South India Vacation

Day 01 : Arrive Chennai
Arrive Chennai upon arrival you will meet our representative at the Airport then transfer to the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 02 : Chennai sightseeing
Afternoon leave for city tour of Chennai. Visit the Museum to see the Art and Bronze Gallery. Drive through the Flower and Fruit market, High court, Fort museum, Marina Beach, Kapaleeswar Temple, Cathedral, and Snake Park. Overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 03 : Chennai – Kanchipuram - Mahabalipuram
After breakfast leave for full day tour of Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram. Kanchipuram (64 kms from Chennai) is the ancient capital of the Pallavas famous as a city of 1000 Temples and still has 124 shrines. Temples of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy are of interest. Kanchipuram is also famous for its silks. The city of Mahabalipuram (58 kms / 1 hr drive from Kanchipuram) is famous for the seven pagodas. Here on the seashore is an interesting group of ancient rock hewn temples which are the examples of Dravidian style of Architecture. Overnight at hotel.

Day 04 : Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry
Morning drive to Pondicherry (135 kms / 3 hrs). Afternoon visit Shri Aurabindo Ashram. You may also visit The French War Memorial, the Aayi Mandapam, a 19th Century Lighthouse, Romain Rolland Library, the Museum are other tourist attractions in Pondicherry. The old Parisian churches would draw you attention due to their architectural beauty. Overnight at hotel.

Day 05 : Pondicherry – Thanjavur
AMorning drive to Thanjavur (170 kms / 4 hrs). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Afternoon tour of Trichy. At Tanjore, the beautiful Chola Temple of Brihadeshwara is capped by a monolithic cupola made of a single granite block weighing 80 tons which was 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

Day 06 : Thanjavur - Trichy – Madurai
Morning drive to Madurai (210 kms / 5 hrs). Enroute visit Trichy. It 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. Upon arrival transfer to hotel.

Day 07 : Madurai
Morning visit the great Meenakshi Temple dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva with its towering gopurams (rising high above the surrounding country side). 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. Overnight in the hotel.

Day 08 : Madurai – Periyar (Thekkady)
Morning drive to Periyar National Park. Free time for game viewing. Set up in 1934,it extends to 777 square kms & forms part of the high mountain ranges, the Western Ghats. Wild life can be seen while cruising on Periyar Lake in a motor boat. Amongst the animals which can be seen are elephants, wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog, langur monkeys, etc. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 09 : Periyar – Cochin
After breakfast drive to Cochin i.e. 135 kms / 04 hrs drive. Rest of the day is free for leisure. Evening witness the Kathakali Dance Show. Overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 10 : Cochin – Board train to Bangalore
Morning tour of Cochin. Cochin is the natural harbour 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. Evening board train for Bangalore. Overnight on board.

Day 11 : Cochin – Bangalore
Arrive Bangalore in the morning. Check into hotel. Later visit Aquarium, Bull Temple,

Fort & Tippu's Palace, Ulsoor Lake, Venkatappa Art Gallery, Vishveswaraya Industrial & Technological Museum, Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park and Lal Bagh. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 12 : Bangalore - 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 upto Chamundi hill to see Chamundeshwari Temple & a panoramic view of Mysore. On the way back, see the Nandi Bull. Overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 13 : Mysore – Belur – Halebid – Hassan
Morning drive to Hassan. Full day excursion to Belur and Halebid. The Chenna Kesava templeChenna 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 master pieces 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 kms is the statue of Lord Gomteshwara which is bathed with milk and honey once every 12 years. Overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 14 : 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 in the hotel.

Day 15 : 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 7th to 9th centuries. The oldest in this group is the Sanghameswara Temple. The Mallikarjuna Temple has pillars depicting 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 in the hotel.

Day 16 : Badami
Morning tour of Badami. Badami also known as Vatapi is rich with Hindu and Jain temples carved out of sand stone 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 watch tower. The Malegitti Shivalaya temple set on the summit of a hill is built of stones without mortar. Overnight at Badami.

Day 17 : Badami – Goa
Morning drive to Goa (200 kms / 5 hrs). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day is free for leisure. Overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 18 : Goa
After breakfast, proceed for a full day sightseeing tour of Goa, visiting Miramar Beach, Basilica of Bom Jesus and the city of Panjim-bustling with shops and tourists. The afternoon is at leisure to relax on the beach. Laze on the beach, go for swim, explore the shops for cashewnuts, buy holiday wear or take an optional tour visiting "Goa of the past"- a mackup village which portrays Goa what it was 100 years ago. Overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 19 : Goa – Mumbai
Morning transfer to the Airport to board the flight for Mumbai. Check into hotel. Afternoon tour of Mumbai visiting the commercial capital of India includes Kamla Nehru Park, Hanging Gardens situated on the slopes of Malabar Hill offering a panoramic view of Marine drive, Chowpatty Beach, Prince of Wales Museum, Mani Bhawan, Dhobi Ghat, Gateway of India & drive through the Crawford Market, Marine Drive & Flora Fountain. Overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 20 : Mumbai / Out
Morning excursion to Elephant Island to see Elephanta Caves. The Elephanta Caves are a  great tourist attraction located 9 km away from the Gateway of India at Mumbai. These caves house rock cut temples dating back to the 5th century CE. Later transfer to airport in time to connect onward flight.