Insiders View on Karnataka

By Sushmita Das


Karnataka is a tapestry of colours, cultures, flavours, landscapes, timelessness and heart stopping beauty. It’s a place where vibrant worlds seamlessly meld into one another every few hundred kilometres. Sedate plains suddenly rise to dizzying mist covered hilly heights, and then plunge with careless abandon in a white-watered freefall to become languid rivers that flow past cities where time has stopped altogether. And cities where time rushes a relentless rush to keep up with the world; cities that sometimes escape into the deep quietude of thick forests and sometimes, stretches their arms wide open to embrace the sea. Host to some of India’s largest and most powerful dynasties, the state has across the centuries, carried a legacy of art and culture.

Q] One little known fact on Karnataka that everyone should know about when travelling to Karnataka.

Karnataka is blessed with sand, sun & surf; hills; it is rich in wildlife; unique cultivation of silk & coffee.

It is rich in heritage & glorious stories of ruling dynasty of Hoysala, Chalukyas, Wodeyars & Tipu Sultan.

Q]What is a must buy when in Karnataka?

 One must buy  Channapatana Wooden ToysMysore Pak which is an Indian sweet made of generous amounts of ghee, sugar, gram flour, and often cardamom also one must buy the famous Mysore sandalwood soap and perfumes infused with sandalwood fragrance. Silk in Mysore goes back to the time of Tipu Sultan according to some accounts so if you are someone who loves sarees then you must buy a  Mysore silk saree or two. Karnataka is a heaven for Coffee lovers, Mysore is by far the nearest big city to Coorg, which produces some of the best coffee in the country.

Q] One take-away after a visit to this region?

 The taste of various worlds found in within the border of single state.

Q] What is your advice to first time travellers?

You must try all the different cuisines that this region has to offer. The sandalwood products from here are the best & refined work found in India. Come to the state with immense & high expectation to experience the best at one shot. This state never disappoints its guests.

Q]One thing to definitely pack when travelling to Karnataka?

 Come to Karnataka with a empty bag because when you leave, the bag will be full.

Q] One activity anyone travelling to this region should not miss?

The Beautiful Coffee Trails Serene Beaches.

Q] Most romantic place to take a special someone to.

There are a lot of places to visit like Coorg, Chikmagalur, and Gokarna.

Q] Where should anyone, travelling to this region, definitely get their picture taken.

Do visit Mysore Palace, Hampi Monument, the hill top of Chikmagalur or the Kabini River bed, the hilltop of Jain Shrine of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola to get amazing pictures.

Q] Best place to enjoy sunset/sunrise?

Best place to experience the sunrise are Hampi, Shravanabelagola & Badami Caves for sunset.

Q] Best place to have local food?

Dig in to the authentic delicacies when in Bangalore, Mysore, Coorg, Mangalore

Q] Your favorite local dish and drink that you would recommend.

 Gowda & Mangalorean cuisine, Kodava Cuisine. Bangalore is blessed with beautiful land for wine cultivation. Local winemaking factory offers guests a visit to the winery & also gives a chance to taste a few.

Q] One place only the locals would know.

Sakleshpur which is a hill station in the Western Ghats mountain range. It’s surrounded by slopes covered with tea, coffee and spice plantations. Extremely beautiful..

Q]  The best pub and place to experience the nightlife here.

District 6, Bang – The Ritz Carlton, Church Street Social, Skyye, The Bierre Club, Arbor Brewing Company, 1522 The Pub & Toit Brewpub are some of the best places to experience the nightlife here.

Q] A local festival you feel more travelers should come and see

 Mysore Dasara which a 10-day royal festival celebrating victory of truth over evil starting with Navaratri and the last day being Vijayadashamiis. The Mysuru tradition celebrates the warriors and the state fighting for the good during this festival.

 Is there any particular month you would not recommend travel to this region and what would that reason be?

  Karnataka is blessed with good climate. The entire year the state can be visited & planned to visit. However in North Karnataka which is closer to Deccan Plateau is comparatively hotter between summer months.

