The north of Chikkamagaluru district gets skipped. Visitors come off the Bengaluru road, turn left for Chikkamagaluru town and the coffee estates, and never look at the corner around Tarikere — which has a great Hoysala temple, a large reservoir, a hill station and two waterfalls inside a forty-kilometre radius, and a railway station in the middle of it. This is a two-day route through it. Every distance below was routed on real roads on 25 August 2026.
- Base: Tarikere on day one, Kemmanagundi on night one.
- Day 1 — Amruthapura temple (9.0 km from Tarikere), Bhadra reservoir at Lakkavalli, then up to Kemmanagundi (37.7 km from the temple).
- Day 2 — Hebbe Falls in the morning, Kallathi in the afternoon, down the hill in daylight.
- Arrive by train at Tarikere Junction or Birur Junction; a car for the two days is much easier than buses.
- Best months October to February.
Day one, morning: Amruthapura
Start early and drive the 9 km out of Tarikere to the Amrutesvara temple at Amruthapura. It was built in 1196 CE by a general of the Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, it is free to enter, and on most mornings you will be the only person there. Give it an hour, not twenty minutes: about a hundred and forty carved panels run around the parapet of the open hall, and unlike the miniature friezes at Belur and Halebidu they are large enough to read standing up. Morning is also when the low sun crosses the shallow relief and makes it legible.
There is nothing at the temple — no shop, no water, no toilet — so do that in Tarikere first, and fill the tank while you are there.
Day one, afternoon: the Bhadra backwaters, then up
Lakkavalli, on the Bhadra reservoir, is 27.7 km from the temple, and the water and the low forested hills behind it are a complete change of register after a morning of stone. The reservoir is the northern edge of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve; the safaris themselves run from the Muthodi range on the far side, so treat this as a look at the water rather than a wildlife afternoon unless you have booked.
Then climb. Kemmanagundi is 37.7 km from Amruthapura and about fifty minutes, because the last part of it goes up. Aim to be on the hill with an hour of light left, walk into the Krishnarajendra gardens and out to the Rock Garden for the sunset if you are tired, or take the forty-five-minute climb from Raj Bhavan up to Z Point if you are not. Start that walk with daylight in hand: the path is loose and unlit.
Night one
Sleep on the hill. The choice is small — the government-run Kemmannugundi Hill Resort, the Horticulture Department’s Raj Bhavan guest house inside the gardens, or a homestay on the road below — and it is a small place, so book rather than arrive hopefully. Eating is the resort restaurant or tea stalls; there is no bazaar up here.
Day two, morning: Hebbe Falls
Go early. Hebbe Falls is about 8 km below Raj Bhavan inside a coffee estate, reached by shared four-wheel-drive jeep and then a walk of about a kilometre through the stream. Half a day, wet feet, and worth it between June and December; by March there is not much water. Ask at the resort about the jeeps before you plan the morning around it — in heavy rain they sometimes cannot get down.
Day two, afternoon: Kallathi, and down
On the way off the hill stop at Kallathipura for the Kalhattigiri falls and the rock-cut Veerabhadra temple beside them, attributed to Vijayanagara times. Footwear off, and mind the wet rock. From there it is down to Tarikere for the train, or on to Chikkamagaluru town, 71.9 km from Amruthapura and about an hour from the bottom of the hill, if you are carrying on into the coffee country.
If you have a third day and an appetite for Hoysala stone, Halebidu is 85.1 km from Amruthapura and Belur 101.6 km — the famous two, best seen after the quiet one rather than before.
Frequently asked questions
Is two days enough for Tarikere and Kemmanagundi?
Yes, comfortably, if you have a car. One day covers the Amruthapura temple, the Bhadra reservoir and the climb to Kemmanagundi with a sunset walk; the second covers Hebbe Falls and Kallathi on the way down.
Can I do this route by train and bus?
Partly. Tarikere Junction and Birur Junction both have services, and buses run up to Kemmanagundi from Tarikere and Chikkamagaluru — but hill services are thin, the last bus down goes in the afternoon, and there is no app cab anywhere in the taluk. An auto from Tarikere handles the temple; for the hill, a car makes the difference between a route and an ordeal.
What is the best time of year for this route?
October to February. The falls still have water into December, the hill is clear rather than inside cloud, and the temple carvings are at their best in dry morning light.
Where should I sleep?
Kemmanagundi, on night one — the government hill resort, the Horticulture Department guest house or a homestay below the hill. Tarikere has rooms but nothing worth choosing over a night at 1,434 m.