Day 1: ARRIVE MUMBAI

On arrival in Mumbai, you will be met and assisted by our representative and transferred to the hotel for check in.

Rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) ~the capital of Maharashtra, is India’s most dynamic, cosmopolitan and most affluent city. It is also home to the world’s biggest cinema industry, popularly known as ‘Bollywood. A city of sparkling contrasts where skyscrapers stand next to stately Victorian buildings, colourful traditional bazaars adjoin glittering modern shopping malls.

Day 2: IN MUMBAI

After breakfast at the hotel, proceed towards boat ride for an excursion to Elephanta Island.

A 40-minute boat ride across the harbour from the Gateway of India, Elephanta Island is famous for its ornately carved temples, hewn into a rocky escarpment in the 6th century. Although damaged, the carvings are still impressive. The central statue of Trimurti – Shiva as the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe – is particularly dramatic. The temples are reached via a stone stairway from the ferry jetty, lined with vendors selling religious souvenirs.

Later, proceed for a short guided tour of Mumbai, visit Gateway of India - Mumbai's most famous landmark, situated at Apollo Bunder. It was designed by George Wikket.It was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911. Flora Fountain (Hutatma Chowk) - This marvellous fountain was built in 1869, in honor of Sir Henry Bartle and Edward Frere. It is situated in the heart of the Mumbai city at a junction of five streets. The fountain has a figure of "Flora", the Roman Goddess of Flowers at the top. Kamala Nehru Park & Hanging Gardens -The giant Old woman's shoe in the Kamala Nehru Park is very popular with children to play in. One gets a panoramic view of parts of the city from these parks situated at the height of Malabar Hill. When seen at night, the view of streetlights of Marine Drive resemble a dazzling bejewelled "Queen's Necklace". At sunset, the waterfall and fountains in the park are lit with colorful lights, which are worth seeing. The Hanging Gardens surrounded by beautiful flowerbeds and lush green lawns are very popular as picnic spots. The Prince of Wales Museum –This museum stands not too far from the Gateway of India. It has a priceless collection of art, sculpture, china and other antics. Carefully preserved, this mid-Victorian Gothic style building built in 1904 with beautiful gardens surrounding it.

Return back to the hotel for overnight.

Day 3: MUMBAI – NASIK

After breakfast, checkout from the hotel and drive to the railway station for the train journey to Nasik. (Approx. 4 hours).

On arrival, you will be met & assisted by our representative and transferred to the Sula Vineyard Resort in Nashik.

Beyond Sula Vineyard Resort ~ Situated 180 km northeast of Mumbai, Nashik is India’s largest grape-growing region, but had traditionally never been used to grow wine grapes. Wondering why, an enterprising, Stanford-trained engineer named Rajeev Samant quit his hi-tech Silicon Valley job in 1993 to do some investigating. It is isolated from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It looked very peaceful surrounded by the hills, the vineyards in front and a lake closeby. The resort had beautiful wine themed rooms, named after different varieties of grapes or Sula wines.

Afternoon, proceed for the tour to the Sula vineyards, which is situated about a kilometer from the resort ,one of the famous vineyard in Nashik tasting different wines, visiting the winery etc.

Imagine walking through acres of grape plantations surrounded by mountains with a glass of your favorite wine in hand...It could make you feel a bit like Keanu Reeves in the Hollywood romance "A Walk In The Clouds" shot in and around Napa Valley, California. But the wine tour comes right here in India.

There they have the bottling factory for the Sula wines and also a kind of wine tasting restaurant on the first floor, where you can sit and enjoy the view of the vineyards while sipping on the wines and having some cheese crackers for snacks.

Note: The harvesting months of January to March are the best times to visit Sula Vineyards. You'll be able to participate in wine stomping. The Sula Fest music concert is held during February/March as well, in the outdoor amphitheater.

In the evening, take a bicycles and ride down to the lake or Relax in the pool room to cool off and play some pool.

Overnight at the resort.

Day 4: NASIK

After breakfast at the hotel, proceed for a wine tour to other vineyards.

York Winery www.yorkwinery.com
Other wineries I know of in the area with a “walk-in” tasting facility are York Winery also located on the shores of the picturesque Gangapur Lake (not too far from Sula).

Another feather in Nasik's wine scene, York Winery is one of the best wineries in Nasik. The winery is ideally located on a gentle slope overlooking Gangapur dam on one side and the grape vineyards on the other side. York Winery is known for making the finest of red wines, white wines, Rose and Manthan wines. They also conduct wine tours, where the process of wine making is shown right from the selections of grapes to its maturing and bottling.

Later visit, Chateau D’ori www.chateaudori.com
Chateau d'Ori has always believed that the production of great wines begins with the correct growing of the vines on the most suitable soil. This philosophy has guided the selection of the land and the proper cultivation of the vineyard before any thought was given to the production of wine. The varieties planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. In fact Chateau d'Ori today has the largest Merlot plantation in India.

Evening, proceed for a tour of Nashik.

Nashik is an important religious center and attracts thousands of pilgrims annually because of the sanctity of the Godavari River and because of the legend that Rama, the hero of the Ramayana epic, lived here for a time with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. The main part of the town lies on the right (south) bank of the river, while Panchavati, a quarter on the left bank has several temples. The town's riverbanks are lined with ghats (bathing places with steps).

