Overview
Package Details
| Tour Highlights:- | |
| Chennai |
Fort St. George, San Thome Cathedral |
| Mahabalipuram |
Ekambareshwar Temple, Kailashnath Temple, Kamakshi Temple, the Vaikunthaperumal Temple |
|
Pondicherry |
7th-century Shore Temple, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Auroville, Eglise De Sacre Coeur De Jesus |
|
Tanjore |
Chidambaram, Akasha Lingam, Brahadeeswarar Temple, |
|
Madurai |
Rock Fort Temple, Meenakshi Temple, Tirumala Nayak |
|
Periyar |
Cardamom Hills |
|
Kumarakom |
Vembanad Lake, Tea Plantations |
|
Alleppey |
Houseboat |
|
Cochin |
Natural Harbour, Dutch Palace, The Jewish Synagogue, The Church of St. Francis, Chinese Fishing Nets |
Package Itinerary
Day 01 - Arrival at Chennai
Meet on arrival at Chennai airport and transfer to hotel. After checking in, rest before heading out for sightseeing. Visit the Fort St. George - most of its buildings have been converted into government offices, notably the Legislature and Secretariat. Visit the San Thome Cathedral, a Gothic-style Catholic church said to house the remains of St. Thomas, the 'Apostle of India', who died at nearby St Thomas Mount in 72 A.D.
Overnight Hotel - Chennai
Day 02 - Chennai to Mahabalipuram via Kanchipuram
[Chennai to Kanchipuram (131kms-3hrs30mins) Kanchipuram to Mahabalipuram (67kms-1hr 40mins)]
After breakfast checkout of your hotel. Drive to Mahabalipuram enroute visit Kanchipuram - known as the Golden City of a Thousand Temples, it is one of the oldest towns in India which is famous for both its temples, many of them remarkably well preserved and for its hand-woven silks. Kanchipuram is one of the seven sacred cities of India and it is the only one associated with both Shiva and Vishnu. Visit Ekambareshwar Temple, Kailashnath Temple, Kamakshi Temple, the Vaikunthaperumal Temple, all built in the 7th and 8th centuries. Later drive to Mahabalipuram. On arrival check into hotel.
Overnight Hotel - Mahabalipuram
Day 03 - Mahabalipuram
After breakfast, proceed for sightseeing tour of Mahabalipuram - it is famous for its unique 7th-century Shore Temple, lovely beach and some of the most beautiful rock-cut temples in the world. Situated on the shore of the Bay of Bengal, Mahabalipuram was already a famous seaport in the 1st century AD. This town was a workshop for temple building. Visit the seven pagoda-style shore temples, lashed by the waves of the sea and the seven rathas or temple chariots, a group of monolithic monuments & animal figures carved out of solid rock, the earliest known examples of Dravidian architecture. Enjoy your afternoon at leisure.
Overnight Hotel - Mahabalipuram
Day 04 - Mahabalipuram to Pondicherry (99kms - 1hr 50mins)
After breakfast, checkout and drive to Pondicherry - this charming and well-restored former French colony displays a Mediterranean aura, with its beautiful streets and whitewashed houses. On arrival check into the hotel. Later proceed to visit the famous Sri Aurobindo Ashram whose founder Sri Aurobindo emerged as a new type of thinker, one who combined in his vision - alacrity of the west with illumination of the east. Visit Auroville - designed by a French architect Roger Arger, it is a universal city-in-the-making whose purpose is human unity in the broadest sense of the word. There on visit the Eglise De Sacre Coeur De Jesus dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this church is noted for its gothic architecture and stained glass panels which depict the entire life of Jesus Christ.
Overnight Hotel - Pondicherry
Day 05 - Pondicherry to Tanjore via Chidambaram (166kms - 3hrs50mins)
After breakfast, checkout and drive to Tanjore. Enroute visit Chidambaram which has a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the enthralling form of the Cosmic Dancer Nataraja. It is one of the few, which allows non-Hindus to visit the inner shrine. The peculiarity of the temple is its presiding deity - the Akasha Lingam. The four tall entrance ways have carvings of the famous South Indian dance, Bharatanatyam. Later drive to Tanjore, on arrival check into hotel.
