Of all the circuits you can draw through South India's highlands and heritage, the triangle of Mysore, Ooty and Coorg is the one that covers the most ground without ever feeling rushed. Each destination is distinct enough to carry its own weight, and yet they connect naturally, geographically, climatically, and in the particular kind of travel experience each one delivers.

Start with Mysore and you start with the grandest card in Karnataka's hand: a palace city that was once among the most refined kingdoms in India. The Amba Vilas Palace is spectacular in daylight and almost otherworldly on Sunday evenings when 97,000 bulbs light it up. But Mysore holds more than its palace, Chamundi Hills, Devaraja Market, Brindavan Gardens, the silk weaving tradition, the Mysore pak sweets, the broad boulevards and public parks that make it one of South India's most liveable cities.

From Mysore, the route turns south into forest. The drive through Bandipur and Mudumalai is one of those journeys where passengers start photographing out of car windows fifteen minutes in and don't stop. The road is closed to vehicles at night, which keeps the corridor genuinely wild. Elephant herds are commonly seen in the mornings, and the birdlife is extraordinary throughout. The forest ends and the Nilgiris begin: the road climbs 36 hairpin bends to Ooty.

Ooty in its quiet hours, early morning before the tourists arrive, or evening when the mist comes in, is genuinely beautiful. The tea estates around it, particularly around Coonoor and Kotagiri, are among the most photogenic landscapes in India. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a steam train on a UNESCO Heritage line, is the best single experience the Nilgiris offer. The botanical gardens are serious, the local chocolate and spice shops are worth visiting, and the cold at night comes as a surprise after the heat of the plains.

Then back north into Karnataka and into Coorg, a complete shift in tone. Where Ooty has been about views and altitude, Coorg is about enclosure and warmth. The coffee estates wrap around you, the homestays are intimate and personal, and the food is some of the best you'll eat anywhere in South India. This package ends in Coorg, which is the right order you leave having decelerated completely, carrying the smell of coffee and cardamom.