Day 1Fly into Bangalore where you will be greeted by a Red Dot representative. The new international airport is located around an hour outside the city centre, so from there you will be escorted into the city. Here you will stay overnight in the comfort and reprise of the Jayamahal Palace to allow for full rest and recuperation from your flight and allow for some adjustment to the Indian time zone. A beacon of India’s recent economic boom, Bangalore is famous for its extensive shopping arcades and boutiques offering famous Western brands at a much lower price. Flagship stores pander to the new middle class’s consumption. Look for the bright lights of the MG Road and Brigade Road. Alternatively, take a stroll through the enchanting Lalbagh Botanical Garden. These gardens are set on 240 acres with a rare collection of tropical and sub-tropical trees and plants, and a glasshouse built on the lines of London's Crystal Palace. The British imprint is clear; the house was constructed in 1889 to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales.

Day 2 & 3Depart from Karnataka’s capital first thing in the morning for a 3 hour journey to Karnataka’s old capital city of Mysore. Renowned for its magnificent palaces, a rich art culture, and stunning botanical gardens, Mysore encapsulates a truly Indian city charm that Bangalore lacks. In the manner of a visiting Viceroy of yester year, check-in to the Lalitha Mahal Palace and live out a throw back to the city’s colonial past. By day, climb or drive to the Chamundi Hills, barter in the Devaraja market, or wander through the famous Mysore Palace. Stay around for the evening illumination of the palace on weekends and public holidays so see as many as 97,000 bulbs outline the palace against the ink-black sky. The 150-acre Brindavan Gardens just outside the city makes for a spectacular evening trip. On weekends, or public holidays a ‘Dancing Fountains’ show is laid on where the fountains are lit up in an array of typically vibrant colour.

Day 4Come morning time, travel three hours north-west towards Hassan. This fairly unprepossessing town represents a base for visitors to marvel at the wonderful Hoysala temples at Blur and Halebid, both a short distance north-west of the town, and climb up the great Jain pilgrimage site of Sravanabelgola en route from Mysore. Just outside from the bustle of Indian town life, settle into the evening in the natural surroundings of Hoysala Village. Visit the architectural mastery under the Hoysala rule, where Vishnuvardhana built the Channekashava temple at his capital, Belur, to celebrate the defeat of the Cholas in 1116. See the dense, fluent carving riots over the squat, yet refined building; laden with high plinth in a star-shaped plan, supported by lathe-turned pillars and polished surfaces. Then venture across to nearby Halebid to see the incomplete double Hoysalesvara temple. Up on the platform, you can follow the bands of decoration of intricate carving, featuring rows of elephants, stories from the epics, baroque scrollwork, and scenes from courtly life. Wander spellbound amongst effigies of the fat Ganesh and the dancing Shiva.

Day 5, 6 & 7Today takes you on a long journey up country, passing through raw Indian rural life and away from all modernisations into the most stark, striking plains of Karnataka. 7-8 hours north of Hassan is the magical Hampi. Here you lost yourself in and amongst the unique Vijayanagar landscape at the remote Hampi’s Boulders Resort. The charm of Hampi is irresistible and captures you on arrival simply because of its incredible landscape: an empire built amongst giant boulder-strewn hills. With hundreds of monuments, the ruins of Hampi tells a story of past grandeur and wealth from the beautiful temples, palaces and market streets to royal pavilions, elephant stables and royal baths; all decorated in magnificent architecture and intricate carvings. This is a landscape to explore. You can walk up the river to a group of secluded romantic rock pools to relax and cool down in the fresh water. Alternatively you can cross the river on a boat or coracle and swim in the large rock strewn sacred lakes.

Day 8Leave Hampi’s ruins behind to see the monuments of Muslim force that Vijayanagar rulers strove to keep at bay. Five hours north to the very tip Karnataka’s state boarder it the medieval fort city of Bijapur, originally built to resist northern empire Mughal invaders. As you wander the streets of this laid-back provincial town, where pony and trap is a regular form of transport, you can appreciate the immense Muslim buildings that convince you that Bijapur was once great. Stay overnight in the Shashinag a quiet, simple hotel outside the town. As you arrive in the city, the Gol Gumbaz mausoleum dominates the skyline. This gigantic monument has the second largest dome unsupported by pillars after St Peters Basilica in Rome. The dome forms a sensitive echo chamber with a whispering gallery encircling the inside of the dome. Voices are said to echo hauntingly eleven times inside the chamber although it is the sheer size of the mausoleum that encapsulates one on entry. Elsewhere in the city there are some beautiful mosques and tombs to see such as the Ibrahim Rauza, Jama Masjid and the Gagan Mahal; all very much worth a visit.

