Southern India Encompassed — Self-Launched

Land at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (BOM) and take the airport metro or an Ola/Uber to Colaba (₹400–600, ~£5). Check into a Colaba or Fort guesthouse/hostel. In the evening walk the Colaba Causeway and the waterfront at Apollo Bunder, eat at a local thali or street-food spot (Bademiya kebabs or a Britannia & Co. lunch if you're early), and pre-book your Mumbai–Goa train on IRCTC if you haven't already.

🚌Airport metro + rideshare (~£5)

🛏Colaba/Fort hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (£12–20)

• →Colaba Causeway wander
• →Apollo Bunder waterfront at dusk
• →IRCTC train booking admin

Be out by 6am for the Gateway of India, Flora Fountain and Rajabai Clock Tower while it's cool and quiet — this is the same sunrise loop the tour does, just without a guide, and it's free. Mid-morning, take a local black-and-yellow taxi to Dhobi Ghat (Mahalaxmi) and Banganga Tank, or book a small-group Mumbai walking tour on GetYourGuide (£10–18) if you want context. Afternoon: Marine Drive, then catch the sunset at Chowpatty. Optional: Elephanta Island ferry from Gateway of India (₹250–600 return plus ₹40 island entry).

🚌Local taxis and suburban trains (~£5)

🛏Colaba/Fort hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (£12–20)

• →Sunrise Gateway of India & Rajabai Clock Tower walk
• →Dhobi Ghat
• →Banganga Tank
• →Marine Drive
• →Optional Elephanta Island ferry

Take an early Konkan Railway train from CSMT or Panvel to Karmali or Thivim (AC Chair Car, ₹700–1,200, ~£8–13, 8–10 hrs) — the Konkan route through the Western Ghats is one of India's great rail journeys. From the station take a local bus or tuktuk into Panjim. Late afternoon, do a self-guided walk of Fontainhas, the Portuguese quarter — pick up a free map from the Fundação Oriente or just wander the yellow-and-blue lanes, Chapel of St Sebastian and the 31st January Bakery for bebinca.

🚌Konkan Railway train Mumbai–Goa (~£11) + local bus/tuktuk (~£3)

🛏Panjim guesthouse (£15–25)

• →Konkan Railway scenic journey
• →Self-guided Fontainhas heritage walk

Spend the day however you like: Old Goa's Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral (local bus, ₹20), a spice plantation tour near Ponda (₹400–700 entry incl. lunch), or just a beach day at Sinquerim or Palolem. In the evening head back to Karmali or Thivim for an overnight sleeper train towards Hubballi (Sleeper class ₹400–600, or AC3 ₹1,000–1,300). Book on IRCTC in advance — sleeper fills fast.

🚌Overnight Indian Railways sleeper train Goa–Hubballi

🛏Overnight train, sleeper or AC3 class (£5–13)

• →Old Goa churches (optional)
• →Spice plantation visit (optional)
• →Beach time
• →Optional: Goa beach visit is free

Pull into Hubballi early and take a local bus or shared jeep to Hospet (₹150–250, 3–4 hrs), then a short bus or auto to Hampi Bazaar or Virupapur Gaddi across the river. Drop bags, eat breakfast (idli-vada for ₹60), rest through the heat of the day, then walk to Raghunatha Temple for sunset over the boulder landscape — free and one of the best views in Karnataka.

🚌Local bus Hubballi–Hospet (~£3) + auto to Hampi (~£2)

🛏Hampi guesthouse, Hampi Bazaar or Virupapur Gaddi (£10–18)

• →Raghunatha Temple at sunset
• →Hampi Bazaar exploration

Cycle or tuktuk out to Bada Nandi (the monolithic bull) for sunrise over the Tungabhadra. Then hire a tuktuk driver for a half-day ruins circuit (₹800–1,200 for the vehicle, split between 2–3 people) covering Virupaksha Temple, Vittala Temple with its stone chariot, the Queen's Bath and Elephant Stables — or rent a bicycle for ₹150/day and go at your own pace. GetYourGuide and Klook both list Hampi guided ruin tours (£15–25) if you want a licensed guide for the history. Free afternoon for the boulder-side cafes.

