Original
Explorer
Rail
Southern India
15 Days | Soak up the cultural and scenic highlights of Southern India
4.9
Excellent
circlelocation_on 15 days
location_on
Kochi, India
location_on
Kochi, India
tour
HHSS
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15
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5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
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Auto rickshaw, Boat, Bus, Cycle rickshaw, Ferry, Overnight sleeper train, Private vehicle
bed
Homestay (1 night), Hotel (11 nights), Jungle lodge (1 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night)
From £1,500(15 days)
Trip Informations
Explore lush and tropical Southern India on this 15-day adventure through lush lands and small villages. Beneath the green shade of a coastal paradise, you’ll meet with locals in their fishing villages and tribal homes. Join them in the bazaars, on buses and boats or even on a pilgrimage in Madurai. From cultural sights like the Maharaja's Palace in Mysore to French-influenced Puducherry and the vast landscape of Periyar, Southern India's spirituality, friendly people and wild animal sanctuaries make it fascinating to explore.
Why you’ll love this trip
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Explore the waterfalls, tea plantations and spice markets of South India’s Western Ghats – a jungle-clad mountain range older than the Himalayas and one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
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Step back in time among the hills of the British ‘Snooty Ooty’ – home of snooker and the Nilgiri toy train.
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Search for elusive wildlife, including elephants, sloths and birds on a safari around one of the best places in India to observe nature up close – Periyar National Park.
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Experience a unique way of life with a family homestay and home-cooked meals in the idyllic backwaters of Kerala.
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Soak in India’s changing landscapes on a trip that uses rail travel. By choosing trains to get around, you’ll be giving yourself the best opportunity for local interaction, at a more relaxed pace.
Is this trip right for you?
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This trip is packed full of sights and experiences, including many of southern India's main highlights and plenty of insights into local life. There is extensive travel and a number of single-night stays to ensure you can fit in as much as possible.
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This adventure uses a variety of transport options, including train and bus travel for up to 8 hours. There is also an included overnight sleeper train from Mysore to Mamallapuram, so be sure to have a book, some podcasts and your best travel games ready.
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Sleeper trains are a quintessential Indian experience and a great way to travel long distances while still getting maximum time in each place. With the experience can come some unpredictability – there are occasional delays or even cancellations. Beds are padded berths with sheets, pillows, and blankets provided (although some people prefer to bring their own sleeping sheets). Please note that you may be sharing with locals of the same or opposite gender. See the Transport section of the Essential Trip Information for more detail about train travel in India or this guide for more about train travel around the world:
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In the Western Ghats, it can be surprisingly cool at night, especially in winter. Check weather reports before you go to help with your packing, and remember to bring modest clothing (e.g., pants or skirts that go below the knees and tops that cover your arms) for our visits to religious sites in particular.
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Part of travelling with Tuuur means respecting local cultures and sensibilities. That way you get the most out of your interactions with local people and environments. You’ll be visiting a few temples throughout your adventure, so please ensure that you’re dressed appropriately with legs and shoulders covered.
Itinerary
- DAY 1Day 1 • Kochi
- DAY 2Day 2 • Kochi
- DAY 3Day 3 • Conoor
- DAY 4Day 4 • Ootacamund – Conoor
- DAY 5Day 5 • Mudumalai National Park – Bandipur
- DAY 6Day 6 • Mysore
- DAY 7Day 7 • Mysore – Overnight train
- DAY 8Day 8 • Mamallapuram
- DAY 9Day 9 • Puducherry
- DAY 10Day 10 • Madurai
- DAY 11Day 11 • Periyar
- DAY 12Day 12 • Periyar
- DAY 13Day 13 • Kerala Backwaters
- DAY 14Day 14 • Kochi
- DAY 15Day 15 • Kochi
Inclusions
restaurant_menu Meals
5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
airport_shuttle Transport
Auto rickshaw, Boat, Bus, Cycle rickshaw, Ferry, Overnight sleeper train, Private vehicle
bed Accommodation
Homestay (1 night), Hotel (11 nights), Jungle lodge (1 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night)
festival Activities
circleKochi - Leader-led Fort Kochi walking tour
circleKochi - Dutch Palace
circleKochi - Kathakali performance
circleOoty - Nilgiri Mountain Railway & Tea Plantation visit
circleBandipur - National Park Safari
circleMysore - Home cooked lunch & family visit
circleMysore - Maharaja's Palace
circleMysore - Leader-led walking tour
circleMysore - Keshava Temple
circleMysore - Chamundi Hill & Temple
circleMamallapuram - Shore Temples guided tour
circlePuducherry - Leader-led French Quarter walking tour
circleMadurai - Sri Meenakshi Temple
circlePeriyar - Spice plantation visit
circlePeriyar - Home cooked meal
circlePeriyar - National Park
circlePeriyar - Guided nature walk
circleKerala Backwaters - Pole boat ride
circleKerala Backwaters - Village walk
Dates and availability
Starting
Ending
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Prices From
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 29, 2024
Trip size max: - Sold Out
Friday Dec 20, 2024
Friday Jan 03, 2025
Trip size max: - Sold Out
Sunday Dec 22, 2024
Sunday Jan 05, 2025
Trip size max: - 2 spaces left
£1,788
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Sunday Dec 29, 2024
Sunday Jan 12, 2025
Trip size max: - 1 space left
£1,815
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Friday Jan 03, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Trip size max: - 3 spaces left
£1,744
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Sunday Jan 05, 2025
Sunday Jan 19, 2025
Trip size max: - 1 space left
£1,887
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Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 24, 2025
Trip size max: - Sold Out
Sunday Jan 12, 2025
Sunday Jan 26, 2025
Trip size max: - Sold Out
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 31, 2025
Trip size max: - 4 spaces left
£1,623
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Sunday Jan 19, 2025
Sunday Feb 02, 2025
Trip size max: - 4 spaces left
£1,617
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Friday Jan 24, 2025
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Trip size max: - Sold Out
Friday Jan 31, 2025
Friday Feb 14, 2025
Trip size max: - 3 spaces left
£1,766
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Sunday Feb 02, 2025
Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Trip size max: - 5 spaces left
£1,667£1,500
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Friday Feb 07, 2025
Friday Feb 21, 2025
Trip size max: - 4 spaces left
£1,667
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Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Sunday Feb 23, 2025
Trip size max: - 12 spaces left
£1,595
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Important notes
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1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement exclude Day 5 (Jungle Lodge), Day 7 (Sleeper Train) and Day 13 (Homestay) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
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2. Please provide your full name exactly as it appears on your passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport. Fees may apply for adding or amending details within 45 days of departure, and in some cases, you will be required to cover the cost of issuing a new ticket.
