HIGHLIGHTS:

Take a south India tour from Chennai to Goa via Madurai, Mysore, and Hampi, and experience southern India's beautiful landscapes.

 

PRICE INCLUDES:

 

• Sightseeing and local guides.

• Breakfast & room inclusive of taxes.

• Hotels 5-star category mixture of boutique and heritage hotels.

• Transportation by Aircon car.

• Evening Kathakali dance performance at Cochin

• Overnight train from Chennai to Trichy

• All the entrance fees to the monuments.

 

CULTURE ASPECTS:

Expect some culture shock. You'll be exposed to signs of poverty and access to services may be sporadic. The food will be quite different to home and English speakers harder to find. Respecting the local culture will make it easier to fit in and really experience the location.

 

DAY TO DAY ITINERARY:

 

Day 01:- Arrive Chennai (Madras).

Arrive Chennai and transfer to the hotel.

 

Day 02 :- Chennai - Trichy (Tiruchirapalli)

Full day tour of Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram (Checkout from the hotel at 1200 hrs). Kanchipuram (64 km from Chennai) is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of 1000 Temples and still has 124 shrines. The first temple dedicated to Shiva was built in the 7th and 8th centuries and has paintings on the walls. Temples of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi, and Varadarajaswamy are of interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks. The city of Mahabalipuram is famous for the seven pagodas. Here on the seashore is an interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples which are examples of the Dravidian style of Architecture. Evening transfer to rail-station for Trichy night train. Night on board.

 

Day 03:- Trichy

Morning arrive Trichy and transfer to hotel. Afternoon tour of Trichy. Trichy was the citadel of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. In the 18th century, it witnessed the Carnatic wars fought between the French and the English. Lord Robert Clive's house is still there to see and so is the Danish Church. The Rock-Fort is the landmark of Trichy. A climb of 434 steps leads to the ancient temple of Ganapati on top and a further climb to a Shiva temple. Overnight Trichy.

 

Day 04:- Trichy - Madurai

Morning drive to Madurai visiting Tanjore en-route. At Tanjore, the beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons which were taken to the top with the help of a 6 km long ramp, an old technique used by the Egyptians for building pyramids. Its bronzes and handicrafts make Tanjore one of the highlights of a visit to South India. Overnight Madurai.

 

Day 05:- Madurai

Morning visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding countryside). Later, visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace - A gracious building in the Indo Saracenic style, famous for the Stucco work on its domes & arches. Also, visit the Alagar Hills and Tirupara Kundran Rock temple. Afternoon free. Overnight Madurai.

 

Day 06 :- Madurai - Periyar (Thekkady)

Morning drive to Periyar National Park. Free time for game viewing. Set up in 1934, it extends to 777 square km & forms part of the high mountain ranges, the Western Ghats. Wildlife can be seen while cruising on Periyar Lake in a motorboat. Amongst the animals which can be seen are elephants, wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog, langur monkeys, etc. Overnight Periyar.

 

Day 07:- Periyar - Cochin (Kochi)

Drive to Cochin. Overnight Cochin.

 

Day 08:- Cochin

Morning tour of Cochin. Cochin is the natural harbor created by the famed underwater Malabar mud-banks whose quality ensures that the rougher the seas are outside the calmer the waters are within the Harbour. Vasco-de-Gama placed it on the world map. It has a Jewish synagogue, Portuguese churches, mosques & Hindu temples. Watch the Chinese Fishing Nets. Afternoon free. Overnight Cochin.

 

Day 09:- Cochin - Bangalore - Mysore

Morning transfer to airport for Bangalore flight. Arrive Bangalore and drive directly to Mysore. Step back in time! All roads in Mysore lead to the Mysore Palace. Built-in indo-Saracenic style with domes, turrets, arches, and colonnades, the palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world and is breathtakingly illuminated on Sundays and public holidays. Overnight Mysore.

 

Day 10:- Mysore

Morning visit the palace of the Maharaja built-in 1911-12. The palace is of harmonious syntheses of the Hindu and Saracenic styles of architecture with archways, domes, turrets, colonnades, and sculptures which are magnificent. Visit the Art Gallery; drive up to Chamundi hill to see Chamundeshwari Temple & a panoramic view of Mysore. On the way back, see the Nandi Bull. Afternoon free. Overnight Mysore.

 

Day 11 :- Mysore - Belur – Halebi - Hassan

Drive to Hassan. Full day excursion to Belur and Halebid. The Chenna Kesava temple of Belur built 900 years ago is an exquisite example of Hoysala art. Halebid's 12th-century Hoysaleswara. Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples are masterpieces of Hindu art. On the return, if time permits, visit Sravanbelgola. At Sravanbelgola, hewn out of a single rock and visible from a distance of 25 km is the statue of Lord Gomteshwara which is bathed with milk and honey once every 12 years. Overnight Hassan.

 

Day 12:- Hassan - Hospet

Morning drive to Hospet. Visit Hampi. The once beautiful capital city of Vijayanagar Empire - greater than Rome, had palaces, temples & sculptures, spread all over. The city was razed to the ground by the Sultanates of South in 1565. Some of the interesting ruins remaining are the Virupaksha, Vittala and Hazara Rama temples huge Ganesha and Narasimha images, the elephant stables, the Queen's Bath, carvings on the Ramachandra temple & Lotus Mahal. Overnight Hospet.

 

Day 13:- Hospet - Badami

Morning drive to Badami stopping at Aihole & Pattadakal on the way. Aihole is the cradle of stone temple architecture of the southern Dravida School. The oldest temple, Lad Khan goes back to the 5th century A.D. There are 70 temples in this group. The Durga temple is noted for its sculptures. The Meguti temple is built of 630 small stone blocks. The Ravanaphadi Cave has some beautiful carvings. Pattadakal referred to as Petrigal, reached its pinnacle of glory under the Chalukya kings from the 7th to 9th centuries. The oldest in this group is the Sanghameswara Temple. The Mallikarjuna Temple has pillars depicting the life of Krishna. Virupaksha temple has sculptures and panel scenes from the epics, the Ramayana & Mahabharata. The Papanatha Temple has impressive carvings on pillars and ceiling. Overnight Badami.

 

Day 14:- Badami

Morning tour of Badami. Badami also is known as Vatapi is rich with Hindu and Jain's temples carved out of sandstone hills. The carved temples date back to the 6th century. Of these, three are Hindu and one Jain. Sculptured out of solid rock they are adorned with carvings. The Fort, on top of a hill, encloses large granaries, treasury & a watchtower. The Malegitti Shivalaya temple set on the summit of a hill is built of stones without mortar. Overnight Badami.

 

Day 15:- Badami - Goa - Mumbai (Fly)

Morning drive to Goa.

Goa hotels are not included in the cost has seasonal rates which vary. Please choose the type/budget of hotels you need and we will quote accordingly.

 

Day xx:- Goa

In Goa. Please inform us of the number of days you wish to stay in Goa.

 

Day xx:- Goa - Mumbai

Transfer to the airport for Mumbai flight. Arrive at the Mumbai domestic airport. Transfer to the city center. Later in the evening transfer to the international airport.

 

This itinerary is correct at the time of issue and in good faith but is liable to change at any time or place for any reason.

 

Note: All national parks are closed from 1st June until 30th September.