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South India Explorer
Overview
This fascinating journey through India’s Deep South focuses on sights that showcase striking architecture, culture and faith and provides opportunities to enjoy staying at hill stations, visiting exotic temples, palaces and wildlife reserves and appreciate beauty of the Kerala Backwaters while cruising on houseboats and relishing Indian cuisine all through.
Tour Highlights
- Fort Kochi - an amalgam of Old Portuguese, British and Dutch colonial architecture.
- Ootacamund - the queen of hill stations of India.
- Maharajah’s Palace - A magnificent structure of Mysore.
- Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram - for spectacular rock temple carvings.
- Thanjavur and Madurai - for their different architectural styles.
- Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary – for elephants and other wildlife.
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Polly Burns & Stephen M
Feb 2020 - via TripadvisorTour Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive in Cochin, major port city located on the south-west coast of India. After clearing immigration and customs formalities; proceed towards the arrival hall, where you will be greeted by our office representative. He will assist you to the vehicle and will take you to the Cochin Hotel. There are no activities planned for the first day, so simply relax at the Hotel and recover your energy levels or depending upon your flight schedules we can plan some.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 2 - Morning explore Cochin. Tour begins with a visit to Fort Kochi area. The true character of the town is found in the old Fort Cochin area. It is unchanged for 1000 years. Visit St. Francis CSI Church, the oldest European church in India built in 1503, Follow your local journey with a tuk-tuk ride, one of the most popular mode of transport among the locals. Continue through the small streets of Mattancherry, we visit Mattancherry Palace, built by the Portuguese as a gift for the king of Kochi, Jewish Synagogue, Spice market, where the air is filled with the pungent smell of spices
Overnight - Hotel
Day 3 - In the morning travel to Ooty, Queen of Hill Stations that is situated in the heart of the Nilgiri hills. We board Express train to Pallakad from Cochin. Upon arrival, drive through forested hillsides to Coimbatore for about 4 hours. The journey is one of the most scenic in South India giving superb views of the plains and wonderful groves of the tall, slender areca nut palm trees line the road. Passing through Coonoor you continue winding your way through lush tea and coffee plantations to Ooty. Arrive and check-in at hotel in Ooty.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 4 - Start with the day refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of life. Hills, gardens, tea plantations and scenic beauty of Ooty Hills are mesmerizing. After breakfast, in the local sightseeing program, visit the Botanical Gardens, laid out at an elevation of 2400 mtrs in 1847 and spread over 22 hectares with some 650 species of plants and trees, the Rose Garden, Ooty lake, artificially formed by John Sullivan, the founder of Ooty, in 1823-25. and Doddabetta Peak that stands high at an altitude of 2623 metres.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 5 - Today after breakfast drive to Mysore via Mudumalai and Bandipur National Park crossing over from Tamil Nadu to Karnataka. In the afternoon visit Chamundi Hill where there is a temple dedicated to Durga. On the road up to the temple there is a giant stone Nandi bull carved from single piece of granite in 1659. Mysore is a pleasant town with tree-lined streets and well-maintained historic buildings. Dubbed as the ‘city of palaces’, few Indian cities can rival the stately charm and easy-going atmosphere of Mysore.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 6 - Mysore, also known for its sandalwood Mysore is also famous for some of India’s finest crafts such as printed silk, inlaid furniture and ivory carvings. We enjoy a morning sightseeing tour of Mysore and its surroundings. We begin by driving to Srirangapatna, the historic capital of Tipu Sultan - known for his struggle against British rule. Upon return, visit the Palace of the Maharaja (Emperor), a harmonious synthesis of Hindu and Saracenic styles of architecture.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 7 - In the morning drive to Hassan and check into the hotel. In the afternoon, excursion to UNESCO World Heritage Site of Belur and Halebid for their temples carved with scripts from Hindu mythology having mythological characters from the two Hindu Epics. In Halebid we visit the Hoysalesvara Temple where we see half-life size statues of Hindu deities with minute details in each all around the temple. At Belur we see the Chennakesava Temple, famous for its architecture and sculptures.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 8 - After breakfast drive to Bangalore; en-route visit Sravanabelagola, a city sacred to the Jains and famous for its 18-metre Jain colossus. Upon arrival in Bangalore, board the train for Chennai.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 9 - This morning proceed for Mahablipuram enroute discover the heritage town of Kanchipuram. Visit Kailasanathar Temple, famous for exquisite carvings and Kamakshi Amman Temple. Explore workshop of weaving fabrics as "Madras cotton". Following the tour of Kanchipuram, drive to Mahabalipuram, a small village on the seaside, with sculpted temples classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arrive and check-in at hotel.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 10 - We discover Mahaballipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its countless sculptures and superb temples including the Shore Temple. Visit the skillfully carved rock of Arjuna’s Penance - the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world, the Rathas (large carved stone carts) and the Shore Temple, famous for its incredible Dravidian architecture, built on the seashore of Bay of Bengal with blocks of granite.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 11 - Travel to Pondicherry, interesting coastal and a former French city. Arrive and check-in at hotel. We will discover the White City, with its old French Quarter and the Church of the Sacred Heart. Rickshaw ride through the old colonial district. Our stops would be Town Hall, also known as Hotel De Ville, Notre Dame De Anges, and a beautiful heritage structure built in Greco German Style. Next we will visit the tranquille Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Pondicherry Museum. Evening discover at your own pace the treasures of the city and the market Goubert that offers fabrics, vegetables, flowers, meat ... in its crowded alleys.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 12 - After breakfast, drive to Gangaikonda Cholapuram Shiva Temple and Chidambaram Temple. En-route we visit the famous Darasuram Temple in Kumbakonam, a superb example of 12th century Chola architecture. This temple is a house of art and architecture. The height of vimana is 85 feet. Temple also has some beautiful stone carvings. Continue drive to Tanjore (also known as Thanjavur), one of India's most important religious centres, built in the 10th century and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrive in Thanjavur and check into the hotel.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 13 - Thanjavur is well known for its exquisite handicrafts such as bronze work and classical South Indian musical instruments. Morning, we proceed on a tour of Brihadeeswarar Temple and Thanjavur Palace. Drive to Trichy, a fine blend of tradition and modernity built around the Rock Fort. Temple is 83m high is 3.800 million years old Temple and Uchipillaiyar Koil. Following a drive, we reach to Madurai. Arrive and settle in hotel.
