Highlights of Southern India

The southern India trip itinerary offers a nice variety of things to see and do. One day you are at a magnificent temple and the next day you are on a safari looking at a tiger. Be aware that there are long drives to get from one city to the next but this trip gives you a nice taste of the southern region which has a totally different feel from the northern and central areas.

Excellent leader and full itinerary , I felt train journey followed by short night in hotel due to very early start and then long return journey were too demanding for me coming one on top of the other. Ok if you're under 55 but most Explore travellers are not. Also thought the van could have been more comfortable given some of the long journeys involved.Appreciate that standards in India are not always the same as in many Asian countries and did read your comment on this. Lovely group and leader and the Indian people made this holiday a great experience.

A very enjoyable 2 week trip. The tour leader was excellent as was our driver and the local guides. The highlight of the trip was seeing leopards and a tiger in the Bandipur Tiger reserve but there were lots of other memorable moments from the evening "bed ceremony" at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai to the Kathakali dance performance in Kochi and the train ride up to Ooty.

Long journeys a lot of which were through large cities. Itinerary sounded really interesting but some only took 1-2 hours which left a lot of the day unplanned. Our lovely guide did his best to add unplanned activities.

A very interesting tour packed with variety, colour and contrasts. Some long driving days but always plenty to see. The city sights were magnificent, and I particularly loved the night on the Kerala backwaters, also Bandipur and the bird reserve. Seeing a tiger was the icing on the cake. Our guide Abhi went out of his way to ensure we made the most of every day.

The reason why I wouldn't recommend the tour is I never recommend any tour I do, it's not because I didn't enjoy it. Tour guide - Jojan is one of the best tour guides I have had & I have travelled thru 62 countries. He went beyond his tour responsibilities to make sure we all enjoyed ourselves. Itinerary - itinerary was good but I would have loved a few different activities include.- incorporating kayaking in the Backwaters of Kerala on the small canals with our overnight experience on the barge. Doing a Tuk Tuk tour around Fort Kochi. Doing a cycle ride & hike somewhere in the itinerary where suitable. For me the trip was good but didn't have the wow factor! This was my second trip to India, the previous trip was in the Rajasthan area & that particular trip had the wow factor! Itinerary 9/10 Guide 10/10 Transport 10/10 Acco.modation 10/10

An excellent tour led by our outstanding tour leader, Jojan. We got to see many amazing places and were lucky to be able to catch special events in temples and to see a wild tiger in Bandipur. The accommodation was better than I anticipated, all very comfortable. The food was consistently superlative. The only change I would recommend is to go to Mamallapuram after Chennai on the way to Pondicherry.

This was full on trip to visit major sights in S India. Expect a lot of travelling as there is a lot to see. Our tour leader Jojan was excellent. He was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, well-organised with a good sense of humour and keen to showcase his country. Highlights included the Mamallapuram Shore Temples, the Meenakshi temple at Madurai, Kochi, the wildlife drive at Bandipur where we were lucky to see a tiger and Mysore Palace. A great trip with wonderful food.

This was a truly memorable trip introducing us to an area of India we had not explored before. The range of experiences was notable: temples, festivals, churches, wildlife reserves(we even saw a tiger), tea and spice plantations, coast and mountain scenery, sleeper train, minibus and house boat. We hadn't done an Explore holiday before and were a bit nervous about group trave and an organised schedule but in the event the schedule if a bit hectic allowed us to see a lot in 2 weeks and our travelling companions added to the trip. Our guide Jojan made the trip. He was caring, enthusiastic and energetic always keen for us to make the most of every moment and stopping the bus on the longer trips when he spotted something he thought we would find interesting. His own passion for his homestate Kerala was evident and we learnt a lot about local people. Having said all this we thought perhaps the itinerary could have been even better the trip started at Mamallapuram rather than Chennai as this would have allowed us to visit the sculptures in the cool of the morning or evening and would have been a more laid back place to recover from jet lag. We would have been happy for a shorter visit to Chennai at the end. We would also have loved a bit more time in Pondicherry. In Aleppi/Kochin the stay on the houseboat was unique BUT we would have loved to have the option of visiting the smaller canals and waterways lined by villages. The houseboats are too big to reach these but perhaps Explore could arrange optional excursion in canoes or local punts or motor launches for those interested.... I gather these are available in Kochin and Aleppi Also could Explore add a reading list for those of us interested in more background knowledge for the trip. I would personally recomment a novel The Covenant of Water by Joseph Verghese and Charles Allen's Coromandel for general history of the area. It was however a wonderful trip and I think the memories will stay with me forever.

The trip itinerary certainly gave a wide range view of different areas of Southern India and their way of life. Busy bustling Chennai, then to the coastal resort of Pondicherry with a French flavour, followed by the temples and palace of Madurai. Then on to the hills hitting the tea plantations, spices and backwaters of Kerela for a sail along the river. Kochi, a busy town, with lots to see - Palace, museums, churches, synagogue and chinese fishing nets to name a few. A highlight was the toy train to Ooty. Lots to see in bustling Mysore from the Palace, statues, temples, markets and everything on the road together buses, cars, TukTuks, motorbikes, cows, sheep and goats and people! Fun to watch. Another variety of travel is the overnight train back to Chennai, ending with a leisurely day at Mamallapram. A bit of everything - recommended.