15 days tour
Southern India
Meals
5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
Guide
All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
Others
Kochi - Leader-led Fort Kochi walking tour Kochi - Dutch Palace Kochi - Kathakali performance Ooty - Nilgiri Mountain Railway & Tea Plantation visit Bandipur - National Park Safari Mysore - Home cooked lunch & family visit Mysore - Maharajaโs Palace Mysore - Leader-led walking tour Mysore - Keshava Temple Mysore - Chamundi Hill & Temple Mamallapuram - Shore Temples guided tour Puducherry - Leader-led French Quarter walking tour Madurai - Sri Meenakshi Temple Periyar - Spice plantation visit Periyar - Home cooked meal Periyar - National Park Periyar - Guided nature walk Kerala Backwaters - Pole boat ride Kerala Backwaters - Village walk
Transport
TRANSPORT IN INDIA: Main roads in India are usually very busy with an assortment of vehicles from the biggest trucks (who always have right of way) down to bikes (and animals!). Overtaking on blind corners at speed is common as is the total use of the horn as a form of communication. Our leaders have complete authority to remove groups from local transport if the driver is not driving safely. Drivers of our private vehicles are experienced and well trained. if you are uncomfortable with your driver, please always let your tour leader know immediately. Please ensure you wear your seat belt at all times. TRAVEL TIMES: Distances in India do not reflect the driving time and to cover 100km may take much longer than you would expect at home, even if much of the route is on a highway. TRAINS: India has a massive network of trains and millions of people travel by rail every day. Trains often travel the length of the country over several days. Trains are a great way to see the countryside and get you away from the busy road system. Delays and cancellations are common on trains. Your tour leader will check the train status to see if there are delays and will do their best to keep you informed of any changes. From December to February, delays are more common, especially in the north of the country due to fog. Itโs not uncommon for trains to be delayed for up to 12 hours. On occasion, your trip will may to be rerouted to allow for these delays. Your tour leader in conjunction with our local office will advise any changes to the itinerary. The Indian Railway system is one of the largest railway networks in the world and quite complex. Seat allocation is completely computerized on a centralized reservation system and we do not have control over seat allocations. Despite booking tickets months in advance of a departure your groupโs seats, or sleeping berths on overnight trains, maybe spread out within one carriage or multiple carriages of the same class. Thereโs a chance youโll be sharing a compartment with local travelers of either gender. For a detailed look into the experience of travelling by overnight trains read more here: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/india-trains-guide/ AUTO RICKSHAWS: On this trip, we travel on the local style of transport called an auto-rickshaw. These small, motorised three-wheeled vehicles are a common form of transport in India and do not have seatbelts. FLIGHTS: Airlines in India are of excellent quality. Airports are becoming more modern (especially in the major and tourist cities). To enter the airport, you must have a copy of your flight ticket and passport. Schedule changes and delays do occur, especially when weather conditions make visibility poor. Auto rickshaw , Boat , Bus , Cycle rickshaw , Ferry , Overnight sleeper train , Private vehicle
Accommodation
The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation. Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if weโre arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isnโt always possible which means we wonโt be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available. ACCOMMODATION: Some of the accommodation along the way is basic or simple, staying in local guesthouses and homestays. Some may have shared bathroom facilities with cold water only. We use a mixture of air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned rooms. Some areas of India experience daily load shedding. This is where the power may be turned off at certain times of the day and usually occurs for a few hours in the early afternoon. Most hotel properties have a restaurant or cafe serving local meals. Many restaurants and hotels do not serve alcohol for religious reasons or due to local laws. SHOWERS: Showers at some hotels only have hot water at peak times (usually morning and evening). Outside of these times, you may need to speak to reception to obtain hot water. ROOM ISSUES: If you have any issues with your room, please speak to the hotel and your tour leader right away rather than your travel agent so that the problem can be addressed without delay. SLEEPER TRAINS IN INDIA: Sleeper trains are clean and air-conditioned (fan-cooled at times), a great way to travel long distances and still get maximum time in each place. Depending on the route, we travel 2AC or 3AC class as not all classes are available on all routes. Due to the complexity of the ticket purchasing system and high demand for tickets, we are unable to offer upgrades to other classes. Second Class or 2 Tier AC (2AC) carriages have 4 berths in the compartment section and 2 berths in the aisle bay and individual reading lights. Third Class or 3 Tier AC (3AC) has 6 berths in the compartment and 2 in the aisle bay. Both have curtains for privacy. There are no sinks or charging points in these classes. During the day, bunks are folded away and serve as seats. Toilet facilities are located at either end of the carriage. There is usually an Indian style squat toilet at one end and a western-style toilet at the other. You will need your own toilet paper or tissues and cleanliness will depend on the number of people using them. Beds are padded bunks, with sheets, pillow and blanket provided. Some people prefer to bring and use their own sleeping sheet. Your luggage travels with you on the train, so packing light will make your journey more comfortable. Many trains have a dining carriage or a food/snack cart that is brought through the carriages. There are also plenty of vendors selling tea, coffee, water and snacks during the journey, although the hygiene may not be up to standards you are used to at home. Please note you may be sharing with other members of your group or locals on a mixed gender basis. Tickets are booked on a real-name basis using your passport details. We book for all members of the group at the same time, but unfortunately, this is no guarantee that we will be accommodated all together on the train. Your leader will do their best to swap with other travellers to allow people who booked together to travel together, but please be aware that this is not always possible. We may at times ask male travellers to swap with solo female travellers for safety considerations. Homestay (1 night), Hotel (11 nights), Jungle lodge (1 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night)
Not included:
Insurance
Insurance is not included. Travel insurance is required for this tour. Please make sure you are adequately covered. If you require travel insurance, TourRadar has partnered up with World Nomads to provide a hassle-free experience. More information can be found here (https://www.tourradar.com/travel-insurance).
Flights
International flights not included.
Others
Tipping. Pre and post tour accommodation. Arrival and departure airport transfers. Single supplement (Optional).
Optional
Optional experiences are available on this tour for an additional cost and will be provided to you with your finalised travel documents. Jewish Synagogue - INR5 Botanical Gardens - INR50 Boat ride - INR200 Cinema - INR100 Tipu Sultanโs Mausoleum - INR500 Gandhi Museum - Free Boat trip - INR650
Start planning your experience
Itinerary of your trip Southern India
- Day 1 Day 1: Kochi
Day 1: Kochi
- Day 2 Day 2: Kochi
Day 2: Kochi
- Day 3 Day 3: Conoor
Day 3: Conoor
Experience Style
Mixed
There will be challenging activities such as hiking, biking, canyoning and trekking, but youโre also going to have other means of transportation and relaxed moments to just chill.
Accomodation level
Medium
This accommodation includes essential services like a hot shower, electricity, and a nice and comfy bed.
Experience Type
Small Group
Youโll be accompanied by a small group of travelers just like you.
Physical Rating
Average
There are several physical activities that last from 2 to 6 hours in easy terrains, low altitude flats, or water experiences. Please ask if youโre not sure this applies to you.
Age range
Min: 15 / Max: 99
Age range allowed for this experience.
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