Gay India – Temple Tour with Exotic Beaches

We at Out Journeys always come up with something new for our Gay and Lesbian guests from across the world. This time we are offering a Temple tour along with some exotic beaches in South India. As you know India is a country where there are people of many religions like Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Janis, Zoroastrians etc. We will take you to some of the amazingly beautiful places in South India where you will experience the architecture and spirituality. Some of most amazing beaches will also be covered in this tour. We know the requirements of our Gay and Lesbian friends so we create tour keeping in mind their privacy and we also put in some surprise LGBT elements in these tours. Out Journeys is popular brand among Gay and Lesbian travellers. We hosted the 1st Asian Symposium on LGBT Tourism in New Delhi. We are also IGLTA ambassadors to India and India’s first International Gay Travel Company.

The detailed itinerary of the Temple tour with exotic beaches is as follows:

Mumbai – Cochin – Munnar – Kumarakom – Alleppey – Kovalam – Madurai – Trichy – Pondicherry – Mahabalipuram – Chennai – Mumbai

21 Nights/22 Days Program

Day 01: Arrive Mumbai

Reception and welcome at Mumbai airport followed by transfer to your hotel in the late night. The stay will be overnight at Mumbai.

Day 02: Mumbai

Morning start half day city tour of Mumbai. Visit Kamla Nehru Park, Hanging Gardens situated on the slopes of Malabar Hill offering a panoramic view of Marine Drive, Chowpatty Beach, Prince of ales Museum, Mani Bhawan, Dhobi Ghat, Gateway of India & drive through the Crawford Market, Marine Drive & Flora Fountain. The stay will be overnight at Mumbai.

Day 03: Mumbai – Cochin by Flight

Morning check out from hotel and transfer to airport to board flight for Cochin. Arrive at Cochin and transfer to a hotel. Afternoon visit city.  Cochin is the natural harbour created by the famed underwater Malabar mud-banks whose quality ensures that the rougher the seas are outside the calmer the waters are within the Harbour. Vasco-de-Gama placed it on the world map. It has a Jewish synagogue, Portuguese churches, mosques & Hindu temples. The stay will be overnight at Cochin.

Day 04: Cochin – Munnar 

After check out drive to Munnar. Arrive at Munnar and transfer to hotel. Day free to relax. The stay will be overnight at Munnar.

Day 05: Munnar

Munnar is breathtakingly beautiful. A haven of peace and tranquility, this idyllic tourist destination in God’s own country is set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district. Munnar was the favored summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. It has an unending expanse of tea plantations, pristine valleys and mountains along with exotic species of flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests. An early morning visit is a must. The aroma of spice scented cool air will make you never want to leave this place.  You will spend the night here.

Day 06: Munnar – Periyar

After check out from Munnar hotel you drive to Periyar, Arrive at Periyar and transfer to hotel. The stay will be overnight at Periyar.

Day 07: Periyar

Morning you visit a sanctuary. Set up in 1934, it extends to 777 square kms & forms a part of the high mountain ranges, the Western Ghats.  Wild life can be seen while cruising on Periyar Lake in a motor boat. You can see elephants, wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog, langur monkeys, etc.

You stay overnight at Periyar.

Day 08: Periyar – Kumarakom

Morning drive to Kumarakom. Arrive at Kumarakom & transfer to hotel. Day free to relax at Kumarakom. The stay will be overnight at Kumarakom.

Day 09: Kumarakom

After Breakfast visit Kumarakom. Kumarakom is the loveliest Village in Kerala, blessed with nature’s rare gifts is on the Eastern side of the vast Vembanad Lake. The lake provides facilities for boating, yachting, fishing, surf riding & swimming. Ideal picnic spot accessible by boat from here is Pathiramanal (Midnight Sands) a lonely island in the lake. The stay will be overnight at Kumarakom

Day 10: Kumarakom – Alleppey

A morning drive gets you to Alleppey where you board an houseboat. The coastal town of Alleppey on the Arabian Sea is the Venice of the East, for the numerous canals that meander through the town. Bathing in the backwaters on the Vembanad Lake is refreshing. This town holds a thrilling event of snake-boat race every year in August. It is also known for its cashew nuts, coir trade, rice, pepper crops & coconuts. You spend the night on a House boat.

