Transfer to Mysore: On arrival in Bangalore, you will be met by a local representative and introduced to your private driver. You will be immediately driven west to Mysore, a journey of around 4 hours, to check into your homestay and have the rest of the day at leisure to recover from your flight.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at at the Gitanjali Homestay (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of Mysore: After breakfast, you will be met at the hotel by a local English-speaking guide with whom you will set out to explore the city and its surrounds. Mysore has a long history of eminent dynasties; over time, they have shaped a city that, even today, is one of the finest and best planned cities in Southern India. Often called the city of palaces, Mysore combines modernity and hustle with traditional grandeur. You will begin with to visit the historical fort of Srirangapatnam, just a 30-minute drive from central Mysore. Srirangapatnam, synonymous with Tipu Sultan - the so-called Tiger of Mysore, ruler between 1782 and 1799 - has been the scene of great political change in the Sultanate of Mysore. This island fortress was the summer capital of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, and it was here where the latter met his end at the hands of the British. Much of the battle site is still intact, including the ramparts, the Water Gate, an area where British prisoners-of-war were held, and the site of the destroyed palace. You will also have the opportunity to explore Tipu’s summer palace, his mausoleum, and the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, all picturesquely located along the banks of the river Cauvery. After your tour you will return to Mysore to explore the sights of the city.

On arrival back in Mysore, you will continue to the city's principal sights: the magnificent Mysore Palace. The former residence of the Wodeyar Maharajas, the Palace is a splendid and expansive example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. Highlight attractions here include are a magnificent gold throne, which is displayed during the Dussehra festival celebrations, a carved silver door, and the Kalyana Mandapa (Marriage Hall) and its depictions of royal rule. Continue to the local markets - always charming and good fun! - where you will see fruits and vegetable vendors selling their wares, and local artisans practising their craft. Your guide will take you to visit a sandalwood incense maker and will also uncover a favourite spot to try some of Mysore's famous sweets. Finish the guided tour with a trip up Chamundi Hill, which overlooks the city. At the top of the hill you will find the 2000-year-old temple of Chamundeshwari, from where one can enjoy fantastic panoramic views.

Evening cooking demonstration: This evening, an interactive ‘Kodava cuisine’ cookery lesson with your hostess will be arranged. One aspect that stands out about Kodava/Coorg cuisine is the heavy use of spices, coconut, jackfruit, and other fruits. With extensive use of spices and coconut, the food comes out to be spicy yet delicious. Chutneys and pickles are also play an important role in Kodava food and largely use ingredients such as coconut, onions, and garlic.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at at the Gitanjali Homestay (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Road journey to Kabini: Set off this morning on a drive to Kabini, near the Nagarhole National Park. This will be a drive of around 2 hours, depending on local traffic.

Afternoon game drive in Nagarhole National Park: Later in the afternoon, you will be picked up and take for game drive inside Nagarhole National Park. Nagarhole has a rich variety of flora and fauna: there are large groups of gaur, elephant, sambar, chittal, with even the occasional sighting of tiger and leopard.  Other common mammals in the park include the muntjac, the tiny mouse deer, wild boar, pangolin, giant squirrel, slender loris, langurs and macaques. Lesser cats such as the jungle cat, leopard cat and rusty spotted cat are also resident species. The Park has about 250 species of birds with the Malabar trogan, the Malabar pied hornbill, great black woodpecker, the Indian pitta and the green imperial pigeon part of its avian variety.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Evolve Back (Jacuzzi Hut)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Morning and afternoon safaris in Nagarhole National Park: This morning and afternoon, you will be taken inside the park for two further game drives. In the morning, you will be taken by boat along the Kabini River, looking out for wildlife in the water and on the shore. The afternoon drive will be back on dry land using an open-top jeep. The remaining time in the day may be spent at leisure, enjoying the lodge facilities, or you could head outside to explore the neighbouring tribal hamlets. Your driver-guide will be on hand if required.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Evolve Back (Jacuzzi Hut)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road journey from Kabini to Coonoor: After breakfast, you will check out and then set off across the hills for Coonoor. This will be a scenic drive of around 4.5 hours, depending on stops and local traffic. On arrival, you will check in to your hotel and have the rest of the day to relax.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Gateway Coonoor (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Tour of Ooty and ride the Nilgiri Mountain Railway: After breakfast, you will head out with your private driver to Ooty. You will have some time to explore this beautiful hill station. Afterwards, you will visit the Nilgiri Mountain Railway station, which is a UNESCO Heritage Site, and starting point for one of the most scenic and famous stretches of track in all of India. You will board the train down to Coonoor, a journey of around an hour which takes you through hair-raising curves and tight tunnels, the steam train chugging along beside deep ravines full of verdant vegetation, gurgling streams and tea gardens.  Arrive back at Coonoor, where you will be transferred to your hotel to relax for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Gateway Coonoor (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast

