TOUR ROUTE:

Chennai – Pondicherry – Tanjore – Trichy – Madurai - Bangalore – Hassan – Mysore – Mamallapuram - Chennai

Accommodations: 

Following is the choice of hotels available in two categories. Please note that in some places deluxe category hotel is not available, and so same hotels are used for both categories. If you need any other hotels besides the listed, please let us know. If you are on budget, this tour can be done using budget hotels - combination of simple guest houses and 2 star hotels. We are also able to just organize the trip with your own hotel arrangement, providing only guide, transport etc.
PLACE               NIGHTS                   HOTELS (Dlx)            HOTELS (Std)    
Chennai                 1 night                  Taj Connemara                Residency Tower
Pondicherry          1 night                   Le Duplex                       Richmond
Tanjore                 1 night                   Sangam                            Ideal river view
Trichy                  1 night                   Sangam                            Breeze residency
Madurai                2 nights                 Taj Gateway                   GRT Regency
Bangalore              1 night                  Monarch Luxur                Ramanshree Brunton
Hassan                  1 night                  Hoysala Village                Southern Star
Mysore                 2 nights                Regaalis                             Sandesh the prince                    
Mamallapuram     3 nights                 GRT Temple Bay            Ideal Beach Resort

 

 

Itinerary in Details

Day 1: Arrive in Chennai (Madras) (B)

Upon arrival at Chennai airport, you are met by our tour executive and transferred to a hotel. In the afternoon, visit Government museum, St.Thomas Church, Kapaleshwar Temple, Fort St. George and the Museum. At the end visit the Chennai boat Marina beach.
Overnight at hotel in Chennai.

Day 2: Chennai to Pondicherry (B)

Checkout from your hotel after breakfast and drive to Pondicherry - a former French colony. The wide boardwalk and grand colonial villas spread today ensures the French flair. Here located is the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo, where an age old spiritually inclined traditional India and western truth searchers meet. Enroute visit Auroville – the International village.
Overnight at hotel in Pondicherry.

Day 3: Mamllapuram to Tanjore Via. Kumbakonam (B)

After breakfast drive to Tanjore – the Chola citadel. Tanjore is also known as “The Rice Bowl” of South India. Rice from Tanjore is exported to many parts of India and overseas. En-route to Tanjore we will visit temples of Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram at Kumbakonam. Upon arrival in Tanjore (Thanjavur), check into your hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Tanjore.

 

Day 4: Tanjore to Trichy (B)

Depart from hotel after breakfast and visit World Heritage Brihadeshwara temple and the Royal Palace Museum. A short drive of 10 minute to an outskirt of Tanjore will take us to a small village, where you get to see people working on glass paintings and bronze statues. Drive for about 1.5 hrs to reach Trichy, a town situated on the banks of river Cauvery. Once in Trichy check into a hotel and later visit the famous Sriranganathaswami temple at “Srirangam” and Sri Jambukeshwara Temple at Thivanaikoil. Visit the Rock Fort temple in the evening. A view of the entire city and the shrine of Sirengam from the top of rockfort is absolutely stunning and breathtaking.
Overnight at a hotel in Trichy.

 

Day 5: Trichy to Madurai (B)

Checkout from hotel after breakfast and drive 3 hours to Madurai, one of the oldest cities in India, set on the River Vaigai and home of Shree Meenakshi temple. Enroute you will make many stops to meet and talk with local farmers, public village school (starter school for little children), brick chambers and sugar cane farms, where they make Jaggery. Check into a hotel in Madurai. In the evening, visit Meenakshy temple to see the evening ritual, where Hindu God Siva is taken to his wife Meenakshi.
Overnight at hotel in Madurai.

 

Day 6: In Madurai / Sightseeing (B)

After breakfast, visit the famous Meenakshi temple, a breathtakingly baroque with its profusion of gods, goddesses, rearing horses and mythical figures. Later visit Tirumalai Nayak Palace. We take a small “Cycle Rickshaw” ride through a labyrinthine market full of produce, flowers, incense and aromatic herbs. Onward visit Gandhi Museum and Tiruparan Kundram – one of the 6 abodes of lord Subramanya (second son of God Shiva). Madurai is also a great place to look for bronze statues, carpets or other souvenirs.
Overnight at a hotel in Madurai.

