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When to visit
The climate is pleasant all through the year. October to April is the best season for sightseeing and relaxation. To see the waterfalls in their cascading glory, June to September is ideal.
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For Whom
Chikkamagalur is for all nature lovers who want a quick getaway to serene locales. Green countryside, beautiful hills, spell binding coffee estates and dense jungles. It caters to adventurers and families alike with a variety of easily accessible spots.
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Getting Around
The best way to get around is in your own two or four wheeler. Even though the region is hilly, a small car can negotiate most roads. Sometimes for estate roads, a larger jeep like vehicle may be needed. Its easy to get taxis on hire. Many of the places are also accessible by buses.
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Cuisine
Cuisine typical to most of malnad including Akki-roti and Koli saaru is available. Locals can be found sipping small cups of coffee all through the day with goli-bhajji or set dosas.
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Trivia
In the early 1980's, Indira Gandhi contested for elections from Chickkamagalur and won by a huge margin. It was then that the town gained popularity.
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Places to stay
Chikkamagalur is nestled in the Baba Budan hills and delights you with its picturesque hills & valleys, the clear water in its streams and lakes, the dense vegetation of its forests, the magnificent temples of a bygone era,and the snow-white coffee blossoms of its estates. Here is where coffee was first cultivated in India over 350 years ago. The mountains here which are a part of the Western Ghats are the source of rivers like Tunga and Bhadra.
This hilly district is also known for some exciting trekking routes through the scenic Western Ghats.Some interesting excursions include Sringeri, Hebbefalls, Marle, Kemmannagundi, Bababudan range, Belavadi, Kalasa, Horanadu, Amrithapura, Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Ayyanakere and Kudremukh.
Hills
Kemmangundi: 55 Kms north from Chikkamagalur town is Kemmangundi, a scenic hill station on the Baba Budan range of hills. It is surrounded by thick forests and boasts of a salubrious climate the year. On the route you can find several silver cascades of mountain streams and lush vegetation. It is ideal for you to stop your vehicle enroute and meander through the grasslands to a hilltop for a picnic. Its beautifully laid out ornamental gardens and enchanting mountain and valley views are a treat to the eye. Linger over the spectacular sunset from the Raj Bhavan. For the adventurous, Kemmangundi offers many peaks to scale and intricate jungle paths to explore. About 10minutes walk from this main place is Z-point which too has a good vantage of the grass lands of the Western Ghats.
Kudremuka: 95 Kms from south-west of Chikkamagalur town is KUDREMUKH (horse face) range, so named because of the unique shape of the KUDREMUKH peak. Overlooking the Arabian sea, the broad hills are chained to one another with deep valley & steep precipices. Situated at 1,894.3 meters above sea level, KUDREMUKH is rich in iron ore deposits. The KUDREMUKH Iron Ore Company conducts mining operations, benefaction and transportation of the ore as slurry through pipelines to the post at Panambar near Mangalore.
Baba Budan Range: To the north of Chikkamagalur town is the Baba Budan Range or Chandra Drona Parvatha as it was known in the ancient times, which has one of the highest mountain peaks between the Himalayas and the Nilgiris. The peak takes its name from the Muslim saint, Baba Budan, who resided here more than 150 years ago. From Chikkamagalur town you can proceed on a common route towards the hills till you hit a fork one takes you to Mullayangiri and Kemmanagundi and the other to Baba Budan Hills. Manikyandhara is water falls near the famous pilgrim centre Baba Budangiri Dattatreya Peetha where water spills down like small pearls giving the visitors a memorable shower bath.
Mullayanagiri: Mullayanagiri is part of the the Baba Budan Giri Hill Ranges here. It stands 1930 meters and is the tallest peak in Karnataka. There is a small temple on top of the hill. The small hillock in the temple compound is the highest point in Karnataka. There is a nice trekking route from Chikkamagalur to Mulayangiri. There is also the peak of Sitalayangiri that can be hiked to from Mulayangiri.
Other attractions
Kallathigiri Falls: Just 10 kms away from Kemmangundi is Kallahathigiri falls, also known as Kalahasti falls. water cascades down from the top of the Chandra Drona Hill from a height of 122 meters amidst fascinating scenery. There is an old Veerabhadra temple dedicated to Lord Shiva ,constructed in a gap between rocks. This Temple can be approached after crossing the waterfall.
Hebbe Falls: This beautiful waterfall is 10+kms away from the famous hill station Kemmangundi. This waterfall is inside coffee estate can either be reached by walk or a four wheeler. Here water streams down from a height of 168 meters in two stages to form Dodda Hebbe (Big Falls) and Chikka Hebbe (Small Falls.).
Ayyanakere: 18 kms north-east of Chikkamagalur town, this ancient tank is believed to have been constructed by Rukmangada Raya a chief of Sakrepatna. This is a nice picnic spot but has no amenities to offer. Do not forget to savour the famous jackfruit(halisinahannu) of sakrepatna on the way. Next to the lake is a hillock that houses the Prasanna Balleshvara shrine. This can be a nice afternoon trek.
