Goa & Karnataka: Konkan-to-Deccan Beach Tour

Route: Goa airport (GOI) to Benaulim, about 30 km

Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you south to Benaulim. Most overseas flights land at Dabolim (GOI), the airport near Vasco. If your flight arrives at Mopa in North Goa, tell us and we adjust the transfer, which is much longer.

South Goa is quieter than the north. The beaches are wide and the villages still keep their Catholic churches and old Portuguese houses. Taj Exotica stands beside the sea in a coconut garden.

The afternoon is free. Walk on the beach at sunset, when the fishing boats come in.

Experience of the Day

• Airport welcome and check-in

• Walk on Benaulim beach at sunset

Food

Recommended: Dinner at the hotel, with Goan and seafood dishes.

Must-Try: Goan fish curry with rice, made with coconut, kokum and red chilli.

Activities to Do

• Rest after the flight

• Swim or walk on the beach

Route: Benaulim – Old Goa – Panjim (Fontainhas) – Benaulim, about 100 km

After breakfast, drive to Old Goa, the Portuguese capital until the 18th century. The churches and convents here have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. The Basilica of Bom Jesus holds the remains of St Francis Xavier. The Se Cathedral nearby is one of the largest churches in Asia.

Drive on to Panjim and walk through Fontainhas, the old Latin Quarter. Its lanes of painted houses with balconies and tiled name plates still look much as they did in Portuguese times. Goa stayed under Portuguese rule until 1961, which is why its food, churches and festivals differ from the rest of India.

Return to the hotel by late afternoon. The evening is free.

Note on churches: Old Goa's churches are active places of worship. Cover shoulders and knees. Photography rules vary inside, and your guide confirms them at each door. Opening hours change on Sundays and feast days.

Experience of the Day

• Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral

• Fontainhas walk

• Free evening on the beach

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a Panjim restaurant serving Goan Catholic food.

Must-Try: Pork vindaloo, a dish adapted from a Portuguese wine-and-garlic stew, and bebinca, a layered coconut pudding.

Shopping

Cashew nuts, spices, azulejo-style tiles and local pottery from Panjim's market.

Activities to Do

• Optional spice plantation visit near Ponda (half day; paid separately)

• Optional sunset cruise on the Mandovi river

Route: Benaulim – Canacona – Karwar – Ankola – Gokarna, about 160 km

After breakfast, drive south on the coastal highway. You pass the Goa border, then Karwar and Ankola in Karnataka. Rivers, estuaries and green hills come down to the sea along the way. The timing depends on traffic at the border and on road works.

Gokarna is a small temple town on the coast, and one of Karnataka's oldest pilgrimage sites. Its beaches are small bays between headlands, and they are far quieter than those of Goa. SwaSwara sits above Om Beach, named for the shape of its two curved bays.

You arrive in the afternoon. The late light on the bay is the best part of the day.

Experience of the Day

• Coastal drive from Goa into Karnataka

• Sunset over Om Beach

Food

Recommended: Dinner at the hotel, with Karnataka coast dishes.

Must-Try: Fish curry and rice, or a plate of fresh prawns grilled with coastal spices.

Activities to Do

• Walk to the viewpoint above the bay

• Rest and swim where the sea is calm

Route: Om Beach – Mahabaleshwar temple – Kudle Beach – Om Beach

In the morning, visit the Mahabaleshwar temple in the old town. Legend says the demon king Ravana carried Shiva's sacred linga from the Himalayas, and the god Ganesha tricked him into putting it down here, and it could not be lifted again. Pilgrims have come for centuries, and the old town streets around the temple are still full of ritual shops.

After lunch, take a guided walk along the cliff path from Om Beach to Kudle Beach and on toward the small bays beyond. The path crosses rock and sand, and the views stay open to the sea the whole way. Boats can take you to the more remote beaches if the sea is calm.

The rest of the day is free for the beach or for the hotel's quiet gardens.

Note on the sea: Gokarna's beaches have strong currents and few lifeguards. Swim only where your guide says it is safe. From June to September the sea is rough and swimming is not advised. Temple dress is modest, and your guide tells you what is open to visitors.

Experience of the Day

• Mahabaleshwar temple and old town

• Guided cliff walk between beaches

• Free beach time

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a beach cafe on Kudle or Om Beach.

Must-Try: Fresh grilled fish and coconut rice.

Shopping

Small shops in the old town sell incense, brass lamps and cotton.

Activities to Do

• Optional yoga class at the hotel

• Optional boat ride to a remote beach (paid separately)

Route: Gokarna – Ankola – Yellapur – Hubballi – Hosapete – Hampi, about 340 km

This is the longest drive of the tour, and we plan it as the main event of the day. You climb from the coast through the Western Ghats, past Yellapur and the teak forests, then come out onto the open Deccan plateau. The landscape changes from green coastal hills to dry brown plain and rock.

