South India Wildlife, Hills & Backwaters Passage

Arrival at Kampegowda International Airport Terminal 2. Traditional welcome, transfer to hotel. Morning relax and lunch. Half Day Tour: Vidhana Soudha. Tipu Sultan Palace (Mughal lifestyle museum, started by Haider Ali, completed by Tipu Sultan). ISKCON Temple (Dravidian and modern architecture, Vedic preaching library). Lal Bagh Garden (1760).

Drive to Mysore. Srirangapatna — historic capital of Tipu Sultan. Darya Daulat — Summer Palace of Tipu Sultan on Cauvery island.

Mysuru Palace (completed 1912, Indo-Saracenic, Durbar Hall, Amba Vilas, Kalyana Mantapa, royal artefacts). Optional evening illumination. Chamundi Hill (3,489 ft, Goddess Chamundeshwari, monolithic Nandi). Devaraja Market. Cathedral of St. Philomena.

Morning breakfast, check out. Drive to Nagarhole. En route: Srirangapatna monuments. Drive to Nagarhole National Park.

Nagarhole National Park (also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park) — one of South India's finest wildlife destinations. Located in the Western Ghats and Deccan Plateau, the park forms an important part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Famous for the Royal Bengal Tiger, the park also supports elephant, leopard, gaur, biscon, deer, dhole (wild dog), porcupine, and rare birds: Malabar trogon, Malabar pied hornbill, crested hawk-eagle. Established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 and designated National Park 20 years later. The park is centred on a perennial water reservoir formed in 1974 when the Kabini River was dammed. Early morning wildlife tours and bird screening. Coracle ride on the Kabini River. Evening jeep ride or elephant ride into the Nagarhole jungle.

Drive to BR Hills (Biligiri Ranga Hills — "white rock"). The hills are picturesquely situated between the Cauvery and Kapila rivers, forming an important ecological corridor between the Eastern and Western Ghats. At 5,091 feet above sea level, the hills stretch north to south for about 16 km. Traditionally associated with the Soliga tribal community — one of the indigenous communities of the region. The Biligirirangana Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Asian elephants, Bengal tigers, leopards, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, sloth bears, langurs and rich bird life.

Morning and evening wildlife viewing and strenuous bird watching. An overnight stay in the tents follows suit to round up the day's activities.

Morning breakfast, check out. Drive to Bandipur National Park — located within the forest belt between the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Mountains landscape of Karnataka, covering a forest area of 865 sq km. Bandipur forms part of a larger interconnected forest ecosystem extending into Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The park is particularly renowned for its population of tigers and Asian elephants; sightings may also include leopards, gaurs, spotted deer, sambar, wild boar, sloth bears and numerous birds.

Explore the jungle and view game twice in a day — morning and evening safaris for the best wildlife sightings.

Morning breakfast, check out. Drive to Ooty (Udagamandalam) — Queen of Hill Stations and capital of Nilgiri District. Ooty stands at about 2,240 metres. Nilgiri means Blue Mountains. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (UNESCO World Heritage) is an added attraction. Experiences: Tea Experience, Nilgiri Mountain Railway (Toy Train), Botanical Garden, Toda culture, Doddabetta Peak (approximately 2,637 m), pine forests and countryside, slow tea afternoon.

Morning breakfast, check out. Drive to Munnar — the most popular hill station in South India, situated at the confluence of three mountain streams Mudrapuzha, Chanduvarai and Kundala. Once the summer resort of British officers, sometimes referred to as "Switzerland of India". Sprawling tea plantations, winding lanes, trekking and holiday facilities.

Tour of Munnar Hill Station — visiting the world's highest tea estates. Eravikulam National Park (closed January and February): the best place to see the rare Nilgiri Tahr. The park has the largest known Tahr population in the world; also shelters Atlas Moth, elephants, sambar, gaurs, lion-tailed macaque, langur, tiger and leopard. Anamudi — the highest peak south of the Himalayas — towers over the sanctuary.

Morning breakfast, check out. Drive to Periyar. The vegetation, flora, fauna and birds are uniquely rich — tigers, majestic Asiatic wild elephants, distinctive Nilgiri Langur. A cruise through Periyar Lake offers a soul-stirring experience. Landscape of cardamom, pepper, coffees and spices. Boat cruise on Periyar Lake. Evening Spice Plantation Tour and Kumily spice market. Optional: Kathakali or Kalaripayattu.

Sunrise boat ride on Periyar Lake for wildlife viewing. After two hours, return for breakfast and check out. Drive to Kumarakom on Vembanad Lake. Kumarakom backwaters: traditional kettuvallams passing coconut-fringed shores, narrow canals, paddy fields. Village life: fishermen, paddy cultivation, traditional Kerala houses. Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. Sunset on Vembanad Lake.

Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary (two seasons: Oct–Feb cormorants, teals, ducks; Feb–Jul darters, herons, egrets, Siberian storks, golden-backed woodpecker, crow pheasant, white-breasted water hen, tree pie). Board the houseboat (kettuvallam). Cruise backwaters of Kumarakom to Alleppey and onward to Thothapalli, observing village life. Thothapalli is a picturesque coastal village in Alappuzha district, known for its peaceful waterways, coconut groves and the Thottapalli Spillway across the Pamba River.

Disembark the houseboat and drive to Kovalam, south of Trivandrum. Two main beaches at Kovalam, separated by a high cliff. Kovalam is finding a new significance in light of several Ayurvedic salons and recuperation and regeneration resorts providing a slew of Ayurvedic treatments.

Morning breakfast, check out. Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) — capital of Kerala. Highlights: Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Napier Museum, Kuthira Malika Palace, Kerala Science and Technology Museum. Transfer to Trivandrum airport for onward journey. Our tour concludes: we thank you for your patronage and look forward to serving you again.