Bengaluru to Honnavar: A Weekend Trip Without Taking Leave

Why Honnavar works as a weekend from Bengaluru

Honnavar is about 460 km from Bengaluru, which sounds far until you notice that both the train and the buses run overnight in each direction. You sleep through the journey, get two full days on the coast and lose no working time. It is also noticeably quieter and cheaper than Gokarna on the same weekend.

Honnavar as a base near Gokarna

Friday night: getting there

You have three choices.

• Train: the Panchaganga Express runs overnight from Bengaluru to Karwar and reaches Honnavar at about 6:25 AM. It is the most comfortable option and sells out early for long weekends, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. Confirm timings on IRCTC.
• Bus: KSRTC and private sleeper buses leave Bengaluru in the evening and take roughly nine to ten hours. They drop you at Honnavar bus stand, a few minutes from the homestay.
• Car: roughly 460 km through Shivamogga and Sagara, then down the Sharavathi valley on NH-69 past Jog Falls. Allow nine to ten hours with breaks. Worth it in the monsoon, when you can stop at Jog on the way.

Arriving by train or bus: pick-up and early check-in How to reach Honnavar Jog Falls from Honnavar

Saturday

The train gets in just as the sunrise boats are going out, and the jetty is 100 metres from the house, so many guests start on the water before they have unpacked.

• 6:45 AM: Sunrise boat ride, one hour, ₹1,500 per private boat for up to four guests.
• 8:30 AM: Breakfast at the house, then sleep off the journey.
• 1:00 PM: Home-cooked lunch.
• 3:30 PM: Kandla mangrove boardwalk and Kasarkod Eco Beach, about 4 km away.
• 5:45 PM: Apsarakonda sunset point, ten minutes further south.
• 8:00 PM: Dinner, and a campfire in the yard if you have asked for one.

Sunday

Leave by 7:30 AM for Murudeshwar, 28 km south, and see the temple, the gopura lift and the Shiva statue before the crowds. Stop at Idagunji Ganapati temple on the way back and be in Honnavar for lunch. Check-out is at 11 AM, with late check-out when the room is free; otherwise leave your bags with us. Spend the afternoon by the river, and head to the station for the Panchaganga Express, which leaves at about 7:05 PM and reaches Bengaluru early on Monday.

Murudeshwar from Honnavar The full 2-day itinerary

What the weekend costs

At the homestay, a single room is ₹1,500 a night and the family room ₹2,500 to ₹3,000. A one-hour boat is ₹1,500 for the whole boat. Meals are priced per head and the Murudeshwar car is quoted when you book. Train and bus fares vary by class and operator, so check them when you book. For two people sharing a room and a boat, the stay itself is one of the cheaper coastal weekends you can do from Bengaluru.

Rooms and rates Best homestay in Honnavar, compared honestly Where to stay in Honnavar, area by area Photos before you book

Long weekends and the best months

October to March has the best weather. Long weekends, Christmas and New Year fill first, for both trains and rooms, so book three to four weeks ahead. In the monsoon, swap the beach for Jog Falls and Apsarakonda.

Honnavar in the monsoon