Temples
Kodanda-Ramaswamy Temple, Hiremagalur: The temple of Kodandarama, which is a State-protected, stands in the south-east of the City. It seems to have been constructed in three stages. This temple is a structure in the Hoysala style, so for as the garbhagriha and sukanasi are concerned, the remaining portions being subsequent additions in the Dravidian style. According to the sthalapurana, proud Parashurama was subdued at this place by Lord Ramachandra, and as per the request of the former to show him the scene of his marriage, the latter took here Sita to his right and Lakshmana to his left, which is extremely rare to see.
Sringeri: 90 kms west of Chikkamagalur town is Sringeri situated on the banks of Tungabhadra, was established by Sri Adi Shankara, the exponent of the Advaita philosophy in 9th Century A.D. It is famous for Vidyashankara Temple and Sharada Temple. In the Vidya Shankara shrine, there are 12 zodiac pillars, which are so constructed that the rays of the sun fall on the pillar corresponding to the month
Horanadu: Horanadu is 100 kms southwest of Chikkamagalur and has an ancient temple of Annapoorneshwari, which has been renovated recently. With the installation of the new image of Adi Shakti, now the temple is called Adi-Shaktyatmaka Shri Annapoorneshwari. The place attracts lots of pilgrims who are provided free boarding and lodging by the temple.
Guru Dattatreya Bababudanswamy Darga: Situated on the Baba Bugan Giri is the Inam Dattatreya Peetha venerated by the Hindus and the Muslims alike. A laterite cave here is believed to have been sanctified by the residence of Dattatreya Swami as well as Hazrat Dada Hayat Mir Khalander. The worship here is conducted by a fakir and the annual 'jatra' or 'urs' is attended by both Hindus and Muslims with great fervors.
Wildlife Reserves
Bhadra Wildlife Santuary: 38 kms north - west of Chikkamagalur town is Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary surrounded by hills has the tributaries of the Bhadra river flowing through it. The western border of the sanctuary abuts the back waters of the Bhadra Reservoir which has a catchment area of 1,968 kms. A diverse and exciting range in wild life is found here - bison, elephants, tiger, panther, sambar, spotted deer, wild beer, porcupine, birds like the peacock, parrot, partridge, pigeon, etc. and reptiles such as cobra, python etc. All these wild beasts can be viewed while driving along the 150 km long roads maintained inside the sanctuary.
Kudremukh National Park: The Kudremukh National Park is the largest declared Wildlife Protected Area (600 km²) of a tropical wet evergreen type of forest in the Western Ghats. Kudremukh National Park comes under the Global Tiger Conservation Priority-I.
Chikkamagalur literally means, 'The Younger Daughter's Town.' Legend reads that this town had been given as a dowry to the younger daughter of Rukmangada, the famous chief of Sakrepatna. 5 km away is the small hamlet of Hiremagalur which is the "The Elder daughter's Town" .
Chikkamagalur is the region where the Hoysala rulers started and spent the early days of their dynasty.Veera Ballala II (1173 - 1220 CE), the great king of Hoysala empire, has built the Amriteshwara temple at Amrithapura in Tarikere Taluk.
Coffee was introduced into India through the Chikkamagalur district when the first coffee crop was grown in Baba Budan Giri Hills during 1670 AD. According to the article 'Origins of Coffee', the saint, Baba Budan on his pilgrimage to Mecca travelled through the seaport of Mocha, Yemen where he discovered coffee. To introduce its taste to India, he wrapped seven coffee beans around his belly and got them out of Arabia. On his return home, he planted the beans in the hills of Chikkamagalur, which are now named Baba Budan Hills in his honour.
Road
Chikkamagalur can be reached from Bangalore either from the NH 206 or Nh 48. The NH48 route involves a diversion to Chikkamagalur on reaching Hassan. This route is much better and the drive from Hassan to Chikkamagalur is extremely pleasant with perfect roads.NH 206 involves a detour at Kadur. The National Highway NH-13 (Sholapur to Mangalore) passes through the towns of Koppa and Sringeri where as the National Highway NH-206 (Bangalore to Honnavar) passes through the towns of Kadur, Birur and Tarikere.
Rail
The Kadur and Tarikere taluks have railway lines passing through them. Birur station is a major junction in this district where the railway line from Bangalore bifurcates, with one line going towards Hubli and the other towards Shimoga. The district headquarters, Chikkamagalur city does not have a railway station which is one of the reasons for the isolation of Chikkamagalur city from the rest of the state. A new line is being laid between Kadur and Sakleshpur in Hassan district which should pass through Chikkamagalur city.
Air
Chikkamagalur district does not have an airport. Airports at Mangalore, Bangalore and Hubli can be used as an alternative. However, there are plans to develop an airport near Marle village about 10 km from Chikkamagalur city.