Discover Southern India and Kerala

Meeting our Tour Manager and fellow travellers at London Heathrow, we board an overnight flight to Bengaluru, via Dubai, ready to start this delightful exploration of India's most beautiful southern states.

Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu occupy a large section of southern India as it tapers to a point between the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Blending ornate Hindu temples, mystical monuments, tropical beaches, bustling cities and graceful tea plantations, these states showcase the fascinating variety of life in India.

Lands rich in culture, history, wildlife and spices, we can begin to look forward to savouring the sights, sounds and flavours of these enchanting states.

Our plane lands in Bengaluru this morning. Dubbed the 'IT Capital of India' and formerly called Bangalore, we leave this burgeoning city of more than eight million people by coach on our way to Mysuru. We are supplied with a picnic lunch to enjoy as we journey through lush countryside and rural villages.

Ruled by the Wadiyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1957, our historic destination of Mysuru is famed for its glittering palaces and atmospheric bazaar. Our hotel is the 5-Star Radisson Blu Plaza on the edge of the city centre, near the sprawling zoo and lake, and has lovely views of the Chamundi Hills. On arrival, there is free time to acclimatise to our new surroundings, either by relaxing or taking a dip in the shimmering outdoor pool.

This evening, we gather in the hotel restaurant for our first dinner as a group.

On our first full day in India, we enjoy a sightseeing tour with a local guide after breakfast.

Exploring the wonderful cultural icons of historic Mysuru, we begin with a visit to one of the most spectacular sights in the city - the glistening Mysore Palace. A beautiful and intricately decorated building this early 20th-century palace showcases Hindu, Muslim, Gothic and Rajput architectural influences to glorious effect.

We leave Mysuru to travel to nearby Srirangapatna, known for its ornate temples and forts and, poignantly, the site of the final battle in the Anglo-Mysore wars in 1799, between the British East India Company and local leader Tipu Sultan. There is free time to lunch independently before we then head to Chamundi Hill, a sacred peak topped by the striking Sri Chamundeswari Temple and its towering 130-feet-high gateway. Our last visit is to a unique Hindu temple dedicated to Nandi - Shiva's bull, where we find a massive carved stone sculpture in the shape of a bull.

Returning to our hotel this evening, we enjoy dinner together in the restaurant.

After breakfast at the hotel, we leave Mysuru to travel south by coach. Passing through Bandipur National Park and the expansive Mudumalai Tiger Reserve - both home to these majestic and elusive animals - we arrive in the Nilgiri town of Ooty, where we spend two nights.

On arrival in the 'Queen of Hill Stations', your afternoon is free to begin sightseeing independently. Situated amid the Blue Mountains, named after a blue flower which blossoms every 12 years on the 'Nilgiris', we are surrounded by forested foothills and verdant tea plantations. Ooty is a picturesque paradise for nature lovers - you may like to take a cruise on one of the nearby lakes, walk through the gardens, or visit the local honey and bee museum.

Our hotel blends colonial architecture with modernism and Art Deco. Overlooking the Nilgiri Hills, the hotel is stylish and welcoming with a beautiful entrance hall of swirling staircases and mock Tudor façades. This evening, we enjoy dinner together in the hotel.

An emerald blanket coating rolling hills surrounds beautiful Ooty, and we get to know this captivating landscape dubbed 'mini-Switzerland' on a guided sightseeing tour after breakfast at our hotel. Our first destination is the Botanical Garden, a popular and expansive haven that blooms with vibrant displays of more than 600 varieties of flora in terraced beds. One of the most popular areas is the Italian Garden, with colourful annuals and a lily pond.

From here, we travel up the second highest peak in southern India - Doddabetta (meaning Big Mountain in the local Kanada language). From this excellent vantage point adorned with fluttering eucalyptus trees, we admire views across the undulating terrain of northwest Tamil Nadu and its tiered tea plantations.

We enjoy lunch in a colonial-era hilltop hotel before visiting St Stephen's Church. Constructed in 1830, this striking pale-yellow-hued church contains impressive stained-glass windows and a colourful depiction of the Last Supper. After a trip to discover the vibrant local market, we return to our hotel where there is time to relax before dinner this evening.

Today is a highlight of our holiday to beautiful southern India - two charming rail journeys through the Nilgiri Mountains.

The delightful Ooty toy train winds past dense forest as the track carves through tunnels and over bridges, opening on to views of misty mountains and neat tea plantations. Quaint, colourful stations and isolated colonial mansions dot the line on our way to Coonoor. Here, we take a walking tour of this enchanting hill town and visit a tea factory. This area has produced tea for more than 150 years and is particularly renowned for a variety with a distinctively dark colour and strong aroma.

We enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before continuing our journey on the steam-hauled Nilgiri Mountain Railway through forest-covered hills to Mettupalayam. The section between Coonoor and Kallar is the steepest railway in Asia and the jaw-dropping views as the train clings to the mountainside are befitting of such an accolade.

From Mettupalayam, we board a coach to the city of Coimbatore for an overnight stay, with dinner at the hotel on arrival.

There is a free morning after breakfast for you to explore Coimbatore at your leisure. This fast-growing city has been a hub of textile and automobile manufacturing since the early 1900s. One of Coimbatore's most famous sons, GD Naidu, developed India's first electric motor and is referred to as the 'Edison of India'. His influence on the country's motoring industry is honoured at the Gedee Car Museum near our hotel - where you can find a collection of innovative cars from around the world.

Early this afternoon, we board the Intercity Express for a journey to Kochi in Kerala with a picnic lunch to enjoy at our seats. An important city on the historic spice route, modern Kochi sits across numerous islands dissected by picturesque waterways lying parallel to the Malabar Coast.

Our modern, 5-Star hotel nestles beside Vembanad Lake with great views of these tranquil backwaters. After checking in to our luxurious accommodation, there is time to relax before dinner tonight in the hotel.

Formerly called Cochin, this fascinating destination has a long and varied history that we uncover on a guided sightseeing tour after breakfast.

We begin in Fort Kochi, learning about the colonial influence of this historic coastal district. In the late 15th century, famous Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India by sea. Shortly after, the first European settlement was formed in Kochi leading to alliances with the Portuguese, Dutch and later British. Fort Kochi contains many buildings with colonial influences, including the subcontinent's oldest European church, St Francis'. Built in 1503, this was the original burial site of Vasco da Gama.

Some of the earliest settlers were Ming Dynasty Chinese, and their influence lives on in charming bamboo-framed fishing nets that lean out to sea. This fascinating tour also takes in the charming 16th-century Mattancherry Palace, Hill Palace - the former residence of the Cochin Maharaja - and Dhobi Khana public laundry.

Before dinner this evening, we watch a Kathakali dance performance - a Keralan tradition combining colourful costumes with traditional music played by local musicians.

This morning after breakfast at the hotel, we enjoy a guided tour of Paradesi Synagogue - the oldest active synagogue in India. This understated building contains some fascinating treasures, including historic Torah scrolls decorated in gold and silver, as well as a rug gifted by Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.

Later we transfer by coach to Alleppey to board a luxury houseboat for an enjoyable cruise through the tranquil 'backwaters', a network of lagoons and canals home to water lilies, lotus flowers and water hyacinths, with towering pines and teak trees lining the shore. These routes were used to transport spices and rice between Cochin and Kuttanad and are now awash with natural beauty as well as more than 150 species of birds.

We glide across Vembanad Lake - India's longest freshwater lake - savouring lunch on board before entering a maze of canals and rivers on our way to Kumarakom. Our hotel is on the lakeshore and offers a slice of paradise in this spectacular region. Dinner tonight is at our laid-back hotel.

Leaving our sublime setting after breakfast, we travel inland by coach to sensational Thekkady. Climbing into the Ghat Mountains, the road winds through dense vegetation of swaying palms and creeping vines. An authentic taste of rural southern Kerala, we can spot occasional stalls by the roadside selling locally grown fruit such as bananas, mangoes, jackfruit and papayas. Reaching the summit of the route, the views reveal a billowing landscape of deep green matching the Indian flag.

On the approach to Thekkady, we can begin to understand why this pretty town is so famous. Miles of spice plantations spread across the hills and valleys, rich with green cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and many more. Our unique accommodation is a recreation of a traditional tribal village blending with the incredible surrounding scenery.

We can enjoy a relaxing afternoon on arrival, unwinding in the pool or exploring the diverse flora and exotic birds that live in this harmonious environment. Dinner tonight showcases the wonderful locally grown produce this region for which this region is famed.

An excursion to one of Thekkady's famed spice plantations awaits after breakfast at our resort this morning. Here, we enjoy an aroma-filled walking tour with an expert guide who helps us uncover the secrets of southern India's flavourful spices. An area that has grown and exported some of the world's most popular spices for centuries, the air is punctuated with fragrant swirls of garlic, vanilla, cloves and nutmeg as we learn how each spice is cultivated. We also have the opportunity to purchase authentic seasonings for our spice racks back home.

