India cultural country tour

Description of India cultural country tour

It tends to be the tourist-friendly northern and southern regions of India that garner attention, but this two-week small group tour through central India eschews the more popular, and busy, locations in favour of a more original experience.

Begin with a guided tour around the highlights of Mumbai, including the iconic Gateway to India, and the Dhobi Ghats, as well as an eye-opening visit to the Dharavi slum, before taking the train to Aurangabad. Here you’ll see the Buddhist caves of Ellora and Ajanta, both of them UNESCO World Heritage Sites and featuring superb examples of ancient Indian art and monuments.

An overnight train brings you to Hyderabad, the ‘City of Pearls’, with its many traditional bazaars and other landmarks such as the Taj Falaknuma Palace, now a hotel where you’ll take tea. The palace’s billiards table has one exact replica, which is in Buckingham Palace.

Entering Karnataka state, you’ll pause at the majestic Golgumbaz mausoleum, built in the 17th century for the Sultan of Bijapur, and the fascinating temples of Pattadakal, another UNESCO-rated architectural treasure. You’ll also spend a day touring Hampi, a group of monuments circling an immense pyramid which is still a busy gathering place for Hindus.

Finally, the tour culminates in Goa, once a Portuguese province and now among India’s most celebrated destinations for its well preserved heritage and deliriously beautiful white beaches.

You’ll feel like a true explorer on this India cultural tour, which avoids the relentlessly crowded locations for the most part. One for the committed Indiaphile definitely, but also for those who look to get beneath the surface of the places they travel and seek out what most people miss.