Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will resume its ‘Golden Chariot’, a luxury train started by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) in 2008, from Sunday. “We wish to inform you that IRCTC will operate trips through Golden Chariot from March 14 2O2l,” the state-run company said.
The operations, management and marketing of the train were later taken over by IRCTC through an agreement with KSTDC. The train provides travellers a chance to experience the historical, architectural and scenic beauty of south India while enjoying the comfort of a state of the art amenities and international service standards.
IRCTC has scheduled two trips, which will start from Bengaluru on Sunday and cover various destinations in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Goa. The cost of the luxury train tour package will include all onboard meals, transport for sightseeing, entrance fee to all the sites covered in the trip as well as the cost of guides.
These two trips are:
‘Pride of Karnataka’
‘Pride of Karnataka’ will be a six nights/seven days journey starting from Bengaluru on Sunday and will cover the Bandipur national park, Mysuru, Halebidu, Chikkamagaluru and Goa. The trip will also include visits to Unesco world heritage sites of Badami Caves, Pattadakal temples and Hampi palace ruins and will end in Bengaluru. The price of a deluxe cabin for the trip is ₹320,130 and for a single supplement, the trip is priced at ₹240,100.
Jewels of South India
The three nights/four days’ journey starting from Bengaluru on March 21 will cover Mysuru, Tamil Nadu, Mahabalipuram, Thanjavur, Chettinad and Kerala. The trip will include visits to the Hampi palace ruins, Fort Kochi and Kerala backwaters. A deluxe cabin in the train will cost ₹320,130 while for a single supplement, the cost of the journey is ₹240,100.
