Hampi, Deccan Plateau and Goa Tour

You will be met at Hyderabad International Airport by your Authentic India Tours representative and will be taken to your hotel by a private car transfer. This will take about 45 minutes.

The rest of the day is free for you to relax and enjoy the facilities of your hotel, or explore the local area.

Accommodation: Taj Deccan, a first class period hotel, Hyderabad

Today’s sightseeing tour of Hyderabad starts with a visit to the magnificent Golconda Fort which covers a vast area and is one of India’s finest fort complexes. Nearby are the well preserved Qutub Shahi tombs which were erected in the memory of the departed kings of Golconda.

After lunch, your guide will take you through Laad Bazaar where you’ll have the chance to be dazzled by the shiny lac bangles that Hyderabad is known for and explore the small lanes to meet the master craftsmen who reside there. Walk into the chaos of fluttering pigeons in the Mecca Masjid courtyard and then onto the simplicity of Nizam’s tombs.

Accommodation: Taj Deccan, a first class period hotel, Hyderabad

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning you continue to discover Hyderabad with a visit to the Chowmahalla Palace and a tour around the palace complex to see the opulence with which the Nizams of Hyderabad lived and ruled. Explore the imposing Durbar Hall and the various rooms where the family has recreated a slice of life from the past. You can also visit the Salar Jung Museum which houses an extensive art collection.

The afternoon is at your leisure to enjoy some shopping or explore the area further.

Accommodation: Taj Deccan, a first class period hotel, Hyderabad

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, the journey to Bidar which is hidden away in Karnataka’s far northeastern corner will take about 3 hours. Here you’ll discover the amazing ruins and monuments of the once mighty Bahmani Kingdom. This old walled town was the first capital of the Bahmani kingdom and later the capital of the Barid Shahi dynasty, and has a rich Islamic Indian history. Explore the impressive ruin of Mahmud Gawan’s Madrassa, whose single minaret soars high above the city centre and the Muslim quarter that holds many mosques, havelis and monasteries.

After lunch, we continue to Gulbarga.

Approximate travel time: 5 hours 30 min

Accommodation: Citrus Hotel, a standard grade hotel, Gulbarga

Meals included: Breakfast

The morning is set aside to explore the fort and the tombs of the Bahmani kings. Enjoy a half-day tour, including a visit to the Bhwaja Bande Nawaz tomb whose design exquisitely merges Persian and Indian architectural styles.

This is followed by an afternoon drive through rural India to Vijayapura.

And then in the evening a sightseeing tour of Bijapur. Also known as Vijaypurura it is a historic city epitomising the Deccan’s Islamic era. Boasting some of the Deccan’s fines Muslim monuments, Bijapur is often referred as ‘The Agra of the South’. Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of this town. Visit Gol Gumbaz, housing the tomb of Mohammad Adil Shah is among the most impressive structures built during the era. Continue to the beautiful tomb named Ibrahim Rouza which was built by Adil Shah II for his queen. Gagan Mahal, the impressive Sky Palace is an architecture marvel. You will also visit the Sat Manzil (seven-storied palace), Jala Manzil (water pavilion), Bara Kaman (twelve arches) and Jama Masjid, the mosque built by Ali Adil Shah I.

Approximate travel time and distance: 3 hours 15 minutes, 150 km

Accommodation: The Fern Residency, a standard grade hotel, Vijayapura

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning you’ll continue your journey with a drive to what many regard as India’s most atmospheric ancient site – the ruined city of Vijayanagar, near Hampi in central Karnataka

Approximate travel time and distance: 4 hours 15 minutes, 215 km

Accommodation: The Heritage Resort, Hampi

Meals included: Breakfast

Over the next two days, there will be plenty of opportunities to explore the ruins and monuments in Hampi which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once the capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire, it was an Imperial city to rival Rome with its palaces, temples and sculptures. As one of the largest Hindu empires to have ever existed, the ruins at Hampi are extensive and, in many cases, exceptionally well preserved. Established in the early 1300s, there is an impressive array of palaces, temples, structures and ruins to visit including the Vitthala Temple, Stone Chariot, Lotus Mahal, Elephant Stables and Queen’s Bath.

Accommodation: The Heritage Resort, Hampi

Meals included: Breakfast

Start your final day’s sightseeing at Hampi with a pre-dawn walk to Matanga Hill to watch the sunrise. Jump on a coracle across the Tungabhadra River to reach the hilltop ‘Monkey Temple’, a fabulous viewpoint, or follow the sandy tracks east through fields littered with chunks of carved masonry and discarded colonnades to discover forgotten cave shrines and reliefs sculpted from giant boulders.

