Karnataka & Hyderabad Highlights — Self-Launched

Arrive at Kempegowda International Airport and take the Vayu Vajra airport bus (KIA-9/BMTC, ~£2) or the Namma Metro airport line into the city; base yourself in a hostel in Indiranagar or MG Road (~£10-14/night dorm, £20-25 private). Afternoon sightseeing is easy on foot, tuk-tuk and metro: start at Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens (free, ₹30-ish glasshouse), walk to the 16th-century Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, then tuk-tuk past the floodlit Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park at dusk. Dinner at a local thali place in Basavanagudi or a dosa spot in VV Puram's food street (~£3-4).

🚌Vayu Vajra airport bus ~£2; metro and tuk-tuks ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Indiranagar/MG Road (~£12)

• →Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens (free/₹30)
• →Bull Temple, Basavanagudi
• →Vidhana Soudha exterior & Cubbon Park
• →VV Puram food street dinner

Take an early KSRTC Airavat Volvo bus from Majestic (or the Shatabdi-style train) to Mysore, ~3 hours, £4-6. Break the journey at Srirangapatna (stop or short local bus) to see Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, the Srirangapatna Fort and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. Then a local bus or tuk-tuk to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (entry ~£1.50, boat ride ~£3) for the crocodile-and-stork boat loop. Check into a guesthouse in Mysore's Agrahara or Gokulam area (~£12-16), see the sandalwood/flower market and handicraft stalls near Sayyaji Rao Road, then join the evening Brindavan Gardens trip (KSRTC city bus ~£1, musical fountain show free, timed for dusk).

🚌KSRTC Volvo Bangalore–Mysore ~£5; local buses & tuk-tuks ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Mysore, Agrahara or Gokulam (~£14)

• →Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace
• →Srirangapatna Fort & Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple
• →Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary boat ride
• →Mysore sandalwood & flower market
• →Brindavan Gardens musical fountain

Get to Mysore Palace (entry ~£8) at opening, 10am, before the crowds — allow 1.5 hours for the durbar hall and armoury. Local bus #201 or a shared auto up Chamundi Hills to the Chamundi Temple, with views over the city. Afternoon at the Jagmohan Palace art gallery (Rajendra art collection, ~£1) and Devaraja Market. Book your onward bus to Nagarhole/Kabini at the KSRTC counter today. Coffee and sweets at a Gokulam café (~£3), dinner at Hotel RRR for Mysore-style biryani (~£3).

🚌City buses and shared autos ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Mysore (~£14)

• →Mysore Palace guided audio tour (£8)
• →Chamundi Hills & Chamundeshwari Temple
• →Jagmohan Palace art gallery
• →Devaraja Market

KSRTC bus Mysore to H D Kote or Antharasanthe, then a shared jeep/tuk-tuk to your Kabini riverside guesthouse or eco-lodge (~£18-25/night; book 4-6 weeks ahead — limited stock). Afternoon Kabini River boat safari booked direct with Jungle Lodges & Resorts or a local boat operator (~£20-25pp, 3-4pm slot) — great for elephants, gaur, sambar and countless birds. Dinner at the guesthouse (included-style thali, ~£4-5).

🚌KSRTC bus Mysore–H D Kote ~£2; shared jeep to Kabini ~£4

🛏Kabini riverside guesthouse or eco-lodge (~£22)

• →Kabini River boat safari (£22)

Book a 6am jeep safari into Nagarhole National Park direct with the Forest Department or your lodge (~£30pp shared jeep, permits included — book weeks in advance, slots are limited). Rest midday, then a coracle (round bamboo boat) ride on the Kabini in the afternoon (~£5). Birding walk along the river at dusk. Note: elephant rides are no longer offered in most Karnataka parks for welfare reasons — swap it for a second boat/coracle session.

🚌Lodge jeep transfers ~£3

🛏Kabini riverside guesthouse (~£22)

• →Nagarhole dawn jeep safari (£30)
• →Coracle ride on Kabini (£5)

Early morning safari or a relaxed birding walk, then catch the morning bus back to H D Kote and on to Kushalnagar/Madikeri (~4 hours, £3). Settle into a homestay on a coffee estate outside Madikeri — Coorg homestays are the highlight here (~£18-25 with breakfast, book direct via Airbnb or homestay aggregators). Afternoon: walk the estate, taste local Coorg coffee and honey, and plan the next day's route with your host.

🚌KSRTC local buses Nagarhole–Madikeri ~£4

🛏Coorg coffee-estate homestay, Madikeri (~£20 incl. breakfast)

• →Coffee estate walk & tasting
• →Village walk in Coorg

Hire a scooter (~£8/day) or take a shared taxi (~£25 for the day, split 3-4 ways) to cover the loop: Talakaveri (source of the Kaveri, up in the Brahmagiri hills, ~1.5hrs), Bhagamandala temple confluence, then back to Madikeri for Raja's Seat viewpoint, Omkareshwar Temple, Raja's Tomb and Abbey Falls (entry ~£1). Toasties and Coorg pork curry for dinner in town (~£4).

