Golden Chariot Glimpses of Karnataka Tour

Day 1 Bengaluru Departure and an Evening Safari in Bandipur

The Golden Chariot Glimpses of Karnataka Tour starts at Yeshwanthpur station in the north-west of Bengaluru. Our driver collects you from your hotel in good time for registration at about 08:30, which can take longer than expected in the city's morning traffic, so we usually leave around 07:15 from central hotels. At the platform you are greeted with a traditional welcome, your passport details are checked and your bags go straight to your cabin. Keep a small day bag with a hat, sunscreen and a light jacket, since you will step off the train in the afternoon.

The train departs at about 09:45 and heads south-west through farmland, coconut groves and granite outcrops. High tea and a briefing in the lounge come first, where the guest relations team runs through each day's timings and the rules for the safari later on. For the midday meal you take a table in either Ruchi or Nalpaka, where the kitchen alternates regional Karnataka cooking with well-known continental plates. At about 13:30 the train halts at Nanjangud, a temple town on the Kabini River, and you transfer by coach for the drive of roughly 50 kilometers to the forest.

The evening game drive in Bandipur National Park runs from about 16:30 to 18:30. Bandipur forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and shares its borders with Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Wayanad, which together hold one of the largest populations of wild Asian elephants and tigers in the world. Herds of spotted deer, gray monkeys, Indian bison and peacocks are seen on most drives, while a tiger or leopard is a matter of luck. Dust can be heavy in the dry months, so a scarf helps. Dinner awaits once you are back aboard, usually around a quarter past eight, while the carriages roll on toward Mysuru.

Day 2 Mysuru Palace and the Island of Srirangapatna

You wake in Mysuru, the old capital of the Wodeyar kings, and after breakfast on board you drive to Mysuru Palace. The present building replaced an earlier wooden palace that burned down in the late nineteenth century, and it mixes Indian, Islamic and European styles in a riot of domes, arches and towers. Inside, the marriage pavilion has an octagonal stained-glass ceiling made in Glasgow, the floors are laid with patterned tiles, and the great public hall opens onto a view of Chamundi Hill. Shoes are left at the entrance, so wear socks if the marble feels cold.

Your guide walks you through the painted corridors showing the royal procession of the annual Dasara festival, where hundreds of figures, elephants and horses are recorded in remarkable detail. The palace is still lived in by the descendants of the royal family, and parts remain closed to visitors. After the tour there is time for a short stop at a government silk or sandalwood emporium, since Mysuru is known for pure silk weaving, sandalwood carving, incense and rosewood inlay. Lunch is served back on the train, and the cabin is cool for a midday rest.

The afternoon offers an optional excursion to Srirangapatna, an island in the Kaveri River about 15 kilometers away. It was the stronghold of Tipu Sultan, who held off the British here until the last years of the eighteenth century. The highlight is his summer palace, Daria Daulat Bagh, a low teak building whose walls are covered with painted battle scenes and floral patterns. A short drive away stands the domed mausoleum where Tipu and his father Hyder Ali are buried. You are back on board by about 20:00 for dinner as the train sets off north toward Hospet.

Day 3 A Full Day Among the Ruins of Hampi

The overnight run brings you to Hospet, the railhead for Hampi, and after breakfast you drive about 13 kilometers into one of the most unusual landscapes in India. Giant granite boulders lie stacked on the hills as if a careless hand had dropped them, and between them stand the temples, markets, baths and palaces of Vijayanagara, the capital of a South Indian empire that reached its peak in the sixteenth century. The site covers more than 25 square kilometers, so the day is organized by coach with short walks at each stop. Wear a wide hat and carry water.

The morning focuses on the Vittala Temple, whose granite chariot is the emblem of Karnataka tourism and inspired the name of your train. The outer pillars of its main hall are cut so that each one rings with a different tone when tapped, though they are now roped off to protect them. Your guide then takes you to the royal center, where the Lotus Mahal, the stepped tank and the long Elephant Stables reveal how the court lived. The Virupaksha Temple, still in daily worship, has a temple elephant and a tall gateway tower facing the old market street.

Lunch is served on the train, giving you a break from the midday heat. In the afternoon you can join the optional excursion across the river to Anegundi, an older settlement that predates the empire and still has a village feel, with craft cooperatives making banana-fiber baskets and bags. Toward evening the group gathers on the banks of the Tungabhadra River to watch the sun drop behind the boulder hills, when the rocks glow orange and round wicker boats called coracles ferry villagers across the water. Dinner is served on board as the train turns back toward Bengaluru.

Day 4 Return to Bengaluru and Onward Travel

The final morning on the Golden Chariot is unhurried. Breakfast is served as the train crosses the dry plateau of central Karnataka, past sunflower fields, windmills and small villages where the day starts early. It is a good time to settle any bills for spa treatments or drinks, collect your passport from the guest relations team and thank the cabin attendants and restaurant staff. Many guests also use this quiet stretch to sort photographs from Hampi, which tends to produce more pictures than any other stop of the week.

The train is scheduled to reach Yeshwanthpur station in Bengaluru at about 11:00, and a chauffeur from our team is standing by at your coach to carry the bags out to the car. From the station, Kempegowda International Airport is around 35 kilometers away, usually 60 to 90 minutes by car depending on traffic. If you are flying out on the same day, we suggest a flight departing after 16:00 to allow for any delay. For later evening flights we can arrange a day room at a hotel so that you can rest and freshen up.

Four days on rails often leave guests wanting more of South India. Top Indian Holidays can add a few nights in Bengaluru with visits to the Lalbagh botanical garden and Tipu Sultan's summer palace in the city, or a short flight to Goa for a beach stay. Coorg, with its coffee estates and misty hills, is about six hours by road, and the backwaters and hill stations of Kerala are less than an hour away by air. Our team arranges each extension with a private car, an English-speaking guide where useful and hotels chosen for comfort and location.