Karnataka Family Tour Package

After a long flight with children, the first priority is sleep, food and a bathroom, roughly in that order. Our host meets your family right outside the arrivals hall, helps load bags and any strollers into the car and hands each child a small welcome pack with a map of the trip and a few stickers. If you have asked for child seats, they are already fitted. The ride to your hotel takes about an hour. For a dawn landing, reserve the room from the previous date, and everyone can be tucked in within the hour.

By late afternoon most children are bouncing again, and Cubbon Park is an easy place to let them run. Inside the park, Jawahar Bal Bhavan is a children's activity center with a small toy train that loops through the trees, a boating pond, swings and a playground. It gets busy on weekends with local families, which is half the fun. Parents can sit in the shade under huge old trees while the kids burn off energy. Your guide is not needed today, but your driver waits nearby and can take you back to the hotel whenever little legs give up.

For dinner, the hotel restaurant is often the easiest choice on the first night, and most will happily prepare plain rice, dal, pasta or grilled chicken. If you would like to try something local, a Bangalore darshini, a quick-service vegetarian eatery, serves crisp dosas that most children will enjoy dipped in coconut chutney, alongside sweet milky coffee for the adults. Bottled water is provided in the car, and we recommend using it for brushing teeth as well. Bedtime early tonight helps with jet lag, as the body clock adjusts faster with a full night's sleep. Overnight in Bangalore.

Your first stop is the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, a short drive from Cubbon Park, named after Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the engineer who built the KRS dam you will see in Mysore. Five floors of galleries cover engines, electricity, space, the human body and a much-loved dinosaur hall with life-size models. Many exhibits can be pushed, pulled or switched on, and the science demonstrations staff run during the day are a hit with children aged six to fourteen. Allow at least two hours, and longer if you have curious teenagers. The museum has a small café for snacks.

After lunch, which can be at a family restaurant nearby with both Indian and continental choices, your guide takes you to Lalbagh Botanical Garden. Children enjoy hunting for the giant trees, some more than a hundred years old, and climbing the bare rock hill topped by an old watchtower, which geologists say is among the oldest exposed rock in the world. The Victorian glasshouse, packed with flowers during the shows in January and August, is a good spot for a family photo. Ice cream sellers wait at the gates, and there is a lake where you can spot herons, cormorants and turtles.

Older kids and teenagers may also enjoy a short look at Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, where your guide brings alive the Tiger of Mysore and his war rockets, one of the earliest uses of iron-cased rockets in battle. Younger ones might prefer the Nehru Planetarium, which runs sky shows in English at set times; check the schedule with your guide. Later on, the hotel pool takes over, and parents get a well-earned hour with a book. Tonight, consider an early pizza or a South Indian thali, then pack the bags for tomorrow's drive to Mysore. Overnight in Bangalore.

About an hour out of Bangalore your driver stops in Channapatna, whose painted wooden toys are sold in shops from Delhi to Chennai. Here local craftspeople have turned wooden toys on simple lathes for more than two centuries, using soft ivory wood and coloring them with vegetable dyes and lacquer. In a small workshop, children can watch a block of wood become a spinning top or a stacking ring in minutes, and some workshops let them try the lathe with help. The toys are safe, light and cheap, and they make good presents for friends and classmates back home.

Lunch is at your hotel in Mysore, roughly two hours on. After a rest, head about 20 km north in the late afternoon to the Brindavan Gardens, laid out below the Krishna Raja Sagar dam on the Kaveri. Terraced lawns, fountains and flower beds run down from the dam wall, and boat rides are available on a small lake. The main event comes after dark, when the musical fountain show lights up in color and moves in time to music, which most children talk about for days. Show times can change with the season and maintenance, so your driver checks on the day.

Crowds can be heavy at the fountain on weekends and holidays, so keep younger children close and agree on a meeting point. A torch or phone light helps on the walk back to the car park in the dark. Dinner can be at a family restaurant in Mysore on the way back. Mysore is a city where children can easily try their first Indian sweets: the fudge-like Mysore pak, made with chickpea flour, ghee and sugar, was first cooked in the royal palace kitchens and is sold in sweet shops all over town. Overnight in Mysore.