Overnight Hotel - Tanjore
Day 06 - Tanjore
After breakfast visit the Brahadeeswarar Temple which is an outstanding example of the Chola architecture. Guarding the inner shrine of the temple is the gigantic statue of Nandi, the Bull. The courtyard walls of the sanctum are covered with wall paintings from the Chola and Nayak periods, comparable to the famous Ajanta cave frescoes. Afternoon at leisure.
Overnight Hotel - Tanjore
Day 07 - Tanjore to Madurai via Trichy (189kms - 3hrs)
After breakfast, checkout and drive to Trichy - visit the 'Rock Fort Temple' which rises abruptly to a height of 273 ft. A steep staircase cut into the rock leads to the Fort. At the first level are the remnants of a huge hall blasted into ruins in 1772. The next storey is the Mathrubhuteshwarer Shrine dedicated to Shiva. Finally at the top of the hill, the 'Uchhi Pillayar Koil' - a Ganesh temple offering a commanding view of the city. Later drive to Madurai. On arrival check into hotel.
Overnight Hotel - Madurai
Day 08 - Madurai
After breakfast proceed to visit the Meenakshi Temple, one of the biggest temple complexes in India dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi. The high point of the Meenakshi temple is Hall of a "Thousand Pillars", built in the 16th Century which is as great a work of structural engineering as it is of art. Also visit the palace of Tirumala Nayak which is an example of the architectural mastery of the Nayaks - a blend of Hindu and Saracen architecture. Evening visit of the Meenakshi temple to attend the night ceremony at the temple at 9 P.M. This is a ceremony that takes place every evening when the temple bronze of Lord Shiva is carried to the bedchamber of Parvati. The procession is accompanied by religious prayer and temple music.
Overnight Hotel - Madurai
Day 09 - Madurai - Periyar (147kms - 3hrs 20mins)
After breakfast, checkout and drive to Periyar - sprawling across the Cardamom hills of the Western Ghats, Thekkady is the home to one of the largest wildlife reserves in India. Alive with exotic flora and vibrant wildlife, it is the perfect getaway tucked away among hills. On arrival check into hotel. Afternoon enjoy a boat ride on the Lake of Periyar wildlife sanctuary to see wild life. Periyar an artificial lake or reservoir created by a dam on Periyar River is the heart of the Wildlife Sanctuary where wild elephants, Asiatic Deer, Black Buck and even Tigers come to the banks of lake to drink water.
Overnight Hotel - Periyar
Day 10 - Periyar – Kumarakom (113kms - 3hrs 15mins)
After breakfast, checkout and drive to Kumarakom via the winding "Ghats" lined with prosperous tea plantations & then arrive at fascinating countryside of low-lying palms and paddy fields. Kumarakom is a beautiful backwater village on the shores of the enchanting Vembanad Lake, crisscrossed with meandering waterways and ancient cottages.
Overnight Hotel - Kumarakom
Day 11 - Kumarakom & Alleppey
After breakfast checkout and board your House Boat, it takes you around the backwaters of the Kumarakom & Alleppey.
Overnight at Kumarakom or Alleppey
Day 12 - Kumarakom - Cochin (48kms - 1hr 20mins)
After breakfast, checkout and drive to Cochin – the Commercial capital and the most cosmopolitan city of Kerala. Kochi, in Ernakulam is also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, on arrival check into a hotel. Enjoy your evening at eisure.
Overnight Hotel - Cochin
Day 13 - Cochin
After breakfast, proceed for sightseeing - the palm green, commercial capital of Kerala which has one of the world’s finest natural harbour and is known as the "Queen of the Arabian Sea". From time immemorial, Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British & Portuguese seafarers followed the sea route to Kochi & left their impression on the town. Modern Kochi is thus a splendid mosaic of these myriad influences. Visit the Dutch Palace, the Jewish Synagogue, the Church of St. Francis & the Chinese fishing nets. Afternoon witness the Kathakali dance performance - Kathakali is a unique dance which has a 2000 year old history with more than 100 different 'mudras' or gesture depicting deities, demons, heroes, heroines and kings.
Overnight Hotel - Cochin
Day 14 - Cochin
After breakfast, checkout and transfer to Cochin airport to catch your flight back home.
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