krubu

Hi everyone,

I desperately need help! I am currently working in Delhi and finish on the second week of March. I really want to see south india and would like to go on a group tour as I think it would be more interesting but I have had no luck in finding any. Would anyone be able to suggest any good tours?

harsha

I dont think there is a 'consolidated' tour of South India that any travel agent can offer you.To start with lets see what each South Indian state has to generally offer.
Kerala : Beaches,Backwaters,Hill stations,wildlife santuaries,Ayurvedic Spas & a culinary experience.
Karnataka:Historical & Cultural places,hillstations ( Coffee Plantations),wildlife santuaries & Bangalore-a bustling cosmo.
Tamilnadu:Rich history,culture and Temples
Goa : primarily a beach destination along with historic places of intrests.

You really need to pick out you areas of intrest, intended places of visit & duration of travel.
It would then make sense to approach tour operators who have packages to various destinations in the south.

fuzzylogic

Hi there,

I find it difficult to believe there aren't tours travelling ex Delhi arranged for Indian holiday-makers by Indian companies/agents. But, hey, they could be difficult to track down.

The other thing you could do is go to backpacker central (aka Paharganj) near New Delhi Station and see what you can find there.

Or check the web. There are plenty of companies offering trips to/in India - some will be inclusive of the flight there, and some will be 'land only'. Here's a list off the top of my head - like I don't know if they do trips in India, and if they do whether they are short enough to suit - cos I assume we are talking short duration here.

www.exploreworldwide.com
www.intrepidtravel.com
www.peregrineadventures.com
www.imaginative-traveller.com

And there's Geckos, and probably piles of others - but hope this is of some help.

hobbes

I agree with Harsha - think you need to think about what you want to see as South India is huge. Meanwhile, this TA may be able to help - "Pres Tour" <[email protected]>

thursdaysd

Not sure what your price range is. Intrepid has great itineraries but tends to be at the budget end. In addition to fuzzylogic's list you could look at www.adventures-abroad.com which is mid-range. Or you could go high-end with www.geoex.com, www.asianpacificadventures.com, Cox & Kings etc.

I toured South India on my own, taking day tours with the various State Tourism Development Corporations, which was a good way to meet people.

krubu

Hi all,

Thanks so much for the help, I found that in Delhi, finding places that do group tours fairly difficult as they are all catered for individuals. In the end, I looked at Intrepid and also Dragoman and am deciding between the two!

Thanks so much for all the advice!

saltourscjb

We have ready made tour packages covering southern india. If any one need, we can make tailormade programs also with interesting sites included. India has been a very interesting destination due to the unique culture, history, monuments, stone carvins etc..Should any one wants to experience life in India, contact us at [email protected] or visit www.saltours-india.com

thursdaysd

krubu - hope you have a great trip - do come back and let us know how it goes!

saltourscjb - no advertising allowed on this forum.

BhavikaJ

You must go to Hampi...don't miss that for anything...Its an amazing place...You can read about it here, got some lovely pics here -

http://fractalenlightenment.blogspot...our-minds.html

jookie48

how far is hampi from kerala/ conchi

Lyndie

Hampi is a long way from Kochin. One way to get there is fly from Kochin to Bangalore and train to Hospet (we did this in 2005) or fly or train from Delhi to Goa and take the train to Hospet from Margao or Vasgo da Gama. Note the train from Goa only travels a couple of days per week. If you've been working in India and are familiar with the challenges one can encounter then why not buy a few train tickets to places you fancy & do city tours when you arrive.