Itineraries

Classic Kerala

2 WEEKS

With its coconut-palm-fringed beaches and languid backwaters, Kerala can justly claim to be India’s most laid-back state. But there’s plenty of colour and fun to spice up your tropical idyll – lively festivals and snake-boat races, Kathakali dance-dramas, charming colonial-era quarters and a famously flavoursome cuisine.

Spend a day visiting the museums and dining well in capital Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), before making the half-hour hop southeast to beach resort Kovalam. Shift down another gear at nearby Varkala, a holy town with a dizzying clifftop guesthouse-and-restaurant enclave, where you’ll keep active with yoga, SUP or surfing. Continue north to Kollam (Quilon) and take the tourist cruise along the canals to Alappuzha (Alleppey) with an overnight stop at the Matha Amrithanandamayi Mission, the ashram of Kerala’s celebrated ‘Hugging Mother’. Reaching Alappuzha (Alleppey), you’re in backwaters central; aboard a houseboat, kayak or canoe, discover what the sublime backwaters are all about. Next, detour east into the tea-coated, very trekkable hills of Munnar. Travel back down to Kochi (Cochin) and take the ferry to the old colonial outpost of Fort Cochin, where seafood barbecues, warm homestays, arty cafes, colonial-era mansions, Kathakali shows and the intriguing Jewish quarter at Mattancherry fill a fascinating few days.

Itineraries

Goa, Caves & Cities

4 WEEKS

City lights, historic sites, beachy bliss, jungle adventure and a touch of colonial-era quaintness – this trip will give you a flavour of all that’s fantastic about the south.

Begin in cosmopolitan Mumbai, Bollywood’s beating heart and home to some of the nation’s finest spots to shop, eat and drink. Take a sunset stroll along Marine Drive, a curvaceous oceanside promenade dubbed the ‘Queen’s Necklace’ because of its sparkling night lights, finishing with bhelpuri (fried rounds of dough with rice, lentils and chutney) on Chowpatty Beach. Catch a ferry to Elephanta Island from Mumbai’s historic Gateway of India to explore its stunning rock-cut temples and the triple-faced sculpture of Lord Shiva.

Next, make your way to the dazzling vineyards of Indian wine country around Nashik, sipping award-winning creations at Grover Zampa or Sula Vineyards, an outside-the-box Indian experience. Continue northeast to explore the ancient cave art at Ajanta and Ellora, situated within 150km of each other near Aurangabad. The incredible frescoed Buddhist caves of Ajanta are clustered along a horseshoe-shaped gorge, while the rock-cut caves of Ellora – containing a mix of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist shrines – are set on a 2km escarpment. Next up: the tropical beach haven of Goa for some soul-reviving seaside therapy. Wander through lush spice plantations, visit Portuguese-era cathedrals in Old Goa, shop at Anjuna’s colourful flea market and take your pick from dozens of fabulous beach spots, before travelling east to the traveller hot spot of Hampi in neighbouring Karnataka. Ramble around Hampi’s enigmatic boulder-strewn landscape and imagine what life here was like when it was a centre of the mighty Vijayanagar empire. Make the long trip down to Mysuru (Mysore) to explore Mysuru Palace, one of India’s grandest royal buildings, learn about ashtanga yoga and shop for silk and sandalwood in its colourful markets. From Mysuru it’s an exciting bus or taxi ride across the Western Ghats into Kerala and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, a pristine forest and jungle reserve and one of the best places in the south to spot wild elephants. Finally, take the hair-raising road down to the coast and make your way south to Kochi, Kerala’s intriguing colonial-era city, where a blend of Portuguese, Dutch and British history combines with wonderful homestays, creative cafes and a buzzing traveller scene.

Itineraries

Cities, Hill Stations & Sanctuaries

3 WEEKS

An offbeat trip through the contrasting cities, wildlife reserves and hill stations of the Deccan and Western Ghats.

Start with Maharashtra’s little-visited but fantastic Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, offering some of the best prospects for sighting wild tigers, before heading south to the wonderful princely capital Hyderabad with its centuries-old Islamic monuments and labyrinthine bazaars. Continue south to the culinary and shopping delights of India’s 21st-century IT capital, Bengaluru (Bangalore). On to the royal city of Mysuru. Gawp at ubergrand Mysuru Palace and try ashtanga yoga. Head south to Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve or Kerala’s Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can spot wild elephants and take jungle safaris, then on to the cool hill town of Ooty (Udhagamandalam), one of India’s most-loved holiday retreats. Take the toy train to Mettupalayam, near Coimbatore, then cross into Kerala and the tea-covered hills of Munnar, with fine hiking and secluded mountain accommodation. Finish with trekking and more chances of a tiger or elephant sighting at Periyar Tiger Reserve.

Itineraries

Sacred Tamil Nadu

2 WEEKS

A journey through Tamil Nadu is a trip into South India’s spiritual soul.

Delve into the rich history of Chennai with a wander around the Government Museum before visiting the ancient Kapaleeshwarar and Parthasarathy temples. Travel south to beachside Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) and its rock-cut shrines. Move inland to Tiruvannamalai, where the Arunachaleshwar Temple is one of India’s largest sacred complexes. Trade in temples for flamboyant cathedrals over a few days in the delightful old French seaside colony of Puducherry (Pondicherry) before heading back inland to the stunning Unesco World Heritage–listed medieval temples around Kumbakonam and Thanjavur (Tanjore). Continue to Trichy (Tiruchirappalli), home to the spectacular Rock Fort Temple and the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, probably India’s biggest temple. Then head south to Madurai and the incredible Meenakshi Amman Temple, widely reckoned the pinnacle of South Indian temple architecture. If you like, wind down at Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, with its temple to the virgin sea goddess Kumari, or continue west into Kerala.