Escorted Tours 2023-2024

shallow waters during your river safari. Day 7: Kabini to Ooty B/L/D After breakfast journey to the hill station of Ooty, one of three that occupy the UNESCO recognised biome of Nilgiri Hill. For the next two nights, your elevated position offers stunning views across the southern plains and tea gardens that hug the sloping terrain. Day 8: Ooty B/L/D Completed in 1899 by British colonial forces, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway transports passengers through a series of gauges, across lofty bridges and around hillsides blanketed by tea plantations. Day 9: Ooty to Madurai B/L/D Depart Ooty for one of India’s oldest cites, Madurai. As an important place of worship and commerce, it encapsulates the complex historical tapestry of South India. Later this evening, witness a night ceremony at Madurai’s biggest temple; during this procession, behold the spectacle of Lord Shiva’s bronze statue being carried to the Hindu God of Love’s bedchamber, accompanied by religious prayer and atmospheric temple music. Day 10: Madurai B/L/D This morning, visit one of India’s grandest temples, Meenakshi Amman Temple. This complex presents 33,000 sculptures, illustrating vivid Hindu tales amongst 12 gargantuan gopuram towers engraved with gods, goddesses and demons - all in staggering detail. The pinnacle of your visit and testimony to the region’s architectural finesse lies within the ‘Hall of a Thousand Pillars’, a masterpiece of lifelike sculptures clinging to towering pillars within a vast gallery. Day 11: Madurai to Munnar B/L/D Following breakfast, cross into the Indian state of Kerala arriving in Munnar - a region famed for its rolling hillsides coated in emerald tea plantations. The rest of your day is at leisure. Day 12: Munnar B/L/D Today visit natural splendours of the region including the mirror-like waters of Mattupetty Lake, call out at Echo Point whilst listening patiently to the returning call from surrounding hills, discover the origins of your morning tea at a plantation and witness the unforgettable scene of the Jungle Honey Bee Nest - 25 hives occupying a single tree. Return to Munnar for a well-deserved rest. Day 13: Munnar to Alleppey B/L/D This morning, travel to Alleppy, a hub of Kerala’s vast waterway network. Here you’ll board a traditional houseboat which will be your transport and accommodation for the night. Enjoy a leisurely cruise through winding backwaters and meander through picturesque lagoons, admiring stunning rural scenery and the quaint surrounding villages. Day 14: Alleppey to Cochin B/L/D Beckoning merchants and explorers for over 500 years, the port city of Cochin offers a dynamic cultural mixture of Portuguese houses, ancient mosques and crumbling remains of British colonialism, all overlooking the tropical Malabar Coast. Disembark this morning for a half-day sightseeing tour to visit the seemingly modest Mattancherry Palace, home to astonishing Hindu murals depicting Puranic legends. Continue to the edifice of St Francis Church, believed to be one of India’s oldest churches and gaze at Cochin’s promenade, lined with distinct spiderlike Chinese fishing nets. This evening, enjoy a farewell meal. Day 15: Cochin B/L/D Enjoy a full day of leisure in Cochin. In the early evening, head to a Kathakali cultural show and watch a traditionally based dance based on themes of Hindu mythology. Day 16: Cochin to the UK B After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight, or continue on to your chosen extension. Alleppey backwaters Alleppey backwaters Bengal Tiger, Kabini Mysor Pal e Munnar Meal plan: All meals daily Accommodation: Bangalore, 4 H St Mark’s Hotel Mysore, 4 H Radisson Blu Plaza Kabini, 4 H Serai Resort Ooty, 4 H Gem Park Hotel Madurai, 5 H Heritage Resort Munnar, 4 H Tea County Resort Alleppey, 5 H Houseboats Cochin, 4 H Holiday Inn Flights: London Heathrow to India with Air Vistara Tour pace: Intermediate Extend your tour Kerala beach stay, 3 nights, 5 H Full Board from £319 Mumbai city stay, 3 nights, 4 H B&B from £389 No Single Supplement Rooms available with no single supplement. Once sold, single supplement starts from £549 Departures & from prices 20 Apr 23 £2,349 29 Feb 24 £2,299 4 & 18 May 23 £2,349 7 Mar 24 £2,549 14 Sep 23 £1,949 18 Apr 24 £2,199 28 Sep 23 £2,099 2 May 24 £2,099 12 Oct 23 £2,299 16 May 24 £1,899 26 Oct 23 £2,299 12 Sep 24 £1,999 9 Nov 23 £2,329 26 Sep 24 £2,299 11 & 18 Jan 24 £2,499 10 Oct 24 £2,499 1 Feb 24 £2,399 24 Oct 24 £2,549 15 Feb 24 £2,399 7 Nov 24 £2,599 • Solo Group departures available 25 May 23, 21 Sep 23, 23 May 24 & 19 Sep 24 from £2,399 • Tipping paid locally £48 29 Hundreds more escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk Southern Asia