At leisure in Coonoor: Today, you have a full day at leisure to relax on the estate and, quite literally, drink in your surrounds. Your car and driver will be at disposal should you wish to explore more of the local area beyond your hotel’s grounds.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gateway Coonoor (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey to Pollachi: This morning, you will be driven out of the hills and down to Pollachi District, still within Tamil Nadu but just on the provincial border with Kerala. This scenic drive should take around 4.5 hours. You will arrive at your rural resort in the early afternoon, and have some time to settle in and enjoy the pristine air and lush greenery.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Banyan Tree (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Road journey to Kochi: This morning, you will leave Pollachi and cross over into Kerala on your journey to Kochi. The drive will last around 4.5 hours and on arrival you will check into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Evening performance of the Kathakali Dance Drama: This evening, you will be collected from your hotel and taken to witness the spectacular Kathakali Dance Drama. Kathakali is Kerala’s very own classical dance-drama form which combines facets of ballet, opera, masque and pantomime. Kathakali illuminates ideas and stories from the Indian epics and other story books. Presented in the temple precincts after dusk falls, Kathakali is heralded by the Kelikottu, or the beating of drums, which is accompanied by the Chengila (gong). The rich blend of colour, expressions, music, drama and dance are unparalleled in any other art form. If you are interested you can arrive a little early so as to see the artistes being made up, which is considered to be a full-blown art in itself and regarded as important as the dance-drama.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Old Harbour Hotel (Garden View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Morning cycling tour of Fort Kochi: Early this morning, you will be met by your cycling guide and together you will cycle ride through Fort Kochi to see the city wake up. You will join the locals for a hot brimming cup of tea as they start the day, catch all the action with the hustle and bustle in the local fish market, and catch a glimpse of the varied and diverse communities from faraway lands who have made Fort Kochi their home.

Afternoon walking tour of Kochi: Later in the afternoon, your guide will take you on a walking tour through historic Fort Kochi. Start at Mattancherry Palace which was built by the Portuguese in 1555 for the Maharaja of Cochin. Later renovated by the Dutch, it came to be known as the Dutch Palace. It has a large central courtyard and a temple depicting scenes from the Ramayana and other legends. The little museum at the palace has a collection of costumes, palanquins and other articles from the royalty. Adjacent to the palace is the Jewish Synagogue, built in 1568. This simple building has marvellously rich interiors with clusters of coloured glass lamps hanging from the ceiling, and a floor of blue willow-patterned tiles, none of which are identical. From here move on to St. Francis Church, which was built in 1503 at Fort Cochin, making it one of the oldest churches in the subcontinent. It was built by the Portuguese, but became a Protestant church with the arrival of the Dutch and an Anglican church after the British occupation. Vasco da Gama – perhaps the father of the spice trade - is buried in its churchyard. After visiting St Francis Church, take a short walk to see the Chinese fishing nets along the shoreline, then return to your hotel to relax.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Old Harbour Hotel (Garden View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey to the Vembanad Backwaters: After breakfast, you will be picked up and driven south of Kochi to the town of Alleppey, a journey of around 2 hours. Alleppey, at the southern end of the vast Vembanad Lake, is the jumping off point for most overnight houseboat cruises. You will arrive around lunchtime in time to check in for your cruise.

Cruise through the backwaters: After boarding, you will set off from Alleppey to enjoy a cruise through the backwaters of Kerala. Around an hour later lunch will be served - a spread of delicious local cuisine - and after lunch your houseboat will continue meandering slowly through the tranquil network of water canals, dotted with busy hamlets and lush green paddy fields. A houseboat ride through these placid backwaters is a wonderfully relaxing experience, a perfect opportunity to put your feet up and watch the world glide silently by. Towards the end of the afternoon, you will have the option of transferring to smaller rowboat, which will take you deeper into the narrow canals which are unnavigable for larger houseboats. Taking this route allows you to get deeper into the lush, bucolic scenes, passing through tranquil hamlets and observing the rural lifestyles.

You will return to the houseboat for another hour or so cruising, and as the sun falls you will draw over to the water's edge and moor up for the night. Dinner will be served on board, after which you will have an evening to relax on-board.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Premium Houseboat (1 Bedroom House Boat)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Morning backwater cruise: Early this morning, you will wake for a further hours' cruising, heading back to the dock at Alleppey. Breakfast will be served on the way (the boat staff will discuss local or international options with you the previous evening), and you will arrive back in Alleppey to disembark around 09.30am.

