South India Wildlife
Duration : 19 Days 18 Nights
Destination : Mumbai
- Banglore -
Nagarhole-Outy- Anna Malai-- Munar-periyar-Cochin
Day 01 Arrive Mumbai
Arrive
Mumbai met and transferred to your hotel
Over night stay
at the hotel
Day 02 Mumbai
Full
day city tour of Mumbai
Mumbai, a cluster of seven
islands, derives its name from Mumbadevi - the patron goddess of the
Koli fisher folk, its oldest inhabitants. Once a "Portuguese
princess" dowry and later an adornment of neo-gothic British
architecture, Mumbai today, is more than just a metropolis. It is in
fact an enigma of mud huts and skyscrapers, age-old traditions and
high fashions, the industrialists haven and moviemakers Hollywood.
The sightseeing of Bombay includes a
visit to the Gateway of India, The Prince of Wales Museum, the
Victoria Terminus, Dhobi ghats and the hanging gardens. The Gateway of
India was built during period 1924-1927 to commemorate the visit
to India of King George V of England in 1911. Its the most enduring
symbol of the city. Next to the Gateway of India is the Prince of
Wales Museum built in 1911 - one of the biggest museum in the country.
The Victoria Terminus, popularly known as VT is the major railway
station and is considered the most beautiful edifice in the city. From
Nariman Point to Malabar Hill is a winding stretch of road along the
sea with tall buildings on one side, known as the Marine Drive.
Day 03 Mumbai
Bangalore
Departure transfer to the airport to connect
flight to Bangalore (9W 443 1020 hrs / 1155 hrs)
Arrive
Bangalore met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel
Stay at
your hotel for one night
Day 04 Bangalore
- Nagarhole National Park
After breakfast drive to
Nagarhole National Park (220 kilometers / 05 hours)
Arrive Nagarhole National Park and check
in at your Lodge
The tourism zone covers 30 sq. km in the
Nagaraholé area, and 60 sq. km in the Karapura area. Nagaraholé
is one of the best sanctuaries in India, and unlike most sanctuaries
has a very long fair season that extends practically throughout the
year. It caters to every class of visitors, from city-dwellers seeking
forest recreation in an authentically wild environment, to serious
students of plant and animal life. There is ample natural forest in
between the network of roads, so that motoring along them one has
excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife. For keen wild lifers,
there are some watchtowers overlooking strategically located
waterholes.
Nagarhole has two centres of tourist facilities: one
in Nagarhole itself, and another in Karapura. Both these centres are
easy to get to, being only 90 km from Mysore city. To Nagarhole, one
takes the route via Hunsur through Murkal, while the route to Karapura
goes via HD Kote Hand-Post. Public buses ply along these roads, and
taxis can be hired from Mysore. The nearest airport is Bangalore, 138
km from Mysore. There are lodges to accommodate visitors at both
centres, and the respective Reception Offices provide such information
and help as may be required by visitors. Visitors are taken along the
forest roads during the morning and afternoons in the park's vans, at
prescribed charges. A guide accompanies the visitors and sees to their
safety.
Afternoon game viewing by boat
Stay at your
Lodge for 03 nights
Day 05 Nagarhole National Park
Full day game viewing at Nagarhole National
Park
Day 06 Nagarhole National Park
Full day game viewing at Nagarhole National
Park
Day 07 Nagarhole National Park -
Ooty
Drive to Ooty (03 hours)
Arrive Ooty and check in at your hotel
Ooty, the queen of the
hill stations located in the Nilgiri mountain ranges of Tamil Nadu, is
situated at the junction of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, at a
height of 2268 meters. By virtue of its salubrious climate and scenic
beauty, it attracts countless tourists from all parts of India.
BOTTANICAL GARDEN-The
numerous varieties of ornamental trees and plants are attractions for
all tourists visiting Ooty. The Flower Show is held in the month of
May every year. The OOTY LAKE is a major attraction for tourists
visiting Ooty. DODDABETTA - This is the highest peak in the Nilgiri
range and offers the tourist a panoramic view of the hill ranges and
plateaus around Ooty. A micro telescope has also been installed here.
KOTHAGIRI -
This is the oldest hill station in the region
located 20 Kms from Ooty and is noted for its favourable climate and
natural scenery. In Kothagiri, Rangaswami Rock and Pillar, Kodanand
View Point, St. Catherine Falls and Elk Falls are worth seeing.
KUKURTHI PEAK - located around Ooty, this
peak is 2600 meters above sea level and with its dam and the river
offers a fascinating sight.
All Indian festivals are
observed in Ooty with lot of enthusiasm by the residents of the hill
station
Rest of the day at leisure OR sightseeing tour of Ooty
Day 08 Ooty
Full
day guided tour of Ooty
Day 09 Ooty – Anna Malai
After breakfast drive to Anna Malai Wildlife
Sanctuary (200 kilometers / 05 hours)
The Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary
situated in the Annamalai hill range of the Western Ghats is the
setting for one of the most beautiful nature preserves of Tamil Nadu.
Driving down the road from Pollachi towards the Annamalai hills, the
one-hour ride takes you through canopied roads past rivers, lush green
fields, coconut groves, husking farms with huge tractor-trailers and
beautiful farmhouses. Halfway into the journey, one can see the
hillock at the Annamalai village that is shaped like an elephant
staring at the formidable Western Ghats.
