Bangalore To Kovalam

The Most Beautiful Journey In South India

A tour thorough southern Karnataka, The Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu and Kerala is a highly interesting and rewarding journey. It combines wildlife and nature in Indian jungles, tea covered mountains with quaint old Hill Stations, Kerala’s tropical backwater landscapes, and Mysore’s royal history and culture.

After a stopover at Bangalore, you reach the princely city of Mysore, home to the Maharajas of Mysore who built one of the most impressive palaces in India. There are also many reminders of Tippu Sultan, who fought a gallant series of battles with the British in the 19th Century

Dramatic hairpin bends signal the ascent of the Western Ghats and the Summer Hill Stations of the British Raj like Ooty and Coonoor. Enjoy a full length ride on the highly scenic Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway back down to the plains of Tamil Nadu.

Cochin was the centre of the Malabar spice trade, and the narrow streets of Fort Cochin hide old trading mansions, historic churches and remnants of its Jewish Quarter.

An overnight Rice Boat journey along the Backwaters of Kerala will probably be the highlight of your tour, passing tropical villages, idyllic waterways and lakes with Chinese Fishing Nets. Reach Kovalam, with one of the best beaches in India for a few days of relaxation to end your journey.

Recommended For: Anyone seeking a mix of princely palaces, great wildlife and Hill Stations in South India combined with the best of tropical Kerala.

Day 01

Depart UK

Depart UK – Overnight flight.

Day 02

Bangalore

Purple Lotus

Bangalore is one of the most hip and happening cities in India and the centre of the Indian IT Industry. The Bangalore Palace Of Tippu Sultan is one of its historic buildings that are worth seeing.

Day 03

Mysore

The Windflower Resort And Spa

Srirangapatnam
Srirangapatnam is famous as the former capital of Tipu Sultan, who fought and lost a war with the British, dying in battle in 1799. Tipu Sultan's Fort with double wall defenses was considered the second strongest in India. Located just outside the fort is Tipu Sultan's Wooden Summer Palace with ornate and beautiful frescoes. At The Gumbaz lie the tombs of Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali.

The Sriranganatha Temple is one of the largest temples in South India with a colossal image of Lord Vishnu, on the back of a snake with a benevolent smile.

Panoramic View Of Mysore
The summit of Chamundi Hill offers a panoramic view of Mysore's lakes, parks and palaces. Half-way up along the stone steps is Nandi, Lord Shiva's Bull, a majestic stone monolith.

Day 04

Mysore

The Windflower Resort And Spa

Mysore
The Mysore Maharajahs were great patrons of art and culture and the city displays some magnificent reminders of their rule. The Maharaja's Palace is one of the most extravagant sights in the whole of India. Built in Indo-Saracenic style with domes, turrets, arches and colonnades, the palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world. Illuminated on Sundays and public holidays, the palace presents a spectacle of breathtaking beauty.

Brindavan Gardens is one of the best gardens in South India. Spread over 150 acres this beautiful location has featured in the song and dance routines of many Bollywood movies.

Day 05

Nagarhole

Cicada Resort Kabini

Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary – PM Jeep Safari The beautiful jungles that surround the Kabini Lake are now pat of the 'Rajiv Gandhi National Park’, one of India’s best wildlife reserves. It has a healthy collection of both Tigers and Leopards, who prey on large stocks of Spotted Deer, Sambar and Muntjac. The huge Indian Gaur (Bison) is also to be seen.

The 247 square mile reserve is one of the best-managed parks in the country. The landscape around the reserve is very beautiful with gentle slopes and shallow valleys. The forest is scattered with dry and mixed deciduous forest trees, grassy swamps and green grasslands with meadows.

Other mammals that can be observed include Wild Boar Jackal, Hyena and Sloth Bear. The park hosts more than 250 species of birds including Grey Jungle Fowl, Malabar Pied Hornbill and Great Black Woodpecker. Large Marsh Crocodiles are seen around the Kabini Lake.

Day 06

Nagarhole

Cicada Resort Kabini

Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary – AM Boat Safari Wildlife safari’s are also uniquely possible at Nagarhole by boat on the lovely Kabini Lake. During the summer months, it is possible to witness the annual Elephant Migration to the Kabini Lake at Nagarhole. This is probably the best place in India to witness overwhelming numbers of wild Elephants all in one place!

