To Chennai - Trichy - Madurai - Thekkady- Alleppey - Cochin - Coimbatore - Ooty - Mysore - Bengaluru
Wednesday 11 November 2026
Depart by afternoon flight from the UK to ….
Thursday 12 November
…..Chennai, arriving around early morning. We will take you straight to the hotel for some sleep. The morning is free to recover from the journey, and we will give you a gentle city tour in the afternoon, including the iconic Central Station, Marina Beach and the markets.
Friday 13 November
We return to the airport to catch a short direct flight to Tiruchirapalli, where you can enjoy the experience of the Indian Railways diesel engine driving simulator. Then we have a visit to the Indian Railways’ Golden Rock Works where steam locos have recently been built for both the Ooty and Darjeeling lines. We will then end the day with a visit to The Golden Rock Temple which stands 275 feet above the city on a rocky outcrop with fabulous views of the city.
Visit to the Simulator and Golden Rock Workshop is subject to Railways permission and necessary approvals.
Saturday 14 November
Today we visit the Sri Ranganathaswamy Centre that has the most impressive architecture that dominates the northern quarter of the city. Close to the station is a recently established small railway museum, which we’ll visit prior to catching the 14.05 train to Madurai, due to arrive 16.25.
Sunday 15 November
This morning we will visit a carpet showroom, which in itself is interesting, because from their balcony we can enjoy the stunning view of all four gopurams of the Meenakshi Temple before we visit it. We depart by coach leaving at lunchtime for a 92 mile journey (approx 4 hours) to Periyar in the state of Kerala. We’ll have frequent stops on the way to enjoy the scenery and local colour.
Monday 16 November
From the hotel’s jetty this morning, we board a boat and journey through one of the most captivating wildlife parks. The Park is reported to have India’s largest population of elephants. The lush green jungle has a beautiful lake which serves as the water source for the wildlife population. You may well witness herds of playful elephants roaming freely and swimming in the lake.
The afternoon brings a guided walk through the local spice gardens, and there will be a martial arts performance in the evening, known as Kalaripayattu.
Tuesday 17 November
After breakfast we’ll journey by coach for about four hours through tea and spice plantations to Alleppey. We then board a houseboat and enjoy a very relaxing trip on our way to Lake Vembanad on the famous Keralan backwaters, but we will have a comfortable overnight on board – in the evening, we’ll enjoy a typical local meal cooked on the houseboat. A definite tick on your bucket list!
Wednesday 18 November
After breakfast we disembark at Alleppey and our coach will take us for the two-hour journey to Cochin, but we can arrange for this journey to be by rail if you prefer. After checking in at our hotel, we will then take a conducted tour of The Old Town for and enjoy the spice market. We stay for two nights in Cochin.
Thursday 19 November
We visit the very interesting Jewish Synagogue and Quarter and the Mattancherry Palace. It is also wonderful to see the Chinese fishing nets. There are plenty of huts cooking the fresh fish on the side of the harbour. This evening we’ll enjoy a traditional, colourful Indian dance
performance called Kathakali.
Friday 20 November
This morning we will catch the 11.20 train for an exciting 5-hour journey north to Coimbatore to arrive at 16.32. The coach will pick us up there and take us to our hotel in Coimbatore with rest of the evening at leisure.
Saturday 21 November
After an early breakfast we transfer from Coimbatore hotel to Mettupalaiyam station for the 09.30 hrs chartered steam-hauled train to Ooty. We travel 18 miles through lush green scenery to Coonoor with the 0-8-2 rack tank working hard. The last 11 miles to Ooty will be hauled by a diesel engine. A coach will take us to our hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy the hotel’s garden or you may like to stroll to the town to explore this very British hill station.
Sunday 22 November
After a wonderful breakfast the rest of the day is free to do what you wish. There is an opportunity to go to Coonoor and explore the locomotive depot there. Alternatively, there is a half an hour journey to where the views of Ooty are stunning, wander around the town, the Botanical Gardens are worth a visit, or you might fancy a boat ride or pedalo on the lake or even a ride on the park’s toy train.
Monday 23 November
We say goodbye to our Ooty hotel and travel by coach to Mysore. We’ll stop at Gudalur for lunch and travel on through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. As we arrive in Mysore, we will visit the small but fascinating Railway Museum established in 1979. We will then check in hotel for dinner & overnight.
Tuesday 24 November
In the morning, we’ll pay a short visit to the amazingly colourful Spice Market an evening visit to the Brindavan Gardens. The gardens are built across the river Cauvery and below the Kannambad Dam built in 1924 which is a magnificent example of engineering. The illuminated dancing fountains are a beautiful, orchestrated show with colourful lights and music.
Wednesday 25 November
After breakfast, we’ll drive up to Bengaluru (erst Bangalore), a four-hour journey. But we halt at Srirangapatnam for the impressive Tipu Sultan’s Palace and Gumbaz Tomb visit. We enjoy a river side picnic lunch before commencing our road journey to arrive in Bengaluru hotel.
Thursday 26 November
We visit the highlights of the city including the Law Courts building, the Vidhana Soudha (legislative building), Cubbon Park and Bangalore Palace. Overnight in Bengaluru.