The forest check-post at Sethumadai is
the entry point into the tourism zone of the Indira Gandhi Wildlife
Sanctuary, the largest in Tamil Nadu. Entry tickets have to be bought
here for all vehicles as well as visitors entering the sanctuary. As
you leave the check-post behind, the climate begins to change as the
road winds up the Ghats through deciduous jungle and bamboo thickets
(and not to forget more than a dozen hairpin bends). The excitement
starts right away, as sightings of gaur, elephants and leopards are
not uncommon during the early or late hours of the day
Arrive Anna Malai and check in at the
famous Top Slip
Rest of the birding at Anna Malai Wildlife
Sanctuary
Stay at the famous Top Slip for two night
Day 10 Indira Gandhi
Wildlife Sanctuary (Anna Malai Hills)
Full day birding at
Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary
Day 11 Anna Malai - Munnar
Drive to Munnar (140 kilometers / 03 hours)
Arrive Munnar and check in at your hotel
Visit the Top station at
Munnar and the Tea plantations
Stay at your hotel for two nights
Day 12 Munnar
Full
day visit to Eravikulam National
Day 13 Munnar - Periyar National
Park
After breakfast drive to Periyar
National Park
Arrive Periyar and check in at your hotel
Periyar National Park is situated in the
hills of the Western Ghats in the state of Kerala in southwest India.
The centerpiece of the park is the 5,500-hectare Periyar Lake formed
by the construction of a dam on the Periyar River in 1895. The dam
submerged low-lying forest whose dead tree-trunks still jut out of the
waters. Along the fringes of the lake are marshy areas with tall
grasslands. This is one of the richest habitats for large mammals, as
it provides both excellent cover and nourishment in the form of
succulent shoots and grasses. Here it is possible to see large herds
of Indian Elephant with relative ease as well as Nilgiri Langur near
Aranya Niwas and the Liontail Macaque in higher areas. The forests are
tropical, a mixture of deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen ‘shjolas’,
the last occurring in the moist valleys and characterised by tall
trees and a closed canopy. The forests alternate with extensive
patches of grasslands. Periyar’s rich birdlife includes the Giant
Hornbill, Cormorant, Darter, Osprey and Racket-tailed Drongo. The
Indian Python and King Cobra are among the reptilian fauna. Periyar
has a few Nilgiri Tahr, good numbers of which may also be seen on a
day excursion to nearby Erivakulam National Park near Munnar.
Boat
ride at Lake Periyar for game viewing
Stay at your hotel for 03
nights
Day 14 Periyar National Park
Full day game viewing and boat ride at Lake
Periyar
Mammals at Periyar National Park :
1.
Bonnet Macaque Golden Jackal Sloth Bear
2. Small Indian Civet
Ruddy Mongoose Jungle Cat
3. Leopard Wild Boar Sambar
4.
Indian Pangolin Indian Porcupine Lion tail Macaque
5. Bengal Fox
Eurasian Otter Common Palm Civet
6. Stripe-necked Mongoose
Rusty-spotted Cat Tiger
7. Indian Spotted Chevrotain Gaur Indian
Palm Squirrel
8. Indian Hare Nilgiri Langur Dhole
9.
Smooth-coated Otter Indian Grey Mongoose Leopard Cat
10. Fishing
Cat Indian Elephant Indian Muntjac
11. Nilgiri Thar Indian Giant
Squirrel
Day 15 Periyar National Park
Full day game viewing and boat ride at Lake
Periyar
Day 16 Periyar National Park -
Cochin
After breakfast drive to Cochin
(03 hours)
Arrive Cochin and check in at your hotel
Evening Rice Barge Cruise on Back Waters of Cochin
Stay at your
hotel for 02 nights
Day 17 Cochin
Morning
guided city tour of Cochin
Cochin - formerly a princely state
beckoned travelers from distant shores. This commercial city, also
called “The Queen of the Arabian Sea” is famous for its
exquisite designer Gold Jewelry. The Indian Navy, the Port and the
Airport share the largely man-made Willingdon Island. The sightseeing
includes the visit to Dutch Palace built by the Portuguese for a local
King in 1555 A.D. The famous Jew Street, a cul-de-sac leading to the
beautiful Parsi Synagogue built in 1568. A walking tour of Fort Cochin
will take you through the streets still graced with traces of
Portuguese, Dutch & British colonial architecture, including a few
old trading factories, the only ones still standing anywhere in
the world.
Evening Kathakali dance show
Kathakali Dance
The most popular and sacred dance-drama of Kerala,
Kathakali evolved across the last 400 years. This classical dance
requires lengthy and rigourous training to attain complete control of
the body and sensitivity to emotion so as to be able to render all its
nuances through facial expressions and hand gestures. Themes centre on
the two great Indian epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. We
suggest arriving early in order to witness the artists putting on
their make-up.
Day 18 Cochin
- Mumbai
Departure transfer to the airport to connect
flight to Mumbai (9W 404 1515 hrs / 1700 hrs)
Arrive
Mumbai met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel for one night
stay
Day 19 Mumbai
- Onward Destination
Departure transfer to the
airport to connect flight to onward destination
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