Arrival

Upon arrival in Chennai (formerly Madras) and after clearing immigration and customs, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Following breakfast, tour Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and Britain’s oldest settlement in the days of the Raj. Visit the Marina Beach - second longest beach in the world, it’s an elegant promenade and then Fort St. George where Robert Clive started the expansion of British Rule.  Afterwards drive to Mahabalipuram and check in to your hotel for a 2-night stay.  In the afternoon, visit Mahabalipuram, an ancient coastal port south of Madras famous for the Five Radhas. These monolithic monuments of animal figures are carved out of solid rock. Also visit the cave temple and see wonderful frescoes.  The evening is at leisure.

Leaving Mahabalipuram after breakfast, travel south to Pondicherry, once a French colony.  En route, visit Kanchipuram, known as the Golden City of a Thousand Temples.  This is one of India’s sacred sites and you’ll see many early styles of temple architecture. On arrival in Pondicherry, take a tour of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Ecole Francaise d’ Extreme Orient and The French Institute.

Drive south this morning to Tanjore, en-route visiting Chidambaram. This city was a part of the Chola dynasty and is today, an important pilgrim centre and known for its Nataraja Temple.  Arrive in Tanjore (also known as Thanjavur) and after checking in to your hotel for an overnight stay.  This afternoon’s tour in Tanjore includes a giant statue to Nandi, and a 10th Century Cholas temple.  This city is noted for not only the famous Chola Bronzes of old but also for its pottery, silk, jewelery, beaten copper and silver statuettes.

Today enjoy a leisurely 4-hour drive travelling southwest through Tamil Nadu to Madurai.  En route visit Trichy a sacred Hindu city situated on the banks of river Cauvery. Famous for its beautifully sculpted Ranganatha temple at Srirangam, you will also visit the Rock Fort and Museum and Art galleries.  Upon arrival in Madurai, check into your hotel for a 2-night stay.

Today, tour Madurai, one of the oldest cities of southern India and a center of pilgrimage for centuries. See the Meenakshi temple, an excellent example of Dravidian architecture, with its multi-pillared halls, covered in a profusion of multi-colored images of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures. Then walk among the pilgrims in their traditional clothes and holy men in their different colored robes soaking in the ambiance to this fascinating Temple City. The balance of the day is at leisure until this evening when you will witness an Aarti ceremony at the Shree Meenakshi Temple.

Today’s drive takes you up in to the cool, misty Cardamom Hills to stay at Periyara, a magnificently scenic region 4,000 feet above sea level with forests, valleys, roaring streams and pristine jungles. In the afternoon visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of India’s first Project Tiger Reserves.  Your wildlife viewing takes place by boat on Lake Periyar, where you often see elephants feeding and bathing.  Look for sambar deer and giant wild oxen browsing in the marshes.  If you are lucky, you will get a rare sighting of tiger.  Spend the night in splendid isolation at your comfortable jungle cottage. 

Spend the day travelling, coming down out of the Western Ghats into the State of Kerala.  Arrive in Cochin on the Indian Ocean coast for a 2-night stay.  This evening a special treat awaits you as you witness the strength and vigor of Kathakali dance drama.  This enactment of episodes from great Indian epics is full of extremely stylized gestures, and the all-male dancers wear elaborate make-up, masks and the splendid costumes to recreate an incomparable pageantry.

Spend the day touring Cochin (also called Kochi).  With its magnificent setting on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, Cochin is a city with indelible marks of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Jewish traditions. The Fort Cochin area reflects an unusual blend of medieval Portuguese, Dutch and English country life grafted on to the tropical Malabar Coast. The 16th century Mattancherry Palace, or Dutch Palace, is a fascinating fort with elegant buildings. Unique to Cochin is its Jewish community, whose origins date back to AD 52.  Self-contained and with their own Synagogue, the area is one of the main centers of the spice trade. Scores of small firms huddle together in old dilapidated buildings and the air is filled with the aroma of ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and cloves.

The morning is free to relax or explore more of Cochin on your own. Later, drive to Alleppey, and board a Houseboat for the unique experience of travelling through the narrow canals and channels of the backwaters of Kerala. These bamboo and coconut fiber houseboats have all the comforts of home.  At night dine on delicious fish and prawns by traditional lantern light. Cruise past remote tribal villages along the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, past coir (Jute) making communities and rice paddies.

Disembark this morning at Kumarakom where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.  The balance of the day is at leisure. Kumarakom is a small beautiful village with so much to see.  Why not take an optional trip to Kerala’s famous backwaters, or enjoy a visit to the bird sanctuary (additional cost).

After a morning’s drive, arrive in the coastal town of Kovalam for a 2-night stay.  The balance of the day is free for beach activities (own expense).

A full day free for beach activities (own expense).

This morning you will be transferred from Kovalam to the airport in Trivandrum.