Day 9Having spent the first half of the day wandering the mosques and tombs of Bijapur in early morning light, travel 3-and-a-half hours south through the Deccan Plateau to stop off overnight at the simple Indian town of Badami. Built on a red sandstone ridge, this town is blessed with some of the most beautiful Dravidian architecture. Spend the afternoon at the four cave temples, all hewn out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill. Inside the caves are carvings of Shiva, Vishnu, Jain gods with intricately sculpted pillars supporting vast halls – a true masterpiece of Chalukyan ancient architecture. In evening light from the outpost of Badami Fort, take in the beautiful views over the town, the red sandstone ridge and the Badami tank, a site of Hindu pilgrimages. En route, you may wish to visit Pattadakal and Aihole to view more of the brilliant temples and tombs that Karnataka has to offer before leaving.

OPTION 1 - Day 10, 11 & 12Travelling 9 hours west from the extremes for Karnataka’s townships, you will be welcomed into the lap of luxury at the Leela Kempinski resort, set back from the Cavelossim beach. When you are not indulging in beach resort life, take an excursion out to explore around the town of Margao. Goa’s second largest town is a good place to feel the influence of 450 years of Portuguese rule as it forms the heartland of old conquests. As you approach Margao from the surrounding countryside, you notice the whitewashed baroque facades of colonial catholic churches standing beside the paddy fields and rivers. For a breathtaking view over Margao and the Arabian Sea go up to Mount Church, then stroll down into town where markets are the hub of trading fish and farming produce of Southern Goa. Perhaps visit the old stately houses of the Aquerim district and gain a sense for Goa’s spectacular colonial past.

Day 13 & 14For a change of scenery, transfer up to the Calangute region, north of Panjim, to open up the possibility to appreciate some of the delights Northern Goa has to offer. Take residence at the Taj Holiday Village, set in palm-laced acres of landscaped garden, and scented by jasmine and passion flower. Know Goa for its fine luxury as well as its beautiful coastline. From this base you may further explore Old Goa and Panaji, the slow-paced, friendly capital of Goa. The road to Old Goa rises over a hill to give you a first glimpse of the over-grown city with St. Augustine’s soaring tower. Head for the centre where the big group of churches stand. See the casket that retains the body of St. Francis Xavier in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, and cross the square the grand Dominican Cathedral of St. Catherine. Perhaps head north for a beach tour of Northern Goa: pick from the likes of Anjuna, Baga, Calangute, Vagator, Banaulim and Colva. Shop the markets of Anjuna and Mapusa, or the Ingo’s Night Bazaar on Arpora Hill. Trek to the Dudhsagar Falls. Take an expedition into the caves of Santrem. River cruises to Paradise Island. Explore and understand this brilliant Mecca of India.

OPTION 2: Day 10 - 14Today you head to Gokarna. En route west, you may wish to break up your morning travel with brief visits to Pattadakal and Aihole to view more of the brilliant temples and tombs that Karnataka has to offer as you embark on a 300km (7-8 hrs) journey from the serene Deccan Plateau back into the Western Ghats to find Gokarna’s wonderful SwaSwara resort. Gokarna itself is a charming ancient temple town of narrow streets and interesting boutiques and is a landscape well worth exploring. Set behind broad white-sands in the forest covered foothills of the Western Ghats, this special place has been a Shaivite centre for more than two millennia. SwaSwara in Kannada means ‘my own rhythm’. This peaceful resort offers guests a wellness experience by offering a varied and very optional yoga, art and meditation programme, extensive rejuvenative Ayurveda, and an open, interactive kitchen that produces cuisine based around fruits of the land, organic vegetables and fresh sea catch. Unwind your mind within Karnataka’s finest coastal setting.