India & South Asia Journeys with
Join Calidex in South India and among theLakshwadeep Islands in 2008 and risk sensory overload in an incredibly exotic part of the world seething with colors and scents. Live your fantasies: ride on elephant-back to photograph a tiger just meters away, cruise off stunningly beautiful atolls in the Arabian Sea, and visit Hindu temples of such sculptural exuberance they defy description. Along the way you'll enjoy millenia-old massage techniques at one of the finest ayurvedic medicine centers in Kerala State, see the Portuguese legacy in Goa and Cochin (Kochi), and marvel at the opulent Palace of the Maharajah of Mysore. In the Lakshadweeps, a paradisal northern extension of the Maldives only accessible by special permit, you'll cruise, dive and snorkel the pristine seas aboard 50' Gazelle-class motorsailers. Near Alleppey float Kerala State's famous backwaters as you dine and watch the passing village scene. In the Western Ghat Mountains at the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, embark on boat safaris to observe India's signature wildlife species watering at lakeside: Asiatic elephants, leopard, Indian bison (gaur), sambhar, sloth bears, lion-tailed macaques, and—hopefully— the BengalTiger. Madurai, Kanchipuram and the temple towns of Tamil Nadhu State offer spectacularUNESCO World Heritage Sites that are fascinating pieces of the Indian cultural mosaic. Complete the adventure in Kanha National Park, India's premier tiger reserve and the highest-probability locale in the country for a tiger encounter. Perched high in a howdah on elephant-back, you'll penetrate the forest on one of the world's most unforgettable safaris. Don't miss this experience!
THE CARTOGRAPHY
THE LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS (FORMERLY THE "LACCADIVES")
THE ONCE-PORTUGESE GOA
KERALA STATE
for 2008...
SOUTH INDIA'S TEMPLES, TIGERS & THE LAKSHADWEEPS
RENDEZVOUS
DATE
JOURNEY
RENDEZVOUS
CITY
NO. OF
DAYS
GROUP
SIZE
TRIP
COST
January 19
South India & the Lakshadweeps
New Delhi, India
18
6-10
$4,980 + air + diver's
surcharge


For the Day-by-Day Journey itinerary and included/excluded Journey costs, call us toll-free at
1-866-CALIDEX, or e-mail to info@calidex.com

To visit recent Calidex adventures elsewhere in the world, please click
THE ARCHIVE
THE DAY-BY-DAY BRIEF
THE HIGHLIGHTS

                 

Day 1 (Rendezvous Day): Group members fly New Delhi to Panjim, Goa and tour city. Night in 3-star hotel in Panjim.

Day 2: Explore Old Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fly to Bangalore; night in 4-star hotel.

Day 3: Tour Bangalore then drive to Mysore. Visit the Palace of the Maharaja of Mysore; night in 5-star heritage hotel.

Day 4: A temple-touring day. Overland to Somnathpur's Keshava Temple and on to the Jain pilgrimage center of Saravanabelagola. Continue to the Channekeshava Temple in Belur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site applicant. Night at 3-star hotel in Belur.

Day 5: Drive to the exuberant Hindu Hoysaleswara Temple near Halebid, another UNESCO World Heritage Site applicant. Return to Bangalore and fly to Kochi (Cochin). Night at 4-star hotel on Cochin Harbor.

Day 6: Tour Cochin; lunch in a reed boat floating on the backwaters of Kerala State. Dinner in Cochin’s Old Town followed by a performance of Kathakali, Kerala’s indigenous theater. Night at 4-star harbor-side hotel.

Day 7: Drive to Alleppey and tour the canal-laced town. Group lunch on Lake Vembanad on a kettuvallom, a traditional Kerala rice barge converted to luxurious houseboat. Afternoon optional massages in an ayurvedic medicine center. Night at 4-star heritage hotel.

Day 8: Return overland to Cochin and fly to Agatti Island in the Lakshadweep Islands. Board , 50’ junk-rigged motorsailer and sail to Bangaram Island. Night aboard ship after dinner at island resort.

Day 9: Morning snorkeling and diving off Bangaram Island, lunch at island resort, then sail to Kadmat Island. Dinner on Kadmat Island and night aboard the motorsailer.

Day 10: Watersports in the morning, beachcombing in the afternoon and sail to Bangaram Island for the night's anchorage. Dinner at the island's resort and final night aboard ship.

Day 11: Return to Agatti Island on the motorsailer and fly to Cochi. Head overland to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghat Mountains. Night at a 4-star hotel outside the Park.

