Tribal Orissa and the East Coast

Orissa has a vast tribal population belonging to diverse races & culture. The majority of these inhabit the forest & hill regions of Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar, Phulbani, Sundergargh, Sambalpur, Balangir, Kalahandi & Koraput districts. Orissa has as many as 62 tribes, with some different traditions, costumes and jewellery. This tour gives an opportunity to visit and interact with tribal people not on the main tourist circuits in India and also to visit beautiful Temples and Beaches on the East Coast of India.

Day 1: Calcutta - Arrive ex International flight at Calcutta - Day at leisure in Calcutta. Option to visit Mother Teresa's home.

Day 2: Calcutta - Bhuvaneshwar - Fly to Bhuvaneshwar, the capital of Orissa and a city famous for temples. Once upon a time it had 7000 temples of which about 500 remain till date. These temples built over a period of 1000 years reflect the grandeur and high quality workmanship of the ancient Kalinga temple art. It was at Bhuvaneshwar that the famous king Ashoka converted to Buddhism in 261 BC taking an oath to give up war for all time. Over night hotel.

Day 3: Bhuvaneshwar - Konark - Puri - Konark is famous for the Sun Temple. Built in honour of Surya, the Sun God in 13th Century, the temple is shaped like a chariot of the Sun with seven horses depicting the seven days of the week and twelve wheels for the 12 months. What remains today is only a small part of the massive temple. The sun rising from the ocean shines on the three images of the Morning sun, the Mid-day sun and the Evening sun at different parts of the day. The temple is also noted for its sculptures, many of which are erotic. Puri is a very important religion centre for the Hindus. A famous Rath Yatra (chariot festival) takes place every year in June -July which carries the massive statue of the deity Lord Jagannath, the lord of the universe. The Jagannath Temple which dates back to the 12th century is 65 meters high. The Puri beach is also very famous, especially for its beautiful sunrise. Overnight hotel at Puri.

Day 4: Day at leisure on the beach in Puri.

Day 5: Puri - Bhuvaneshwar - En route take a full day tour of Udaigiri - Khandagiri caves - which go back to the 2nd century BC, Dhauli - the peace pagoda and Nandan Kannan - a naturalistic zoo. Also visit Pipli, a village famous for appliqué handicrafts.

Day 6: Bhuvaneshwar - Taptapani - Today we will go to Chilika Lake (Asia's largest Salt water Lake - area approximately 1100 sq. kms). Its the winter home of migratory birds. Visit a Semi - Tribal Village En route O/Nt at Taptapani.

Day 7: Taptapani - Rayagada - Visit Tibetan Settlement & a few Langia Soura Tribal villages today. O/Nt at hotel at Rayagada.

Day 8: Visit Niyamgiri Hills today and then drive on to Vishakhapatnam, a coastal city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Vishakhapatnam's claim to fame is that it is the largest shipbuilding yard in India. O/Nt Hotel

Day 9: Transfer to Airport for flight to Hyderabad. Arrival transfer to Hotel. Hyderabad is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh and a fast growing metropolis. This city has a strong Islamic influence and at one time the Nizam of Hyderabad was the richest man in India.

Day 10: Hyderabad - After a relaxed breakfast visit the places of interest in Hyderabad - the Charminar (four towers), built in the 16th century, the Golconda Fort and the Birla Temple and planetarium. O/Nt Hotel.

Day 11: Hyderabad - Chennai - Morning fly to Chennai, once a fishing village and now the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. Morning at leisure. Evening visit to Silver Sands beach. Overnight hotel.

Day 12 - Full day excursion to Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram - Kanchipuram is one of the seven sacred cities of India. It is most famous for its exquisitely woven handloom silk saris. It has some very famous temples like the Kamakshi Temple and the Ekambareshwar Temple. Mahabalipuram is famous for its shore temples. Most of the temples and rock carvings were completed around 630 - 660 AD and are notable for their folk- art origins.

Day 13 - Pondicherry - Morning visit to beach and then drive to Pondicherry, which was formerly a French colony. Today it is famous for the Aurobindo Ashram, which was chosen by the late Sri Aurobindo, revolutionary turned saint and Auroville, the inspiration of The Mother, a French woman who was the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo and conceived the idea of an international city of Dawn. Auroville was established to experiment and develop a new order of integrated living. Overnight Ashram.

Day 14 - Pondicherry - Chennai for onward flight home

Options and extensions : 7 Days to the Temples and Monuments of South India.

Day 14 - Pondicherry - Thanjavur - Tiruchirapalli

Day 15 - Tiruchirapalli - Rameswaram

Day 16- Rameswaram - Madurai

Day 17- Madurai

Day 18- Madurai - Kanyakumari - Thiruvananthapuram

Day 19 - Thiruvananthapuram - Kovalam - Thiruvananthapuram

Day 20 - Thiruvananthapuram - Chennai/Calcutta for connecting flight home.