South India: Hampi, Mysore & Kerala's Backwaters — Self-Launched

Land in Goa and head to a hostel in Anjuna or Palolem depending on which airport you fly into — Anjuna suits a livelier scene, Palolem is beachier. Spend the afternoon on the sand, grab a fish thali or a Kingfisher on a shack terrace, then head to Madgaon (Margao) railway station for the overnight train towards Hubballi. Book on IRCTC or 12Go Asia a few days ahead; sleeper class is around ₹350-500 (£4-6) and 3AC around ₹1,000 (£10). Note: sleeper-class train travel in India means bringing your own padlock, earplugs and a sheet.

🚌Local taxi/auto to hostel; overnight sleeper or 3AC train Goa → Hubballi (~£5-10)

🛏Hostel in Goa (dorm or private), then overnight train

• →Beach time in Goa
• →Overnight Indian Railways train
• →Shack dinner

Arrive at Hubballi early and catch a KSRTC bus to Hospet (about 3 hrs, ₹150-200 / £2) then a shared auto or tuk-tuk the last 13 km into Hampi village (£1-2). Check into a guesthouse on the Hampi Bazaar side or across the river in Virupapur Gaddi if you want quiet. Freshen up, eat, then wander the bazaar and the Virupaksha Temple complex in the afternoon. In the evening, take an auto to Raghunatha Temple and watch the sunset from the hill behind it.

🚌KSRTC bus Hubballi → Hospet (~£2), auto to Hampi (~£2)

🛏Hampi guesthouse, twin or dorm (£10-15)

• →Virupaksha Temple
• →Hampi Bazaar wander
• →Sunset at Raghunatha Temple

Hire a bicycle or scooter (₹300-500 / £3-5 per day) and explore the UNESCO-listed Vijayanagara ruins at your own pace — Vittala Temple with its stone chariot, the Lotus Mahal, the elephant stables and Queen's Bath. Entry to the Vittala Temple complex is ₹600 (£6) for foreign visitors. In the late afternoon, walk up Anjanadri Hill (the 'monkey temple') for sunset over the boulder landscape — around 570 steps, free, and genuinely one of the best views in South India.

🚌Bicycle/scooter hire (~£4)

🛏Hampi guesthouse (£10-15)

• →Vittala Temple & stone chariot (£6 entry)
• →Lotus Mahal & elephant stables
• →Anjanadri Hill sunset hike (free)

Set an alarm for a 5am start and climb Matanga Hill for sunrise over the ruins — a short but steep 20-minute scramble and the classic Hampi photo. Spend the rest of the day swimming, hiring a coracle on the Tungabhadra river, or exploring the Anegundi side. In the evening take an auto back to Hospet and board the overnight train to Mysore (via a change at Hubballi or Bangalore depending on the service; book the Hospet–Mysore sleeper, roughly ₹400-600 / £5-6).

🚌Auto to Hospet (~£2), overnight train Hospet → Mysore (~£6)

🛏Overnight train (sleeper or 3AC)

• →Matanga Hill sunrise hike
• →Coracle ride on the Tungabhadra
• →Free time exploring Anegundi

Arrive in Mysore in the morning and check into a guesthouse near the palace. Walk the Devaraja Market — flower garlands, kumkum powder, bananas stacked like sculpture — then take a local bus or auto up Chamundi Hills to the Chamundi Temple and the Nandi bull statue. In the afternoon, visit Mysore Palace (₹200 / £2 for foreigners, audio guide extra) — go late afternoon so you can catch it floodlit at dusk. In the evening, catch a Bollywood or Kannada film at a local cinema for ₹150-250 (£2-3); the audience reaction is half the show.

🚌Local bus/auto around the city (~£2)

🛏Mysore guesthouse, twin (£12-16)

• →Devaraja Market
• →Chamundi Hills & Nandi bull (free)
• →Mysore Palace (£2)
• →Cinema ticket (~£3)

Take an auto to Mysore's main bus stand and board a KSRTC bus to Ooty — around 4-5 hours through the Mudumalai forest and up 36 hairpin bends, roughly ₹200-300 (£2-3). It's slow and hot at the bottom, cool and misty at the top. Check into a guesthouse, then take yourself on an orientation walk: the Botanical Gardens, the lake, and the colonial-era St Stephen's Church. Ooty is noticeably chilly at night — pack a fleece.

🚌KSRTC bus Mysore → Ooty (~£3), local auto (~£1)

🛏Ooty guesthouse, twin (£12-18)

• →Mudumalai forest bus ride
• →Ooty Botanical Gardens (£1)
• →Ooty Lake walk

Leave at 5am for a sunrise walk up Dodabetta Peak, the highest point in the Nilgiris at 2,623 m — an easy 45-minute trail from town, free, and you'll likely have mist rolling under you. Back in town, catch the Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train for a leg of its route (Ooty–Coonoor, book on IRCTC, ~₹30-100 / £1) — the UNESCO-listed rack railway is worth the fuss. In the afternoon take an auto to Dodabetta Tea Factory for a tour and tasting (£1-2).

