight next day
Day 30 -Fly out of Kochi.
6
Some parts of my 2010 route overlap with your plan - you can have a look at my trip report on http://meczko.wordpress.com/ for some practical details.7
Keralaexpert, thanks for your additional suggestions, and Meczko thanks for the link! Had a look at your site and you have some really useful, basic, practical info on there which is great. I will be referring to it in future, too... will be visiting Taiwan in the next year and you have some good suggestions re hikes. Thankyou!8
On certain days the train from Hospet to Bangalore has a link train to Mysore and you could think of taking this Once a week there is new train Sainagar Shirdi Mysore weekly Exp. This will help you avoid staying at Bangalore.In Coorg consider staying at a coffee plantation or the JLR Dubare Elephant camp, rather than Madikere.
9
Hi premsubramaniam, thanks for the train info. I would love to stay at a plantation and not in Madikeri itself - do you have any recommendations/ know if it's possible to book in advance? It would be great to have some idea before I get there. Thanks.
