India South & North

India South & North

This extensive 29-day adventure through India takes you from bottom to top, revealing the icons and local secrets of this diverse country. Revel in the tropical climate, warm waters, and lush green landscapes of the south in places like Kochi, Puducherry, and Madurai. Then be dazzled by kaleidoscopic colours, Mughal grandeur, and the overt spirituality of the north in Jaipur and Agra. Travel from Kochi to Delhi and combine the slower delights of Kerala and Tamil Nadu with the rush and jumble of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on our longest Original-style India tour.

Activities

• Kochi – Leader-led Fort Kochi walking tour
• Kochi – Dutch Palace
• Kochi – Kathakali performance
• Ooty – Nilgiri Mountain Railway & Tea Plantation visit
• Bandipur – National Park Safari
• Mysore – Home cooked lunch & family visit
• Mysore – Maharaja’s Palace
• Mysore – Leader-led walking tour
• Mysore – Keshava Temple
• Mysore – Chamundi Hill & Temple
• Mamallapuram – Shore Temples guided tour
• Puducherry – Leader-led French Quarter walking tour
• Madurai – Sri Meenakshi Temple
• Periyar – Spice plantation visit
• Periyar – Home-cooked Dinner
• Periyar – National Park
• Periyar – Guided nature walk
• Kerala Backwaters – Pole boat ride
• Kerala Backwaters – Village walk
• Delhi – Leader-led Old Delhi walking & rickshaw tour
• Delhi – Sheeshganj Gurudwara (Sikh Temple)
• Delhi – Visit to the Jama Masjid Mosque
• Agra – Taj Mahal
• Agra – Agra Fort
• Agra – Red Fort guided tour
• Madhogarh – Leader-led village walk
• Madhogarh – Dinner at Fort Madhogarh
• Jaipur – Amber Fort
• Jaipur – Leader-led walking & market tour
• Ranthambhore National Park – Evening wildlife safari
• Bundi – Stepwell
• Bundi – Bundi Palace
• Bundi – Market visit & Chai tasting
• Bijaipur – Countryside jeep safari
• Udaipur – Leader-led walking tour
• Udaipur – City Palace
• Pushkar – Leader-led walking tour
• Pushkar – Home-cooked lunch

Highlights

• Explore seaside Mamallapuram on a bicycle tour, pedalling to the eighth-century Shore Temple and incredible seventh-century stone carving known as Arjuna’s Penance.
• Carve through the iridescent hills of Ootacamund (Ooty) on the vintage Nilgiri Mountain Railway, then visit a lush tea plantation.
• Spot tigers, elephants, sloths, and birds on safaris and nature walks in three of India’s wildlife viewing hotspots – Mudumalai, Periyar, and Ranthambhore national parks.
• Cruise the winding backwaters of Kerala and further immerse yourself in life on the water with an island homestay in this idyllic region.
• Learn about life in the Rajasthani desert on a walking tour around the bustling ghats and temples of Pushkar followed by lunch with a local family.