Day 12: Early departure to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of India's premier tiger reserves. Check into a beautifully restored old game lodge from the era of the British Raj. Make morning and afternoon boat safaris on Lake Periyar to observe indigenous Indian wild life: Asian elephant, leopard, Indian bison (gaur), chital (spotted deer), Nilgiri langurs, sambhar, sloth bears, lion-tailed macaques and abundant birdlife with a good chance to see a tiger. Night at the lodge.

Day 13:After breakfast depart overland for Madurai and the world-famous Sri Meenakshi Temple. Tour the temple; night at a 4-star hotel in Madurai.

Day 14: Exlore Madurai in the morning then fly to Chennai (Madras). Tour city in afternoon; night at 4-star hotel in Chennai.

Day 15: Tour the stone temples of Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ornamented pyramidal Hindu temples of Kanchipuram. Fly to Hyderabad; night at 5-star hotel.

Day 16: Early flight to Nagpur then overland to Kanha National Park, the most likely venue in India to see a tiger at close quarters. An afternoon game drive and night at an atmospheric 4-star safari lodge.

Day 17: Morning and afternoon game drives this day. Close approaches to tigers located by the rangers are made on elephant-back, four passengers per elephant, perched high up in a howdah behind the mahout. Night at the safari lodge.

Day 18: A morning game drive, then overland back to Nagpur. Fly to New Delhi where, upon arrival, the Calidex "South India's Temples, Tigers & the Lakshadweeps" journey ends.





Scroll Down to the Galleries

  • The incredible dynamism of India's tumultuous street life: the dizzying mix of sacred cows, ash-covered sadhus, tattered beggars, shopkeepers and office workers, straining beasts of burden including camels and elephants in harness, wheeled vehicles of every description and condition—all navigating the congestion as if it were nothing special;

  • The sculptural extravagance of South India's Hindu temples;

  • The Kathakali performers of Cochin, masters of every nuance of facial expression;

  • Kanha National Park and its beautiful sal forests, inhabited currently by India's—and the world's—greatest concentration of tigers;

  • In Kanha, the chance to pursue and encounter a tiger on elephant-back;

  • The rich populations of indigenous Indian wildlife seen on Lake Periyar boat safaris;

  • The pristine beauty of the Lakshadweep atolls and the surrounding turquoise sea;

  • The timeless techniques of ayurvedic massage that run the gamut from exotic oils dripped on the head to hot herbal body-wraps;

  • The excitingly different cuisine of South India in its innumerable vegetarian manifestations;

  • Diving and snorkeling idyllic reefs in the Arabian sea;

  • The architectural majesty of so many of India's private palaces and public buildings;

  • Floating the backwaters of Kerala in reedboats and feeling the rhythms of village life;

  • The grace and intelligence of India's people.
THE GALLERY: PORTUGUESE-FLAVORED GOA
Fishing boats on Palolem Beach, Goa on the Arabian Sea
In Old Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Portuguese influence in Goa
Shantadurga Temple, Goa
THE GALLERY: COCHIN & THE BACKWATERS OF KERALA
Herding ducks on Kerala's backwaters
Reed houseboat on Kerala's backwaters
Kathakali, the indigenous theatre of Kerala; performers in Cochin
Cochin's famous Chinese fishing nets
Ayurvedic massage,
millenia-old relaxation techniques
THE GALLERY: THE LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS
In the Lakshadweep Islands of
the Arabian Sea
On approach to Agatti Island
50' Gazelle-Class junk-rigged motorsailer—home-away-from-home in the Lakshadweeps
THE GALLERY: WORLD HERITAGE SITE PALACES & HINDU TEMPLES
Palace of the Maharaja of Mysore
The Great Temple of Madurai
In a Madurai Market
Keshava Temple, Somnathpur
Images of Ganesh, the Hindu Elephant-God, god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune
THE GALLERY: ON SAFARI IN INDIA
Indian Bison or Gaur, the largest wild cattle in the world
Pursuing the tiger in Kanha National Park
Asiatic Elephants, smaller-eared than their African cousins

JOIN US FOR A SUPERB INDIAN ADVENTURE!

Calidex in India for 2008 is a world-class combination of aquatics, wildife observation, culinary adventures and cultural encounters. Maximum group size is ten persons, and a 25% deposit confirms your slot. Call us toll-free to discuss your participation.

For a tour of past Calidex adventures, click on The Archives

Contact us at
CALIDEX • 20979 Saraview Court • Saratoga • California • 95070 • Tel: 408.867.3586 • Toll-Free: 866.CALIDEX • e-mail: info@calidex.com • web site: www.calidex.com

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