Road journey to Munnar: On reaching the jetty in Alleppey, you will disembark to be met by your driver. You will then head back up into the Western Ghats to picturesque Munnar. The drive will take around 4.5 hours and on arrival at the hotel you will check in and have the rest of the day at leisure.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Windermere (Estate Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided walk of the Lockhart Tea Estate: This morning, you will be taken for a guided walk within the Lockhart Tea Estate. Today’s walk will last around 4-6 hours depending on your level of fitness and ability. The 1600 acre Lockhart tea plantations are nestled on the slopes of the Chokramudi hills. Lockhart tea factory, built in 1857 is one of the oldest tea factories still following the orthodox methods of tea processing to produce superior quality green tea, black tea and white tea. The walk through the Lockhart estate will be amidst green carpeted tea fields with stunning views. Your lunch will be enjoyed at estate bungalow, after which you will visit the tea factory and conclude the day’s tour with an exclusive tea tasting program.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Windermere (Estate Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Day at leisure - car & driver at disposal: Today, you have a whole day to explore Munnar and the surrounding region in the company of your driver-guide. Munnar's elevation of 1600m makes it very conducive to the cultivation of tea, cardamom and coffee, so you may like to start the day by enjoying the lush greenery of the tea gardens which spread for miles and miles in and around the picturesque hills. A visit to a local plantation is recommended, where one can watch the tea pickers at work, returning from the fields with oversized bags of fresh leaves strapped to their backs. Walking in coffee and cardamom fields is also enjoyable – these crops grow under shade, so naturally these estates are peppered with huge tropical rain forest trees. For the nature lovers it is a delight to walk through these cool estates listening to birds, squirrels and occasional monkeys. 

Heading further afield, we also recommend a visit to Eravikulam National Park (the park remains closed in February and March for the calving season) which was established to protect the Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiri Ibex). This is the natural habitat of the Tahr: half the world's population of this rare mountain goat, which is fast becoming extinct, is found here. If you are lucky you can observe the Tahr from close quarters. A stop can also be made at the Tea Museum (closed on Mondays) where you will get to taste some of the local tea. The museum houses curios, photographs and machinery, all of which have a story to tell on the origins and growth of tea plantations in Munnar. 

Your driver-guide is on hand all day today, and the itinerary is very flexible. The above are just a few suggestions on what to do, but please let us know if you have more specific plans.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Windermere (Estate Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Road journey to the Palani Hills: After breakfast, you will be picked up from the hotel and you will set off on the drive to the Palani Hills, a scenic journey of approximately 5 hours. On arrival, you will be taken straight to your hotel to check in and relax.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Rajakkad Estate (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

At leisure at Rajakkad Estate: Rajakkad Estate is nestled in the forests of the Palani Hills, an hour’s drive into the majestic mountains of Dindigul district. At 1,000 meters above sea level, Rajakkad Estate not only offers a sense of serenity but also great weather year round. At Rajakkad time can be spent under the shade of the trees, relaxing, or walking the many paths of the estate, visiting the farm, the lake, the coffee-drying yards and the villages beyond. Excursions can also be made into the surrounding hills with waterfalls. The region is also home to a large number of bird species with over 200 migratory and indigenous bird species to be found around the estate.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Rajakkad Estate (Estate Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road journey to Madurai: In the morning, you will check out of the Estate and set off by road for Madurai. This will be a journey of around 2.5 hours. On arrival, head straight to your hotel to check in.

Afternoon tour and temple visit: Later in the afternoon, you will be picked up by your guide and taken on a tour of Madurai. Your first stop will be to Tirumalai Palace, an Indo-Saracenic construction which dates back to 1523. The present day palace is a quarter of its’ original size, but an evocative air remains with fine stucco and carving work throughout. Its most remarkable feature is the Swarga Visalam (audience hall), the central dome of which rises to a height of 20m without any kind of support.

Later in the evening, you will be taken to visit the mesmeric Sri Meenakshi Temple. The temple complex is within a high-walled enclosure, at the core of which are two sanctums, in turn surrounded by a number of smaller shrines and grand pillared halls. Especially impressive are the 12 gopurams - soaring pyramid towers which rise from solid granite bases, wildly decorated with stucco figures of deities, mythical animals and monsters painted in vivid colours. You will arrive in time for the evening ‘putting to bed’ ceremony, a dazzling affair of noise and colour which is not to be missed. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva’s consort Parvati, known here as Meenakshi. Following the final prayer of the day the image of Shiva is taken from his quarter of the temple to join Parvati in hers, escorted on a silver palanquin, and accompanied by dance, music, and devotions. The ceremony is reversed the following morning when the gods awake from rest - if you would like to return to the temple to see this please discuss with your guide.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Heritage Madurai (Deluxe Club Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: Early this morning, you will be picked up from the hotel and transferred to Madurai airport in time for your onward flight.

Flight: 6E7215 Madurai - Chennai 07.55 - 09.25

Guided tour of Chennai: On arrival at Chennai airport, you will be met by your driver and a local English-speaking guide. Together you will head out to explore diverse Madras through the medium of its architecture: British influences at Fort St George and the nearby High Court, improbable Tamil temple architecture at the Kapaleshwar temple, plus Art Deco touches and Greek colonnades throughout Georgetown. Each building is a time capsule which the history of this ever-changing, ever-vibrant city.

Road journey to Mahabalipuram: After your guided tour, you will be transferred to Mahabalipuram. This journey, heading south along the Tamil Nadu coast, will take around 1 hour. On arrival, you will be taken straight to your hotel to check in and relax.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Taj Fisherman's Cove (Deluxe Garden View Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day at leisure: Today you are at leisure to relax and enjoy the hotel facilities or explore Mahabalipuram independently.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Taj Fisherman's Cove (Deluxe Garden View Room)

Meals: Breakfast