Deccan Odyssey

Arrive Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India’s most cosmopolitan city, where you are and escorted to your hotel.

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of Maharashtra, and the commercial hub of India. It is the country’s most cosmopolitan city, an ancient port and trading center. This palm-fringed shore of the Arabian Sea was the British Empire’s entrance to its proudest “Crown Jewel.” A city of paradoxes, Mumbai is renowned as the country’s financial nerve center, and also an important center of theater, art, music, and classical dance. Although steeped in tradition is the premier city in India.

Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for your flight to Hyderabad, a stunning contrast between the old and new, the traditional and modern.

Upon arrival, you are welcomed and escorted to your hotel. 

Built on the banks of Moosi River, it has even today a strong flavor of its rich past. History speaks not only in Hyderabad’s marvelous buildings but also in its language, customs, food and etiquette. Home to one of the wealthiest royal houses of the world, the turn of century saw Hyderabad firmly ruled by the Asag Jahi kings, better known as the legendary Nizams of Hyderabad.

Overnight at the hotel

After breakfast, visit the ancient fort of Golconda, the former capital of Qutub Shahi dynasty of rulers.

Originally a mud structure, it grew into a magnificent fortress citadel. The citadel itself is built on a granite hill and surrounded by battlement ramparts Outside of the citadel stands another battlement rampart with perimeter of more than 6 miles. One of the most remarkable features of the fort is its system of acoustics-- the sound of hands clapped in the Grand Portico can be heard in the Durbar Hall at the very top of the hill. Tombs of the dynasty rulers are also situated nearby set in manicured gardens.

Your afternoon focus is Hyderabad city tour.

The city of Hyderabad reveals an amalgam of old world charm together with the ebullience of modern growth. Visit Char Minar-- the city's landmark, with its four minarets. See Mecca Masjid and the impressive 17th-century mosque built of granite; Birla Temple, the library and university all displaying the grandeur of modern-day India. Salar Jung Museum housing an extraordinary private collection of unique, rare and fine art objects representative of the great wealth of the Nizam, who once was the wealthiest man in the world. 

Overnight at the hotel.

 After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for your flight to Bangalore.

Upon arrival in Bangalore, you are met and drive to Mysore, located at 139 kms and will take apex. 3 hrs to reach.

You drive by the city of Bangalore. On way to Mysore, wending along through verdant and hilly countryside, stop at Srirangapatnam, the Summer Capital of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. 

They ruled much of Southern India during the later part of the eighteenth century and were practically the only local rulers who put up any resistance to the might of the British Empire.  The Daria Daulat Bagh with its well-maintained gardens was the perfect setting for Tipu’s summer palace, where you can view his personal belongings and glean an inkling of his simple life style. Tonight view the illuminated City Palace.

You arrive Mysore and check in at your hotel for your overnight stay.

 After breakfast, you go on city tour of Mysore.

Mysore is a beautiful city of stately palaces, gardens, parks and museums.  Your tour of this scenic, slow-paced town, famous for its superb hospitality and spectacle, includes visits to City Palace. Formerly the residence of the Wodeyar family, it is one of the largest of its kind in India. 

Drive back to your hotel for an afternoon of leisure. 

Later this evening you will visit the lush and exotic Brindavan Gardens. 

The Brindavan Gardens, laid on the terraces of the Krishnarajasagar Dam, is a vast stretch of the most delicately planned symphony in architecture, horticulture, engineering and aesthetics.

Return to your hotel for your overnight stay.

After breakfast, you are on an excursion to Shravanabelagola, Belur, Halebid, Chikmaglur. The round drive will be apprx 230 kms.

At Shravanbelegola, a rock temple stands on the summit of Indragiri Hill.  Inside the inner shrine sits Lord Adinatha, father of the Jain Saint, Gommateswara, whose colossal statue is the main attraction at Shravanabelagola and draws tourists and pilgrims from all over the world.

Your next stop is at Belur.

Visit the ornamental gopuram of the Chennakesava Temple which appears unexpectedly around a bend. In a corner of the vast courtyard are tossed a golden horse and a temple chariot.

And finally Halebid

A small distance away, through increasingly lovely, hilly lands, lies the magnificent Hoysalesvara Temple set amidst lawns. It is very similar to the Belur temple, also perched on a star-shaped base. 

Return to Mysore by evening and overnight stay at your hotel.

After breakfast, you drive to Bangalore airport for your flight to Cochin, one of the most picturesque places in Kerala.  Its past is so rich that it could lay a valid claim to being a museum city. 

Upon arrival you are met and transferred to the hotel. 

