South India Tours – Highlights of South India

Welcome at Chennai airport followed by transfer to your hotel. Explore Chennai in the afternoon which will include the strategically important Fort St George, the first fortress built by the British in India (by the East India Company in 1639) and the focus of the city’s original foundings. The Church of St Mary’s, the oldest Anglican Church in India, and St Thomas’s Basilica provide an insight into the city’s rich religious history, whilst a tour of the Kaplleswara Temple, notable for its 37 metre high Gopuram, serves to highlight the ancient Dravidian style of architecture in the city.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Full day excursion to Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram. Also visit Kalakshetra, a cultural institute started in 1936 for the preservation of traditional values in Indian art, especially dance and music.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Today take the morning train to Mysore thecultural capital of Karnataka under the Wodeyar Kings.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, visit the Maharaja’s palace and then drive on to see other sites outside the city.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Drive to Coorg in the morning, stopping at a Tibetian settlement en route.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day free at leisure to explore the tranquil beauty of the tea gardens that abound in this region.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Drive to Nagarhole in the morning. Upon arrival check in to the hotel. Day free at leisure.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Spend the day trying to spot the elusive tiger, leopard, wild dog, elephants, gaur, as well as a variety of monkeys, deer and antelope. The park is also an excellent place for birdwatchers.

Drive to through picturesque jungles and countryside to Calicut (also known as Kozhikode), a busy coastal city to the north of Kerala.

Overnight stay at Calicut.

This is a long drive with two halts- one at an elephant orphanage and the temple at Gooruvayur enroute. Relax in the evening.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

An ancient trading port, Cochin is a curious blend of medieval Portugal, mercantile Holland, and an English country village, set on the exotic Malabar coast. Visit the the opulent Mattancherry Palace, a gift from the Portuguese to the Raja of Cochin. Conclude your visit with the church of St Francis and the tomb of Vasco Da Gama.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Take a cruise down emerald backwaters that meander through palm-lined villages where these waterways are still the primary linkage.

Overnight stay at houseboat.

Set sail for the middle of the lake at sunrise. Spend the day enjoying the luxury of the cruise boat in the most beautiful natural surroundings.

Overnight stay at houseboat.

Drive to Thiruvananthapuram. Today proceed for sightseeing tour of the capital city of Kerala, earlier known as Trivandrum.

Overnight stay at the Hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.