Kerala & India's Beautiful South with Two-night Mahabalipuram Beach Extension

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 • Overnight flight to India

  Fly overnight to Bangalore.

• Day 2 • Travel to your hotel Bangalore

  Your tour manager will meet you as you arrive in Bangalore, and our coach will transfer to your welcoming hotel in this thriving city where modern developments surround the colonial remnants, parks and green spaces of the what was once known as the Garden City. Enjoy the chance to rest and relax before your first dinner at the hotel.

• Day 3 • Included Bangalore tour

  After an early breakfast, you’ll head out for a sightseeing tour of Bangalore. Highlights will include the vast Vidhana Soudha state ‘capitol’ – India’s largest civic building – the 16th-century Bull Temple, with its massive, granite Nandi bull, and the Summer Palace of Tipu Sultan. Following the tour you’ll travel across the plain to historic, charming Mysore, pausing en route to take in the island of Srirangapatna. The island was once the stronghold of the Tiger of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, who was finally defeated by the future Duke of Wellington, here, in 1799. An important Hindu temple draws pilgrims from across the sub-continent.

• Day 4 • Included Mysore city tour

  This morning’s tour begins with a short journey to an ornate temple atop the Chamundi Hills before returning to take in Mysore’s spectacular, domed, Maharaja’s Palace. This fusion of architectural styles has a striking interior whose highlight is the magnificent royal wedding hall. You’ll also see the Jaganmohan Palace, with its collection of Indian paintings and carvings, and visit the Railway Museum. This afternoon, re-board the coach for another short journey, this time to Somnathpur, where the Keshava Vishnu temple is one of the finest examples of the intricate style favoured by the region’s 13th-century Hoysala rulers. Return to Mysore, to take in the extraordinary sight of the illuminated Maharaja’s Palace, this evening.

• Day 5 • Travel to Ooty

  Board the coach for the memorably scenic journey into the foothills of the Western Ghat mountains. You’ll pass the forests of the Bandipur National Park and, by afternoon, you will have arrived in the Queen of Hill Stations, Udhagamandalam (otherwise known as Ooty). Spend the evening in this idyllic location, discovering the Kew-inspired Botanical Gardens, Gothic St. Stephen’s Church and crumbling colonial splendour.

• Day 6 • Ride on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway

  Board the historic, narrow-gauge Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway to journey down through the spectacular hills to plantation town Coonoor for lunch. Tour a tea factory before returning to Ooty where you'll visit the quintessentially British botanical gardens and St Stephen's Church as well as the local market.

• Day 7 • Rail travel to Kochi

  After a leisurely morning, perhaps making use of your hotel’s facilities, you’ll head to Coimbatore Station and board the early afternoon Ernakulam Express, which will speed you in air-conditioned comfort into Kerala. Spend the next two nights here, in Kochi, the ancient trading seaport once known as Cochin.

• Day 8 • Included tour of Kochi

  Today, you’ll enjoy an included guided tour of historic Kochi. See the exquisite murals of "Dutch" Mattancherry Palace, the ancient Jewish synagogue and Fort Cochin – home to the famous Chinese fishing nets that have become one of India’s most-photographed sights. Elsewhere in the city, historic St Francis Church overlooks a village green straight from a genteel English scene. This evening, see for yourself the intricate choreography, glorious costumes and colourful make-up of a traditional Kathakali dance performance.

• Day 9 • Cruise on a traditional houseboat

  Travel the short distance to Alleppey, and board a traditional, thatch-roofed Kettuvallam houseboat to lazily cruise a labyrinth of canals and waterways, lined with coconut groves, rice fields and dotted with temples. This landscape of tiny islands is home to fishermen, buffalo farmers, and coconut growers. This evening, enjoy a guided walk through a traditional Keralan village.

• Day 10 • Travel to Periyar and visit a spice plantation

  Bidding farewell to your floating home, you’ll journey up into a lush, rolling landscape dotted with tea- and spice-plantations, to Periyar. You’ll spend two nights here, close to the famous wildlife sanctuary. Check in to your hotel, then join your guide to explore a spice plantation and learn the mysteries and history of Indian tea and spices, which are grown in abundance on the slopes of the sanctuary. Enjoy dinner and a cooking demonstration at the hotel at the end of a fascinating day. This evening, you can also choose to go on an optional tour to Kalaripayattu in Periyar. Here, in a small venue with stadium seating, you'll be able to watch a traditional Indian martial arts performance.

• Day 11 • Periyar lake cruise with optional wildlife sanctuary excursion

  Rest and relax in the cool surroundings of your hotel, this morning, or join our optional guided excursion into the Wildlife Sanctuary, in search of the endangered mammals (elephants, palm civets, giant squirrels and – for the lucky few – tigers and leopards) and 250-plus bird species that make it their home. This afternoon, complete your visit to Periyar with a boat ride on serene Periyar Lake. Sightings of elephants and colourful birds are possible here, too; though glimpses of the elusive tigers and leopards are the preserve of the very fortunate few.

• Day 12 • Travel to Madurai

  Journey east into Tamil Nadu, heading down onto the southern plains to spend the next two nights in Madurai. One of Asia’s oldest cities, Madurai stands on the banks of the River Vaigai and is famed for its extraordinary temples. Soak up the atmosphere of this unforgettable metropolis, which is dominated by the vast, colourful Meenakshi temple.

• Day 13 • Included Madurai city tour

  Today’s guided sightseeing tour introduces Madurai’s Old City, where the ornately carved façade, colonnades, shrines and quartet of towering gopurams of the Meenakshi temple are the breath-taking highlight. Marvel at the continual ceremonies and devotions, take in the bustle of the temple markets and stroll the labyrinth of corridors and walkways. This evening, head back out of the hotel to discover the city’s narrow, bustling streets and colourful market by cycle-rickshaw.

• Day 14 • Travel to Pondicherry

  A scenic journey through a landscape of rice-paddies and irrigated fields takes you to Pondicherry, a town of decidedly Gallic leanings that boasts an authentic Hôtel de Ville, where French is still widely spoken and where the "gendarmes" patrolling the beachfront promenade still wear kepi berets. Enjoy an overnight stay here, in a town that forms one of the backdrops to Yann Martel’s enchanting novel, Life of Pi.

• Day 15 • Explore Pondicherry

  This morning, pay a visit to the Pondicherry Museum, with its diverse collection of artefacts, before you join a cycle rickshaw ride through the colonial French Quarter. Enjoy dinner at your hotel this evening.

• Day 16 • Tour of Mahabalipuram

  Journey north to coastal Mahabalipuram for a last night's stay. A sightseeing tour includes a visit to the extraordinary, 8th-century Shore Temple. This afternoon, rest and relax on the beach for a few hours before enjoying a farewell dinner at the hotel.

• Day 17 • Day at leisure in Mahabalipuram

  A day of leisure awaits you, and you can spend it unwinding by the swimming pool, which looks out over the sea, or in the spa.

• Day 18 • Day at leisure in Mahabalipuram

  Your last day free allows you to take it easy in this beautiful, tranquil setting.

• Day 19 • Tour of Chennai and flight to the UK

  After your final breakfast, travel to Chennai, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour of India’s fourth-largest city. You’ll then travel to Chennai airport for the overnight flight home.

• Day 20 • Arrive in the UK

  Arrive back in the UK at the end of a colourful, enthralling journey.