Maharashtra Splendour
The Train
The Deccan Odyssey is a special luxury train based on the model of Palace on Wheels. In addition to being a train that touches tourist spots, this aims to be a complete 5-star hotel on wheels.
General Information
The Deccan Odyssey’s sheer luxury is a sight to behold. Everything in the train reflects the ways of Indian Royalty – “Maharaja”. The plush interiors, an awesome cuisine and grate sites to see makes the journey memorable.
Deccan Odyssey Train operates on six different 7 Nights circuits that includes several exotic destinations covering the vast expanse of Maharashtra and North India. Covering Mumbai, Aurangabad, Udaipur, Sawai Modhopur, Jaipur, Agra and Delhi.
Coaches
The Deccan Odyssey comprises 21 superlative, royal coaches. Eleven of these contain the guest cabins and are named after significant regions of Maharashtra. Each cabin on the Deccan Odyssey is spacious and equipped with every modern amenity to make sure that your journey is comfortable and memorable. The cabins are elegantly designed to reflect the various eras of the Deccan dynasties, beginning your introduction to the Deccan region of India. Each coach has four cabins and a common lounge.
The Deccan Odyssey also offers four resplendent Presidential Suites, the pinnacle of style and sophistication, with exquisite decor and all modern amenities.
To help our differently abled guests to enjoy their journey on Deccan Odyssey, we offer a specially equipped cabin for their comfort. Peshwa 1
| Cabin Type | Description | Occupancy | No. of Cabins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double | Queen Size Bed | Double | 13 |
| Twin | Single bed X 2 | Double / Single | 15 |
| Triple | Single bed X 2 + An attached foldable bunker | Double /Single/Triple | 15 |
| Disable | Sofa cum bed + An attached foldable bunker | Double / Single | 1 |
| Total no of cabins | 44 |
Nala and Ruchi Restaurants
The train has two restraints in board that dish out vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. The vegetarian restaurant is named after Nala the mythological chef. While the non-vegetarian restaurant Ruchi means fine taste in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India. The interior décor of the restaurants is based in the ruins of Hampi and Halebid. The restaurants have two/four seater cabins that ensure privacy and comfort during your meals.
Peshwa 1 and Peshwa 2 Restaurants
In keeping with the tradition of royal repasts, the Deccan Odyssey has two gourmet restaurants on board, Peshwa 1 and Peshwa 2, which ensure that the cuisine keeps pace with the train’s journey. Chefs whip up the local specialties of each of the very diverse states that the train makes its way through, so you experience every new location with all your senses – taste buds included. There is also a continental menu at each meal.
Conference Coach
The Deccan Odyssey ensures that even while traveling amongst the historical sites in Karnataka, its privileged passengers do not let their work suffer. The train has all the modern facilities and equipments that make it an office on the move. The train has a separate conference coach that has a seating capacity for up to thirty business leaders. The coach also has a forty two inch LCD television and offers high speed internet connection so as to allow its passengers connected with the world outside.
Mumbai-Hi – Bar
The well-stocked bar, called the Mumbai-Hi, will keep you in high spirits through this incredible journey. It’s the perfect place to try Indian snacks and swap stories with your fellow travelers.
Samwad – Conference Coach
The train has all the modern facilities and equipments that make it an office on the move. The train has a separate conference coach that has a seating capacity for up to thirty business leaders. The coach also has a forty two inch LCD television and offers high speed internet connection so as to allow its passengers connected with the world outside.
Plumeria – Spa
The Deccan Odyssey comes equipped with a delightful spa, “Plumeria”, with well-trained masseurs to help you relax your body after a long day of exploration. Using ancient Indian techniques and skills, the salon is a great place for some pampering and sprucing up.
Duration: 7 Nights & 8 Days
Operational Season: October to April
Destinations Covered
Mumbai – Nashik – Aurangabad – Jalgaon – Kolhapur – Goa – Ratnagiri – Mumbai
Itinerary
Early this evening assemble at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at approximately 1530 hours to complete the registration process and check in formalities for your Maharashtra Splendor journey, as you receive a traditional Indian welcome and enjoy a refreshing drink.
After completion of all formalities, you will be escorted to your delightful cabins. As you settle in, the Deccan Odyssey shall depart Mumbai for Nashik.
Dinner and overnight on board.
This morning the Deccan Odyssey brings you to the holy city of Nashik, which is rapidly gaining the status of being the wine capital of the country.
After breakfast, disembark and spend the morning walking along the Godavari ghats observing several important Hindu rituals being performed. Continue on through the lively market by the ghats which sells everything from vegetables to lentils, dried seafood to cow dung cakes and many things in between.
Thereafter drive to the Grover Zampa vineyards for an exclusive tour of one of the finest Indian wine producing facilities. Walk through vines laden with Chenin, Chardonnay and Shiraz grapes. Be taken through the age old ‘methode traditionnelle’ used to make one of the best known brands of sparkling wines in India. Allow the sommelier to acquaint your taste buds with their finest creations of white, red, rose and sparkling wines and experiment pairing them with your meal at the vineyards.
After a sumptuous lunch, return to the Deccan Odyssey and set forth for Aurangabad.
Dinner and overnight on board.