Start early at the Mysore Zoo, officially the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, founded by the royal family in 1892 and one of the oldest zoos in India. The enclosures are spacious and shaded, and children can see giraffes, zebras, gorillas, tigers, elephants and a walk-through aviary. A battery car can carry tired walkers around part of the route. Tuesday is the weekly closing day, and our schedule takes that into account. Go in the morning when the animals are active and before the sun gets strong, and bring hats, sunscreen and water bottles for everyone.

After a break for lunch, your guide takes you to the Mysore Palace. To keep it interesting for kids, the guide tells stories rather than dates: the royal wedding fire that destroyed the earlier palace, the golden throne brought out only for Dasara, and the peacock patterns hidden in the stained-glass ceiling. Children usually love the big painted elephants and the paintings of the Dasara parade. Shoes are left outside and photos are not allowed indoors, so warn little ones in advance. Visiting Mysore on a Sunday or public holiday? Return after dark, when the whole building glows with bulbs.

Toward evening, young train fans can head for the Mysore Rail Museum, where steam engines, wooden coaches and a royal saloon car of the Maharaja's family sit outdoors under the trees. Kids are allowed aboard several coaches, and a mini train circles the yard at set times. It is a low-key, inexpensive stop, ideal before dinner. Alternatively, older children can visit the colorful Devaraja Market, where piles of flowers and powders make great photos. Then it is pool time and an early dinner at your hotel, followed by a quiet evening. Overnight in Mysore.

This morning you drive south to Kabini, where a wide reservoir meets the forests of Nagarhole National Park. Roads become quiet and green after HD Kote, and children often spot their first wild macaques and peafowl on the roadside. You arrive at your riverside lodge in time for lunch. Lodges at Kabini are well used to families, with large rooms, gardens, pools in some cases and activity programs led by naturalists. All meals are included at the lodge, and the kitchen will prepare simple food for children on request. Please let us know about allergies in advance.

Afternoon safaris into the national park are operated by the state forest department in open jeeps or larger canter buses, on fixed routes. Seats are limited, they can only be booked close to your date, and some vehicles have minimum age rules, so we request your slots early and check the rules for your children. If no seats are available, the lodge will offer a boat safari or nature walk instead. Children should wear dull colors such as green, khaki or brown, carry a light jacket and keep voices low during the drive, which is part of the excitement.

Animal sightings are never guaranteed in a wild forest, and it is worth telling children that before the drive. Most safaris here show plenty of life: herds of spotted deer, wild boar, langur monkeys, peacocks, sometimes elephants with babies and the huge Indian bison called gaur. Tigers and leopards also live here, but they are shy and spotting one is a matter of luck. Back at the lodge, naturalists often hold a short evening talk or slide show, which helps children name the animals they saw. Many lodges also hand out a wildlife checklist, and ticking off each new bird or mammal becomes a game for the rest of the stay. Overnight in Kabini.

Early risers can join a morning safari, if slots are available, while the air is still crisp and the deer are grazing. Many families find one or two drives at Kabini enough for younger children, so feel free to skip this one and sleep in. After breakfast at the lodge, there is time for the pool, board games or a bird-spotting session with the naturalist, who may lend binoculars and a picture checklist. Kids enjoy competing to find a kingfisher, a hornbill or a serpent eagle. The quiet hours by the water are a good reminder that holidays do not have to be busy all the time.

In the late afternoon, take a coracle ride on the Kabini river, offered by many lodges along the bank. A coracle is a round boat made of bamboo and covered underneath to keep it waterproof, and it spins easily as it moves, which children find hilarious. Life jackets are provided and the boatmen keep to calm, shallow water near the shore. From the coracle you may see otters, cormorants drying their wings and even elephants drinking on the far bank. Coracle availability depends on water levels and lodge policy, so your lodge confirms on the day.

