Explore the best of South India with our 11N/12D Enchanting South India Tour of Chennai Mahabalipuram Pondicherry Tanjore Chettinadu Madurai Periyar Alleppey Cochin.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Chennai
Arrives at Chennai Airport.
You will be met by your driver and representative and transferred to hotel.
Stay at Leela Palace for the night.
Afternoon enjoy a sightseeing tour of Chennai with a guide.
You will visit places like St. Thomas Cathedral, Fort St. George, Marina beach, markets etc.
Day 2: Chennai – Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry
Morning after breakfast drive to Mahabalipuram. On arrival enjoy a sightseeing tour of this lovely seaside which was the capital of the Pallavas dynasty.
You could visit the shore temple, the largest bas-relief in the world called Arjuna’s Penance and the famous and beautiful Five Rathas (Chariots) are what will be most eye-catching.
Arjuna’s Penance, a complicated piece of work on a vertical rock is one of the best preserved.
Later drive to Pondicherry (2 Hrs).
The capital of the Union Territory of Puducherry, Pondicherry is a former French colony and is now among the chief tourist destinations of South India.
This coastal town was a French colony till 1954 and still retains many colonial buildings, churches, statues and the systematic town planning by the French and is often called the Europe of India because of its town planning.
Stay at Palas De Mahe for 2 nights.
Day 3: Pondicherry
Morning enjoy a guided tour of Pondicherry.
You will visit Sri Arabindo Ashram and Hand made paper making factory, Pondicherry Museum, Church of Sacred Heart Jesus and later enjoy a stroll through the beach road and old streets of town.
Day 4: Pondicherry-Tanjore-Chettinadu
After an early breakfast drive to Tanjore (4 Hrs) visiting the temples at Darasulam enroute. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, is a well-preserved example of 12th century Chola architecture.
On arrival at Tanjore visit the world famous Brihandeswara Temple with a guide. The most important tourist attraction in Tanjore is the 10th century Brihandeswara Temple – dedicated to Lord Shiva with a huge Shiva Lingam and a stone sculpture of the Nandi Bull. The Temple has been included in the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Monuments.
Later drive to Chettinadu (3 Hrs). Stay at Visalam 2 nights.
Day 5: Chettinadu
Morning enjoy a sightseeing tour of the local town. You could visit the Chettinadu Raja’s Palace, local handmade tile making, Saree Weaving and a daily local market.
Chettinadu is the homeland of the Nattukottai Chettiyar, a prosperous banking and business community, many of whose members migrated to South and Southeast Asia, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Chettinadu is well known for its Chettinadu cuisine, Mansions, and Temples.
Day 6: Chettinadu-Madurai
Morning after breakfast drive to Madurai (2 Hrs). The most impressive and important of south India’s temples, Meenakshi temple in Madurai dates back as far as 3,500 years! Apparently, the city was built around the Shiva lingam that’s inside its sanctum. The temple complex covers 15 acres, and has 4,500 pillars and 12 towers — it’s massive.
An ancient city with a rich cultural and architectural heritage, it is called the ‘Athens of the east’; but Madurai, arguably, has as much as history as Athens itself. The Greeks traded with the then Pandya kingdom from the 3rd to the 10th century B.C.
The city of Madurai was originally built in the shape of a lotus flower, centred on the celebrated Sri Meenakshi Temple.
Thousand Pillar Museum is the ‘wonder of the place’, Actually the number of pillars count to 985. Each pillar is sculptured and is a monument of the Dravidan sculpture. There is a Temple Art Museum in this 1000 pillars hall where you can see icons, photographs, drawings, etc., exhibiting the 1200 years old history.
There are so many other smaller and bigger mandapams in the temple. Just outside this mandapam ,towards the west, are the Musical Pillars. Each pillar when stuck, Produces a different musical notes.
Stay at Heritage Resort for the night.
Day 7: Madurai-Periyar
Morning after breakfast drive to Periyar (4 Hrs). The Periyar wildlife Sanctuary, situated on the banks of the Periyar Lake, is spread across 777 sq km, of which 360 sq km is thick evergreen forest.
Stay at Spice Village for 2 nights.
Evening enjoy a martial arts show in a near-by theatre.
Day 8: Periyar
Periyar Wildlife sanctuary offers the unique opportunity to watch and photograph wild elephants at close quarters. The reserve is a repository of rare, endemic and endangered flora and fauna. The Periyar wildlife Sanctuary, situated on the banks of the Periyar lake, is spread across 777 sq km, of which 360 sq km is thick evergreen forest. The artificial lake in the sanctuary was formed by the construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River.
