- Jan–Mar
- 13 Days
- Limited to 12 Travelers
From $13895
Few regions of the planet are as beguiling as the southern sector of the Indian subcontinent. Our journey begins in Hyderabad, famed for its Indo-Islamic architecture and unique fusion of cuisines earning its status as a Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO. In Hampi, explore the otherworldly remnants of the late-medieval Vijayanagara Empire— ornate temples, royal courts and elephant stables—sprawling over a boulder-strewn landscape. Mysuru holds opulent palaces and centuries-old silk weaving traditions. In the Western Ghats, an ancient mountain chain that is one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, explore dense rainforest, highland tea and coffee estates, and spice gardens. Wind up with a languid boat trip in Kerala’s peaceful backwaters, cruising through narrow canals and fishing villages where daily life unfolds at water’s edge.
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Trip Highlights
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Explore Temples, Monuments & Evocative Ruins
Trace the rise and fall of South Indian kingdoms among Hampi’s royal remnants and Mysuru's palace halls, take part in a puja at Virupaksha Temple, and wander the ruins of splendid Chitradurga Fort
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Experience Life Along Kerala’s Canals by Boat
Cruise the backwaters in a traditional wooden shikara, meet a family that fishes by hand, listen to vanchipattu boat songs, and walk the earthen bunds that surround below-sea-level rice fields
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Stay at a Rainforest Ecolodge in the Western Ghats
Spend two nights within the tropical wet evergreen forest as we hike among towering old trees and learn about local wildlife on walks led by resident naturalists, including after dark
A Unique Foray into South India's Ancient History & Living Traditions
South India reveals itself most fully through the people who keep its traditions, landscapes and communities connected. On this Nat Hab Cultural Journey, we go beyond celebrated monuments and scenery to spend time in private homes, village workshops, farming communities and working waterways, meeting the people who give each region its character. With a small group, an expert Expedition Leader and experiences rooted in local life, we gain deeper insight into everything from silk weaving and plantation agriculture to cultural conservation, rainforest ecology and Kerala’s backwaters. See what makes our journey so special:
Personal Connections Open Doors
Meet people in homes, gardens, workshops and farming communities rather than only at conventional visitor sites. Spend time with Shama Pawar and the Kishkinda Trust in Anegundi, cook with a Mysuru hostess in her home, and learn from Kerala families whose lives are closely tied to the backwaters.A Small Group Facilitates More Intimate Experiences
With no more than 12 guests, we can enter spaces larger groups cannot—from private homes and village silk workshops to narrow backwater canals and local boat clubs. The intimate group size also creates more room for conversation with artisans, hosts and community members.Our Expedition Leader Connects One Region to the Next
Travel with an Expedition Leader who provides context as the journey moves through very different histories and environments—from Deccan trade and the Vijayanagara Empire to Mysuru’s silk industry, the ecology of the Western Ghats and the water engineering of Kuttanad.Discover Artisanship & Traditions in Local Context
Follow local traditions from their source: see silkworm cocoons before visiting the loom, walk among coffee, pepper and cardamom plants at a Wayanad plantation, and stand on Kuttanad’s below sea-level agricultural bunds before sharing a meal featuring rice grown in the fields below.Meet the Protectors of Cultural & Natural Heritage
Learn how conservation takes different forms across South India—from the Kishkinda Trust’s work in a 500-year-old village to the wildlife landscapes of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and the resident naturalists of the Western Ghats. In Kerala, meet farming and fishing families whose knowledge remains rooted in the working backwaters.