Day 07

Ooty And Coonoor

Taj Gateway Coonoor

Spectacular Journey Via 36 Hairpin Bends To
Ooty
Travelling through the Mudumalai jungles you are very likely to spot wild elephants by the roadside. A series of 36 Hairpin Bends takes you from the jungle plains of Karnataka to the tea covered Nilgiri Hills.

Ooty
At a height of 7347ft stands Udhagamandalam (Ooty) the Queen of Hill Stations, founded by the British in the 19th century to escape the oppressive heat and serve as summer headquarters for the Government of Madras.

Unfortunately, the hill town now suffers from severe overcrowding, so it is actually better to head to nearby Coonoor for a much more relaxed and peaceful stay. Coonoor, is a lovely town surrounded by forests of pine, eucalyptus and cypress.

Day 08

Ooty And Coonoor

Taj Gateway Coonoor

If you are chasing the atmosphere of the Raj, it still just about lingers in places like the Ootacamund Club, the best preserved of all the former British clubs in India, where snooker was invented by Neville Chamberlain. The well-kept Botanical Gardens, Ooty Lake and The Savoy Hotel are also worth visiting.

Day 09

Coimbatore

The Residency

TOY TRAIN FROM OOTY TO

METTUPALAYAM TRAIN

661 – 15:00 – 18:35

From the railway head at Ooty, Mettupalayam is reached in 3.5 hours by The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (46 km) on a ratchet and pinion track through many hair-raising curves and fearful tunnels beside deep ravines full of verdant vegetation, gurgling streams and tea gardens. The scenery, as it unfolds during the trip, is breathtaking, awe-inspiring and fantastic.

Day 10

Cochin

The Old Harbour Hotel

Drive through the Palakkad Gap and enter the northern ‘rice bowl’ of Kerala for a journey to Cochin. Upon arrival, you can, if you wish, enjoy a performance of Kerala’s world famous Kathakali Dance.

Day 11

Cochin

The Old Harbour Hotel

Cochin
The ancient port of Cochin has been influenced by traders from the Middle East, China and Europe who came to trade for spices from the Malabar Coast. You should head straight to Fort Cochin, at the mouth of the harbour where the town’s varied past is reflected in an Old Town area with steep-roofed bungalows, colonial residences, spice and antique shops, its cathedral, and synagogue. Travelling at a gentle pace, it is a short walk to the famous Chinese Fishing Nets and the Parade Ground from where a network of streets radiating in all directions is crammed full of charming old mansions and curio shops.

Day 12

The Backwaters

Luxury Private A/C Rice Boat

Rice Boat Journey On The Alleppey Backwaters
The Backwaters of Kerala are an interlinked body of natural waterways, rivers and lakes connecting coastal towns. Over 900 Km of the Kerala backwaters are navigable and have been used for centuries by local people for the transportation of spices and rice.

The best way to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Backwaters is to travel on a traditional converted Rice Boat or Kettuvallam.

From your Rice Boat, you can watch rural fisher folk and people who live along the backwaters, or just stop along the canal bank and explore villages on foot or eat freshly caught crabs and lobsters. Water birds such as terns, kingfishers, darters and cormorants, and animals such as otters and turtles are easily observed along the backwaters.

The Deluxe Rice Boats are over 90 foot long, and are fully air-conditioned with luxurious facilities. Apart from the boat captain you are provided with a cook and assistants to prepare mouth-watering Kerala cuisine. This unforgettable journey through the backwaters in Kerala is usually the highlight of any South India Tour.

Day 13

Kovalam

The Travancore Heritage

Kovalam And Chowara
Located about 3 hours south of Alleppey on the National Highway. Kovalam is a group of three crescent shaped beaches that make up one of the best known resorts in India. The beaches lie inside sandy crescents that are ideal for sea-bathing with headlands at each end, the most popular being the Lighthouse Beach. Chowara is a quiet fishing village with a long, wide sandy beach to the south of Kovalam.

Day 14

Kovalam

The Travancore Heritage

Kovalam And Chowara
Relax at Kovalam and Chowara beaches. Optionally, enjoy one of Kerala’s famous Ayurvedic massages.

Day 15

Depart Trivandrum

Depart Trivandrum – Daytime flights arrive back in UK the same day.