Reviews (130)
5 stars
118
4 stars
11
3 stars
1
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Donald
Intrepid delivered another terrific tour for me with this Southern India tour which was then made even more enjoyable by the commitment, knowledge, friendliness and ability of our all-round 5 Star Guide, Garima and the very competent local contractors. A lot of territory was covered, very interesting and spectacular sights visited topped off with memorable meals in side street cafes and comfortable accommodation. The highlights have to be the local bus trips, local trains, naturally the overnight sleeper train and these trips have you in the mix with the locals which adds another experience free of charge to your trip. The backwater houseboat afternoon finishes of the tour perfectly.
Great trip with plenty to see, enjoy and free time to do your own exploring.
Don
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Nicola
A stress free trip that showed me a side of India I wouldn't have seen on my own. Loved my guide!
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Edel
I absolutely loved everything about my trip in Southern India. We got to see so much in two weeks. Temples, national parks where we saw monkies, elephants, bisons, deer, kingfishers, pheasants and more. We spent time on the backwaters which was so relaxing. We loved the visits to all the plantations: spice, banana, rubber, tea. I loved the South Indian traditional dance show and the martial arts show was highly entertaining. The modes of transport used( private buses, public buses, trains, sleeper trains, steam trains, tuk tuks were all a fantastic way of seeing and experiences real Indian. I am still dreaming of the delicious food we ate. The only thing I would do differently if I were to do this trip again is to pack way less. A small 10kg bag would have really been enough as there was ample opportunity to have clothes laundered at a cheap price. Our guide Vinit was outstanding also. He took such wonderful care of the whole group and he was a fountain of knowledge. Well done Intrepid. I look forward to more tours with you in the future.
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Jennifer
This is an amazing trip! We saw so much of Southern India which is lush, beautiful and so diverse - and different from the north. This trip has a wonderful mix - ocean, national parks, temples, colonial history, tea plantations and so much more. The food is amazing. Our guide Tony was excellent, organised and enthusiastic. The hotels were great. It is a trip where you largely travel in the morning and see things in the afternoon, but that's how you cover so much ground and see so much. There is some downtime too. I can highly recommend this trip.
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Ginny
Our trip was fabulous. It is the first time I’ve actually gone on a tour and was pleasantly surprised. I love that Intrepid keeps the groups small. I learned so much more than I ever would have learned going on my own. The insight into the heart and soul of India I got through our guide Chandra, I could not have gotten that on my own. Left part of my heart in India.
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Joanna
A heartfelt thanks to Maddy who made our trip so wonderful. He was very aware of people and all their needs, wants and foibles. Excellent knowledge and happy to support and help with everything. He spoke in a clear and knowledgable manner about all manner of subjects relating to India. Just what we needed as a group tour.
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Marilyn
Southern India was a fabulous trip, full of cultural experiences and education of this part of our world. Tour leader Maddy was great- hope you get him to lead your trip!
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Jeanette
I have used Intrepid in both Vietnam and Southern India. First time, but have been super impressed with the activities included. Both times the Team Leaders have been fantastic, but Maddy who accompanied my Southern India trip was 10 out of 10 for working effortlessly for every single participant. His organisational skills and taken with every single transfer, are second to none. I felt I could trust him 100% with all the details of my trip. Including the baggage transfers. Maddy made this trip super enjoyable and relaxing.
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Joseph
A great trip on it’s own or in addition to a North India tour. The South brings a totally different experience compared to that of the North. Lush, green, slower pace, tea plantations and beach front dining. Incredibly insightful experience provided by Madan made this final part of my India explorations complete.
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Mary
We had a wonderful trip to South India with a wonderful tour leader , Chandra