September 18, 2007

Asia | India | Mumbai

Railroads for the Raj

By Nicole Cotroneo

Ride the real Darjeeling Express.

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If there’s one way to tour India’s Deccan plateau, it’s with a spa, salon and retinue of gourmet chefs in tow. Deccan Odyssey, the Maharashtra region’s only luxury train, rolls into a new season October 3, bringing all the amenities of a lavish horizontal hotel along on its eight-day, 1,500-mile journey. Entering its third year of service, the 21-coach caravan departs from Mumbai and heads to Pune and Goa. Other stops include the World Heritage caves at Ellora and Ajanta — the latter sheltering some of the oldest Buddhist frescoes in India.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s southern neighbor, Karnataka, is poised to jump onboard the luxury train-travel boom. In November the region debuts a new 19-coacher, Golden Chariot, with similar luxuries to Deccan Odyssey and the famed Rajasthani service, Palace on Wheels. Chariot’s passengers will board at Bangalore for a seven-day voyage that takes in Karnataka’s own historic riches, including the medieval ruins of Hampi and ancient temples at Pattadakal. And to really bring home the point that guests will be treated like royalty: the train will sport a regal purple paintjob.