South India: Elephants, Tea Plantations, Cities And The Sea

Morning arrival in Mumbai, the business capital of India. Checking into a hotel close to the famous Victoria Terminus Station. We will walk in the historic Kolaba district, explore Mumbai's famous seafront and proceed to the oldest docks in the city where fishing boats have been unloading fish and shrimps for centuries. From there we get to the colorful Crawford market, ride subway to Chowpatty beach, visit Mahatma Gandhi museum and walk to the nearby ancient Babulnath Shiva temple.

Night bus to Hospet, Karnataka state (15 hours on the way), then a 30 minutes rickshaw ride to a nearby village of Hampi, the impressive capital of the 12th-17th century Vijayanagara state. Hampi is surrounded by the picturesque mountains around the Tungabhadra river and boasts magical ancient temples, old palaces of stunning beauty and tranquil nature. We will stay in a local simple bungalows and visit all the best sights. At the end of our stay we will take a night bus (or daytime jeeps) to the town of Gokarna.

Arrival in Gokarna, checking into simple bungalows on Kudle beach. During our two days here we will relax on several lovely beaches and explore the old town of Gokarna which preserved colonial Portuguese architecture, some temples and tiny medieval streets. At the end of our stay we will take a night bus to Mysore, the spices capital of India, where we will check into a local hotel. Here we will visit the town’s famous Palace of rajas and the old market.