🚌Bicycle or shared tuktuk (~£5–8)

🛏Hampi guesthouse (£10–18)

• →Sunrise at Bada Nandi
• →Tuktuk or cycling tour of Hampi ruins
• →Vittala Temple and stone chariot
• →Virupaksha Temple

Long travel day. Bus or shared taxi Hampi–Hospet, then Hospet–Chitradurga or Hospet–Hassan/Davangere by train or bus, then onward to Halebidu by local bus (total ₹500–900, 8–10 hrs; Karnataka Sarige buses are fine and cheap). Alternatively take the train to Hassan and use Halebidu as a day stop. Arrive, check into a simple guesthouse or homestay in Halebidu village, and take a late-afternoon walk around the Hoysaleswara Temple compound while it's open and lit.

🚌Local buses and/or train (~£8–12)

🛏Halebidu simple guesthouse/homestay (£10–16)

• →Village walk
• →Evening view of Hoysaleswara Temple exterior

Hoysaleswara Temple opens early — be there for first light and the start of puja, with almost nobody else around. It's the finest surviving Hoysala monument, covered in friezes of elephants, dancers and the Nandi bull, and entry is essentially free (small camera fee). Mid-morning take a bus Halebidu–Hassan, then a train or KSRTC bus down to Mangalore (₹400–700, 6–8 hrs). Evening in Mangalore: eat ghee roast and neer dosa at a local joint near Hampankatta.

🚌Bus + train/bus Halebidu–Mangalore (~£8)

🛏Mangalore budget hotel (£15–22)

• →Sunrise at Hoysaleswara Temple
• →Mangalorean food evening

Take a daytime train Mangalore–Ernakulam (Sleeper/AC Chair, ₹400–900, 7–9 hrs) down the Malabar Coast, then a local ferry or bus from Ernakulam to Fort Kochi. Check into a Fort Kochi guesthouse or homestay. Evening self-guided orientation walk of Fort Kochi: Chinese fishing nets at Vasco da Gama Square, St Francis Church and the Dutch Cemetery. This is the point in the original tour where the group doubles back — in the self-launched version, continue south first and loop back to Kochi at the end so you're not retracing the same train line twice.

🚌Train Mangalore–Ernakulam (~£7) + ferry (~£0.50)

🛏Fort Kochi guesthouse (£15–25)

• →Fort Kochi orientation walk
• →Chinese fishing nets at sunset

Free morning — try a Kathakali centre's make-up demonstration (₹200–400) or a Kochi bike tour. After checkout, walk the Fort Kochi heritage circuit: Mattancherry Palace, Jew Town and the Paradesi Synagogue (₹5–10 entry), and St Francis Church. Book a bicycle or auto for the Spice Market. In the evening take an overnight train Ernakulam–KSR Bengaluru (Sleeper ₹350–600, AC3 ₹900–1,300, ~11 hrs).

🚌Overnight Indian Railways train Ernakulam–Bengaluru

🛏Overnight train, sleeper or AC3 class (£5–13)

• →Mattancherry Palace and Jew Town
• →Paradesi Synagogue
• →St Francis Church
• →Optional Kathakali make-up demo

Arrive Bengaluru early and get a proper breakfast (MTR or Vidyarthi Bhavan for masala dosa, ₹100–200). Then Lal Bagh Botanical Garden — free to ₹30 entry for adults, glass house, and the rock in the middle of the garden. Afternoon options: Bangalore Palace (₹450), Cubbon Park, or a Klook/GetYourGuide Bangalore street-food walk (£15–25). Evening orientation walk of MG Road, Brigade Road and Commercial Street on foot or by Namma Metro (₹20–40 a ride).