Friday 27 November
We’ll go out to the airport for early morning departure to arrive back in the UK the same day.
EXTENSION TO GOA
Friday 27 November
After sightseeing in Bangalore, we head out to the airport for a short 1 hr flight Goa’s Dabolim airport… Transfer to our beach resort for 6 nights.
Saturday 28 November to Wednesday 02 December
At leisure in Goa (see below).
Thursday 03 December
We will transfer back to the airport for a connection via Mumbai to UK arriving same day.
If you would like some suggestions for things to do, other than enjoying the beach in Goa, we can offer a couple of suggestions.
You can venture into Madgaon where there is a wonderful old market full of spices, teas, dried fruits, cashew nuts, a chance to buy local gifts. In the afternoon you may explore the town and railway station. Madgaon is Goa’s biggest and busiest railway junction positioned at the intersection of the Konkan Railway and the South-west Railway or you can go back to the hotel, relax and enjoy the beach.
(Tuesday/Friday only) You can ride the 09.35 train to Castle Rock passing the magnificent Dudhsagar Waterfalls. It is one of India’s tallest waterfalls in 4 tiers, a wonderful journey. At the railway station you can see the old metre gauge tracks. These were converted to broad gauge in the early 1990’s. You will need to hire a car for the return journey by road at 13.00.
(If you would prefer to ride The Konkan line From Goa to Bombay by train, which takes about 12 hours, it can be arranged). Upon arrival, you will transfer to an airport hotel for the night and take a flight home the following day (extra costs involved)
What’s included?
Goa extension: 6 nights.
Includes room with breakfast and taxes and airport transfers. Airfare for Bengaluru - Goa - Mumbai is not included. Dinner is excluded. Much of the charm of the Goa beaches are the small beach restaurants where simple dinners and cold beer are remarkably inexpensive, and fabulous places from which to view the sun setting over the Indian Ocean.
Price
Ground only price: £ 3,499 (international flights excluded)
Single supplement: £ 1,040
Extension to Goa: £ 550 on twin sharing basis for 6 nights.
(5-star beach resort)
Please note that carriers, flights times and train times are subject to change. Times as on January 2026.
Wednesday 11 November 2026
Depart by afternoon flight from the UK to ….
Thursday 12 November
…..Chennai, arriving around early morning. We will take you straight to the hotel for some sleep. The morning is free to recover from the journey, and we will give you a gentle city tour in the afternoon, including the iconic Central Station, Marina Beach and the markets.
Friday 13 November
We return to the airport to catch a short direct flight to Tiruchirapalli, where you can enjoy the experience of the Indian Railways diesel engine driving simulator. Then we have a visit to the Indian Railways’ Golden Rock Works where steam locos have recently been built for both the Ooty and Darjeeling lines. We will then end the day with a visit to The Golden Rock Temple which stands 275 feet above the city on a rocky outcrop with fabulous views of the city.
Visit to the Simulator and Golden Rock Workshop is subject to Railways permission and necessary approvals.
Saturday 14 November
Today we visit the Sri Ranganathaswamy Centre that has the most impressive architecture that dominates the northern quarter of the city. Close to the station is a recently established small railway museum, which we’ll visit prior to catching the 14.05 train to Madurai, due to arrive 16.25.
Sunday 15 November
This morning we will visit a carpet showroom, which in itself is interesting, because from their balcony we can enjoy the stunning view of all four gopurams of the Meenakshi Temple before we visit it. We depart by coach leaving at lunchtime for a 92 mile journey (approx 4 hours) to Periyar in the state of Kerala. We’ll have frequent stops on the way to enjoy the scenery and local colour.
Monday 16 November
From the hotel’s jetty this morning, we board a boat and journey through one of the most captivating wildlife parks. The Park is reported to have India’s largest population of elephants. The lush green jungle has a beautiful lake which serves as the water source for the wildlife population. You may well witness herds of playful elephants roaming freely and swimming in the lake.
The afternoon brings a guided walk through the local spice gardens, and there will be a martial arts performance in the evening, known as Kalaripayattu.
Tuesday 17 November
After breakfast we’ll journey by coach for about four hours through tea and spice plantations to Alleppey. We then board a houseboat and enjoy a very relaxing trip on our way to Lake Vembanad on the famous Keralan backwaters, but we will have a comfortable overnight on board – in the evening, we’ll enjoy a typical local meal cooked on the houseboat. A definite tick on your bucket list!
Wednesday 18 November
After breakfast we disembark at Alleppey and our coach will take us for the two-hour journey to Cochin, but we can arrange for this journey to be by rail if you prefer. After checking in at our hotel, we will then take a conducted tour of The Old Town for and enjoy the spice market. We stay for two nights in Cochin.
Thursday 19 November
We visit the very interesting Jewish Synagogue and Quarter and the Mattancherry Palace. It is also wonderful to see the Chinese fishing nets. There are plenty of huts cooking the fresh fish on the side of the harbour. This evening we’ll enjoy a traditional, colourful Indian dance
performance called Kathakali.