Accommodation: The Heritage Resort, Hampi

Meals included: Breakfast

Today’s adventure takes you to Badami via the ancient Chalukyan temples at Pattadakal and Aihole  The journey is quite long across one of the emptiest regions of the Deccan Plateau but the ruins of ancient Badami fully warrant the trip

Pattadakal is located on a bend in the Malaprabha River and is believed to have been the place where the Chalukyan kings staged their coronations. UNESCO World Heritage Site status has been conferred on its main temple complex. More than a hundred ruined temples, dating from the 6th to 12th centuries, litter the fields and rock outcrops around the village of Aihole. If time permits, you can also visit nearby Mahakui, a tiny, forgotten pilgrimage spot featuring a spring fed bathing tank and a cluster of 6th and 7th century Hindu shrines – a heavenly oasis.

Badami, a former Chalukyan capital is best known for its Hindu and Jain cave temples that occupy a spectacular setting cut into the cliff face of a sandstone hill that looks over this ancient village.

During your morning visit in Badami, you will visit the Badami Cave Temples which are thought to date from the second half of the 6th century AD. Ranging from rock-cut cave shrines to structural temples and forts, they were the work of the Chalukyas, and are scattered across a gorge between two steep, rocky hills, divided by a large water tank. The cliffs provide an epic backdrop to the Bhuthanatha Temple, whose finely carved towers and pillars are reflected in the green waters at its feet.

Approximate travel time and distance: 4 hours, 140 km

Accommodation: Hotel Badami Court, Badami

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, you will travel to the famous beach destination of Goa for a wonderful relaxing end to your holiday.

Approximate travel time and distance: 6 hours, 245 km

Accommodation: Coconut Creek Beach Resort (other hotel options available), Goa

Meals included: Breakfast

Day at leisure relaxing on the beach, enjoying a bit of shopping or discovering the local sights

Accommodation: Coconut Creek Beach Resort (other hotel options available), Goa

Meals included: Breakfast

You will be transferred to Goa International Airport in plenty of time to board your return flight.

Check-in is usually 3 hours prior to the estimated time of departure.

Meals included: Breakfast

Pricing & Inclusions

Price guide for this 13 day Hampi, Deccan Plateau and Goa  tour is:

• £2390 in low season (May – September inclusive)
• £2590 in high season (October – April inclusive)

The prices do not include flights.

Authentic India Tours is a member of ABTA and ATOL. All the holidays on this website are ABTA protected. If you would like us to arrange your holiday including flights we will be happy to provide a quote and your holiday will also be ATOL protected.

This is a private tour and can be tailor-made to meet your exact requirements. Prices will vary depending on the number of people, length of tour, accommodation & season. Reductions are normally available for groups of three or more. Some hotels operate an additional peak pricing rate during busy times which is normally from mid December to mid January.

Please get in touch with your dates and we will be pleased to provide you with your personal itinerary and accurate quote.

Included with this tour are the following:

• Authentic India Tours meet & greet assistance on arrival
• All transfers and sightseeing tours using air-conditioned car
• Accommodation for 12 nights on twin sharing basis
• Standard category rooms at all hotels unless otherwise mentioned
• Meal plan: Bed & breakfast
• English speaking guide for sightseeing tour
• Entrances at all national parks, museums and monuments as per the itinerary
• Mineral water on all days of travel

Price does not include:

• International flight tickets
• Travel insurance & Visas
• Expenses of personal nature like laundry, tips, beverages etc
• Meals other than mentioned in the above meal plan
• Camera & video fees at national parks, museums & monuments

Prices mentioned above are per person based on two people sharing a twin room. The prices which were valid at the time of publication may be subject to change, based on your date of travel and local market fluctuations. You will be informed of any price differences prior to booking.

For a quote based on your dates of travel, any alternative accommodation or changes to this itinerary, please call Authentic India Tours on 01792 315499 or email us at info@aitholidays.com

Please remember all our private tours are designed to meet your exact requirements, and this Goa Holiday tour is just an example to help inspire you.

For more information please email info@aitholidays.com or call our India specialists on 01792 315499.

ABTA and ATOL Protected Tour Package

Authentic India Tours is a member of ABTA and ATOL. All the holidays on this website are ABTA protected. If you would like us to arrange your holiday including flights we will be happy to provide a quote and your holiday will also be ATOL protected.