Today you will travel to Hyderabad. On your arrival in Hyderabad, you will be transferred to your hotel. Hyderabad or the "Lion City" was established by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591. The world famous Kohinoor diamond was mined in Golconda. A stroll in the old city through the different bazaars is quite fascinating. Hyderabad, historically a pearl and diamond trading centre is called the City of Pearls and its bazaars - Laad Bazaar, Begum Bazaar and Sultan Bazaar are quite busy even today. Golkonda was famous for its fabled diamonds and some of the world famous diamonds mined here are Kohinoor, Darya-e Nur, The Hope, Nur-Ul-Ain, Princie, Regent, etc. Do not forget to taste the delicious Hyderabadi biryani.

This morning you will drive from Hyderabad to Kalburgi via Bidar. In Bidar you will visit the Fortress and its Palace, Mosque, etc. Bidar known for its important monuments from the Bahmani era has one of the largest forts in India. The walls and bastions of the Bidar Fort are considered as some of the most stylish in India. The Fort has seven gates that exhibit Persian style of architecture. The Rangin Mahal has Quranic calligraphy. The three storied Madarsa built by Khwaza Mahmud Gawan has a distinct Persian architectural style. The Gagan Mahal also has Persian architecture. The Jami Masjid is a huge mosque and the Solah Khamba Masjid meaning 16 pillared mosques has a dome built on a 16-sided drum and was built in 1327 AD. Bidar is very famous for its Bidri handicraft products.

This morning drive from Gulbarga to Bijapur which was the capital of the Adil Shahi kings. Bijapur established around the 10th century by the Kalyanji Chalukyas was known as Vijayapura (the City of Victory) and is famous for its monuments of the Adil Shahi dynasty. The most known monument is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah with one of the largest domes "Gol Gumbaz" ever built and is smaller in size only to St Peter's Basilica of Rome. In the central chamber every sound is echoed seven times and at the whispering gallery, even minute sounds can be heard quite clearly 37 meters away. The Naqqar Khana "a hall for the trumpeters" is now a museum. Ibrahim Rauza - the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II is known for its symmetry and it is rumored that the inspiration to build Taj Mahal came from here. The Archaeological Museum houses inscriptions, sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, and weapons etc. Overnight is in Bijapur.

This morning you will drive from Bijapur to Badami. Badami earlier known as Vatapi was the capital of Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD and is known for its red sandstone cave temples. Cave temple 1 has a hall with many pillars and a square shaped sanctum with paintings of couples on the ceiling, Shiva and Parvati and Nataraja in 81 poses. In Cave temple 2 Vishnu is shown with one foot on Earth and the other on the sky, and also as Varaha and Krishna. The Cave temple 3 shows the culture and clothing of the 6th century and also carvings of Vishnu Narasimha, Varaha, Harihara and Trivikrama. The Cave temple 4 shows a carving of the Jain Tirthankara Parshavnatha. You will continue with the tour visiting Badami fort and the Malegitti-Shivalaya. Overnight is in Badami.

Your entire day will be spent visiting the ancient Aihole and Pattadakal temple complexes. Aihole, a temple complex was a prominent city of the Chalukya Dynasty. Aihole is the cradle of stone temple architecture of the Dravida School and has about 125 temples, divided into groups. The prominent groups are the Kontigudi and the Galaganatha group of temples. Lad Khan temple is the oldest and dates back to the fifth century. Durga temple is one the best temples of Aihole. Ravana Phadi cave- a rock cut temple dates back to the 6th century. The Jyothirlinga Group has two temples which are flat roofed. There are various other places which are equally interesting.

This morning you will drive from Badami to Hospet. Afternoon is at leisure in Hospet. Hospet is 12 kms from Hampi the former capital of the Vijayanagar Empire which was built by Krishna Deva Raya in 1520 AD. Hampi an UNESCO World Heritage Site, located within the ruins of Vijayanagar and was said to be greater than Rome as it was full of palaces, temples & sculptures. The city was razed to the ground by the Sultanates of South in 1565. The city is full of beautiful ruins which are testimony to a glorious past. The Tungabhadra Dam is another important site which you could visit from Hospet. Overnight is in Hospet.

Your morning is for the Hampi sight-seeing. The most interesting ruins are the Virupaksha temple, Vittala temple, Hazara Rama temple complex the elephant stables, the Queen's Bath, Ramachandra temple & Lotus Mahal. The Virupaksha Temple or the Pampapathi temple of Shiva, also houses erotic statues of Bhuvaneshwari and Pampa. The Hazara Rama Temple Complex has about a thousand carvings & inscriptions with the story of Ramayana. The Vittala Temple Complex houses a stone chariot and the famous musical pillars. Overnight is in Hospet.

This morning you will be transferred to the rail station to board your train for Goa (Londa). Our services end on your arrival in Goa. Optionally we could arrange for accommodation and other travel services in Goa. Goa is a beautiful place to rejuvenate you by spending time in the surrounding of soothing waves of sea and clean sands at the beaches. Goa exhibits a huge influence of the Portuguese from their ruling period and is known for its beautiful beaches, clean blue water, verdant lush green mountains as well as the idyllic lifestyle of this place that completely embraces you. Vasco-da Gama is the largest city of Goa, and Panjim is the capital.
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