Practical Information for visiting Karnataka

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent, and Bengaluru is India’s best-connected city with widespread 5G. Data is very cheap.

Local SIMs from Jio or Airtel require a passport and visa and can take a day to activate; airport counters are simplest.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels and cafes, and Bengaluru has an extensive co-working and cafe-working culture given its technology sector.

Signal at Hampi is adequate in the village and patchy among the ruins; the Ghats and forest reserves have gaps.

Power cuts are more common outside the cities and most hotels have generators.

Karnataka is safe for visitors and Bengaluru is a comfortable city. The risks are traffic and heat.

• Bengaluru traffic is severe, and two-wheelers weave constantly; crossing roads and using autorickshaws both require attention.
• Heat and sun at Hampi: the site has almost no shade, the granite radiates, and visitors regularly get heat exhaustion. Start at dawn, stop at midday, resume late.
• Boulder scrambling at Hampi: people fall. The rock is grippy but the exposure is real and rescue is slow.
• Elephants in the Ghats districts: human-elephant conflict is a serious local issue, and encounters on rural roads at night happen.
• Leeches in the Ghats during the monsoon, which are a nuisance rather than a danger.
• Autorickshaw fares: insist on the meter or use an app.

Bengaluru has some of the best hospitals in India and is a major medical tourism destination; Mysore and Mangalore are well served. Rural facilities are limited.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid; rabies and Japanese encephalitis for longer or rural stays.

Mosquito-borne illness: dengue is common in Bengaluru and across the state, chikungunya occurs, and there is malaria risk. Use repellent.

Kyasanur Forest Disease is a tick-borne haemorrhagic fever endemic to the Western Ghats in this state specifically — a genuine if small risk for anyone walking in forest in the Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts between November and June.

Heat at the northern sites.

Water: drink bottled or filtered; Bengaluru’s tap water is not for drinking.

Remove shoes at temples and homes, and cover shoulders and knees at religious sites. At Hampi’s Virupaksha temple, shoes are left outside and there is a resident elephant who will bless you for a coin.

Do not climb on carved structures at any of the sites, however inviting the boulders next to them look.

Right hand for eating, giving and receiving.

Hampi is a dry zone and alcohol is officially prohibited in the heritage area; enforcement varies but the rule exists.

Language: a word of Kannada is noticed and appreciated, and assuming Hindi works is a small misstep in Karnataka.

Photography: ask before photographing people, and note that some temples prohibit it inside.

Public affection is not the norm.

Emergency numbers: 112 nationally, with 100 for police, 108 for ambulance and 101 for fire.

Medical. Bengaluru’s private hospitals are excellent and used to foreign patients, with payment upfront and an insurance claim afterwards. From Hampi, the nearest substantial facilities are at Hospet and Hubli.

At Hampi, heat is the most common problem; carry more water than you expect to need and avoid midday entirely between March and June.

In the forest reserves, follow the guide’s instructions on elephants absolutely — they are the animal most likely to cause a serious incident.

Autorickshaws and taxis: use apps where possible, which removes the fare argument and leaves a record.

Several countries maintain consulates in Bengaluru.