🚌Auto/walk (~£3), toy train leg (~£1)

🛏Ooty guesthouse (£12-18)

• →Dodabetta Peak sunrise hike
• →Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train
• →Dodabetta Tea Factory tour & tasting

A bus-and-train day: take a KSRTC bus down to Mettupalayam or Coimbatore (2-3 hrs, £2-3), then a train to Ernakulam (4-5 hrs, ₹150-400 / £2-4), then a local ferry or auto across to Fort Kochi (£1). Check into a guesthouse in Fort Kochi and spend the late afternoon wandering the Chinese fishing nets, the colonial streets and the waterfront. Evening: seafood at a Fort Kochi shack — pick your fish and have it cooked.

🚌Bus + train + ferry (~£6)

🛏Fort Kochi guesthouse, twin (£14-20)

• →Chinese fishing nets
• →Fort Kochi waterfront walk
• →Seafood dinner

Do a self-guided Fort Kochi walk: St Francis Church (where Vasco da Gama was first buried), the Dutch Cemetery, and the Jewish Quarter with the 450-year-old Paradesi Synagogue (₹10 entry, closed Fri/Sat). Free walking tours run from the Fort Kochi tourist desk most mornings if you want a guide — tip-based, £3-5. In the afternoon take a local bus or train to Alleppey (1.5 hrs, £1-2). Book a homestay in Kuttanad or Alleppey town for the night — a family-run place with meals included is £12-18 and the best way to understand the backwater way of life.

🚌Local bus or train Kochi → Alleppey (~£2), auto (~£1)

🛏Alleppey/Kuttanad homestay (£12-18, often incl. breakfast)

• →St Francis Church & Dutch Cemetery
• →Paradesi Synagogue & Jew Town
• →Tip-based Fort Kochi walking tour
• →Backwater village evening

Take a morning shared houseboat or shikara cruise through the narrow backwater canals (2-3 hrs, ₹500-1,200 / £5-12 — book a small boat rather than a full houseboat for a better price and access to narrow channels). Alternatively, jump on the public Kollam–Alleppey ferry if it's running: 8 hours for ₹400 (£4) and the most authentic backwater crossing in Kerala. After the boat, take a KSRTC bus down the coast to Kollam (2 hrs, £1-2) and check into a guesthouse; the Ashtamudi Lake waterfront and Thangassery Lighthouse are an easy evening walk.

🚌Shared boat (~£8), KSRTC bus Alleppey → Kollam (~£2)

🛏Kollam guesthouse, twin (£10-15)

• →Backwater canal boat cruise
• →Ashtamudi Lake waterfront
• →Thangassery Lighthouse (free)

Visit Kollam Harbour early to watch the fishing fleet come in — the cashew and fishing trades built this town. Then take a KSRTC bus or the local train south to Varkala (1-1.5 hrs, £1). Varkala's clifftop is where you'll want to stay — guesthouses and hostels hang off the red laterite cliff above Papanasam Beach. Spend the afternoon swimming, then walk down to the Janardhana Swamy Temple (dress modestly, no shorts) and catch sunset from the cliff path with a lime soda.

🚌Auto to harbour (~£1), bus/train Kollam → Varkala (~£1)

🛏Varkala clifftop guesthouse or hostel (£12-20)

• →Kollam Harbour visit
• →Papanasam Beach swim
• →Janardhana Swamy Temple
• →Cliff-path sunset

A free day on the cliff. Options: an ayurvedic massage at one of the clifftop clinics (£10-20 for an hour — check the practitioner's credentials), a drop-in yoga class (£4-8), a surf lesson (£15-20), or a trip to the Sivagiri Mutt ashram and the 2,000-year-old Janardhana Swamy Temple. Otherwise just swim, eat fish curry and watch the Arabian Sea. Book your Kathakali dance performance for the evening — small theatres in Varkala and nearby run nightly shows for ₹300-500 (£3-5).

🚌Walking, occasional auto (~£2)

🛏Varkala clifftop guesthouse (£12-20)

• →Ayurvedic massage (~£15)
• →Drop-in yoga class (~£6)
• →Kathakali dance performance (~£4)
• →Beach time

Another unscripted day — this is the 'choose your own adventure' stretch of the tour. Options include a day trip to the backwaters around Kollam, snorkelling off the rocks at Odayam Beach, or hiring a scooter (£6-8/day) to explore the quieter beaches north. In the evening, hit the cliff restaurants for the last fresh fish of the trip and a Kingfisher.

🚌Scooter hire or walking (~£6)

🛏Varkala clifftop guesthouse (£12-20)

• →Day trip or scooter exploring
• →Odayam Beach
• →Cliff restaurant dinner

Varkala has its own small railway station (Varkala Sivagiri) with direct trains to Trivandrum (45 mins, £1) and Kochi (3 hrs, £3). Trivandrum International Airport is the closest departure point — a taxi from Varkala is around ₹1,500-2,000 (£15-20). If you're flying out of Kochi, take the morning train up the coast and give yourself a comfortable buffer before your flight.

🚌Train to Trivandrum/Kochi (~£1-3) or taxi to TRV (~£18)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Final beach morning
• →Train up the Kerala coast