🚌Namma Metro and autos (~£4)

🛏Bangalore hostel dorm or budget hotel, MG Road/Indiranagar (£12–22)

• →Lal Bagh Botanical Garden
• →MTR dosa breakfast
• →MG Road / Commercial Street evening walk
• →Optional Bangalore Palace

Take a KSRTC bus or the Shatabdi/train to Mysore (₹200–450, 3 hrs), but stop at Srirangapatna first — local buses run from Mysore bus stand or you can break the train journey. See the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Tipu Sultan's Gumbaz tomb (free/small fee). Continue to Mysore, check in, then an afternoon wandering the Devaraja Market (flowers, kumkum, sandalwood) and an optional group-style dinner at a local hotel — try Mysore pak for dessert.

🚌KSRTC bus or train Bangalore–Mysore (~£4)

🛏Mysore guesthouse or budget hotel (£12–20)

• →Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna
• →Tipu Sultan's Gumbaz
• →Devaraja Market orientation walk

Mysore Palace is the day's centrepiece — ₹200 for adults, audio guide ₹150, and it's worth arriving at opening (10am) to beat the crowds; the Sunday-night illumination is spectacular if your dates line up. Then St Philomena's Cathedral (free) and Chamundi Hills by local bus (₹25) for the Sri Chamundeshwari Temple and city views. Optional extra: Mysore Rail Museum or the zoo.

🚌Local bus and auto (~£3)

🛏Mysore guesthouse or budget hotel (£12–20)

• →Mysore Palace
• →St Philomena's Cathedral
• →Chamundi Hills and Chamundeshwari Temple
• →Optional Mysore Rail Museum

This is the itinerary's big leg. Best plan: an early train or bus Mysore–Bangalore, then an overnight or daytime train Bangalore–Chengalpattu (or Chennai), then a local bus or auto the last 45 minutes to Mamallapuram (total ₹1,000–1,800, 12–14 hrs). If you'd rather break it up, stop a night in Chennai. Book the Bangalore–Chennai leg on IRCTC as soon as your dates are fixed — this is a busy corridor.

🚌Bus/train Mysore–Bangalore–Chengalpattu + local bus (~£15–20)

🛏Mamallapuram guesthouse near the beach (£15–25)

• →Transit day
• →Evening beach walk

Sunrise at the Shore Temple — the UNESCO-listed 8th-century granite temple right on the Bay of Bengal, ₹40 entry, best at 6am with no one there. Then Krishna's Butterball, Arjuna's Penance and the Five Rathas (₹40 combined ticket). Afternoon free time for the sculpture workshops — Mamallapuram is a working stone-carving town, and you can watch or buy direct from carvers — plus the fish market. Optional: a GetYourGuide Mamallapuram heritage walk (£10–15).

🚌Walking and bicycle (~£2)

🛏Mamallapuram guesthouse (£15–25)

• →Sunrise Shore Temple
• →Five Rathas and Arjuna's Penance
• →Sculpture workshops
• →Local fish market

Pick up the Tamil Nadu leg the tour skips past quickly. Take a bus or share auto Mamallapuram–Chengalpattu or Chennai and then a SETC bus to Thanjavur (₹400–700, 7–8 hrs), or a train via Trichy. Thanjavur is Tamil Nadu's Chola capital and the base for the Brihadeeswara Temple. Arrive, eat a proper Tamil meal on a banana leaf (₹150), and see the temple lit up after dark — free entry.

🚌Tamil Nadu SETC bus or train (~£8)

🛏Thanjavur budget hotel (£12–20)

• →Brihadeeswara Temple at dusk
• →Tamil banana-leaf meal

Morning at Brihadeeswara (the Big Temple) when it's cool, then the Thanjavur Royal Palace and Saraswathi Mahal Library (₹50–100). In the afternoon visit a bronze-casting workshop at Swamimalai, 10km away by local bus (₹20) — the lost-wax statue makers who supply temple bronzes across India, essentially the same 'Bronze Casting Workshops' stop as the group tour, but you'll be the only visitor. Return to Thanjavur for the evening.

