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India, 12 Days · Classic tour
Tamil Nadu and Kerala
South India like you'd never have imagined
South India is lush, a melting pot of colour and a sensory spectacle providing the perfect mix of natural scenery full of life and kaleidoscopic temples, with natural parks, spice markets, and a potpourri of heritages. Join us on this tour of the states of Tamil Nadu (with Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Trichy, and Madurai) and Kerala (with Periyar National Park, the Backwaters of Allepey, and Kochi).
Departure date
Departures from August 2024 till March 2025
From
London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow...
Travel details
City of origin - Chennai
Departure with destination Chennai. Arrival in Chennai and transfer to hotel. Accommodation.
Chennai - Mahabalipuram
Breakfast. In the morning, we'll visit Fort St. George, St. Mary's Church, St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, and the National Art Gallery. Afterwards, we'll set off for Mahabalipuram and see the eighth-century Shore Temple, designed to capture the first rays of the day and light up the waters after dark. Also here is Arjuna's Penance, the largest bas-relief in the world, with figures of gods, demigods, men, beasts and birds, all representing creation. We'll also go to Pancha Rathas, monolithic temples that are still an architectural mystery today. Of the Rathas, five are named after the Pandavas brothers, the heroes of the Mahabharata epic. Accommodation.
Mahabalipuram - Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram
Breakfast. We'll also get to know Kanchipuram, the ancient capital of the Pallavas, dubbed the City of A Thousand Temples, and which currently has 124 pagodas. The first temple, dedicated to Shiva, was built in the seventh and eighth centuries. Other temples include Ekambareswarar, Kamakshi, Vaikunta Perumal, and Varadharaja Perumal. Accommodation.
Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry
Breakfast. Transfer to Pondicherry, with a stop in Auroville, the mandala-shaped utopian city created according to the worldview of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Arrival in Pondicherry and transfer to hotel. Afterwards, we'll visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram and take a walk to learn about the French heritage here. Accommodation.
Pondicherry - Chidambaram - Gangaikonda Cholapuram - Darasuram - Kumbakonam
Breakfast. Departure to Kumbakonam, visiting several points en route: Chidambaram, famous for its golden temple, Natraja; Gangaikonda Cholapuram, a fascinating Shiva temple built in the eleventh century by King Rajendra I, whose special feature is that the sun's rays fall on Nandi, the bull, reflecting the light on Shiva; and Darasuram and its Shiva temple, Airavatesvara. Accommodation.
Kumbakonam - Thanjavur - Trichy
Breakfast. Tour of the Brihadeshwara Temple, also known as the Great Temple, built by Raja Raja Chola I in the eleventh-century and a shining example of Dravidian style with outstanding frescoes. We'll then enjoy a one-hour glass painting class. Arrival in Trichy and visit to the Srirangam Temple and the Rock Fort. Accommodation.
Trichy - Chettinad - Madurai
Breakfast. En route to Madurai, we'll visit Chettinad, famous for its palatial mansions. We'll also visit the Raja's Palace. Arrival in Madurai, a city over 2,500 years old and an important trading centre, also known as Kadambavanam or Kadamba Forest. We'll stop off at the Meenakshi Amman Temple, one of the largest complexes in India, built between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries by the Pandyan rulers. It's an example of Dravidian architecture, with gopurams covered from top to bottom in a profusion of multicoloured images of divinities, animals, and mythological figures. There are two shrines: one dedicated to Sundareswara, or Shiva, and another to his consort Meenakshi, or Pavarti. And finally, we'll attend a light and sound show. Accommodation.
Madurai - Periyar
Breakfast. Departure to Periyar, the most popular wildlife sanctuary in the south of the country. It's a place where we can cruise on the lake and venture into the wild, which is home to tigers, leopards, elephants, bison, antelopes, wild boars, monkeys, and a whole host of bird species. In the afternoon, we'll head to the spice plantation and Kumily Market. Accommodation.
Periyar - Alleppey
We'll leave early for Lake Periyar to set sail on a wildlife and landscape observation cruise. Return journey to the hotel for breakfast and then departure to Alleppey, about four hours away by road. Aboard a traditional houseboat known as a kettuvallam, we'll cruise across lakes, rivers, and the magnificent landscapes of Kerala's backwaters. Dinner on the houseboat and overnight stay.
Alleppey - Cochin
Breakfast on board. Disembarkation and transfer to Kochi. This cosmopolitan city is home to buildings and structures inherited from different regions of the world. It's one of the few places where we can still see a Jewish synagogue, a Portuguese church, mosques, temples, and Chinese fishing nets. Today, it's the commercial hub of Kerala. In the evening, we'll attend a show featuring traditional kathakali dances. Accommodation.
Cochin
Breakfast. Today, we'll spend the morning getting to know Kochi. We'll visit the Jewish quarter with its synagogue, built in 1568 and beautifully decorated with Chinese tiles and Belgian chandeliers, as well as giant Old Testament scrolls. We'll then head to the famous Kochi Spice Market, where the air is filled with the aroma of an array of spices. Later, we'll see how the local fishermen use Chinese fishing nets. It's believed that this way of fishing was introduced between 1350 and 1450. Onward to St. Francis Church, built in 1503 by the Portuguese Franciscan friars, restored in 1779 by the Dutch, and converted into an Anglican church by the British in 1795. The remains of Vasco da Gama were buried there in 1524, but are now in Lisbon. To end the day, we'll visit the Dutch Palace, built by the Portuguese but renovated by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. The palace boasts an excellent collection of wall paintings depicting scenes from the ancient Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. Accommodation.
Cochin - City of origin
Transfer to the airport at the prearranged time. Flight with destination the city of origin. Arrival. End of the trip and our services.
Your trip includes
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Return flight.
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Overnight stay in the listed hotels, or similar.
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Transfers according to the itinerary.
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Regular tours mentioned in the itinerary, not stated as optional.
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English-speaking local guides.
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Diet: 11 breakfasts, 1 dinner.
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Insolvency protection.
Your trip doesn't include
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Electronic Visa to enter in India.
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Any other service not previously mentioned as included.
Destinations Visited
Expected Hotels (or similar)
In this section you will find a selection of hotels according to the category specified in the itinerary.
Category A
The Pride Hotel Chennai
216, E V R Periyar Salai, Poonamallee High Road, Chennai
The Accord Metropolitan
35, Gn Chetty Road, T Nagar, Chennai
Lemon Tree Hotel Chennai
72 Sardar Patel Road, Guindy, Chennai
The Residency Towers
115 Sir Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar, Chennai
Important remarks
- Triple rooms in India are generally rooms with twin beds or a double, in which a folding bed is installed to accommodate the third person. Due to the inconvenience this causes, we advise against using this option as far the possible.
- The baggage allowance on domestic flights of most airlines in India is usually 15 kg per person, so lower than on international flights. Please take account of this when packing your bags.
- Please check with your international vaccination centre about the recommended healthcare measures in India.
- The tours include cultural stops at local workshops so you can learn about the production of traditional crafts.
- To reconfirm services at the destination, please send us your passport details within 24 hours of booking.
- The order of the itinerary may be altered for logistical reasons, without prior notice, but no scheduled trips will be cancelled (except in the case that adverse weather conditions prevent its realisation).
- A credit card is considered a guarantee, so sometimes you will need one for check-in at hotels.
- Prices are calculated based on admission fees to the sights as of the date of publication. If there is an increase in these prices, you will be promptly informed.
- If you are a person with reduced mobility, please contact us to confirm the suitability of the trip.
- Consult the necessary documentation to enter the destinations visited and for transit in the countries where air stopovers are made.