Maharashtra Splendour

Duration: 07 Nights / 08 Days
Destination Covered: Mumbai – Nasik – Ellora Caves – Ajanta Caves – Kholapur – Goa – Sindhudurg – Mumbai

Experience the Royalty

8-day royal journey through the most beautiful destinations of India. The itinerary includes visit to the Wine capital of India- Nashik, colorful Kolhapur, India’s party capital- Goa, Aurangabad and Jalgaon known for housing UNESCO World Heritage Sites Ajanta & Ellora Caves and the rocky island of Sindhudurg. Get ready to travel through the most colorful side of India in a royal passage.

Itinerary

Day 1 ( Saturday) - Mumbai – Nashik
Welcome aboard the Deccan Odyssey.Early this evening assemble at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at approximately 1530 hours to complete the registration process and check in formalitiesfor your Maharashtra Splendor journey, as you receive a traditional Indian welcome and enjoy a refreshing welcome drink.After completion of all formalities, you will be shown to your delightful cabins. As you settle in, the Deccan Odyssey shall depart Mumbai for Nashik.

Dinner on board and Overnight on Deccan Odyssey.

Day 2 - Nashik
This morning the Deccan Odyssey brings you to the holy city of Nashik, which is rapidly gaining the status of being the wine capital of the country.After breakfast, disembark and spend the morning walking along the Godavari Ghats observing several important Hindu rituals being performed.Continue on through the lively market by the Ghats which sells everything from vegetables to lentils, dried seafood to cow dung cakes and many things inbetween.Thereafter drive to the Grover Zampa vineyards for an exclusive tour of one of the finest Indian wine producing facilities. Walk through vines laden withChenin, Chardonnay and Shiraz grapes. Be taken through the age old ‘méthode traditionnelle’ used to make one of the best known brands of sparkling winesin India. Allow the sommelier to acquaint your taste buds with their finest creations of white, red, rose and sparkling wines and experiment pairing them with your meal at the vineyards. After a sumptuous lunch, return to the Deccan Odyssey and set forth for Aurangabad

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Overnight on board the Deccan Odyssey.

Day 3 - Aurangabad – Ellora Caves
Aurangabad, named after the last Great Mughal Aurangzeb, is an industrial town in Maharashtra and the stop from where to head out to visit theexceptional Ellora Caves, a World Heritage site. The city itself has deep Mughal influences and there are several monuments of note here; the DaulatabadFort, Bibi-ka-Makbara and the city’s 52 gates, each with its own history, amongst them.As you enjoy breakfast, the Deccan Odyssey arrives at Aurangabad, from where a scenic drive takes you to the Ellora Caves, carved into the side of abasaltic hill 30 km from the city. The finest specimen of cave-temple architecture in India, the site encompasses 34 rock-cut shrines representing Buddhist,Jain and Hindu art dating from the 4th to 5th century AD. The 12 caves to the south are Buddhist, the 17 in the centre Hindu, and the 5 caves to thenorth are Jain. The most remarkable is the Kailash temple, meant to be a replica of Shiva’s celestial abode on Mt. Kailash. It is the best example of rock cutarchitecture and an engineering marvel.Savour a leisurely lunch on board as the hinterland of Maharashtra sweeps past, with its ever-changing colors and landscape.In the evening, sit back, unwind and enjoy cocktails fixed by our bartender onboard, followed by a sumptuous dinner and a well deserved rest as the Deccan Odyssey proceeds towards Jalgaon to visit the exquisite Ajanta Caves.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Overnight on board the Deccan Odyssey.

Day 4 - Ajanta Caves
The Deccan Odyssey arrives at Jalgaon station this morning from where, after breakfast on board, you will disembark and drive to the Ajanta Caves,another World Heritage site and an architectural marvel of its time. The 30 rock-hewn Buddhist caves at Ajanta have been masterfully carved and areadorned with sculptures and paintings of Buddhist religious art, depicting universal pictorial art and are known to depict the fusion between Buddhist andHindu faith.Lunch will be on board the Deccan Odyssey as it continues on to the multifaceted city of Kolhapur.The rest of the day is at leisure for you to relax and enjoy some of the activities available on board. Watch a movie, learn the rules of ‘carrom’, a popularIndian board game, from a Deccan Odyssey team member or book yourself a relaxing massage in our spa on board.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Overnight on board the Deccan Odyssey.

Day 5 - Kolhapur
Watch the hinterlands of Maharashtra sweep past as you relish breakfast. Enjoy time at leisure as the Deccan Odyssey rolls into Kolhapur, a city of manyhidden treasures, all waiting to be discovered!After an early lunch on board you will disembark for a tour of the city.Visit the New Palace Museum, a lovely basalt and sandstone octagonal Palace from the 19th century. Behold its beautiful architecture and memorabilia ofthe Kolhapur rulers. Continue to the Town Hall Museum, a somber neo-Gothic building, its front porch flanked by towers with steeply pyramidal metalroofs.Explore the local markets for a pair of beautifully handcrafted Kolhapuri chappals that you can carry back with you as a souvenir, before you proceed to aspecial venue for tea followed by Lavanya Sandhya, a vibrant folk performance.You will then visit the 1300 year old Mahalakshmi temple, also called Shakti Pethas, or place associated with the Goddess Shakti, said to be the consort ofLord Vishnu. Following your temple visit, witness a traditional martial arts performance called ‘Mardani Khel’ literally translated to mean masculine games.After your sojourn into Kolhapur, you return to the Deccan Odyssey for dinner as we depart for India’s most happening destination – Goa.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Overnight on board the Deccan Odyssey.

Day 6 - Goa
Today you arrive at Goa, India’s smallest state, with strong Portuguese influences, having been a colony of Portugal till as late as 1961.After breakfast, you will disembark and drive to Fontainhas, the Latin Quarters in Panjim which still has some well preserved houses built in Portuguesestyle architecture. Experience the UNESCO World Heritage Walk around Fontainhas with its winding alleyways adorned by tiled-roofed houses inspectacular shades of blue and red.Continue to Ribandar, the erstwhile capital of Goa, for a walk through ancient churches and the ruins of the once lofty St. Augustine tower that continuesto valiantly withstand the vagaries of nature.Drive to the Sahakari spice plantation for a traditional Goan feast, a meal that has Hindu origins but is heavily influenced by 400 years of Portuguese ruleand pays ode to the fruits of the Arabian sea – shrimps, kingfish and mackerel washed down with some ‘feni’, a potent liquor made from cashew. Afterlunch, enjoy a Goan folk performance and a tour of the plantation.Complete your day in Goa with a visit to an old Portuguese house and get another peek into Goan life.Return to the Deccan Odyssey for dinner as it departs for Ratnagiri traversing through the Konkan, one of the most scenic railway routes in the country,bound by the Arabian Sea on the West and Sahyadri hills on the East, a marvelous feat of engineering, that made it possible to tunnel the tracks through the seemingly insurmountable hills.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Overnight on board the Deccan Odyssey.

Day 7 - Sindhudurg
Arrive in Sindhudurg which lies on a rocky island just off the coast of Malvan.
Visit the holy town of Sindhudurg.Enjoy dinner on board as the Deccan Odyssey makes its way back to Mumbai.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Overnight on board the Deccan Odyssey.

Day 8 - Disembark in Mumbai
Early this morning, after breakfast, you will disembark at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station, Mumbai.Bid farewell to the Deccan Odyssey as your royal passage through the grand vistas of India comes to an end.Breakfast on board.