Tailor-made Tour 6 days from £3375 per person

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  Places Visited: Bengaluru, Bandipur National Park, Mysore, Hampi, Bengaluru

Named after the famous stone chariot at Hampi, the Golden Chariot, launched in 2008, is South India’s first and only luxury train. The modern refinement and traditional ways of hospitality has earned the Golden Chariot various accolades including the recognition as one of the seven best luxury rail journeys in the world by Vanity Fair Magazine within 4 years of its inception.

A Midas touch of heritage, royalty and cultural ethos manifests in the interiors of the Golden Chariot, a picture-perfect replica of erstwhile south Indian heritage and splendour. State of the art amenities and personalised service, provided by a dedicated team of butlers, aims to offer a one of a kind luxury train experience in India.

All 11 guest carriages flaunt traditional décor reminiscent of a particular erstwhile ruling dynasty of the south after which they have named. With a total of 44 cabins, all are fitted with facilities like LCD television, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and a private bathroom providing cosy comforts to the guests. Other facilities and services provided on board include two ornately designed restaurants, a lounge bar, inspired by Mysore Palace, a business centre, gym and a wellness spa.

The shortest of the Golden Chariot’s routes, this itinerary focuses on Karnataka’s most popular attractions - Mysore and Hampi.

Holiday Types

Cultural Holidays Wildlife Holidays River Cruising Holidays Luxury Train Holidays Family Holidays Honeymoons Beach Holidays Adventure Holidays

 

Suggested itinerary

Day 1
Bengaluru

On arrival into Bengaluru you will be met by a TransIndus representative and transferred to the luxury Oberoi Hotel. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and recovering from your flight.

Once a sleepy regional capital, Bengaluru (previously Bangalore) is the go-ahead, trend-setting capital of Karnataka state. As the home of India’s own Silicon Valley, the city has been at the forefront of the country’s IT revolution for the past two decades or more, and has a noticeably upbeat feel, with a hi-rise skyline of glass-sided towers to match.  Traces of Bengaluru’s pre-colonial past include a scattering of splendid medieval temples, among them the 800-year-old Dharmarayaswamy near the centre.

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Day 2
Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary

This morning you will be transferred to the train station to check in to the Golden Chariot. The train will depart towards your first destination, Naniangud at 09.45. Lunch will be onboard before transferring to Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary, for a late afternoon safari. Return to the train for dinner onboard as the train proceeds to Mysore.

Part of the world-famous Nilgiri Biosphere, Bandipur National Park covers an area of forested mountains bordering Nagarhole. The reserve is a prime spot for sighting elephant, which roam in large herds here. The tiger population has also revived well over the past decade, thanks to a concerted effort on the part of local conservation bodies, with an estimated 220 animals living within the confines of Nagarhole and Bandipur combined. The odds of a sighting have never been greater here since the inauguration of the park in 1973!

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Day 3
Mysore

After breakfast onboard, spend the morning exploring Mysore Palace. Lunch will be back onboard the train with an optional visit to Srirangapattinam in the evening. Enjoy dinner onboard as the train continues to Hospet.

Mysore, the former capital of the Wadiyar Rajas, is by far Karnataka’s most popular visitor attraction. Unlike Bengaluru, the city seems to have been largely bypassed by the dotcom revolution and retains plenty of traditional charm, particularly in its markets, which serve as important centres for the trade in sandalwood, incense and hand-woven silk. The stand-out sight here, though, is the Maharaja’s Palace – a lavish, fairytale confection in the quintessentially Raj-era Indo-Saracenic style. Clad in 18-carat gold, hundreds of Mughal-style domes and Rajasthani cupolas crown the complex, which is illuminated every Sunday with 100,000 electric bulbs. It was built in 1912 on the site of an old wooden palace and boasts a sumptuous interior, including the famous ‘Thousand Pillar Hall’.

Much of its interiors were imported from different parts of the world, including England, which provided the vast brass gates that lead directly into the central courtyard from the gardens.  

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Day 4
Hampi

This morning is spent exploring Hampi, regarded by many as India’s most atmospheric ancient site. Return to the train for lunch and an afternoon relaxing onboard. This evening, as you enjoy dinner, the train will proceed to Bengaluru.

A landscape of surreal beauty provides the setting for the ruins of Vijayanagar, the once-glittering capital of southern India, which was laid to waste in 1565 by invading armies from the Sultanates of the northern Deccan. Only the city’s temples survived the onslaught, although with one notable exception they now lie deserted, their pyramidal gateway towers and weed-infested walls rising against a backdrop of red-brown granite boulder hills and banana groves.

It’s impossible to imagine how this once glorious capital would have looked in its prime, though the palace complex on the south side of the archeological site hints at the wealth and grandeur that so dazzled European visitors in the 16th century.

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Day 5
Bengaluru

Your journey ends today as you arrive back into Yeshwantpur Railway station in Bengaluru. You will be met by a TransIndus representative and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Known as ‘The Garden City’ in British times, Bengaluru also has some pleasant parks where you can escape the traffic. Created in 1760 by Sultan Haider Ali and later enlarged by experts from Kew, the Mughal-inspired Lalbagh Botanical Gardens hosts regular flower shows in its giant glass house, modelled on London’s Crystal Palace.

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Day 6
Bengaluru, UK

Transfer to the airport for your return flight.

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Tailor-made Tour 6 days from £3375 per person


What's included

✓  Three nights’ luxury accommodation aboard the Golden Chariot, two nights at a five-star hotel in Bengaluru. 

✓  All internal transportation and transfers in private chauffeur drive vehicles

✓  Expert English-speaking guides throughout

✓  Entrance fees to sites and monuments featured

✓  Meal Plan: Full Board à La Carte service onboard the train and Bed & Breakfast in Bengaluru.

✓   International Flights: We will be happy to organise international flights in economy or business class at a supplementary cost.

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