Original
Explorer
Rail
Southern India
15 days • 4.9
5
Excellent
193 reviews
15 days
Start
Kochi, India
Finish
Kochi, India
Trip Code
HHSS
Min Age
15
Trip Size
1 - 12
Physical Rating
Meals
5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
Transport
Auto rickshaw, Boat, Bus, Cycle rickshaw, Ferry, Overnight sleeper train, Private vehicle
Accommodation
Homestay (1 night), Hotel (11 nights), Jungle lodge (1 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night)
From £1,535(15 days)
Trip Informations
Why you’ll love this trip
Explore the waterfalls, tea plantations and spice markets of South India’s Western Ghats – a jungle-clad mountain range older than the Himalayas and one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
Step back in time among the hills of the British ‘Snooty Ooty’ – home of snooker and the Nilgiri toy train.
Search for elusive wildlife, including elephants, sloths and birds on a safari around one of the best places in India to observe nature up close – Periyar National Park.
Experience a unique way of life with a family homestay and home-cooked meals in the idyllic backwaters of Kerala.
Soak in India’s changing landscapes on a trip that uses rail travel. By choosing trains to get around, you’ll be giving yourself the best opportunity for local interaction, at a more relaxed pace.
Is this trip right for you?
This trip is packed full of sights and experiences, including many of southern India's main highlights and plenty of insights into local life. There is extensive travel and a number of single-night stays to ensure you can fit in as much as possible.
This adventure uses a variety of transport options, including train and bus travel for up to 8 hours. There is also an included overnight sleeper train from Mysore to Mamallapuram, so be sure to have a book, some podcasts and your best travel games ready.
Sleeper trains are a quintessential Indian experience and a great way to travel long distances while still getting maximum time in each place. With the experience can come some unpredictability – there are occasional delays or even cancellations. Beds are padded berths with sheets, pillows, and blankets provided (although some people prefer to bring their own sleeping sheets). Please note that you may be sharing with locals of the same or opposite gender. See the Transport section of the Essential Trip Information for more detail about train travel in India or this guide for more about train travel around the world: https://www.tuuur.com/adventures/overnight-train-travel-around-the-world/ https://www.tuuur.com/adventures/overnight-train-travel-around-the-world/ (https://www.tuuur.com/adventures/overnight-train-travel-around-the-world/)
In the Western Ghats, it can be surprisingly cool at night, especially in winter. Check weather reports before you go to help with your packing, and remember to bring modest clothing (e.g., pants or skirts that go below the knees and tops that cover your arms) for our visits to religious sites in particular.
Part of travelling with Tuuur means respecting local cultures and sensibilities. That way you get the most out of your interactions with local people and environments. You’ll be visiting a few temples throughout your adventure, so please ensure that you’re dressed appropriately with legs and shoulders covered.
We've sourced our accommodation carefully and picked the best possible hotels in line with the Tuuur style of travel. Service and accommodation in India may be different from western standards.
Itinerary
Soak up the cultural and scenic highlights of Southern India
Explore lush and tropical Southern India on this 15-day adventure through lush lands and small villages. Beneath the green shade of a coastal paradise, you’ll meet with locals in their fishing villages and tribal homes. Join them in the bazaars, on buses and boats or even on a pilgrimage in Madurai. From cultural sights like the Maharaja's Palace in Mysore to French-influenced Puducherry and the vast landscape of Periyar, Southern India's spirituality, friendly people and wild animal sanctuaries make it fascinating to explore.
Inclusions
Meals
5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
Transport
Auto rickshaw, Boat, Bus, Cycle rickshaw, Ferry, Overnight sleeper train, Private vehicle
Accommodation
Homestay (1 night), Hotel (11 nights), Jungle lodge (1 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night)
Included activities
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 - Maharaja's 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
Optional activities
Kochi - Jewish Synagogue - INR5
Ooty - Botanical Gardens - INR50
Ooty - Boat ride - INR200
Mysore - Cinema - INR200
Mysore - Tipu Sultan's Mausoleum - INR200
Madurai - Gandhi Museum - Free
Periyar - Boat trip - INR650
Dates and availability
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Important notes
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement exclude Day 5 (Jungle Lodge), Day 7 (Sleeper Train) and Day 13 (Homestay) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. Please provide your full name exactly as it appears on your passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport. Fees may apply for adding or amending details within 45 days of departure, and in some cases, you will be required to cover the cost of issuing a new ticket.
Reviews (184)
5 stars
167
4 stars
16
3 stars
1
Hannah
Apr 16, 2025
My intrepid trip was excellent and exceeded my exceptions. The trip had so many wonderful experiences that I would never have had traveling on my own and the trip leader was wonderful, organized, knowledgeable and a genuinely nice person. Highly recommend.
Jessica
Apr 15, 2025
You get a bit of everything in this trip. My favorite spots were the national parks, tea plantations, and the mountains (much cooler temps). We were grateful to get Usha Mary as our guide. She is organized, communicative, easy to approach, and very knowledgeable. She's a sweetheart and genuinely cared for our well being. She went above and beyond in helping some of the others in our group obtain their late luggage from the airport. She attended to me when I got sick with a 24hr bug. She made this trip so much more enjoyable than I expected it could be. The overnight train turned out to be a much more fun experience than anticipated, and the food was excellent everywhere. I loved this trip and Usha so much! Our various friendly drivers (Jyothi, Abdul, & Johnson) were also very skilled and kept us safe at each leg of our journey. I highly recommend this trip to get a little bit of everything in southern India. This is the Thali of trips. :)
Kerry
Apr 14, 2025
Full of cultural experiences and the food was wonderful. So much to see and do and absorb. Our guide was wonderful and she was very knowledgeable.
Sharon
Apr 14, 2025
This is a great tour with a good mixture of history, cities and nature. A slower pace besides a few 1 night stays which is all you need in some areas compared to fast paced Rajasthan. A nice chilled vibe, nice local accommodation and good transport used throughout. Hopefully you have Garima as your leader, she is very knowledgeable, personable, organised and a lot of fun. Out tour ran like clockwork and we all thoroughly enjoyed this tour.
David
Apr 08, 2025
Southern India is awesome! Our tour leader Thilep was the best! Come visit southern India 🇮🇳 you won’t be disappointed. Thanks Thilep for showing us your beautiful country. I will never forget my magical time in South India. Cheers, Dave ❤️🇮🇳🙏🏻🪷
Jason
Apr 07, 2025
The itinerary was well-balanced, varied and interesting and our group leader was great. Southern India in general comprised of friendly people, delicious food and beautiful sights. I highly recommend this tour.
Anisha
Mar 28, 2025
Highly recommend Intrepid Travel Southern India trip. I had the best experience of my life and our leader Thilip made sure that everything was organised perfectly throughout. The trip was and amalgamation of being informative, relaxing, adventurous and fun.
Kim
Mar 21, 2025
We have just come back from the southern India tour a great mix of culture, wild life, temples, food. Great itinerary, Garima was our guide she made our experience a great one. Some long days but we'll worth it, we even saw a tiger some elephants. Excellent tour would definitely recommend it
Bart
Mar 13, 2025
Forget all the bad things you hear about India. The south is just beautiful and overall pretty chill. Everything was well organized, and we just saw the most beautiful animals, plants and landscapes one could imagine.
Janet
Mar 11, 2025
This was a fantastic trip and Pradeep did a terrific job as our tour leader. I loved all the destinations we visited. I had a great time at the martial arts show, at the theater performance, on the boat tour in the Kerala backwaters, on the Bandipur safari, and with so many other wonderful experiences that were part of this trip!
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