On arrival in Periyar visit the spice plantation , where you can see the locally grown spices in Periyar like cinnamon, cardamom, pepper cloves etc. You will have a person to explain how they are grown, harvested and processed.
Later enjoy a elephant ride through the plantation. With this elephant safari programme one can watch closely and mingle with the elephants. Elephant safari is basically a ride or to roam upon an elephant through the spice plantation located close to Periyar. You will also do a boating on the lake. The herds of wild elephant that come to water on the banks of the lake are a major attraction.
Day 9: Periyar- Alleppey
Morning after breakfast drive to Alleppey (4 Hrs).
By noon board your one bedroom House boat (Luxury) for overnight cruise on the Vembanad Lake. These boats are made in the traditional style but have modern en-suite facilities. This cruise on the Backwaters of the Vembanad Lake lets you have a look at the vast expanse of waterways and the village life.
Lunch Dinner and breakfast will be served on the board. The boat anchors by 1800 Hrs and it will be stationary till next day early morning. They switch on the air-conditioning during the bed time from 2000- 0630 Hrs.
Overnight on boat
Day 10: Alleppey- Cochin
Morning after breakfast you will be transferred to Cochin (4 Hrs).
Stay at Brunton Boatyard for 2 nights.
Evening enjoy Kathakali dance performance, the traditional art form of Kerala.
Kathakali dance is the ancient pantomime dance drama of Kerala. The performance is for about 2 and half hours, with an hour of make-up, a short introduction about the dance and an hour of dance performance.
Day 11: Cochin
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and you start your sight-seeing tour of Fort Cochin and Mattancherry.
You will visit St. Francis Church, the oldest church built by Europeans in India where the Vasco Da Gama was buried.
The Dutch Palace, with its murals, the Synagogue with is magnificently decorated by Chinese tiles and Belgian chandeliers.
You get to see the old spice markets, some of which still ply their trade and the life of the people who live in the labyrinth which once used to be a thriving trading port.
Afternoon you can explore the modern part of the Cochin to do some shopping.
Day 12: Departure from Cochin Airport
Like all good things, your tour in India comes to an end but you will always carry with you memories of this unique and unforgettable holiday experience.
Today morning you will be assisted and transferred (1 Hr) to Cochin Airport to connect your flight to Chennai.
End of Tour
Fort Cochin is the home to some of the oldest European architecture in India and has been a significant settlement ever since Cochin Harbour was discovered.
This afternoon you’ll enjoy a relaxing cruise through the waterways which gives you an opportunity to observe rural Kerala up close. You stop to look at paddy cultivation, watch local fishing, and see historic churches and local temples. Your Houseboat will have bedroom with en-suite facilities and exterior space to sit and relax.
Munnar was the favored summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. Sprawling tea plantations, picture book towns, winding lanes, trekking and holiday facilities make Munnar a unique experience.
You could also visit Srishti, a welfare center in Munnar which is managed and run by Tata Tea. It comes under Tata Global Beverages’ Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. This Tata initiative houses a school for lesser abled children, a textile factory, a recycle paper factory, a bakery and a little shop where they sell their home made products
Option activities includes Leopard search safari, Rural train ride, diner at a stepbell etc
Later drive to Delhi (3-4 hr) for 2 night stay.
Arrive Delhi and stay for two nights.
After sightseeing, continue to Indore for overnight stay.
Over next two days enjoy three safaris in the park.
Enjoy morning and afternoon park safari in the Ranthambhore National Park.
In the afternoon, we visit The Buddhist Gompa of Itanagar. This is a new but beautiful yellow – roofed shrine rising from well-maintained grounds behind which a Banyan tree planted by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. You get a beautiful view of the Itanagar city from the temple grounds.
We stay here for two nights.
Shiva Dol, Vishnu Dol and Devi Dol are the three temples on the banks of Sibsagar. We stay in Sibsagar for the night and visit the Talatal Ghar and Rang Ghar – the Royal Observatory along with Sibsagar tank and temples around it.
Also to be found in the swamps and tall grass are buffalo, swamp deer, hog deer, tiger and wild elephant. We will begin our jungle experience with an afternoon safari in the park.
Afternoon visit the sights of Jaipur including the City Palace, Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Jantar Mantar and the Museum.
Drive further west to the heart of Thar Desert (approx. 5-6 hr) for two nights in enchanting city of Jaisalmer. Stay at Jaisalmer.
Bandhavgarh is home to spotted deers, blackbuck, wold oxen, sloth bear, nilgai, barking deer, leopard and tiger. The rich and varied birdlife include golden orioles, parakeets, hornbills and partridges. In the afternoon you will enjoy a jeep safari in the park.