Places to see
The falls, peaks and temples people come for. None of these are booked through us — they are here so you know where you are going.
Baba Budangiri
Peak · Chikkamagaluru
A range named after the Sufi saint Baba Budan, who is credited with bringing the first coffee seeds to India. The Dattatreya Peetha shrine here is revered by both Hindus and Muslims. Grassy shola slopes, wind-swept ridges and long ridge walks.
Free
Deviramma Betta
Peak · Chikkamagaluru
A steep grassy cone opposite Mullayanagiri with a shrine at the top that opens once a year, on Naraka Chaturdashi, the first day of Deepavali, when thousands climb it in the dark for the morning darshana. Every other day the hilltop temple is shut and the hill is yours: a long, steady climb from the Deviramma temple at Bindiga — three to four hours up, about two down — to the best outside view there is of the Chandra Drona range, Mullayanagiri and Baba Budangiri in one frame.
Free
Ettina Bhuja
Peak · Mudigere
A bare rock dome shaped like an ox's shoulder, which is what the name means, standing clear of the grassland above Byrapura. The walk up is about four kilometres through estate and then open hillside, steep only at the end, and the summit ledge looks straight down the escarpment to the coastal plain. It is the easiest of the district's big-view peaks, which makes it the busiest on winter weekends.
FreePermit needed
Gangamoola
Peak · Sringeri
The forested hill inside Kudremukh National Park that is the source of the Tunga, Bhadra and Nethravathi rivers. A Varaha idol and a small shrine mark the spot.
FreePermit needed
Kudremukh Peak
Peak · Mudigere
The third-highest peak in Karnataka at 1,894 m, named for a ridge profile shaped like a horse's face. A roughly 18 km return trek through rolling grassland and shola forest inside Kudremukh National Park.
FreePermit needed
Mullayanagiri
Peak · Chikkamagaluru
The highest peak in Karnataka at 1,930 m. A short, steep stepped climb from the road-head leads to a small Shiva shrine at the summit. The sunrise view over the Baba Budangiri range with mist filling the valleys is the single most photographed scene in the district.
Free
Netravati Peak
Peak · Mudigere
The quieter neighbour of Kudremukh, climbed from Samse through the same rolling grassland but with a fraction of the people. The trail crosses several streams and a saddle before a final ridge to a summit that looks across at Kudremukh's horse-face profile. The Netravati river, which reaches the sea at Mangaluru, rises on its slopes.
FreePermit needed