🚌Scooter hire ~£8 + fuel ~£2, or shared taxi split ~£7

🛏Coorg coffee-estate homestay (~£20)

• →Talakaveri temple & Kaveri source
• →Bhagamandala
• →Raja's Seat viewpoint
• →Omkareshwar Temple & Raja's Tomb
• →Abbey Falls

Bus towards Kushalnagar and stop at Dubare Elephant Camp (arrive for the 9am forest-department elephant interaction/feeding, ~£6 — no rides), Nisargadhama island (bamboo walkways, deer park, ~£3) and the nearby Namdroling Tibetan Monastery at Bylakuppe (free, gold-and-colour prayer halls, worth 1-2 hours). Continue by bus to Chikmagalur (~2hrs, £2). Base in a homestay at the edge of town or in the coffee hills (~£18-22).

🚌Buses Kushalnagar–Chikmagalur ~£3; local hops ~£2

🛏Chikmagalur homestay (~£20)

• →Dubare Elephant Camp elephant interaction (£6)
• →Nisargadhama island (£3)
• →Namdroling Monastery, Bylakuppe (free)

This is the big transfer: morning bus to Shivamogga or Davangere, then a connecting KSRTC bus to Hospet (~7-8 hours total, £6-8). Alternatively, take a bus to Hubballi and the overnight train to Hospet. Arrive late afternoon, tuk-tuk (£1.50) across the river to Hampi village or Anegundi for a guesthouse (£10-14). Eat at one of the rooftop cafés along the boulders — the sunset from Matanga Hill end is unbeatable.

🚌KSRTC buses Chikmagalur–Hospet ~£7; tuk-tuk to Hampi ~£2

🛏Hampi guesthouse, Hampi village or Anegundi (~£12)

• →Hampi sunset from a rooftop café
• →Matanga Hill viewpoint (optional)

Hire a bicycle (~£2/day) or scooter (~£5) and explore the UNESCO Hampi ruins. Start at Virupaksha Temple (free, morning puja), walk the Hampi Bazaar, then cycle the riverside path to Vittala Temple and the Stone Chariot (entry ~£6 combined ticket covering most monuments). A local licensed guide at the gate costs ~£10 for 2-3 hours and adds a lot — or use a GetYourGuide Hampi walking tour. Cross to Anegundi by coracle ferry (~50p) for the quieter side and the Sanapur lake. Sunset at Hemakuta Hill.

🚌Bicycle/scooter hire ~£3; coracle ferry ~£1

🛏Hampi guesthouse (~£12)

• →Virupaksha Temple
• →Vittala Temple & Stone Chariot (£6)
• →Hampi ruins cycling loop
• →Local guide 2-3hrs (£10)
• →Anegundi coracle crossing

Bus or train Hospet to Badami via Gadag/Hubballi (~4 hours, £4). Drop bags at a small guesthouse in Badami town (~£12-15). Afternoon at the Badami cave temples (entry ~£5), cut into the sandstone cliffs above the Agastya tank — caves 1-4 for Shiva, Vishnu and Jain carvings, plus the Bhutanatha temples on the lake edge. Sunset from the northern hill fort walls. Dinner of Jolada rotti and ennegayi at a local Khanavali (~£2.50).

🚌Train/bus Hospet–Badami ~£4; local autos ~£2

🛏Badami guesthouse (~£13)

• →Badami rock-cut cave temples (£5)
• →Bhutanatha temple complex
• →Badami fort sunset walk

Morning train (or bus) Badami to Kalaburagi (~5 hours via Solapur or Sholapur junction, £4-6). Check into a budget hotel near the bus stand (~£12-16). Late afternoon at Gulbarga Fort and its remarkable Jama Masjid — Persian-influenced domes and arches from the Bahmani sultanate (free/₹25). Evening stroll and dinner at a local biryani house (~£3).

🚌Train/bus Badami–Kalaburagi ~£5; autos ~£2

🛏Budget hotel in Kalaburagi (~£14)

• →Gulbarga Fort
• →Jama Masjid, Gulbarga

Morning train Kalaburagi to Hyderabad Deccan/Secunderabad (~3.5 hours, £3-5). Hostel in the old city near Charminar or in Abids/Banjara Hills (~£10-14 dorm). Afternoon: Golconda Fort (entry ~£6, the acoustic clap test at the Bala Hisar pavilion, ~1.5hrs), then the old city — Chowmahalla Palace (~£5), Charminar at golden hour and the bangle alleys of Laad Bazaar. Dinner: Hyderabadi biryani at Shadab or Hotel Nayaab (~£4), then a night-time chai and irani biscuit at Nimrah Café by Charminar.

🚌Train Kalaburagi–Hyderabad ~£4; metro/autos ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Hyderabad (~£12)

• →Golconda Fort (£6)
• →Chowmahalla Palace (£5)
• →Charminar & Laad Bazaar
• →Hyderabadi biryani dinner

Morning at the Salar Jung Museum (~£5, the Veiled Rebecca), then a walk through the bazaars of the old city for pearls and attar. Optional: the Hussain Sagar lake walk or a Klook Hyderabad food walk (~£18) if this is a rest day. Local train or airport bus (Pushpak, ~£2) out to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to fly home.

🚌Pushpak airport bus ~£2; metro/autos ~£2

🛏Departure day (no overnight cost)

• →Salar Jung Museum (£5)
• →Hussain Sagar lake
• →Old city bazaar wander