The fascinating city of Hyderabad is steeped in history and heritage, making it a veritable treasure trove for the curious traveller. Fun-filled adventures lead you to some of the most important hotspots of the region which came under the sway of the Nizams, ranked amongst India’s richest rulers from yesteryears. Legends of the quirky habits of some of the Nizam’s, their astonishing wealth, their jewels, the palaces, and museum stuffed with exquisite artefacts - are all fodder for a fabulous travel experience in the city and its surrounds. Adding more flavours and textures to the Hyderabad experience is its food and textile traditions.

Little wonder Jonty Rajagopalan, who started her travel initiative – Detours, has been richly inspired to share the many charms of this wondrous city, which has been home to her, with travellers. Detours are the sum of the many parts that she takes so much pleasure in directing her energies into to showcase Hyderabad’s numerous delights. She has personally been blown away by the historic character of the city and its seamless cross-cultural blend of the North and the South. She has an endless fascination of how this culture is mirrored through its language, the cuisine and multiple time-worn customs and traditions. It was the realisation that there were so many hidden gems in the city that were never showcased to travellers to the city that has shaped the destiny of Detours from its launch in 2008.

The city is a perfect amalgam of monuments, great food, very friendly people and definitely enough offbeat locations to tempt visitors especially those who already love India and its craziness! But Jonty wanted to focus on revealing the lesser known aspects of the city. She felt it was the perfect place for her to start Detours. It is not surprising that the historic Charminar area proved to be the most popular spot for these adventurous journeys in the city. The lively bazaars, the richly historic monuments and the sumptuous offerings of its food traditions, were the heart and soul of this vibrant city. For any history, culture or food lover, there are multiple experiences of discovery in this hotbed of cross-cultural diversity. Over the past couple of decades, Hyderabad has also attracted many business travellers who want more novel experiences to enjoy when going round the city on a second or a third visit. What are perfect for them are Detour’s day trips to the weaving villages or other historic cities like Bidar and Warangal.

Much of the time of Team Detours is also is spent exploring new avenues of experience and adventure; this has been integral to their outlook for keeping guests happy, right from the time they first began operations. Even today they are learning about so many hitherto untapped aspects of the city, often as a result of requests from some of their more adventurous. This in turn helps them expand their portfolio of offerings to travellers. Jonty opines that running a company like Detours is an opportunity for her team to keep coming up with more and more new experiences. Each new discovery about the city and its surrounding areas means they constantly have more to offer to their guests.

What’s also interesting is that Detours also offers specific start-stop tours that cover other parts of the Deccan including Aurgangabad (with trips to the spectacular Ajanta and Ellora Caves and the mystical Khuldabad). The line-up of new hotspots includes places destinations like Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur- all of which bring to life the syncretic Dakhni culture, the history of the Bahamani Kingdom and the later Muslim dynasties of the Deccan. This tour ends in Hampi, the site of the ruins of the legendary Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagra, the last word in wealth and culture in its heyday.

The 12-day Khaanasutra Tour is an ode to the amazing evolution of Indian food and its deep connection with the history, geography, culture and religions of the country. The tour is full of amazing experiences connected to the processes and rituals associated with the food. It also involves, an exploration of the land where the food is grown. You get to enjoy enriching interfaces with local communities while discovering how their lifestyle is linked so closely to the food. On this thrilling adventure for up-close discoveries one gets to visits to homes, temple kitchens and food markets. It’s one of the most tempting offerings from detours for the traveller looking for deeper insights into what makes food such an intrinsic part of India’s culture and heritage.