Cochin is a beautiful all weather harbor and a grand seascape, one of India’s largest ports and a major naval base. At dusk you can see the dim silhouettes of huge merchant ships patiently awaiting their turn for a berth in the docks. The influence of Chinese, Jews, Arabs and Europeans is evident in Cochin and its people.  The older parts of Fort Cochin and Mattanchery are an unlikely blend of medieval Portugal, Holland and an English country village grafted onto the tropical Malabar Coast.   Despite this, Cochin is an attractive city with serene backwaters, lagoons overhung with feathery coconut palms and picturesque islands.

This afternoon, you tour this incredible city.

Visit the Portuguese St. Francis Church, considered the first European Church in India, built in 1562 by St. Francis; this is India’s oldest European-built church.   

Proceed to the Jewish Synagogue, which was constructed in 1568 and is the oldest in the Commonwealth.  A stone slab from the Kochangadi synagogue built in 1344. At the Cochin Harbor, you can watch the fishermen using strange Chinese fishing nets to catch fishes from a tiny waterfront area strewn with natural rocks.

This evening you will enjoy a special presentation of the colorfully costumed Kathakali dance drama.

Kathakali is a ritualized dance form native to Kerala; elaborate costumes and makeup, as seen here, are the norm. Male dancers portray both male and female roles.

Later in the evening you will be driven back to your hotel for overnight stay.

 After breakfast you drive to Kumarakom at a distance of 65 kms and will take apprx 2 hrs.

Kumarakom is ideally located in the Kerala Backwaters System Kumarakom is a haven of peace and tranquility. Explore the intricate backwater canals by boat and witness a way of life that is in complete harmony with nature. 

Upon arrival you check in at your resort.

Your afternoon is at leisure.  Perhaps take advantage of the rich marine life with a bit of fishing, or just relax and soak in the rich atmosphere of your surroundings.

Overnight stay at the resort.

 After breakfast, you enjoy a boat ride through the series of canals and lagoons snaking their way through several tiny villages and tropical vegetation. 

Not only do the backwaters of Kerala link the state together, they are an integral element in maintaining ecological balance and creating harmony with nature. 

The afternoon is at leisure to relax and pursue independent activities. You might want to experience an Ayurvedic therapeutic massage, which is both relaxing and healing and is indigenous to this region. 

Overnight is at the resort.

After breakfast you take a cruise this morning on Vembanad Lake, site of a bird sanctuary.  Water fowl, cormorants, egrets and teals are seen in abundance. 

You now drive back to Cochin and fly to Chennai (formerly Madras), the fourth largest city in India. 

You arrive at Chennai, the fourth largest city in India. You are met and transferred to our hotel. 

Chennai is India's fourth largest metropolitan city. Popularly known as "Gateway to South India", it is well connected internationally and to other parts of India.  Chennai boasts of rich historical legacy which lends an inexplicable charm to the city. The Portuguese arrived here in the 16th century and were followed by the Dutch, and East India Company. The British were able to establish their undisputed supremacy in the city and the Fort St George became the nucleus around which the British authority grew and expanded.

Overnight is at the hotel.

 After breakfast, you take an excursion to Kanchipuram & Mahabalipursm also known as Mamallapuram.

Kanchipuram is one of India’s seven great Hindu cities, Kanchipuram is believed to help confer eternal happiness on its visitors.  One of South India’s ancient cities, Kanchipuram’s history dates back to the 2nd century when it was the capital of the Cholas.

Continue on to the ancient Pallawan port of Mamallapuram for lunch at the seaside resort. Later visit the seventh century rock hewn monuments. 

The shore temple, the only surviving one of seven, is a unique example of a temple built of rock quarried elsewhere and carried to shore.  The best-known of the rock carvings is the immense bas-relief which is sculpted in fascinating detail on a huge whaleback-shaped rock, depicts the descent of the Ganges to the earth, the penance of Arjuna and myriad characters from the Mahabharata.

Drive back to your hotel for an overnight stay.

 After breakfast you go on a short sight seeing tour of the city.

Victoria Art Gallery, which houses a rare collection of sculptures depicting the story of the life of Buddha and Fort St. George, 350 year-old-fort with wide battlements considered as a reminder of the British Empire and now houses the Secretariat and the Legislative Assembly.  St. Mary’s Church, the oldest Anglican church consecrated in 1680 located within the Fort; and the Fort St George Museum which contains some fascinating items belonging to the early days of the East India Company and the colonial period.  

Drive along Marina Beach, visiting San Thome Cathedral Church, name after the Apostle, St. Thomas by the Portuguese who call it San Thome.  It was believed that his remains were enshrined in the church. 

Your last stop is Kapaleeswarar, an ancient Shiva temple, which is the biggest temple in Madras and dedicated to Lord Shiva. 

After an afternoon at leisure, say farewell to unforgettable India tonight and board your onward flight.