Day 11: Alleppey – Kovalam

Check out from hotel at 1200 hrs & drive to Kovalam & transfer to hotel. The stay will be overnight at Kovalam.

Day 12: Kovalam

Kovalam is one of the most beautiful beaches of the world. The surf here is ideal for surf-riding and the water invites the visitor to ride the -Catamaran- or log, with the fisherman, or to take a cool swim. Nearby is the Beach Centre of aquatic sports. At the Yoga and Health Centre, Yoga classes and transcendental meditation are held. Ayurvedic oil massages and oil bath are given by experts.  The stay will be overnight at Kovalam.

Day 13: Kovalam

Day free to relax. Transport is at your disposal to visit within city. The stay will be overnight at Kovalam.

Day 14: Kovalam à Madurai via Kanya Kumari

Morning checking out from the hotel and drive to Madurai visiting Kanya Kumari enroute, Also called Cape Comorin. Visit city. Kanya Kumari is the land’s end of India where the water of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet. An important pilgrim centre of India, it is famous for the AmmanTemple-a symbol of unity and sanctity-dedicated to the virgin Goddess, Kanya Kumari. To its South-East lies the famous Vivekananda Rock Memorial, a blend of all the architectural styles of India.

Arrive Madurai and transfer to hotel. The stay will be overnight at Madurai.

Day 15: Madurai

Visit lotus –shaped Madurai, once the seat of Tamil learning.  Visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of   Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the  surrounding country side). Later, visit the Tirumala NayakPalace – A   gracious building in the Indo saracenic style, famous for the Stucco work on its domes & arches. Also visit the Alagar Hills and Tirupara Kundran Rock temple. The stay will be overnight at Madurai.

Day 16: Madurai – Trichy

Morning drive to Trichy, Arrive at Trichy & transfer to hotel.

Afternoon city tour of Trichy. Trichy was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. In the 18th century it witnessed the Carnatic wars fought between the French and the English. Lord Robert Clive’s house is still there to see and so is the DanishChurch. The Rock-Fort is the landmark of Trichy. A climb of 434 steps leads to the ancient temple of Ganapati on top and a further climb to a Shiva temple.

The stay will be overnight at Trichy.

Day 17: Trichy – Tanjore – Trichy

Morning same day excursion to Tanjore, The beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadeeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons which was taken to the top with the help of a 6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians for building pyramids. Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of a visit to South India.

The stay will be overnight at Trichy.

Day 18: Trichy – Pondicherry

Morning drive to Pondicherry. Arrive at Pondicherry and transfer to hotel. Day free to relax.  The stay will be overnight at Pondicherry.

Day 19: Pondicherry

Day free to explore city. The capital of French India before independence, Pondicherry traces its origin to Saint Agasthya, the revered sage of the south & excavations near-by reveal that a Roman settlement existed here 2000 years ago. It was the theatre of many a battle between the British. The stay will be overnight at Pondicherry.

Day 20: Pondicherry – Mahabalipuram

Morning drive to Mahabalipuram, Arrive at Mahabalipuram and transfer to hotel. The stay will be overnight at Mahabalipuram.

Day 21: Mahabalipuram

Morning visit Mahabalipuram, visit the shore temple and the rock- cut murals that adorn the caves here. The city of Mahabalipuram is famous for the seven pagodas. Here on the seashore is an interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples which are the examples of Dravidian style of Architecture. The stay will be overnight at Mahabalipuram.

Day 22: Mahabalipuram à Chennai by drive and Chennai à Mumbai by flight

Morning drive to Chennai visiting Kanchipuram enroute,

Kanchipuram (64 kms from Chennai (Madras)) is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of 1000 Temples and still has 124 shrines. The first temple dedicated to Shiva was built in the 7th and 8th century and has paintings on the walls. Temples of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy are of interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks.

After visit transfer to Chennai airport to board flight for Mumbai, Arrive Mumbai and stay in transit.

Day 23: Departure

Board flight for onward journey.

