South India in 14 days (starting in Mumbai) ... where to go?

pedrodirector

Hello everyone,

Me and my friend are visiting India in September. We arrive in Mumbai on the 1st of September (late night) and we will stay in India until the 16th. Our idea is to stay over the first night and start traveling on the 2nd through South India, and then return to Mumbai again on the 15 by plane (either from Kochin, Trivandrum, or Chennai). For 14 days what itenerary do you suggest?

Mumbai - Goa - Kochin - Trivandrum - Chennai?

or maybe

Mumbai - Goa - Bangalore - Kochin ?

Fundamentally we want to see the true India... not really interested in modern city stuff. What do you think?

Thank you for your help in advance,

Pedro

bijapuri

mumbai 1day
aurangabad via train (ajanta-ellora, etc) 3 days

Hyderabad via overnight train (golconda, salar jung museum) 2 days

bijapur via train if it's running 2 days

Hampi via train ( Hospet) 3 days

Goa via train the rest of your sojurn

This is a classic route, you can do all sorts of others, if ya like

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ddevadatta

Good choice to head down south. But then I am biased...

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Nick-H

I'm biased that way too!

But for a 14-day trip, I think you are going to be seeing cities and stuff. Doesn't mean that you have to spend your days in modern shopping malls though! City India is pretty real too!

Welcome, by the way, to IndiaMike

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Barkha

May I suggest a tour, one which my sister undertook last eyar in October?

SOUTH INDIAN LEGACY
10 nights / 11 days

(Bangalore – Mysore – Coorg – Bandipur – Ooty – Cochin – Periyar – Kovalam – Trivandrum)

Day 01: Mumbai / Bangalore

Day 02: Bangalore – Mysore (140 kms / 04 hrs)

Day 03: Mysore:

Day 04: Mysore – Coorg (128 kms / 04 hrs)

Day 05: Coorg – Bandipur (70 kms / 03 hrs)

Day 06: Bandipur – Ooty (80 kms / 02 ½ hrs)

Day 07: Ooty – Cochin (281 kms / 06 hrs)

Day 08: cochin / Kumarakom

Day 09: Kumarakom / Alleppey (Overnight houseboat)

Day 10: Alleppey /Periyar (100 kms/ 03 hrs)

Day 11 Thekkady – Kovalam (155 kms / 04 hrs)

Day 12: Kovalam – Cape Camorin – Kovalam (70 kms one-way / 02 hrs)

Day 13: Kovalam / varkala

Day 14: Varkala / Trivandrum / Mumbai (By Air)

bijapuri

wow,. that's mighty ambitious, Bharka!
all those places are great to visit, but there's not enuff time on that schedule to do them any justice, IMHO . . .

machadinha

There was this similar question recently, see if you find it helpful. Good tips above btw, I like Barkha's itinerary, but maybe bring it down to size somewhat for a pale-faced Bij's might be a little more realistic in that way.

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pedrodirector

Thank you guys. Yes I think that the first option is better to spend time relaxing in each place. However I would really like to head south to Kerala... we want to travel in a houseboat for one or 2 nights... have you guys ever done it? Is it really worth it? I also remember seeing some romantic wooden houses in middle of the sea in National geographic but don't remember if this was in India.

Thanks,

Pedro

steven_ber

The Maldives (Islands) are probibly the place in the National Geographic.

EDIT...Click on 'Where to Stay' (left column) a few times to see different photos.

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How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions.



Train information.

Barkha

To cut short the itinerary (i mean eliminate a few places to get more time at each place) you coudl go from Mysore to ooty and thereafter to Cochin..will give you more time I hope...

machadinha

On houseboats (slightly older thread): Kerala Backwaters - A cruise on budgets!.

Yes I've done it, but just the local ferries, no sleeping on board or anything. Very nice. I imagine it's a little more touristed these days, but I'm sure there are ways around it.

Soujanya

You wouldn't want to miss out Hyderabad in your list for sure?!

pedrodirector

I've finally bought a ticket from Trivandrum to Mumbai. So we'll fly to Mumbai on the 1st and get back from Trivandrum on the 14. Now all I have to decide is what to do with the 13 days in between.

Mumbai - Goa - Bangalore - Cochin - Trivandrum?

What are the spots in India that should not be missed during these 13 days?

We were thinking of staying in a treehouse for one night. Does anyone recommend this?

ananda2193

Mumbai-Goa-Mysore-Ooty-Madurai-Kerala-Mumbai I think is a good quick introduction to India.

I would drop Bangalore. Maybe throw in Hampi if you got the time.

I highly recommend Madurai. A REAL Indian city.

That was my itinerary on my first visit to India, but I had 3 months to do it. Spent most of my time in Goa.

nosianai

Cut Goa and spend more time in Kerala instead. Leave the houseboat trip and take the ferry from alleppey to quillon (also known as kollam). there is an option of taking a village tour in quillon with a small boat thru the manroa islands (god knows the spelling). it's gorgeous. Make a stop-over at cochin. beaches in kovalam or varkala.

Leave out Ooty which is highly overrated, and go to Coorg instead which is more low-profile and very "real" since this is what you're looking for. You'll get the hill station, coffee plantations and national parks (e.g. nagarhole as well as some elephant training camps).

Forget Bangalore. Whenever someone visited me there i had problems showing them around as there is nothing worthwhile. Mysore is a better option. has a small town feeling to it which is quite charming, but it might not bowl you over either.

But then, if you want something really close to the ppl and off the beaten track just travel along the coastline. We did that between tallasherry and mangalore (3 days) and on a different trip between mangalore and gokarna (8 days, but we started from bangalore). Best with a cab though slightly on the expensive side. Makes good fun as you can stop wherever you like it. there are deserted beaches along the coast which are amazing, truly amazing. no tourists. but careful, from udupi up to gokarna you'll get trapped in the vegetarian belt. so all the seafood will have to stay in the sea and it's dosai and idli only. still, that's pretty "real".