 

Day 7: Madurai to Bangalore / by flight (B)

Check out from hotel according to your connecting domestic flight schedule to Bangalore. Upon arrival, transfer from Bangalore airport to a hotel. Visit Bull Temple - a typical example of the Dravidian-style temple with a huge monolithic bull (Nandi) 4.5m tall and 6m long. Onward visit Tipu Sultans Palace, which is a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture that also offer a glimpse into the Mughal lifestyle of the day. Visit “Lalbagh Gardens,” “Vidhanasoudha” - a massive neo-Dravidian architecture presently functioning as the state legislative assembly.
Overnight at hotel in Bangalore.

 

Day 8: Bangalore to Hassan (B)

After breakfast check out from the hotel and drive to the Hoysala village of Hassan. Upon arrival check into a hotel and later in the afternoon visit Belur and Halebid. The 12th century temples of Belur and Halebid are one of the most beautiful sculptures in comparison to any other temples in south India. Typically these temples are squat and star shaped. Its outstanding sculptures present on walls and pillars tell stories from the old Hindu epics. It also describes the story of the rulers of Karnataka and their interest in dance and music.
Overnight at hotel in Hassan.

 

Day 9: Hassan to Mysore (B)

Checkout from hotel after breakfast and drive to Mysore – the palace city of South India. En-route visit Saravanabelagola - the famous Jain pilgrim center, which is one of the oldest centers in India. The colossal statue of Gomateswara with a height of 57 feet is situated on the summit of Indragiri hill. It is one of the two giant sculptures in the world, second to Collosus Ramses II in Egypt. Onward proceed through the lovely countryside of Karnataka to Mysore. At Mysore, check into a hotel and visit the Famous Mysore Palace built in 1912 in the indo Saracenic style. This palace displays a grandeur that is unmatched. Visit the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, which is housed in the Jaganmohan palace. It has a collection of exquisite paintings dating back to 1875. In the evening visit the Chamumdi Hill Temple, which is at 1062meters above sea level. The 2000 year old temple is dedicated to Goddess Chamundi. A seven storey, 40mts high tower, dominates the temple. A view of Mysore city from the hilltop is breathtaking.
Overnight at hotel in Mysore.

 

Day 10: In Mysore/ visit of Somnathpur & Srirenagpatnam

After breakfast we go on a day excursion to Somnathpur and Srirangapattinum. Somnathpur - a tiny village on the banks of the Kaveri. Here in this everlasting rural stillness, like a milestone to eternity, stands one of the last and the best Hoysala monuments - the Kesava Temple. Drive to Srirangapattinam - a place with ancient history is an Island fortress town on the bank of Cauvery River. Visit the Srirengapatnam fort and the summer palace of Tipu sultan. After sightseeing Srirengapatnam break for lunch at a nice resort in the same town. Visit Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary at one of the three islands in the Cauvery River. The sanctuary houses storks, ibis, egrets, darters, spoonbills, cormorants and many other birds round the year. A small boat trip in the sanctuary makes it very comfortable for a watch of these birds at its closest proximity. Later return to hotel.
Overnight at Hotel in Mysore.

 

Day 11: Mysore to Mamallapuram / by train until Chennai

Morning to visit the colorful Devaraj market in Mysore. The century old market is a landmark of Mysore and you will see tourists and locals shop alike for fruit, vegetables and Flowers. The market is colorful. Return to hotel, refresh and checkout to board a train in the afternoon to Chennai. Upon arrival in Chennai around 2100hrs, you will be transferred to a beach town of Mamallapuram.
Overnight at hotel in Mamallapuram.

 

Day 12: In Mamallapuram (B)

Tour Mamallapuram’s monolithic shrines and rock-cut temples lying scattered over a landscape heaped with boulders and rocky hillocks. Heritage walk of Mamallapuram starts with a visit to Arjuna`s Penance (with largest relief carving on earth). Visit the Five Rathas (a cluster of temples named for five Pandava brothers of Mahabarata) and the famous shore temple. Visit many other cave temples. Explore sculpture studio, where they teach and make stone sculpture. Rest of the evening is free for rest for your own activities on the beach.
Overnight at Mamallapuram

 

Day 13: In Mamallapuram (B)

After breakfast at 08:00a.m. we drive to Kanchipuram – the temple & silk city of South India. At Kanchipuram, visit Varadaraja Perumal temple (dedicated to lord Vishnu), Ekambareshwar temple (dedicated to God Shiva) and Kailasanathar temples (With beautiful sculptures and fresco painting). After a special lunch at one of the heritage homes ‘Kanchikudil’, we visit a Silk sari weaving organization managed by local families. Later return to Mamallapuram for a free evening.
Overnight at hotel in Mamallapuram.

 

Day 14: Departure transfer

Checkout from hotel according to flight timings and tour ends today with a transfer to Chennai Airport for your onward journey.