Friday 20 November
This morning we will catch the 11.20 train for an exciting 5-hour journey north to Coimbatore to arrive at 16.32. The coach will pick us up there and take us to our hotel in Coimbatore with rest of the evening at leisure.
Saturday 21 November
After an early breakfast we transfer from Coimbatore hotel to Mettupalaiyam station for the 09.30 hrs chartered steam-hauled train to Ooty. We travel 18 miles through lush green scenery to Coonoor with the 0-8-2 rack tank working hard. The last 11 miles to Ooty will be hauled by a diesel engine. A coach will take us to our hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy the hotel’s garden or you may like to stroll to the town to explore this very British hill station.
Sunday 22 November
After a wonderful breakfast the rest of the day is free to do what you wish. There is an opportunity to go to Coonoor and explore the locomotive depot there. Alternatively, there is a half an hour journey to where the views of Ooty are stunning, wander around the town, the Botanical Gardens are worth a visit, or you might fancy a boat ride or pedalo on the lake or even a ride on the park’s toy train.
Monday 23 November
We say goodbye to our Ooty hotel and travel by coach to Mysore. We’ll stop at Gudalur for lunch and travel on through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. As we arrive in Mysore, we will visit the small but fascinating Railway Museum established in 1979. We will then check in hotel for dinner & overnight.
Tuesday 24 November
In the morning, we’ll pay a short visit to the amazingly colourful Spice Market an evening visit to the Brindavan Gardens. The gardens are built across the river Cauvery and below the Kannambad Dam built in 1924 which is a magnificent example of engineering. The illuminated dancing fountains are a beautiful, orchestrated show with colourful lights and music.
Wednesday 25 November
After breakfast, we’ll drive up to Bengaluru (erst Bangalore), a four-hour journey. But we halt at Srirangapatnam for the impressive Tipu Sultan’s Palace and Gumbaz Tomb visit. We enjoy a river side picnic lunch before commencing our road journey to arrive in Bengaluru hotel.
Thursday 26 November
We visit the highlights of the city including the Law Courts building, the Vidhana Soudha (legislative building), Cubbon Park and Bangalore Palace. Overnight in Bengaluru.
Friday 27 November
We’ll go out to the airport for early morning departure to arrive back in the UK the same day.
EXTENSION TO GOA
Friday 27 November
After sightseeing in Bangalore, we head out to the airport for a short 1 hr flight Goa’s Dabolim airport… Transfer to our beach resort for 6 nights.
Saturday 28 November to Wednesday 02 December
At leisure in Goa (see below).
Thursday 03 December
We will transfer back to the airport for a connection via Mumbai to UK arriving same day.
If you would like some suggestions for things to do, other than enjoying the beach in Goa, we can offer a couple of suggestions.
You can venture into Madgaon where there is a wonderful old market full of spices, teas, dried fruits, cashew nuts, a chance to buy local gifts. In the afternoon you may explore the town and railway station. Madgaon is Goa’s biggest and busiest railway junction positioned at the intersection of the Konkan Railway and the South-west Railway or you can go back to the hotel, relax and enjoy the beach.
(Tuesday/Friday only) You can ride the 09.35 train to Castle Rock passing the magnificent Dudhsagar Waterfalls. It is one of India’s tallest waterfalls in 4 tiers, a wonderful journey. At the railway station you can see the old metre gauge tracks. These were converted to broad gauge in the early 1990’s. You will need to hire a car for the return journey by road at 13.00.
(If you would prefer to ride The Konkan line From Goa to Bombay by train, which takes about 12 hours, it can be arranged). Upon arrival, you will transfer to an airport hotel for the night and take a flight home the following day (extra costs involved)
What’s included?
- Accommodation in 4-star hotels.
- Daily buffet breakfast and dinner.
- All transport by deluxe airconditioned vehicles with experienced drivers.
- Train travel in air-conditioned class (2 tier or 3 tier reserved) or best available as set out in the itinerary.
- Porterage at railway stations on arrival/departure.
- Entrances to places of interest as listed in the itinerary.
- Kathakali dance performance in Cochin.
- Boat ride on Periyar Lake, Thekkady.
- Spice Plantation walk, Kalaripayattu martial art show in Thekkady.
- Domestic flight for Chennai - Trichy (with 20 kgs check-in bagagge allowance).
- Services of a Darjeeling Tours Limited Tour Manager.
- Licensed tour guide appointed for city sightseeing.
- All tips throughout the tour (except for the Tour Manager) are included and will be dealt with on your behalf.
- Authentic South Indian culture, cuisine, trains & traditions!
- Personal and incidental expenses are not included.
Goa extension: 6 nights.
Includes room with breakfast and taxes and airport transfers. Airfare for Bengaluru - Goa - Mumbai is not included. Dinner is excluded. Much of the charm of the Goa beaches are the small beach restaurants where simple dinners and cold beer are remarkably inexpensive, and fabulous places from which to view the sun setting over the Indian Ocean.
Price
Ground only price: £ 3,499 (international flights excluded)
Single supplement: £ 1,040
Extension to Goa: £ 550 on twin sharing basis for 6 nights.
(5-star beach resort)
Please note that carriers, flights times and train times are subject to change. Times as on January 2026.