As you enjoy breakfast, the Deccan Odyssey arrives at Aurangabad, from where a scenic drive takes you to the Ellora Caves, carved into the side of a basaltic hill 30 km from the city. The finest specimen of cave-temple architecture in India, the site encompasses 34 rock-cut shrines representing Buddhist, Jain and Hindu art dating from the 4th to 5th century AD. The 12 caves to the south are Buddhist, the 17 in the centre Hindu, and the 5 caves to the north are Jain. The most remarkable is the Kailash temple, meant to be a replica of Shiva’s celestial abode on Mt. Kailash. It is the best example of rock cut architecture and an engineering marvel.
Enoy a leisurely lunch on board as the hinterland of Maharashtra sweeps past, with its ever-changing colors and landscape.
In the evening, sit back, unwind and enjoy cocktails fixed by our bartender onboard, followed by a sumptuous dinner and a well deserved rest as the Deccan Odyssey proceeds towards Jalgaon to visit the exquisite Ajanta Caves – a World Heritage site.
Overnight on board.
The Deccan Odyssey arrives at the Jalgaon station this morning from where, after breakfast onboard, you will disembark and drive to the Ajanta Caves, another World Heritage site and an architectural marvel of its time. The 30 rock-hewn Buddhist caves at Ajanta have been masterfully carved and are adorned with sculptures and paintings of Buddhist religious art, depicting universal pictorial art and are known to depict the fusion between Buddhist and Hindu faith.
Lunch will be on board the Deccan Odyssey as it continues on to the multifaceted city of Kolhapur.
The rest of the day is at leisure for you to relax and enjoy some of the activities available onboard. Watch a movie or book yourself a relaxing massage in our spa on board.
In the evening watch the tapestry of rural India unfold as you sip a sun downer before dinner.
Overnight on board.
Watch the hinterlands of Maharashtra sweep past as you relish breakfast. Enjoy time at leisure as the Deccan Odyssey rolls into Kolhapur, a city of many hidden treasures, all waiting to be discovered!
After an early lunch on board you will disembark for a tour of the city.
Visit the New Palace Museum, a lovely basalt and sandstone octagonal Palace from the 19th century. Behold its beautiful architecture and memorabilia of the Kolhapur rulers. Continue to the Town Hall Museum, a somber neo-Gothic building, its front porch flanked by towers with steeply pyramidal metal roofs.
Explore the local markets for a pair of beautifully handcrafted Kolhapuri chappals that you can carry back with you as a souvenir, before you proceed to a special venue for tea followed by Lavanya Sandhya, a vibrant folk performance.
You will then visit the 1300 year old Mahalakshmi temple, also called Shakti Pethas, or place associated with the Goddess Shakti, said to be the consort of Lord Vishnu. Following your temple visit, witness a traditional martial arts performance called ‘Mardani Khel’ literally translated to mean masculine games.
After your sojourn into Kolhapur, you return to the Deccan Odyssey for dinner as we depart for India’s most happening destination – Goa.
Overnight on board.
Today you arrive at Goa, India’s smallest state, with strong Portuguese influences, having been a colony of Portugal till as late as 1961.
After breakfast, you will disembark and drive to Fontainhas, the Latin Quarters in Panjim which still has some well preserved houses built in Portuguese style architecture. Experience the UNESCO World Heritage Walk around Fontainhas with its winding alleyways adorned by tiled-roofed houses in spectacular shades of blue and red.
Continue to Ribandar, the erstwhile capital of Goa, for a walk through ancient churches and the ruins of the once lofty St. Augustine tower that continues to valiantly withstand the vagaries of nature.
Drive to the Sahakari spice plantation for a traditional Goan feast, a meal that has Hindu origins but is heavily influenced by 400 years of Portuguese rule and pays ode to the fruits of the Arabian sea – shrimps, kingfish and mackerel washed down with some ‘feni’, a potent liquor made from cashew.
After lunch at spice plantation, enjoy a Goan folk performance and a tour of the plantation.
Complete your day in Goa with a visit to an old Portuguese house and get another peek into Goan life.
Return to the Deccan Odyssey for dinner as it departs for Ratnagiri traversing through the Konkan, one of the most scenic railway routes in the country, bound by the Arabian Sea on the West and Sahyadri hills on the East, a marvelous feat of engineering, that made it possible to tunnel the tracks through the seemingly insurmountable hills.
Overnight on board.
The Deccan Odyssey brings you to Ratnagiri this morning – a veritable jewel on the Konkan coast. A land so blessed by sun and fertile alluvial valleys that it is abundant with a bounty of cashew nuts, Alphonso mangoes, coconuts, bananas, jackfruits and rice.
Disembark after breakfast and head to the Ganpatiphule temple – called thus because of a legend about Lord Ganpati who took umbrage at a remark made by a native lady, and moved to Pule (Marathi for a few km ahead of the town) from his original abode of Gule. Thus the region was named Ganpati-pule. The 400 year old idol here is said to have sprung from the soil.
From here, make your way to beach to enjoy the lovely coastline that the region offers. Have a relaxed morning at the beach.
Make your way back to the Deccan Odyssey for lunch and to relax a while.
Disembark once more and make your way to a mango and cashew plantation and watch the workers labour at producing the king of all fruits in India. Walk around and soak in the goodness of nature.
Post the farm, take a walk through the town and exploring the ‘wadas’ or the local Maharashtrian neighborhood and the markets selling the lovely produce of the region.
Head back to Ratnagiri station and board the Deccan Odyssey after a lovely relaxing day.
Enjoy dinner on board as the Deccan Odyssey makes its way back to Mumbai.
Overnight on board.
Early this morning, after breakfast, you will disembark at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station, Mumbai.
Bid farewell to the Deccan Odyssey as your royal passage through the grand vistas of India comes to an end.