Since this place acquire a prominent place in the epic, people frequent here to take a holy dip so that they will be cleansed from their sins & Trambkeshwar - one among the Jyotirilinga.

Return back to the hotel for overnight

Day 5: NASIK - PUNE

After breakfast, check out from the hotel and directly proceed for the tour of Omar Khayyar Vinyard (3hrs).

Omar Khayyam vineyard at Narayangaon Chateau Indage www.chateauindage.com Chateau Indage produces sparkling and still wines from two state-of-the art, automated wineries that have commenced the very first and the only producer of bottle fermented sparkling wines in Asia and the ninth in the world. The company's wineries have a capacity to produce over two million bottles of wine per year.

Later continue your drive to Pune. On arrival, check in at the hotel.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 6: PUNE - BANGALORE

Breakfast at the hotel.

Rest of the morning at leisure or proceed for an orientation tour of Pune. (If time permits)

In time check out from the hotel and drive to Pune airport for your flight to Bangalore.

On arrival in Bangalore, you will be assisted by our representative and transferred to the hotel for check in.

Bangalore combines a quaint old world charm with the hustle and bustle of a modern metropolitan city. It is a delightful place with an amalgamation of various rich cultures, crafts, and heritage centres. This city while enjoying the reputation of being a modern, high-tech city, still offers a lot of places of historical interest for the avid sightseer to explore. A trip around the city can be very interesting and provides a varied sightseeing experience with Palaces, museums, temples, churches and gardens.

Rest of the time at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 7: BANGALORE

After breakfast, proceed for a wine tour at Grover’s Wineyard visiting the winery, tasting the different wines etc.

Grover’s Vineyard : www.grovervineyards.in
Grover Wines Company in the NHR grows Bangalore-Blue grapes on a 250-acre plot at Doddaballapur. It offers extensive wine trails and visits to the winery’s barrel room where exports of quality wines are stored.

The drive was 1.5 hours north of Bangalore (40 km) to a place called Dodballapur close to Nandi Hills where the Vineyards were located. The Grover range produced from high-altitude vineyards with help from Michel Rolland, a top French winemaker from Bordeaux, is considered extremely respectable. The vineyards are planted at 2,000 feet above sea level and produce two crops a year. Still white and red wines from Bangalore purple, cabernet, Shiraz and Thompson seedless grapes are made under the supervision of Chief Technical Officer from France, Mr. Thibaud. Bangalore has the ideal combination of rich, well drained soil, warm sunny days, cool nights and temperate climate and so was selected over six other places as the most suitable site by the company. Today, Grover Vineyards has over 200 acres under plantation. Unlike other wine makers in India today, Grover Vineyards is the only company which shuns ordinary table grapes, while exclusively using French wine grapes.

This relation between fine art and fine wine is wonderfully manifested in the Grover Vineyards “Art Collection”, with wine showing natural elegance and delicacy. Art Collection wines capture your imaginations with its breathtaking abundance of flavours, an extraordinary contrast of richness, freshness and finesse. Looking at our wines’ labels is a feast for more than just the eyes.

Afternoon, proceed for a city tour of Bangalore.

Visit in a day proceed for a sightseeing tour of Bangalore.

Leave for sightseeing in the afternoon covering the following places: Tipu's Palace: This Palace was the summer residence of the great King Tipu Sultan. Bull Temple: It is one of the oldest temples of South India. The Lalbagh Botanical Garden: Lalbagh one of the best gardens in the East in terms of layout, maintenance, scientific treasure and picturesque beauty. This garden is well known for its artistic structure, horticulture and above all the Glass House. Ulsoor Lake: Ulsoor an artificial lake. It's an ideal place to sit and relax. Cubbon Park: A good combination of Natural beauty of trees and bamboos with the statues of Queen Victoria, Edward VII and Chamarajendra Wodeyar & Vidhana Soudha is the seat of the State legislature of Karnataka its an imposing building constructed in Neo-Dravidian style.

Return to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 8: BANGALORE – MYSORE

Morning pickup from hotel & transfer to railway station to board the Shatabdi express to Mysore. Arrive Mysore, meet at railway station & transfer to hotel.

Later, visit the Chamundi Hills "The Chamundeeswari temple is located on a hill in the vicinity of Mysore and is accessed through a motorable road. Chamundeeswari the tutelary deity of the Mysore Maharajas has been held in reverence for centuries, and the Wodeyars of Mysore have made extensive contributions to this shrine."

Vrindavan gardens "The Gardens are laid across the River Cauvery below the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam in Mandya District, spreading over 150 acres of land.

Visit the Mysore Palace "A silhouette of the Mysore Palace illuminated with ninety seven thousand bulbs shimmering against an inky black night is one of the most enduring images of the city. A priceless national treasure and the pride of a kingdom, the Mysore Palace is the seat of the famed Wodeyar Maharajas of Mysore. An eclectic synthesis of architectural styles the palace is one of India’s most dramatic national monuments. Today it is a museum housing treasures from across the world reflecting the rich and colorful history of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore".

Return to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 9: MYSORE – BANGALORE – COCHIN/CHENNAI/GOA

After breakfast, drive to Bangalore airport or take a train journey to Bangalore from Mysore. (Approx. 4 hrs)

Extension: Fly to Kerala/Chennai/Goa