Before dinner, many lodges offer a guided nature walk around their grounds, where naturalists show children how to identify animal tracks, insects and birds, and explain why the forest needs protecting. Some properties also run evening programs for kids, such as crafts or a short film about elephants and tigers. Dinner is often set by a campfire, which children love, with roasted corn or marshmallows on some evenings. Take a final look at the stars before bed, as there is little light pollution here. Pack tonight for tomorrow's drive into the coffee hills. Overnight in Kabini.

Leave Kabini after breakfast and drive north-west through Hunsur toward Kushalnagar, at the eastern entrance to Coorg. Your first stop is the Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe and its Golden Temple, where three tall golden statues tower over the prayer hall. Children are often fascinated by the young monks in red robes, some their own age, who live and study here. Spinning the prayer wheels around the courtyard is allowed and popular with kids. Shoes are taken off at the door and visitors are asked to keep quiet inside. Lunch can be steamed momos, which most kids love.

Just outside Kushalnagar, Kaveri Nisargadhama is a small forested island in the Kaveri river reached by a hanging rope bridge that wobbles enough to make children giggle. Paths lead through tall bamboo groves and teak trees to a deer enclosure, a rabbit area, a small treehouse and a riverside spot where you can sit on rocks and watch the water. It is a relaxed hour-long stop and a good way to stretch legs after the drive. Watch out for monkeys looking for snacks, and keep food in bags. The island has toilets and a small snack stand.

From Kushalnagar the road climbs about an hour more to your coffee estate stay, a few kilometers outside Madikeri, the main town of Coorg. Plantation stays suit families well, with big gardens, open lawns, pet dogs and sometimes cows or chickens, and the cooler air means children sleep well. Your host family introduces you to the estate and its staff, and many hosts are happy to have kids join them for small tasks around the house. Dinner is home-cooked Kodava food, and the kitchen will make milder dishes for children, often with rice, chapati and simple curries. Overnight in Coorg.

Start the day with a plantation walk designed for children, led by your host or an estate worker. Kids learn how coffee grows as a red berry before it becomes the brown bean their parents drink, and they can pick a ripe cherry and squeeze out the seeds. Pepper vines climb up tall trees, cardamom grows in small pods close to the ground, and orange trees often grow between the coffee. If you visit during the December to February harvest, children may be allowed to help pick a basket of berries. Afterwards, try freshly brewed estate coffee, with hot chocolate for the kids.

Late morning you drive about 30 minutes to Dubare, on the banks of the Kaveri, where a forest department elephant camp looks after working and retired elephants. Families can watch the elephants being bathed and fed from the riverbank in the morning, and learn about their care from the staff. We do not book elephant rides or bathing with the animals, which can stress them, but watching from a distance is a lovely way for children to see these giants up close. Reaching the camp involves a short boat crossing, which is popular with kids. Timings depend on the camp schedule.

After lunch back on the estate, the afternoon is free. Children can play in the garden, take a short walk to a stream with your host or simply rest. In the evening, many homestays organize a bonfire with music, and some hosts teach simple Kodava folk dances. Ask your host to tell the story of the Kodava community and their brave soldiers; the walls of many homes are covered with photos of ancestors in uniform. Kodava dinners often include a dish of chicken curry with rice dumplings called kadambuttu, and the kitchen will make it mild if asked. Overnight in Coorg.

After a slow breakfast, drive about 30 minutes to Abbey Falls, where a paved path with steps leads downhill through coffee and pepper to a viewing bridge in front of the waterfall. The walk takes about ten minutes each way, but the climb back up can tire small legs, so carry water and take it slowly. The falls are at their strongest after the monsoon, roughly August to November, and quieter in the dry months. Swimming is not allowed, and the rocks are slippery, so keep children well away from the edge. The rumble of the water and the cool spray are exciting enough.

In Madikeri, stop at the old fort, where two large stone elephants stand outside the main building and children enjoy posing beside them. Then continue to Raja's Seat, a hilltop park where the Coorg kings liked to watch the evening light. Apart from the views, the garden has a small toy train for children that runs around a short loop, and musical fountains on some evenings. It is popular with local families, so expect a cheerful crowd. Lunch can be at a family restaurant in town with Indian and Chinese dishes.

