Mumbai to Goa Beaches & Architecture

Arrive in Mumbai, where we’ll meet you at the airport, assist with formalities and transfer you to your hotel. Hotel check‑in is from 12:00 – early check‑in is subject to availability.Mumbai is a city that rarely sleeps – India’s financial powerhouse and industrial heartland, with lively shopping, sport, nightlife, theatre, music and excellent dining. The rest of the day is free – you can relax after your flight, take a gentle stroll to get your bearings, browse local markets and try nearby restaurants.

After breakfast at the hotel, we drive along Marine Drive before boarding a motorboat from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Caves – closed Mondays – then climb around 100 steps to the cave complex. Returning by boat in the afternoon, we continue our city tour, viewing the Maharashtra State Assembly from outside, stopping at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus – formerly Victoria Terminus and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and visiting Dhobi Ghat to see the city’s open air laundry in action. We visit the Prince of Wales Museum – closed Mondays – and Mani Bhawan, the Gandhi museum where he laid the groundwork for several independence movements. If time allows, we drive through Bandra and Juhu to see the exteriors of celebrity homes such as those of Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan. We also visit Mount Mary Church – the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount – first built in 1640 and rebuilt in 1761, and in the evening the ISKCON Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna and noted for its murals and sculptures. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, we transfer you to the airport for your flight from Mumbai to Goa. On arrival in Goa, we meet you and transfer to your resort. The rest of the day is free – you can relax on the beach. Overnight at the resort.

After breakfast at the resort, we set out on a full-day tour taking in North Goa with key sites in the south. We visit Calangute, Dona Paula, Miramar and Baga beaches, then continue to Old Goa to see the Basilica of Bom Jesus – a 16th century church housing the tomb of St Francis Xavier and part of Goa’s UNESCO-listed Churches and Convents. We also see Se Cathedral, the Church of Our Lady of Miracles, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Nunnery of St Monica. We then head to Fort Aguada, built by the Portuguese to command the mouth of the Mandovi River, where a four storey lighthouse stands as one of the oldest of its kind in Asia. In South Goa we visit the Mangueshi and Shanta Durga temples, before proceeding to Margao, the headquarters of South Goa. Overnight at the resort.

Goa We enjoy breakfast at the resort, then the day is free for you to relax or explore at your own pace – there are no scheduled activities today. Spend the time as you wish, independently visiting places that interest you or simply taking it easy. We stay overnight at the resort.

After breakfast at the hotel, we drive 184 kilometres – about 4 hours – from Goa to Badami, the capital of the early Chalukyas, set at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. On arrival we check in to the hotel, then explore Badami’s rock cut cave temples, gateways, forts, inscriptions and sculptures. We climb a flight of steps to reach the ancient sandstone caves on the hillside. Of the four caves here, three are dedicated to the Vedic faith and the fourth is the only Jain cave temple in Badami. In Cave 1 we see Shiva’s doorkeepers and an 18 armed Nataraja depicted in 81 dance poses, while the largest and most ornate, Cave 3, is dedicated to Vishnu with carvings of Narasimha and Harihara – half Shiva, half Vishnu. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we set out from Badami for a full day visit to Pattadakal and Aihole. At Pattadakal – a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the banks of the Malaprabha River – we explore outstanding 8th century Chalukyan architecture, including the Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna temples. We then continue to Aihole, acclaimed as the cradle of Hindu temple architecture, to see the Durga Temple with its semicircular apse, elevated plinth and gallery around the sanctum, along with the Lad Khan and Huchimalli temples, the Ravalphadi Cave Temple celebrating the many forms of Shiva, the Konti Temple Complex, the Umamaheswari Temple, the Jain Meguti Temple and the two storey Buddhist temple. We return to Badami for the night – overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast in Badami, we drive to Hampi – about 180 km and roughly 4 hours – with visits en route. We stop at Gadag to see the carved Trikuteshwara Temple, dedicated to Shiva and noted for its three lingas mounted on a single stone, as well as a shrine to Saraswathi with finely carved columns. We then continue to Lakkundi, known for its cluster of ruined temples, including Mallikarjuna, Virabhadra, Manikeshwara, Nanneshwara, Lakshminarayana, Someshwara and Nilakanteshwara. On arrival in Hampi we check in to the hotel, and the rest of the day is free – you can relax and take it easy. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel, then a full day exploring Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site set among boulder-strewn hills on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. Once the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, the city fell in the 16th century – many significant monuments remain across this extensive site. We visit Hazara Rama Temple, the King’s Balance, Mahanavami Dibba, the Royal Enclosures, the Ugra Narasimha statue, Virupaksha Temple, Lotus Mahal and the Vithala Temple Complex. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, we transfer to Vijaynagar Airport – about 40 km, around one hour – for your flight to Hyderabad. On arrival, we provide assistance and transfer you to your hotel to check in. The rest of the day is free for you to relax. Overnight at the hotel.

Hyderabad After breakfast at the hotel, we explore this vibrant capital, more than 400 years old and known for its bustling bazaars and monuments from the Islamic era. We visit Golconda Fort – long associated with diamond mines linked to the Kohinoor and Darya‑i‑noor – and the Qutubshahi Tombs, which vary in size yet share a distinctive architectural style. We continue to Charminar, built in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, and to the Mecca Mosque just to its south west. The mosque’s main hall measures 67 metres by 54 metres and rises to 23 metres, supported by 15 arches – five on each of three sides – with the western side forming the Mehrab. We then visit the Salarjung Museum – Friday closed – one of India’s largest, with antiquities dating back to the first century, followed by Chowmohalla Palace – Friday closed – once the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty where the Nizams received official guests and royal visitors. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel in Hyderabad, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Aurangabad. On arrival, we provide assistance and transfer to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for you to relax. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast we drive about 36 km – roughly one hour each way – to the Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here we explore 34 monasteries and temples dating from 600 to 1000 AD, representing Buddhist, Hindu and Jain traditions, with notable stonework illustrating legends of Shiva. We then visit the nearby Grishneshwar Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana and considered the twelfth, constructed by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore in Maratha style, its red and black stonework finely carved. On the way back we stop at Daulatabad Fort, a major stronghold of the medieval Deccan with formidable defences, including double and even triple rows of massive walls. Returning to Aurangabad, we visit Bibi ka Maqbara, built by Azam Shah in 1678 as a tribute to his mother and set within landscaped gardens of ponds, fountains and water channels – often called the Mini Taj of the Deccan. Ellora Caves are closed on Tuesdays. Overnight at hotel.

Aurangabad – Ajanta (105 km – around two hours each way) After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to the Ajanta Caves – closed on Mondays – for a full day of exploration. Created between about 200 BC and AD 650, this group of 30 Buddhist caves preserves remarkable sculpture and painting illustrating the Buddha’s life and his previous births. Five caves are chaityas – prayer halls – and twenty five are viharas – monastic residences. The site was discovered in 1819 by British officers during a tiger hunt, and had been noted earlier by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang, who travelled in India in the seventh century. The caves reflect both Hinayana and Mahayana traditions. We return to Aurangabad in the evening. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer you to Aurangabad airport at the appropriate time for your flight to Mumbai – continue with your onward journey from there. Safe travels and thank you for joining us.