 

                                                End of our services

                          All hotels check-in & check-out time is 1200 hrs. (Noon) 

Taj Hotels & Oberoi Hotels check-in time is 1400 hrs & check-out time is 1200 hrs (Noon).

 

To Book this tour log on to http://www.outjourneys.com or mail us at info@outjourneys.com to know about cost details.

Classic Rajasthan – Gay India Tour

English: Sign in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India Deutsch: Schild am Fort in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, Indien (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Trip Name – Classic Rajasthan
Delhi – Mandawa – Bikaner – Jaisalmer – Osian – Jodhpur – Udaipur – Deogarh – Samode – Agra – Delhi
Starting from the Delhi, the capital of modern India, this itinerary takes you across the state, bringing alive the vibrant colors of the desert state. Delhi is also the hub of India’s amazing LGBT communities. Our craefully planned tour will enable you to interact and mingle with Delhi’s gay communities. Visit Osian on the sand dunes and the great kingdoms of the Rajputana- Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner,Udaipur, and Jaipur where even so many years after democracy handed power to the people, the old ways live on.

Today, many of the forts and palaces have opened their doors to visitor as luxury hotels and resorts. Often run by members of erstwhile ruling families, these have given a new lease of life not only to building but also to the culture. Staying here is to almost travel back in to the time- to an era that was gracious, graceful and romantic. In most places, erstwhile rulers are still addressed as ‘father’, ‘protector’, ‘provider of the food’, and command both respect and loyalty and though the pomp of ceremony many not compare with what it was in the old days, just a glimpse of the shadow of a royal lifestyle can be a fascinating and memorable experience.

Throughout the duration of your tour in India, you will either choose to travel on your own or as a part of a larger gay group. All our guides are gays or gay welcoming, similarly all our host hotels in India welcome LGBT travellers.

To book this tour mail us at info@outjourneys.com or log on to www.outjourneys.com Come out in India …

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Out Journeys – Come Out In India!

India has long enjoyed a unique, non-judgemental culture where men feel comfortable walking hand-in-hand with other men down the street, and even sharing the same bed while traveling, without raising an eyebrow. Straight men, that is. But for centuries, under antiquated morals imposed under British rule, India’s LGBT communities had remained deeply closeted. Fortunately for 17% of the world’s LGBT community, that is changing, and rapidly. Last year, the much hated British-era “Section 377” banning same-gender relations was ruled unconsitutional by the Supreme Court, and a refreshing wave of emergence, identity and community pride is sweeping across the country.

Now is the perfect time plan a trip to India; a rare opportunity to experience this historic birth and transformation among our community. And, of course, to explore the treasures that are unique to India: Her dazzling festivals, spiritual heart, fascinating craft bazaars, dynamic and living history, cultural and ethnic diversity, and spectacular natural landscapes and wildlife.

Out Journeys, an LGBT-dedicated tour operator based in New Delhi with over three years of group and independent tour design experience, is launching a global campaign to raise awareness of India as an LGBT-welcoming destination.

“We started Out Journeys not simply as a business venture. We are doing this because we want to share the dynamic, exciting LGBT-welcoming perspective of India with the world,” said Abhinav Goel, founder of Out Journeys. “The Out Journeys team prides itself in having a keen eye for unusual experiences, such as a romantic full moon evening at the Taj Mahal. Additionally, we’re partnering with LGBT events such as Pride and Film Festivals to bring unique community-based connections. We send our guests home with a lifetime of warm memories of our country and our genuinely friendly people.”

Enormous Interest Among LGBT Travelers

Recent research among 3,865 American LGBT consumers conducted by Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) demonstrated the pent-up LGBT travel demand for visiting India. Among the findings:

• Culture, history, temples/religion/spirituality and cuisine are the top activities and interests
• When past LGBT visitors to India were asked if they would return, over 80% indicated, “yes.”
• 35% of past LGBT visitors to India had been there multiple times.

“The research found that among gay men, India ranks as the #2 desired cultural/adventure destination in a select list behind Thailand, and followed by China, South Africa and Japan,” Said Tom Roth, President of CMI. “India is the #1 desired destination on this list among lesbians surveyed. Out Journeys is reaching out to welcome the global LGBT community, to meet this demand.”

Visit www.outjourneys.com