Some trips begin with a plan. Ours began with a feeling.

At 5:32 a.m., somewhere between impulse and excitement, we loaded our duffel bags into a blue Isuzu Hi-Lander and rolled out of Pune. No bookings. No checklist. Just a promise to follow the weather, the road, and whatever the south decided to give us. The pickup felt like the right companion — simple, honest, and steady. This South India road trip in the Isuzu Hi-Lander began without a plan…

🌿 Coorg — Where the Air Smells Like Coffee

By the time Karnataka welcomed us, the soil had turned red and the air richer. Coorg was our first halt, a place that always feels like a warm hug in January.
We reached Birchwood Retreat, tucked the Hi-Lander beneath tall silver oaks, and let the mist do its job. Barely anything was said. Everything was felt.

🐘 Dubare — Rivers, Elephants & Quiet Moments

The next morning, Dubare called us with its familiar charm.
The Cauvery River was low, so no boats. Just slippery stones, cold water touching our ankles, and laughter echoing across the banks as we crossed barefoot.

On the other side, elephants bathed like royalty while their mahouts spoke to them like family.
It wasn’t a tourist moment.
It was a gentle reminder of how simple life feels when you stop rushing.

The Hi-Lander waited on the other side, dust-kissed, patient, almost part of the landscape.

🏖️ Kochi — Spice-Salted Air & Slow Conversations

Leaving Coorg wasn’t easy, but Kochi felt like the right contrast — colourful lanes, cinnamon-laced shops, and stories painted on peeling walls.

In Fort Kochi, a stranger looked at the Hi-Lander and smiled,
“Cargo truck on vacation?”
We just laughed.
Because honestly, yes — and it was doing incredibly well.

Jew Town offered us antique knobs, old clocks, and conversations deeper than expected.

That evening, as Chinese fishing nets danced at sunset and karimeen sizzled on the grill, our phones stayed untouched. Offline felt good.

☁️ Munnar — Hills Wrapped in Silence

From sea level to cloud lines — Munnar changed the mood completely.
The roads curled through the hills like someone had drawn them by hand. The Hi-Lander, despite being 2WD, climbed with calm confidence.

Munnar welcomed us with its intentional lack of network and accidental overdose of beauty.
Tea estates draped the mountains like a painting.
We sat at a viewpoint with chai. No photos. No captions. Just silence.

🚤 Alleppey — Where Land Turns to Water

From green hills to backwaters — Alleppey felt like slipping into a dream.
We left the Hi-Lander parked like a loyal dog by the canal and boarded a houseboat.

That night, moonlight touched the water like silver, and coconut trees leaned over the canals like quiet guardians.
The pickup waited on shore — dusty, dependable, and always ready for the next stretch.

🛕 Tirupati & Sri City — Paying Respect to the Machine

A spontaneous idea took us east to Tirupati.
The climb felt almost spiritual — slow, patient, grounding.
And Sri City? That was personal. It’s where our Hi-Lander was born.
We stopped outside the factory in a moment of quiet gratitude.

How often do you get to bring a machine home?

🛣️ The Last Stretch — Highways, Headspace & Hyderabad

From Sri City to Hyderabad, the highway felt like meditation — smooth, predictable, comforting. Biryani stops turned into rituals. Music shifted from road-trip beats to quiet nostalgia.

By the time we reached Pune close to midnight, we had crossed 3,500 km, 7 states, and a lifetime’s worth of memories.

We parked the Hi-Lander. Smiled at each other.
No words needed.

Final Thoughts: The Journey Found Us

This wasn’t a sightseeing checklist.
It was a story shaped by rivers, hills, silence, and the kind of roads that pull something out of you.

And the Isuzu Hi-Lander — a pickup built for work — ended up becoming our slow-travel soulmate.
No drama. No pretence. Just honesty and capability.

We didn’t plan the journey.
We figured it out en route.
And we’d do it all over again.