Hubli- Dharwad, Belagavi region
The twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad form a major hub in North Karnataka
Hubli has an airport that has connections to Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. It is an overnight bus journey from other cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Mangaluru. VRL is a private operator running most of the buses in the region, in addition to government buses
Hubli-Dharwad has its own attractions in the city and can be a hub to visit architectural marvels of Karnataka like Hampi, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal. Belagavi is famous for its waterfalls like Gokak falls, Godchinamakki falls. Hiring a local taxi from city centre is best way to cover the places, typically at INR 5000 per day for 300 km
Famous for jowar rotti, try out the hard version of Kadak rotti, that is sold on streets. Khanavalis serve full meal with rotti, accompanying dishes, buttermilk and sweet. Dharwad peda is a sweet dish made from milk, another authentic one from this region. You can see peda shops on every other street, where makers have been specializing over generations. Girmit, made from puffed rice is a savory specialty
Places to visit in North Karnataka: Hubli-Dharwad
Unkal Lake: Origin of river Bedti that then flows into falls like Magod. The lake offers a peaceful respite from the traffic and chaos of the city
Nrupatunga betta: Climb the hill to get a view of city from the top
Chandramauleshwara temple: Slightly forgotten temple, but has wonderful architecture at an unexpected place. This 11th century temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva
ISKCON temple: One of the modern temples dedicated to Lord Krishna on the way to Dharwad
Dharwad: More an educational hub. There is a 14th century fort with mainly the walls intact
Mundgod: Home to Tibetan colony and a nice,colorful monastery
Lakkundi: Home to Hindu and Jain temples, large stepwells, about an hour away from Hubli
Places to visit North Karnataka: Near Belagavi
Gokak falls: An hour away from Belagavi, water from Ghataprabha river flows on red rocks, forming an iconic picture. This was the place where electricity was generated for the first time in India in 18th century
Godchinamakki falls: About 15 km from Gokak, this falls has water from Markandeya river flowing across in steps across a wide region
Kittur: Famous for the queen Rani Chennamma who fought the British bravely. There is a fort in ruins here
Amboli ghat: About 2 hours from Belagavi, technically in Maharastra. There is a falls that flows into the road. Beware of leaches here- we were badly bitten. The river Hiranyakeshi originates at the temple nearby, amidst the caves
Belagavi: Has an old fort built in 12th century, with a nice Jain temple, Ramakrishna mission ashram inside
Dandeli: About 2 hours, 80 km away from Hubli, technically in Uttara Kannada. You can do white water rafting across river Kali (class III), jungle lodging, bird watching here
Hubli can be the base to visit architectural wonders from Hoysala dynasty, covered in a separate post