Overnight - Hotel
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Day 14 - Morning visit the oldest and likely most frequented site in Madurai is the Meenakshi Amman Temple, an outstanding example of Vijayanagara architecture. Afterward, you will visit Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. The palace was built in 1636 in the Indo-Mughal style by the Nayaka Dynasty. Evening travel to Meenakshi Temple where you will attend the evening ceremony, Aarti: the "Shiva Sunset" ceremony carried on a palanquin to join Meenakshi.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 15 - In the morning, we drive to Thekkady where we enter the state of Kerala. The drive is spectacular as the road climbs through the Western Ghats and commands fantastic views across Tamil Nadu. We arrive in the small bustling village of Thekkady and check into the hotel. Later enjoy a Guided spice plantation tour. Spice gardens and plantations are abundant here and the tour is all about explaining the history, growth and development of wonder spices like, cardamom and pepper, vanilla, coffee, tea.
Overnight - Hotel
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Day 16 - Thekkady is a major spice growing area. Early morning we will leave for guided jungle walk in the Periyar National park to admire its abundant birdlife – kingfishers, storks and hornbills, followed by a bamboo rafting. This is a 4-5 hours day activity includes hiking and rafting program through some of the richest forest tracts of Periyar Tiger Reserve. The forests feature plenty of bird life and arboreal animals like giant squirrel and Nilgiri langur. The rafting is for about an hour at Periyar Lake and experience panoramic view of forest-clad hills reflected on the lake.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 17 - After breakfast drive to Alleppey, also known as Alappuzha, the town is a principal center for backwater cruises in Kerala. Board our houseboats and begin our cruise along the backwaters of Kerala; one of the highlights of the trip. These charming boats are decorated and made into comfortable cruise vessels. We wander along the waterways edged by lush tropical vegetation, catching glimpses of dazzling tropical birds and watching peaceful villages. Our overnight stay is on the boats in the middle of the famous Vembanad Lake.
Overnight - Hotel
Day 18 - After a relaxing breakfast on the houseboats disembark and drive to Kovalam, where a rocky promontory on the beach has created a beautiful bay of calm water ideal for sea bathing. Afternoon is free to explore the town or relax on the beach. Overnight Hotel
Overnight - Hotel
Day 19 - It is a free day today. However, there is an opportunity for an Optional day’s sightseeing tour to Kanyakumari, the extreme southern tip of India where the Indian Ocean meets the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Overnight Hotel
Overnight - Hotel
Day 20 - Today check out from the hotel and transfer to the international airport of Trivandrum for onward journey to respective destinations.
Tour Ends
Essential Information
Base Price Includes
- Accommodation in 4* star or similar hotels on double/ twin sharing basis as per the itinerary.
- Daily buffet breakfasts included at hotels.
- All transfers and sightseeing by a Private vehicle as indicated in the itinerary.
- Services of a local sightseeing guide during sightseeing guides at cities as per the itinerary.
- Representative for assistance on Arrival /Departure.
- 24/7 assistance by our support team.
Base Price Does Not Include
- International / Domestic air fare.
- Any meal other than Breakfast unless specified.
- Any service or activity charges other than those included in the inclusions.
- Supplement Cost for festival period, long weekend or peak season.
- Entrance fee at monuments and National Parks.
- Unforeseen expenses that demand changes in the itinerary like natural calamities, changes in weather, road blockages, flight/train cancellations and any medical emergency or evacuations.
- Travel insurance and Visa
- Expenses of a personal nature- Staff Tips, Laundry, phone calls, soft or alcoholic drinks, excess baggage charges, camera and Video fee or any other expanses which are not mentioned in above inclusion list.
- All government taxes as applicable.
More Information
The tour begins by exploring the beautiful old port city of Kochi and finishes with relaxing days on the golden beaches of Kovalam. In between we travel to the hill station of Ootacamund famous for its beauty and Botanical gardens, before continuing east into Karnataka to see the palaces of Mysore. Stopping at the temples of Belur and Halebid en route to Bangalore, we take the train southward to Chennai. After a day’s sightseeing in India’s fourth-largest city our next destination is Mahabalipuram that has some magnificent monolithic beach temples. We also visit the old French enclave of Pondicherry and the arts centre of Thanjavur before arriving in Madurai, famous for its large and alluring temple-complexes with exquisite carvings. We then travel back into the hills, and Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary that delights us with its abundant bird and wildlife. Fascinating equally are the spice of Thekkady. The final phase of the tour covers a memorable houseboat cruise on the backwaters of Kerala around Alleppey before we finish at Kovalam that beckons with its sandy golden beaches.
