General
The Western Ghats Tour is a 6-day experiential tour across the rain forests of Agumbe, coffee regions of Sakleshpur & Chikmagalur and the World Heritage Sites of Belur & Halebid. It is an escorted and private tour, which has been designed to stimulate all the 5 senses! The highlights of this tour are a stay inside a rainforest in Sakleshpur, camping in the Agumbe rainforest, guided tour with a naturalist spotting the animals, replies and insects of the rain forests, trekking the western ghats, experiencing life in a coffee plantation at Chikmagalur and visiting the marvelous stone temples of Belur & Halebid.
This tour can be done in a private car or a Royal Enfield motorcycle.
Western Ghats Tour itinerary
Day 1 –Rainforest stay near Sakleshpur
At 7 am we start from Bangalore towards the coffee area of Sakleshpur, located 220 KMS away. Then we go 11 kms deep into the dense forest with not a trace of civilization for miles. Our stay is planned in an eco resort inside the forest. Experiences on offer are Birding, Herpwatch, chasing Lepidoptera or butterfly species of this region, assist in Bee keeping & extraction and mountain cycling.
We stay overnight in the eco resort inside the rainforest.
Day 2-3 –Camping in Agumbe rainforest
The next 2 days are planned for appreciating and experiencing the rainforest ecology of Western Ghats, one of the world’s hot biodiversity spots. We will experience a session on understanding rainforest ecology, orientation on snakes of the region, trekking through the rain forests, night safari by walk to spot the nocturnal amphibians, flying squirrels, slender loris and moth. If luck is on our side, we might have an encounter with the famed King Cobra during our stay at this camp!
Day4 –Coffee plantation in Chikmagalur
We say good-bye to the wild and move to coffee country of Chikmagalur. Our stay is in an ancestral plantation home which offers a glimpse into the planter’s life. Over the next 2 days we will do a coffee tour across the plantation, cycling and wildlife safari at Bhadra National Park, a Project Tiger reserve and home to a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Day 5 –World Heritage Sites of Belur & Halebid
We checkout from Chikmagalur to visit Belur, the ancient capital of Hoyasala Empire, located 25 KMs away. After lunch we proceed to the famed Chennakesava temple which took over a 100 years to build. The next couple of hours will be spent inside this temple complex. We ride next to Halebid, the old capital of the Hoyasala Empire. We spend a couple of hours in the 2 magnificent temples inside the complex dedicated to Hoysalesvara and Shantalesvara. We end the tour of Halebid with a visit to the Archaeological museum, which showcases a variety of Hoyasala style sculptures.
Day 6 –World’s largest monolith statue
After breakfast we drive 80 KMs to a quaint town located between 2 hills and called Shravanabelagola. The world’s largest monolith statue beckons us here. The 58 feet tall statue nestled on a 470 feet hill is of Gomateswara the son of the first Jain Tirtankara Vrishaba Deva. There is a flight of 600 steps to climb. A less fun way to go up would be in a palanquin carried by 4 people! The climb would take an hour. The view from the top makes the climb worth it.
Western Ghats Tour ends around 4pm after we reach Bangalore.
Western Ghats Tour includes
- Car or Motorcycles as chosen
- Guide
- Accommodation
- Entrance charges
Next Steps
Call +919845677446
Email contact@5sensestours.com
For guided tours from Bangalore on Royal Enfield Motorcycles please visit 5 Senses Motorcycle Tours.
Belur and Halebid are remarkable sites with Hoysala architecture. For a day tour from Bangalore visit Belur & Halebid tour.
We also organise culture and heritage walks in Bangalore. For a guided walk in Bangalore visit 5 Senses Walks