south india train tours <title>west india tour by train

All National Parks are closed from 01 June to 30 September every year.

Day 01 :- Arrive Mumbai (Bombay).
Arrive Bombay. Transfer to Hotel. Overnight Mumbai.

Day 02 :- Mumbai Aurangabad
Morning tour of Mumbai. Visit Kamla Nehru Park, Hanging Gardens situated on the slopes of Malabar Hill offering a panoramic view of Marine drive, Chowpatty Beach, Prince of Wales Museum, Mani Bhawan, Dhobi Ghat, Gateway of India & drive through the Crawford Market, Marine Drive & Flora Fountain. Check-out at 1200 hrs. Late evening transfer to station for Aurangabad night train. Night on board train.

Day 03 :- Aurangabad Ajanta Caves Aurangabad
Morning arrive Aurangabad and transfer to hotel. Full day tour of Ajanta Caves (Closed on Mondays). Ajanta Caves are 106 kms from Aurangabad and date back to the 2nd century BC. The 30 rock hewn caves are adorned with Buddhist sculpture and the frescoes portray in epic form the religious and secular life through eight centuries. Overnight Aurangabad.

Day 04 :- Aurangabad Ellora Caves Mumbai
Morning visit Ellora Caves (29 kms - Closed on Tuesdays) encompassing 34 rock cut shrines representing Buddhist, Hindu & Jain art dating from the 4th to 9th century A.D. The most remarkable among them is the Kailash Temple, meant to be a replica of Lord Shivas celestial abode - Kailash is the best example of Rock cut architecture and an engineering marvel. Overnight Aurangabad.

Day 05 :- Aurangabad Hyderabad
Day free. Check-out from the hotel 1200 hrs. Evening transfer to rail-station for Hyderabad night train. Night on board train.

Day 06 :- Hyderabad
Morning arrive Hyderabad and transfer to Hotel. Afternoon tour of Hyderabad. Visit Charminar- Rectangular Four Arched Monumental Gate often described as the -The Arch of Triumph of the East, The Mecca Mosque & visit the Salar Jung Museum- one man collection of Manuscripts, ancient weapons, costumes & curios. Visit the High Court buildings. Overnight Hyderabad.

Day 07 :- Hyderabad Chennai (Madras)
Day free or optional tour to Golconda. Check-out at 1200 hrs. Evening transfer to rail-station for Chennai night train. Night onboard train.

Day 08 :- Chennai Kanchipuram Mahabalipuram Chennai
Morning arrive Chennai. Transfer to hotel. Full Day tour of Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of 1000 Temples and still has 124 shrines. The first temple dedicated to Shiva was built in the 7th and 8th century and has paintings on the walls. Temples of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy are of interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks. The city of Mahabalipuram is famous for the seven pagodas. Here on the seashore is an interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples which are the examples of Dravidian style of Architecture. Overnight Chennai.

Day 09 :- Chennai Trichy (Tiruchirappalli)
Morning city tour of Chennai. Visit the Museum to see the Art and Bronze Gallery (Closed on FriDays and Public holi. Drive through the Flower and Fruit market, High court, Fort museum, Marina Beach, Santhome Cathedral and snake park. Check-out at 1200 hrs from the hotel. Late evening transfer to rail-station for Trichy night train. Overnight on board

Day 10 :- Trichy
Morning arrive Trichy and transfer to hotel. Afternoon city tour. Trichy was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. In the 18th century it witnessed the Carnatic wars fought between the French and the English. Lord Robert Clive's house is still there to see and so is the Danish Church. The Rock-Fort is the landmark of Trichy. A climb of 434 steps leads to the ancient temple of Ganapati on top and a further climb to a Shiva temple. Overnight Trichy.

Day 11 :- Trichy Madurai
Morning drive to Madurai visiting Tanjore enroute. At Tanjore, the beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons which was taken to the top with the help of a 6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians for building pyramids. Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of a visit to South India. Overnight Madurai.

Day 12 :- Madurai
Morning visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country side). Later, visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace - A gracious building in the Indo saracenic style, famous for the Stucco work on its domes & arches. Also visit the Alagar Hills and Tirupara Kundran Rock temple. Afternoon free. Overnight Madurai.

Day 13 :- Madurai Periyar (Thekkady)
Morning drive to Periyar National Park.Free time for game viewing. Set up in 1934, it extends to 777 square kms & forms part of the high mountain ranges, the Western Ghats. Wild life can be seen while cruising on Periyar Lake in a motor boat. Amongst the animals which can be seen are elephants, wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog, langur monkeys, etc. Overnight Periyar.

Day 14 :- Periyar Kochi (Cochin)
Drive to Kochi. Overnight Kochi.

Day 15 :- Kochi Bangalore
Morning city tour. Kochi is the natural harbour created by the famed underwater Malabar mud-banks whose quality ensures that the rougher the seas are outside the calmer the waters are within the Harbour. Vasco-de-Gama placed it on the world map. It has a Jewish synagogue, Portuguese churches, mosques & Hindu temples. Watch the Chinese Fishing Nets. Checkout at 1200 hrs. Transfer to rail-station for Bangalore night train. Night on board.

Day 16 :- Bangalore Mysore
Morning arrive and drive directly to Mysore. Overnight Mysore.

Day 17 :- Mysore
Morning visit the palace of the Maharaja built in 1911 - 1912. The palace is of harmonious syntheses of the Hindu and saracenic styles of architecture with archways, domes, turrets, colonnades and sculptures which are magnificent. Visit the Art Gallery; drive upto Chamundi hill to see Chamundeshwari Temple and a panoramic view of Mysore. On the way back, see the Nandi Bull. Afternoon free. Overnight Mysore.

Day 18 :- Mysore Bangalore Mumbai
Drive to Bangalore airport in time for Mumbai flight. Arrive Mumbai and connect to return flight. No hotel.

Day 19 :- Departure

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