Itinerary for Southern India, 2 to 4 weeks, places to see

If you are about to visit Southern India, I have prepared an itinerary for you that can have a variable duration between two weeks and one month, based on whether you want to have a trip to the Andaman Islands or not.
Loretta and I spent a month in India (between January and February 2023), traveling about 4500km with a rental car (if you are curious about the on the road experience and want to have useful information about it, read this article). Our itinerary includes visits to places of historical and cultural interest, trekkings that take us to enjoy the most beautiful landscapes and a week of complete relaxation in the Andaman Islands. Let's go find out

Mumbai is the seventh most populous city in the world, with its 24.5 million inhabitants. Arriving in India with a flight, you may find yourself starting your journey from here. This city is also known for being the home of the famous film industry Bollywood. Mumbai is an intense experience. Although the average per capita income (about $1100 a year) is three times the Indian average, Mumbai is also the place where one can visit Asia's largest slum: Dharavi. One of the symbols of the city is certainly the Gateway of India, an imposing arabesque-style arch that overlooks the sea. Right around here is the place where the boats leave for the Elephant Island, an island where there are the archaeological remains of an ancient and suggestive temple dedicated to Shiva. Many recommend a visit to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, one of the largest metropolitan parks in the world. However, I can guarantee that in this itinerary you will find more interesting experiences on the naturalistic theme, making you use your time in Mumbai in a more effective way. Beyond the historical points of interest, Mumbai is an experience that must be lived in the most banal everyday life, aboard a tuk tuk, a train or on foot, in any street.

After the experience in Mumbai, you'll probably want a drastic change and look for a less chaotic situation and, perhaps, more in contact with nature. After that shock therapy that is the city, you will probably prefer not to stress yourself excessively with a long journey to reach the next stage. Fortunately, Matheran is not far from Mumbai but offers what I just said. The town is located on a hill and, although it is possible to get there by car, this will have to be left a little outside the town itself. The thing I recommend to you, though, is to reach the top with the "toy train" which is one of the main attractions of the place. This little train (which starts from the village of Neral) "climbs" on the ridges thanks to rails that form a long series of hairpin bends, to avoid too steep a climb, with a very slow pace that will make you appreciate interesting views of the valleys and temples built in inaccessible places. Once arrived in Matheran you will find yourself in front of a small village populated by horses, on which you will be offered to take a ride, with two or three toilets that serve everyone, residents and tourists. From the centre, you can reach, with short treks, various very suggestive panoramic points.

For the third stage of your journey, for which you will be forced to travel a long distance, there is Arambol with its beach. In the state of Goa, there are many seaside towns that deserve a stop. Arambol, from the point of view of our itinerary, is the closest to the previous stage. This, like the other beaches, is home to yoga classes, leisure and nightlife. Arambol and Agonda offer a huge choice of beach clubs where to have a drink, dance, meet people and taste the local seafood specialities. Likewise, there are places where you can relax, indulging in an Ayurvedic massage (which, however, can be done later on, in the state of Kerala, place where the Ayurvedic Discipline was born). But let's talk about the sea. The beaches are very wide and well cared for. These places will be able to offer you everything you want from a beach holiday but if what you're expecting is a tropical paradise with Instagram-worthy crystal clear blue water, you might be noticeably disappointed. Cola Beach deserves a separate discussion, a small beach that can only be reached after a lot of stairs, a place where nature rules unchallenged. Its secluded position, compared to the nearest towns, the absence of discos and its small size, allow it to be the closest to the concept of tropical paradise that you can aspire to, in the state of Goa. Finally, at Cola Beach, the water of the ocean penetrates the land creating the so-called backwaters, channels surrounded by greenery that you can visit on a kayak (don't expect to have the backwaters all for yourself, though!). Between Arambol and the beaches of Agonda and Cola, however, there are a couple of stops that you might want to do.

Panaji, the capital of the state of Goa, can be an excellent intermediate stop between one beach and another. This quiet town was an important center for the Portuguese, during the colonial era, and preserves buildings that tell this story. The center can be visited even in a couple of hours and, moreover, in Panaji, you will be able to enjoy the delicious dishes of the restaurant "Viva Panjim". Loretta and I left Arambol early, we stayed here for a few hours around lunch time, before visiting a spice plantation and continuing towards Agonda, where we would then stayed overnight.

In the afternoon, we moved to Ponda to visit one of the much renowned spice plantations. Although we are foodies and very curious, neither Loretta nor I are experts or particularly passionate about spices. It is clear, however, that if we choose the places to visit only on the basis of what we are passionate about, we risk never broadening the horizon of our interests, depriving ourselves of new and exciting experiences. The Sahakari plantation surprised us positively. As soon as you arrive, you will be greeted with a welcome tea (obviously, produced there). Subsequently, you will be guided into the meanders of the suggestive plantation where you will be amazed at how much the production processes of pepper, cinnamon or anything else, can be interesting. At the end of the tour you will find yourself tasting part of the products in typical Goan dishes (meal included in the ticket price) and, if you want, you can buy anything you have seen, previously, in the form of a plant.

Tadiandamol is the third highest peak in the state of Karnataka (1748m), the mountain in which we would put our skills as trekkers to test. The entrance to the path is paid (1000 rupees for non-Indians, about 11 euros). The ride, even if not particularly difficult, will not save you from fatigue, especially in steeper sections where a trekking pole or, if necessary, your hands, will offer valuable additional support. The view that can be enjoyed from the summit is essentially wonderful. The countless peaks of the surrounding mountains alternate with valleys, all below the height of your eyes or of your camera lens which, after shaking at the neck all the way, at this point can't help itself from jumping into your hand, spontaneously, begging you to shoot again and again.

