DESTINATIONS — INDIA & THE INDIAN OCEAN
Gothic towers: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
A lot of bottle: Wink bar at Vivanta by Taj President
On track: the Deccan Odyssey luxury train
Local landmark: Taj Mahal Palace
Ghandi once lived, Parsi Towers of Silence and Malabar Hill. Combine sights with experiences on Urban Adventures’ Mumbai Highlights tour, which also shows visitors how to catch local taxis and buses. Do Something Different’s new Private Mumbai Full Day City Tour includes a visit to Dhobi Ghat, the world’s largest outdoor laundrette. It also offers tours of Dharavi, Asia’s most populous slum. At the opposite extreme is glitzy Mumbai, India’s film capital. Kuoni’s full-day Bollywood Tour and Do Something Different’s Private Bollywood Tour take visitors to sets, locations and studios while Urban Adventures’ Bollywood Treats includes a cinema trip with movie-mad locals. For art lovers, consider Oberoi
Experiences’ Art Kaleidoscope of Mumbai tour, which visits smaller art galleries as well as Jehangir Art Gallery and National Gallery for Modern Art. The brand’s chef-led
Spice Trail tour visits Lal Bagh spice market and Crawford market and Urban Adventures’ Mumbai Masala trip delves into Mumbai’s gullies (lanes) in search of delicious dishes with a local street food expert. Cox & Kings offers the chance to follow a day in the life of a city lunchbox courier with its Dabbawallahs of Mumbai tour.
l MOVINGON It’s possible to go almost everywhere in India from Mumbai. Rajasthan is popular with first- time visitors, and direct flights connect the city to key hubs. Also consider a city and beach combination with Kerala or Goa. Nick Wilson, destination manager for Hayes & Jarvis, says: “Mumbai is the perfect place to immerse the senses, but two hours by air away from the hustle and bustle is Kerala, with its tranquil backwaters and beaches.” The operator offers a twin centre with three
nights at the five-star Grand Hyatt Mumbai or Trident Bandra Kurla and a week at Kerala’s four-star Travancore Heritage. For repeat visitors, suggest neighbouring state Gujarat, birthplace of Gandhi, the Kutch desert and lively Ahmedabad. Wild Frontiers offers small group and tailor-made tours with a Mumbai add-on, and Cox & Kings’ Colours of Gujarat also combines with their Mumbai add-on. Kolkata, former capital of the British Raj, entices many with its art, colonial architecture and cafe culture, with the likes of Kuoni and Audley Travel offering tailor-made twin- centre city breaks. For something different, consider the luxurious Deccan Odyssey train journeys. Maharashtra Splendour starts
and ends in Mumbai and includes Goa; Indian Odyssey travels from Mumbai to Delhi via Rajasthan, while Jewels of the Deccan takes in Mumbai and the Deccan plateau including the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. TW
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Cox & Kings’ 11-day Indian Odyssey trip includes seven nights on the Deccan Odyssey train, a pre-night in Delhi and post-night in Mumbai, from £3,695 including flights, full-
board on the train, transfers and excursions. An additional night in Mumbai costs from £250.
coxandkings.co.uk
Insight Vacations’ 11-day Colours of Rajasthan visits Ranthambore National Park,
Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur, and costs from £3,375 including flights, transfers, four- star-plus B&B accommodation, 10 meals, sightseeing and tour
director. A two-night Fascinating Mumbai itinerary costs from £625 with breakfast, transfers, guide and sightseeing.
insightvacations.com
Arch support: Gateway of India
56 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 28 August 2014
PICTURES: COX & KINGS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68