In the afternoon, the family kitchen opens for a simple Kodava cooking session. Children can help roll out akki rotti, the thin rice flatbread of Coorg, and learn how the family makes its spice paste and pickles. The adults can taste the famous pandi curry, pork cooked in a dark, slightly sour sauce, while kids try milder chicken or vegetable dishes. It is a fun and very hands-on way to learn about local life. Afterwards relax on the veranda, and have one more evening in the cool hills before tomorrow's drive. Overnight in Coorg.

Say goodbye to your Coorg hosts after breakfast and drive north through Somwarpet and Sakleshpur, a pretty route through green hills and small coffee towns where the roadside is lined with silver oak and pepper vines. Your driver plans a midway snack stop and a toilet break. You reach Belur at lunchtime. The town's Chennakeshava Temple, built by the Hoysala kings in the 12th century, gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2023, and its walls are covered with hundreds of carved elephants, lions, horses, dancers and musicians, which makes it perfect for a family game of spot-the-animal.

Your guide hands the children a simple checklist: find an elephant, a monkey, a parrot, a lady with a mirror and a musician with a drum. Most kids race to finish it, and in doing so they look more closely at the carvings than many adults do. Inside, the polished pillars shine like metal, and the guide can explain how they were shaped on huge lathes from soft stone that later hardened. Shoes are removed at the entrance, so bring socks for hot stone floors in the middle of the day. A visit of about an hour and a half is enough for most families.

Continue about 40 minutes to Hassan, where your hotel has a pool and a garden for an easy afternoon. Hassan makes a calm halfway point between the hills and the drive back to Bangalore, with nothing more planned than a swim and an early dinner. The hotel kitchen can make children's favorites such as fried rice, noodles, French fries and toast, alongside local dishes for adults. Before bed, talk about tomorrow's climb at Shravanabelagola, so that children know there will be many steps but a big reward at the top. Overnight in Hassan.

Leave early for Shravanabelagola, about an hour from Hassan, and one of the most important Jain pilgrimage centers in India. On top of Vindhyagiri hill stands the Gommateshwara statue, also called Bahubali, cut from one granite boulder in about 983 CE and nearly 18 meters tall. Reaching it means climbing over 600 rock-cut steps barefoot, so start before the rock heats up. Socks are allowed and recommended, and a hat helps on the exposed rock. Children usually manage well with a few breaks, and the summit looks out over lakes, palms and the town's temple tank.

Older kids enjoy hearing the story behind the statue: Bahubali, a prince who won a wrestling match against his brother but then gave up his kingdom and stood meditating for so long that vines grew up his legs. Look closely and you will see those vines carved around the statue. Every twelve years or so, a huge ceremony called the Mahamastakabhisheka pours milk, saffron and flowers over the statue's head. For families with very young children or anyone who cannot do the climb, the town below has a temple tank and small Jain shrines to visit while others go up.

After a simple lunch, you drive about three hours back to Bangalore, with a stop for fresh coconut water along the way. Check in to your hotel for the last night and enjoy a relaxed farewell evening. If the children still have energy, a mall visit can be fun for last-minute shopping and a familiar meal, or you can enjoy a local dinner of thali and dosa at a well-known restaurant. Spend some time packing toys, souvenirs and coffee from Coorg into your bags, and check flight times with our team, who will confirm your pickup. Overnight in Bangalore.

Enjoy a final breakfast at the hotel, and if there is time, let the children have a last splash in the pool before check-out. At the pickup time we have agreed, your driver stows the luggage and heads for Kempegowda International Airport, about an hour away. Pickup is set with plenty of spare time, since Bangalore traffic is unpredictable and international counters open roughly three hours ahead. For a midnight departure, keeping the room until evening is possible for an additional charge, so the children can rest before the long flight.

In twelve days your family has seen tigers' forest homes, elephants along the Kabini, monks in red robes, a royal palace, coffee berries on the bush and a giant stone statue on a hilltop. We hope the children go home with stories to tell at school and a taste for idli and dosa. Many families come back as the kids get older to add Hampi, Goa or Kerala, and our team would love to design that next trip. Have a safe flight home, and thank you for traveling with us.