Arrival

Upon arrival in Chennai (formerly Madras) and after clearing immigration and customs, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Following breakfast, tour Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and Britain’s oldest settlement in the days of the Raj. Visit the Marina Beach - second longest beach in the world, it’s an elegant promenade and then Fort St. George where Robert Clive started the expansion of British Rule.  Afterwards drive to Mahabalipuram and check in to your hotel for a 2-night stay.  In the afternoon, visit Mahabalipuram, an ancient coastal port south of Madras famous for the Five Radhas. These monolithic monuments of animal figures are carved out of solid rock. Also visit the cave temple and see wonderful frescoes.  The evening is at leisure.

Leaving Mahabalipuram after breakfast, travel south to Pondicherry, once a French colony.  En route, visit Kanchipuram, known as the Golden City of a Thousand Temples.  This is one of India’s sacred sites and you’ll see many early styles of temple architecture. On arrival in Pondicherry, take a tour of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Ecole Francaise d’ Extreme Orient and The French Institute.

Drive south this morning to Tanjore, en-route visiting Chidambaram. This city was a part of the Chola dynasty and is today, an important pilgrim centre and known for its Nataraja Temple.  Arrive in Tanjore (also known as Thanjavur) and after checking in to your hotel for an overnight stay.  This afternoon’s tour in Tanjore includes a giant statue to Nandi, and a 10th Century Cholas temple.  This city is noted for not only the famous Chola Bronzes of old but also for its pottery, silk, jewelery, beaten copper and silver statuettes.

Today enjoy a leisurely 4-hour drive travelling southwest through Tamil Nadu to Madurai.  En route visit Trichy a sacred Hindu city situated on the banks of river Cauvery. Famous for its beautifully sculpted Ranganatha temple at Srirangam, you will also visit the Rock Fort and Museum and Art galleries.  Upon arrival in Madurai, check into your hotel for a 2-night stay.

Today, tour Madurai, one of the oldest cities of southern India and a center of pilgrimage for centuries. See the Meenakshi temple, an excellent example of Dravidian architecture, with its multi-pillared halls, covered in a profusion of multi-colored images of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures. Then walk among the pilgrims in their traditional clothes and holy men in their different colored robes soaking in the ambiance to this fascinating Temple City. The balance of the day is at leisure until this evening when you will witness an Aarti ceremony at the Shree Meenakshi Temple.

Today’s drive takes you up in to the cool, misty Cardamom Hills to stay at Periyara, a magnificently scenic region 4,000 feet above sea level with forests, valleys, roaring streams and pristine jungles. In the afternoon visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of India’s first Project Tiger Reserves.  Your wildlife viewing takes place by boat on Lake Periyar, where you often see elephants feeding and bathing.  Look for sambar deer and giant wild oxen browsing in the marshes.  If you are lucky, you will get a rare sighting of tiger.  Spend the night in splendid isolation at your comfortable jungle cottage. 

Spend the day travelling, coming down out of the Western Ghats into the State of Kerala.  Arrive in Cochin on the Indian Ocean coast for a 2-night stay.  This evening a special treat awaits you as you witness the strength and vigor of Kathakali dance drama.  This enactment of episodes from great Indian epics is full of extremely stylized gestures, and the all-male dancers wear elaborate make-up, masks and the splendid costumes to recreate an incomparable pageantry.

Spend the day touring Cochin (also called Kochi).  With its magnificent setting on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, Cochin is a city with indelible marks of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Jewish traditions. The Fort Cochin area reflects an unusual blend of medieval Portuguese, Dutch and English country life grafted on to the tropical Malabar Coast. The 16th century Mattancherry Palace, or Dutch Palace, is a fascinating fort with elegant buildings. Unique to Cochin is its Jewish community, whose origins date back to AD 52.  Self-contained and with their own Synagogue, the area is one of the main centers of the spice trade. Scores of small firms huddle together in old dilapidated buildings and the air is filled with the aroma of ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and cloves.

The morning is free to relax or explore more of Cochin on your own. Later, drive to Alleppey, and board a Houseboat for the unique experience of travelling through the narrow canals and channels of the backwaters of Kerala. These bamboo and coconut fiber houseboats have all the comforts of home.  At night dine on delicious fish and prawns by traditional lantern light. Cruise past remote tribal villages along the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, past coir (Jute) making communities and rice paddies.

Disembark this morning at Kumarakom where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.  The balance of the day is at leisure. Kumarakom is a small beautiful village with so much to see.  Why not take an optional trip to Kerala’s famous backwaters, or enjoy a visit to the bird sanctuary (additional cost).

After a morning’s drive, arrive in the coastal town of Kovalam for a 2-night stay.  The balance of the day is free for beach activities (own expense).

A full day free for beach activities (own expense).

This morning you will be transferred from Kovalam to the airport in Trivandrum.

