Home » South India Tour » South Inda Tour

The south of India is exceptionally rich with its own distinct culture, architecture and art, which may take ages to be fully understood. The tour is an attempt to introduce these distinct aspects in a way that they never seem enough. The attempt has also been to involve the visitor in these aspects to appreciate them deeply without ever going overboard. The natural diversity of the region has also been fully involved. The pristine tropical islands of Andamans add a different flavor to this tour. Overall, a different India within India.

Day 01 : Thiruvananthapuram
Pick up and transfer to a beach resort at Somatheeram. Day at leisure.

Day 02 : Somatheeram
Day long sightseeing tour.

Option I : Trip to Padmanabhapuram Palace
Option II : Trivandrum city sightseeing tour.

Day 03 : Somatheeram
Day free to relax at the wonderful tropical beach, set out for fishing with local fishermen on traditional kattamaran or rejuvenate yourself with the much acclaimed Ayurveda treatment.

Day 04: Alleppey
Drive through the green coastal belt and cashew plantations and reach Alleppey- the central hub of backwater network. Stay in a traditional Kerala house opening right over the Vembanad Lake and surrounded by banana plantations. Day free to relax with the option of a herbal oil massage. Also relish the wonderful Kerala cuisine in ethnic way.

Day 05 : Alleppey
Day will be used to closely watch backwaters lifestyle. Visit coir-making factory, a temple and bathe the elephants at elephant rearing center.

Day 06 : Kumarakom
Sail through the backwater canals and reach Kumarakom- an island with a beautiful bird-sanctuary and extremely serene atmosphere. Stay at Coconut Lagoons- a wonderful resort providing restored tharawads as idyllic rooms.

Day 07 : Kumarakom
Day free to relax and explore around.

Day 08 : Periyar
Drive through rubber plantations over forested mountains and finally reach Periyar National Park - One of the best jungles in India to see wild elephants. Day free to explore on own.

Day 09 : Periyar
Visit the National Park on boat over Periyar lake where several wild animals come congregate at different times.

Day 10 : Madurai
Drive out of Kerala hills and reach Tamilnadu plains- the Dravidian heartland. Visit the Thirumal Nayaka Palace and the Dravidian masterpiece Meenakshi Sundereshwar temple which makes the city of Madurai so famous and pulsate with festivities.

Day 11 : Thanjavur
Driving down to fertile rice growing plains of Cauvery reach Tiruchirapally. Nearby visit the enormous Srirangam temple and then continue to the Chola citadel of Tanjore. Visit the World heritage Brihadishvara temple- simply unparalleled!

Day 12 : Pondicherry
Reach the erstwhile French colony Pondicherry of beautiful boulevards, gothic structures and quiet beaches. Day free to relax and unwind.

Day 13 : Pondicherry
Morning head out for boat trips to see dolphins. During the day visit Auroville (city of dawn) - the famous center for spiritual learning and meditation named after Guru Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.

Day 14 : Mahabalipuram
Driving through fertile Coromondal coastline, reach Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram (Mammalapuram) is famous for it's shore temples and other monuments which are in a form of epic recreated on stone.

Day 15 : Chennai
Morning walk over the seashore and explore the temples on own. Later drive towards Chennai and enroute visit Dakshinchitra- an art and craft heritage center. Day free to move around in Chennai for the enormous shopping opportunity it offers. Also visit one of the many famous auditoriums for live performance of Indian classical dances.

Day 16 : Chennai
Sightseeing trip of the city. Also visit Kalakshetra, the world famous cultural center founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale and Theosophical society with its huge Banyan tree (Theosophical society of India was founded by Dr.Annie Besant).

Day 17 : Chennai
Assisted in check out for onward journey. Tour ends.