Q] In one sentence, Karnataka is ?

Karnataka is One State with Many Worlds.

Sushmita Das – Branch Head Bangalore

Hailing from the land of tea gardens, famous Muga silk & world’s only home of one-horned Rhino “Assam” I have post graduated in Travel & Tourism Management & a trained professional in customized tour packages in India. Landing up in Tourism industry seems to be a planned focus in my life with a working experience of 6 years. Traveling has always been a part of my life & a passion to meet & interact with people from vivid lifestyle, cultural value, language & traditions. Have vastly travelled North & South of India with various people on various occasions trying to paint my life with all possible colours.

Through the lens:Uma Iyer in Iceland

By Uma Iyer

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As a travel outfit, it prides us, when one of our travelers come back with exciting stories from the land they have visited. Uma Iyer is just back from Iceland and she has put down her experience in an enticing way! She actually touched the very chord of Iceland: it being a land of paradox. Adorned with abstract nature, it is a photographer’s paradise. Ms. Iyer brought home many such images (of course, all of them are copyright protected and any reproduction of any sort will attract penalty!). Enjoy her words and snapshots of happiness!

Over to Uma Iyer:

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A misnomer of Iceland being all ice while Greenland is all green – came out to be quite true during my recent visit to Iceland on a fortnight’s trip to the South and West of this beautiful and geologically diverse country.

The trip was organized by my agent, Farzana Haque from The Wanderers Leisure Travel Pvt. Ltd. and the entire tour of this magnificent country was seamlessly planned from the day I landed in Reykjavik till the day I left the country (with a heavy heart of course).

It makes you wonder why when you look at the globe, Iceland is more oddly green while Greenland is covered in ice. This is for many reasons and most importantly geographically being thanks to the Gulf stream, Iceland’s sea temperatures are 6 degrees Celsius warmer than Greenland. Which then means that Icelandic summers are intensely green throughout Iceland, even though 11% of that country is covered in ice.

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So, like most travellers (especially from the Tropics), exploring a new country, I opted for the summer to visit this beautiful country –imagining that the summer would be the ideal given the maximum temperatures reaching up to 18 /19 degrees Celsius while minimum could be around 5/6 degrees. That was manageable.

As luck would have it, the country welcomed me with warm sunshine throughout my entire trip except for one day where it rained a bit (if you had a jacket – you would do fine). This country is a land of sharp contrasts – FIRE AND ICE – it’s simmering hot springs or geysers, lava fields, volcanoes, vast sand deserts contrasted with thundering waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, and fjords. Last but not the least – those who want are interested in the flora and fauna can be rest assured, they won’t be in the least disappointed – be it whale watching or the hundreds of species of birds or the variety of plant species. It is also a hikers paradise.

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I had the choice between Iceland and Norway – and am glad I finally opted for Iceland as I wouldn’t have seen such diverse topography as I did when I travelled far South and then to the west right up to the western most tip of Europe. One of the highlights of my visit to Iceland is exploring the Westfjords. Very few tourists opt for this part of Iceland given its remoteness and unspoiled wilderness. That’s what visiting this place made it even more special. I would recommend everyone travelling to Iceland – not to miss this part of the country if you want to experience true Icelandic wilderness.

The summer’s midnight sun allows you to spend the entire day and night outdoors and enjoy all the wonderful treats of its Viking heritage, food and beautiful ‘scapes’ it has to offer.With global warming threatening to diminish the ice cover everywhere and thereby bringing catastrophically geological and climatic changes, I would recommend everyone who loves nature, to visit Iceland. Talk to ‘The Wanderers’ – they will guide you and give you a memorable experience.

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PS: I am going back – for a winter experience. It is a country that beguiles you and casts you under a spell. Once is not enough. There is still so much to see and experience from this tiny, isolated but breathtaking country. The northern lights beckon and its wish shall be fulfilled hopefully soon.

Are you inspired? Explore more on our Iceland Country page