🚌Local bus to Swamimalai (~£1)

🛏Thanjavur budget hotel (£12–20)

• →Brihadeeswara Temple
• →Thanjavur Royal Palace and Saraswathi Mahal Library
• →Swamimalai bronze casting workshops

Bus Thanjavur–Karaikudi (₹150–250, 3 hrs) into the Chettinad region. Stay in or tour one of the grand Chettiar mansions — several converted heritage homes in Kanadukathan and Karaikudi offer tours (₹200–500) or you can stay the night in one. Walk the mansion-lined streets, see the Athangudi tile workshops, and eat a real Chettinad meal — pepper chicken and kuzhi paniyaram — which the group tour's 'Chettinad Traditional House Visit' is all about.

🚌Local bus Thanjavur–Karaikudi (~£3)

🛏Heritage mansion stay or guesthouse, Karaikudi (£15–30)

• →Chettinad mansion visit
• →Athangudi tile workshop
• →Chettinad cooking/food stop

Bus or train Karaikudi–Madurai (₹100–250, 2–3 hrs). Drop bags and head for the Meenakshi Amman Temple — free entry, no phones, shoes off; go at opening or around 5pm for the evening rituals. Then Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal (₹50, light-and-sound show in the evening) and a walk around the temple tank. Madurai is the best place in the south for jigarthanda and street food — the night market near the temple is superb.

🚌Bus Karaikudi–Madurai (~£2)

🛏Madurai guesthouse or budget hotel (£12–20)

• →Meenakshi Amman Temple
• →Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
• →Temple-tank night market food walk

Long but beautiful transfer up into the Western Ghats. Bus Madurai–Theni–Kumily (₹200–350, 4–5 hrs) with a change at Theni. Check into a Kumily guesthouse or homestay and take a spice plantation tour the same afternoon — walk-in spice gardens charge ₹300–500 including a guide and a bag of cardamom, pepper and cinnamon to take home. Evening: a Kalaripayattu (martial arts) show at one of the Kadathanadan centres (₹200–300), and dinner in Kumily.

🚌Local buses Madurai–Kumily (~£4)

🛏Kumily/Thekkady homestay or guesthouse (£12–22)

• →Cardamom Hills spice plantation tour
• →Kalaripayattu show (optional)

Early Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary boat ride on the lake (₹1,050 for the boat plus ₹45 entry — book at the park gate the day before if possible) to spot elephants, gaur and birdlife. Then bus Kumily–Kottayam or Kumily–Alleppey (₹200–350, 4–5 hrs). In Alleppey, arrange a shared backwaters boat trip or canoe through the smaller canals (₹600–1,500 for a shared shikara/canoe) and stay overnight with a Keralan family in a backwater homestay — book direct on Booking.com or via a local cooperative. Dinner is home-cooked Kerala sadya, usually included in the homestay rate.

🚌Bus Kumily–Alleppey (~£4) + canoe/boat (~£10)

🛏Kerala backwaters homestay, Alleppey (£20–35 incl. dinner and breakfast)

• →Periyar Lake boat ride
• →Kerala backwaters canoe/boat trip
• →Backwater homestay and home-cooked dinner

Slow morning in the backwaters, then a train or bus Alleppey–Ernakulam (₹30–100, 1–1.5 hrs). Visit the Theruvarom women's cooperative for a Keralan lunch if you can arrange it in advance (₹300–500, direct email or via your homestay host) — this is the G Adventures 'G for Good' stop, and it's bookable independently. Evening: a Kathakali performance at the Kerala Kathakali Centre in Fort Kochi (₹400–500, doors ~5pm for make-up, show 6pm). Final dinner of Kerala fish curry and appam — then onward flights or trains from Kochi.

🚌Train Alleppey–Ernakulam (~£1) + ferry

🛏Fort Kochi guesthouse (£15–25)

• →Theruvarom women's cooperative lunch (arrange direct)
• →Kathakali performance at Kerala Kathakali Centre
• →Fort Kochi farewell dinner