Mysore is the second most populous city in Karnataka, with nearly a million inhabitants, and if you are a fan of yoga this name is likely not to be unfamiliar to you. In addition to being home to a highly visited Indo-Saracenic-style palace, in fact, it is the place where the discipline of Ashtanga Yoga was born and in which its gurus still reside. In Mysore you can visit very colorful markets where you will find, among other things, one of the flagships of local production: incense. Visiting this city, from the point of view of this itinerary, will force you to make a substantial detour inland. Evaluate whether or not to stop at this place based on how much its attractions may interest you. Personally, Loretta and I could have done without it. Although my partner is a yoga teacher, stopping in Mysore as simple tourists (and not as attendees of some yoga course that requires a longer stay) may not be a particularly good choice.

Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, is not exactly what one would call a must-see. What you can do here you can do in other places, on the coast of the same state (as in its capital, Cochin), perhaps without traveling so far south (further south, there are the interesting stops of Kollam, Varkala and Thiruvananthapuram). For me and Loretta, however, the choice, rightly or wrongly, fell on Alappuzha. The three main experiences you can have here are the Ayurvedic massage (born right in Kerala), rowing through the canals of the lagoon aboard a kayak or sleeping in one of the typical house-boats, enjoying sunrises and sunsets on the surface of the backwaters.

Much simpler and shorter than the trekking on Tadiandamol (and even free of charges), the excursion on the highest part of the Pettimudi hill can reactivate the body, after relaxing on the coast of Kerala. Although less demanding, however, this trek will lead you to enjoy another magnificent view and to take photos that will make everyone envious!

We could have visited several National Parks in our itinerary. Unfortunately, the time available is not unlimited and if you want to take a trip devoted to the variety of experiences, you are forced to make a selection. Based on the journey, as well as the quantity and quality of the reviews, our choice fell on the Periyar. This park offers a large choice of experiences on foot (which, of course, we chose to do), by jeep or by boat. Inside the reserve, you won't be able to help but feel like a little Lara Croft or Indiana Jones. You will wear leggings that will prevent leeches from feeding on your skin (we had to shrug some off more than onece) and you will be immersed in dense vegetation. To guide you, there will be three local experts (including one armed with a rifle) who will do anything to make you experience the trek to the fullest. You will see wild buffaloes, owls, squirrels, spiders, enormous butterflies, colorful birds, mongooses, different species of monkeys and, if you're lucky (or very unlucky), tigers and elephants! Experiences have variable costs and durations (some also include overnight stays in the reserve). The one on which our choice fell was the Thondiyar Border Hiking which, at the price of 2000 rupees (about 22 euros) includes breakfast and packed lunch, as well as guides, and will take you from the dense vegetation to the breathtaking viewpoints, from waterfalls to the fabulous lake!

Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu, is the intermediate stage that we have decided to include in the itinerary that from Periyar would take us to Chennai, where we would take the plane to the paradisiacal Andamans. Main attraction of the town is certainly the Brihadisvara temple, the most beautiful place of worship seen up to this point of the journey which will only be surpassed by what we would later see in Hampi. So, if you are moving towards Chennai or, in any case, towards the east and you need to take a break, other than a trivial overnight stay, Thanjavur definitely deserves your attention.

An entire article could be written on the Andaman Islands (probably I will write one). The week spent mainly on one one of the most visited islands of the archipelago, Havelock, was, for us, devoted almost exclusively to relaxation and tanning. I say "almost exclusively" because our nature has little tendency to relaxation and our body is constantly pawing in search of new adventures. Accordingly, on these islands (much closer to Thailand than to the mainland of India), as well as sunbathing on the fantastic beaches, bathe and appreciate the local foods, we could not do without the exploration that led us to get lost in the forest of mangroves, a fantasy film location, or a visit to the incredible Ross Island, a small island in the archipelago on which ruins of the English colonial era are now completely covered by vegetation which, once again, as mistress of the island, will take you to a post-apocalyptic scenario. Countless deers, peacocks, rabbits and who knows what other animals live on the island which will make you fill entire SD cards with photos!

Everything has its price and, back in Chennai, we were forced into a rather tight timetable. After an intermediate stage (only to stay overnight) in Bangalore (which, however, deserves a more in-depth visit), we "replaced the tents" only in Hampi, for two nights, where, before our journey came to an end with the subsequent return to Mumbai, we visited the places of historical-religious-cultural interest that have most piqued our curiosity and satisfied our eyes. Hampi is simply magical. The temples and ancient ruins, very suggestive places, now inhabited by monkeys, are very numerous and extend over a vast territory. You will be able to move freely without feeling all the restrictions that, usually, are in places of archaeological interest (don't forget to be, however, respectful!). The most fascinating feature of this place is the way the ruins and the surrounding nature interpenetrate, creating landscapes that will remain etched in your memory forever. Devoting less than two full days to Hampi will lead to sleepless nights of regret. Walk, visit, be amazed, admire, climb a panoramic point and enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets or the most beautiful sunrises you will ever see!

For us, the journey ends here. Looking back, we are very satisfied with the quality and variety of the days lived in India and the way we have lived them. We have no regrets, aware that, if you are limited in time, the selection of places to visit is an activity from which one cannot be exempt. This is the result of our experience but your journey will be different, it will be YOUR journey and for how long you can visit the same places, you will be the one to make it a unique and unrepeatable experience!
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