After free time to dine independently over lunch, we head to Lake Periyar for a peaceful cruise on this stunning body of water located in a large wildlife sanctuary. A century-old manmade lake, we sail among the remains of a submerged forest admiring the exquisite wildlife that populates this area, including elephants, bison, sambar deer and - if we're lucky - a tiger.

We return to our beautiful resort this evening for dinner.

Departing gorgeous Thekkady after breakfast, we descend the Ghat Mountains by coach, crossing back into Tamil Nadu. Our destination today is Madurai - one of the oldest cities in India and the capital of the important Pandya dynasty until the 14th century.

Our lovely hotel is a venerable former country club and a stunning example of the 'tropical modernism' style of architecture. Resembling an Indian take on an English bungalow with attached pavilions, the focus is on blending comfort and nature. A 200-year-old banyan tree takes centre stage, while the chorus of bird calls adds to the feeling of being in nature while basking in 5-Star luxury.

After we settle into the hotel, we visit a nearby village where nearly all the 200 homes belong to artisans. These craftspeople specialise in pottery, and many sculpt aesthetic idols and puppets out of clay.

Returning to our Madurai hotel, we enjoy dinner in attractive surroundings this evening.

With more than 2,500 years of history, ancient Madurai has been dubbed 'the city that never sleeps'. After breakfast this morning, we embark on a sightseeing tour of Madurai with a local guide.

On our exploration, we view the impressive 17th-century regal Thirumalai Nayak Palace. An austere exterior hides an ornate courtyard lined by monumental pillars topped with intricately designed arches. Covered in bright carvings of Hindu gods, the astonishing Meenakshi Amman Temple is our next destination. This remarkable Dravidian-style temple is dedicated to the wife of Shiva, the goddess Meenakshi, and has long been a major pilgrimage site. Inside, we find the magnificent Thousand Pillar Hall and its 985 ornately carved columns, as well as the sacred Golden Lotus Pond. However, it is the stunning gateway towers, or gopuram, that catch the eye. These 14 towers dominate Madurai's skyline with their colourful carvings and pyramidal shape.

We also visit the Gandhi Memorial Museum to learn about the 'Father of the Nation', before having a free evening to continue exploring independently. This evening we reconvene at our hotel for dinner.

After breakfast this morning, we head to Madurai's airport for a short internal flight to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.

This modern metropolis on the Bay of Bengal formerly known as Madras was an important port during the colonial period. Chennai's architecture and culture has Portuguese, Dutch, French and British influences, while being firmly rooted in local aesthetics. On arrival this afternoon, we get to know this fascinating city on a sightseeing tour which takes in a Madras War Cemetery and Marina Beach - the second longest urban beach in the world and a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.

We explore the striking Gothic revival San Thome Cathedral Basilica, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century over what was believed to be the tomb of Thomas the Apostle. After visiting the spellbinding Dravidian-style Kapaleeshwarar Temple, we soak up the kaleidoscopic colours and fragrances of the city's flower market in George Town.

We check into our grand 5-Star hotel this evening and enjoy dinner together.

A day at leisure in Chennai reveals a choice of options after breakfast today. You may wish to join an optional excursion this morning to Mamallapuram (payable locally). Located on a strip of land between the Bay of Bengal and the Great Salt Lake south of Chennai, this ancient city is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its remarkable collection of 7th and 8th-century Hindu monuments built by the Pallava dynasty.

Some of the most important structures include the seafront Shore Temple, consisting of three ornate granite shrines, and the Descent of the Ganges - a giant, open-air rock relief detailing how the sacred river came to Earth.

Alternatively, explore the sights of Chennai, including Fort St George - the first British fortress in India. The fort was completed on St George's Day in 1644 and now contains a museum displaying relics of British rule in India. Nearby, St Mary's Church dates from 1680 and is known as the 'Westminster Abbey of the East'.

In late afternoon, we leave our hotel for the airport to begin our overnight journey homeward.

Flying to London Heathrow via Dubai, we land back in the UK early this morning.

Saying a fond farewell to our Tour Manager and the fellow travellers with whom we have enjoyed this spectacular southern Indian holiday, we can begin to look back on the unforgettable experiences we have shared.

From the glittering Mysore Palace to Chennai's Coromandel Coast, we have uncovered the abundant beauty of southern India. The tea plantations of the Nilgiri Mountains and the aromatic spices of Thekkady delighted our senses, while the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Keralan backwater cruise showcased stunning scenery. We also explored the fascinating cities of Kochi, Madurai and Chennai, discovering a rich history of jaw-dropping religious structures and evocative colonial architecture from the Portuguese, Dutch and British.

A mystical, vibrant and colourful land, southern India has delivered countless wonderful memories to enjoy.