Arrival

Upon arrival in Chennai (formerly Madras) and after clearing immigration and customs, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Following breakfast, tour Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and Britain’s oldest settlement in the days of the Raj. Visit the Marina Beach - second longest beach in the world, it’s an elegant promenade and then Fort St. George where Robert Clive started the expansion of British Rule.  Afterwards drive to Mahabalipuram and check in to your hotel for a 2-night stay.  In the afternoon, visit Mahabalipuram, an ancient coastal port south of Madras famous for the Five Radhas. These monolithic monuments of animal figures are carved out of solid rock. Also visit the cave temple and see wonderful frescoes.  The evening is at leisure.

Leaving Mahabalipuram after breakfast, travel south to Pondicherry, once a French colony.  En route, visit Kanchipuram, known as the Golden City of a Thousand Temples.  This is one of India’s sacred sites and you’ll see many early styles of temple architecture. On arrival in Pondicherry, take a tour of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Ecole Francaise d’ Extreme Orient and The French Institute.

Drive south this morning to Tanjore, en-route visiting Chidambaram. This city was a part of the Chola dynasty and is today, an important pilgrim centre and known for its Nataraja Temple.  Arrive in Tanjore (also known as Thanjavur) and after checking in to your hotel for an overnight stay.  This afternoon’s tour in Tanjore includes a giant statue to Nandi, and a 10th Century Cholas temple.  This city is noted for not only the famous Chola Bronzes of old but also for its pottery, silk, jewelery, beaten copper and silver statuettes.

Today enjoy a leisurely 4-hour drive travelling southwest through Tamil Nadu to Madurai.  En route visit Trichy a sacred Hindu city situated on the banks of river Cauvery. Famous for its beautifully sculpted Ranganatha temple at Srirangam, you will also visit the Rock Fort and Museum and Art galleries.  Upon arrival in Madurai, check into your hotel for a 2-night stay.

Today, tour Madurai, one of the oldest cities of southern India and a center of pilgrimage for centuries. See the Meenakshi temple, an excellent example of Dravidian architecture, with its multi-pillared halls, covered in a profusion of multi-colored images of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical figures. Then walk among the pilgrims in their traditional clothes and holy men in their different colored robes soaking in the ambiance to this fascinating Temple City. The balance of the day is at leisure until this evening when you will witness an Aarti ceremony at the Shree Meenakshi Temple.

Today’s drive takes you up in to the cool, misty Cardamom Hills to stay at Periyara, a magnificently scenic region 4,000 feet above sea level with forests, valleys, roaring streams and pristine jungles. In the afternoon visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of India’s first Project Tiger Reserves.  Your wildlife viewing takes place by boat on Lake Periyar, where you often see elephants feeding and bathing.  Look for sambar deer and giant wild oxen browsing in the marshes.  If you are lucky, you will get a rare sighting of tiger.  Spend the night in splendid isolation at your comfortable jungle cottage. 

Spend the day travelling, coming down out of the Western Ghats into the State of Kerala.  Arrive in Cochin on the Indian Ocean coast for a 2-night stay.  This evening a special treat awaits you as you witness the strength and vigor of Kathakali dance drama.  This enactment of episodes from great Indian epics is full of extremely stylized gestures, and the all-male dancers wear elaborate make-up, masks and the splendid costumes to recreate an incomparable pageantry.

Spend the day touring Cochin (also called Kochi).  With its magnificent setting on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, Cochin is a city with indelible marks of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Jewish traditions. The Fort Cochin area reflects an unusual blend of medieval Portuguese, Dutch and English country life grafted on to the tropical Malabar Coast. The 16th century Mattancherry Palace, or Dutch Palace, is a fascinating fort with elegant buildings. Unique to Cochin is its Jewish community, whose origins date back to AD 52.  Self-contained and with their own Synagogue, the area is one of the main centers of the spice trade. Scores of small firms huddle together in old dilapidated buildings and the air is filled with the aroma of ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and cloves.

The morning is free to relax or explore more of Cochin on your own. Later, drive to Alleppey, and board a Houseboat for the unique experience of travelling through the narrow canals and channels of the backwaters of Kerala. These bamboo and coconut fiber houseboats have all the comforts of home.  At night dine on delicious fish and prawns by traditional lantern light. Cruise past remote tribal villages along the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, past coir (Jute) making communities and rice paddies.

Disembark this morning at Kumarakom where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.  The balance of the day is at leisure. Kumarakom is a small beautiful village with so much to see.  Why not take an optional trip to Kerala’s famous backwaters, or enjoy a visit to the bird sanctuary (additional cost).

After a morning’s drive, arrive in the coastal town of Kovalam for a 2-night stay.  The balance of the day is free for beach activities (own expense).

A full day free for beach activities (own expense).

This morning you will be transferred from Kovalam to the airport in Trivandrum.