After Hubballi the road runs east to Hosapete (Hospet), the gateway to Hampi. The first hint of Hampi is the boulders, great rounded blocks of granite piled on the hilltops. They were shaped by millions of years of weathering, and they are why Hampi looks like no other ruined city.

You reach the hotel in the late afternoon, in time for a swim or a short walk before dinner.

Experience of the Day

• Drive over the Ghats

• First sight of Hampi's boulder landscape

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a roadside restaurant on the highway near Hubballi.

Must-Try: North Karnataka jowar roti with brinjal curry.

Activities to Do

• Early dinner

• Swim or rest after the drive

Route: Matanga Hill – Vittala temple – Royal Centre – Virupaksha temple – Hampi Bazaar

Start before sunrise at Matanga Hill. A climb of about 20 to 30 minutes takes you to a view over the temples, the river and the boulders in the first light. Come down for breakfast and then visit the Vittala temple.

The Vittala temple dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Its best-known feature is a stone chariot in the courtyard, with wheels that look as if they could turn. The temple's carved pillars were made to give out musical notes, but they can no longer be struck, to protect them.

Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from the 14th century until 1565, when the city was sacked after the battle of Talikota. In the afternoon, walk through the Royal Centre. The Lotus Mahal and the elephant stables stand in the old palace enclosure, and the Hazara Rama temple has carvings from the Ramayana along its walls.

End the day at the Virupaksha temple, which is still a working temple, with a gateway about 50 metres tall. Hampi Bazaar runs along its front. If the evening is quiet, walk down to the river steps.

Note on Hampi: Hampi is hot from March to May, and the ruins have little shade. We start early and break in the middle of the day. Shoes come off at working temples. A river crossing by coracle or boat is offered only when water levels and local rules allow, and it is never promised.

Experience of the Day

• Sunrise at Matanga Hill

• Vittala temple and stone chariot

• Royal Centre, Lotus Mahal and elephant stables

• Virupaksha temple at dusk

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a Hampi Bazaar cafe.

Must-Try: Thali with local vegetables, or fresh sugar-cane juice.

Shopping

Stone carvings, cotton bags, Lambani embroidery and handmade jewellery from Hampi Bazaar.

Activities to Do

• Optional visit to the Anegundi side of the river

• Evening walk through the bazaar

Route: Hampi – Aihole – Pattadakal – Badami, about 180 km

You leave Hampi early and drive north across the plateau to Aihole, about 140 km away. Aihole is where Chalukya builders worked in the 6th and 7th centuries, trying out different temple shapes. The Durga temple, with its apsidal end and carved columns, and the Lad Khan temple are the best known. Many smaller temples stand in fields and streets.

A short drive of about 13 km brings you to Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The temples here show both northern and southern styles side by side. The Virupaksha temple, built around 740 CE for a Chalukya queen, is the largest. It is still in use.

Continue to Badami, about 22 km farther, and arrive in the late afternoon. Aihole and Badami are on India's tentative list for UNESCO, and Pattadakal is already listed. If light and time allow, walk to Agastya Lake at the foot of the cliffs.

Note on the day: This is a full sightseeing day with many stops, so the pace is steady. Opening times at the sites vary by season and the sun sets about 6 pm in winter. Your guide may shorten one stop if time runs short.

Experience of the Day

• Aihole's early temples

• Pattadakal UNESCO temples

• Evening at Agastya Lake, if time allows

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant near Aihole or Pattadakal.

Must-Try: Jowar roti, and Dharwad pedha, a milk sweet from nearby Dharwad.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

• Walk around the old town of Badami

Route: Badami caves – Hubballi airport (HBX), about 110 km

Walk to the Badami cave temples soon after they open. Four caves were cut into the red sandstone cliff in the 6th and 7th centuries, when Badami was the Chalukya capital, then called Vatapi. Cave 1 holds Shiva as the cosmic dancer, with 18 arms. Cave 3 is a Vishnu temple with an inscription dated 578 CE. Cave 4 is Jain. The stone is soft sandstone, so the carvers could cut deep and sharp lines.

Look down from the caves to Agastya Lake and the Bhutanatha temples on its shore. Monkeys live on the cliffs, so keep food out of sight.

After the caves, your driver takes you to Hubballi airport by road. Choose a flight that leaves after about 4:30 pm. Hubballi has flights to Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. For an international flight the next morning, we advise one night in Bengaluru or Mumbai, which we can add.

Note on flights: Flights from Hubballi are limited, and schedules change. Confirm your departure with us before you book. If you prefer to leave from Goa, Bengaluru or Belagavi, the route can be adjusted, with a longer drive.

Experience of the Day

• Badami cave temples

• Agastya Lake view

• Drive to Hubballi airport