Discover the serenity and natural beauty of India with our South India Tour. This package takes you to the picturesque sites and temples of Chennai, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Thanjavur, Madurai, Periyar, Munnar and Kochi. Travel through South India, a land of exceptional cultural heritage, enchanting nature and vibrant traditions.
DAY 1: Departure point / CHENNAI
Flight to South India. All services and overnight on board.
DAY 2: CHENNAI
Morning arrival in Chennai, the Tamil capital. A personalized traditional welcome at the airport with flower garlands. On arrival, check in at the hotel and breakfast. City tour. Visits to the State Museum, St. Francis Church and the Kapileshwara Temple.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 3: CHENNAI / KANCHIPURAM / MAHABALIPURAM (100 km / approx. 4h)
Buffet breakfast. In the morning, departure for Kanchipuram. On arrival in town, visit the ancient temple of the god Shiva, dating from the 15th century and known as Ek Ambeshwara. There you will observe Poojas, where people make numerous offerings. Then, visit the temple of the god Vishnu Vaikuntheshwara, the archaeological site and its Kailash Natha temple. Lunch in town and a visit to a silk factory.
Return to Mahabalipuram. Dinner and overnight in Mahabalipuram.
DAY 4: MAHABALIPURAM
Breakfast, then departure toward the Coromandel Coast and Mahabalipuram, a magnificent UNESCO World Heritage site. In the morning, explore Mahabalipuram. On the Tamil coast, the Pallava dynasty built a trading port at Mahabalipuram, from which it exported its culture and civilization to Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam during the 7th century. Visit the sculpture of the Descent of the Ganges.
Note: this is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Arjuna's Penance is perhaps the monument on this site that best exalts royal magnificence through its dimensions, its setting and its subject. This composition, 27 meters long and 9 meters high, illustrates an episode from the Mahabharata, the mythical epic of Hinduism. To its left stands the Krishna Mandapa, a hypostyle hall forming a vestibule or annex within a temple. It was originally a sculpted wall depicting the episode of Mount Govardhana. It shows Krishna lifting the mountain to shelter his friends the shepherds from the flood unleashed by Indra, god of rain. Then, discover the Southern Rathas, monolithic temples that bear the popular names of the Pandava brothers, heroes of the Mahabharata.
Finally, the Shore Temple, built on the edge of the Bay of Bengal. It is the symbol of the birth of Indian architecture and the first example of masonry construction.
Dinner and overnight in Mahabalipuram.
DAY 5: MAHABALIPURAM / PONDICHERRY (100 km / approx. 2h)
Breakfast and transfer to Jaipur airport for the flight to South India, to Madurai. On arrival, transfer to the hotel. Lunch, then around 4:00 pm, discover the fascinating Minakshi-Sundareshvara temple in the Vijayanagar style. It is a true masterpiece, where you can admire an astonishing profusion of columns and corridors embellished with countless statues, in an atmosphere charged with the life and faith of Hindu devotees.
Then, you will visit the Thirumalai Nayak Palace, which dates from the 17th century. It is built in the Indo-Muslim style with an Italian influence. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 6: PONDICHERRY
Buffet breakfast. In the morning, a walk on foot and by rickshaw to explore the old French town. Visit the ashram of Sri Aurobindo. This beautiful colonial residence houses his tomb as well as that of the Mother, his companion and successor. It was here that the Bengali philosopher and poet took refuge from 1910 onward and devoted himself to study and meditation. His tomb is a place of contemplation and veneration, where a true fervor reigns. Then, a walk to explore the old French town. (Lunch at the hotel)
You will visit some beautiful churches, including Notre Dame des Anges, where mass is still celebrated in French, along with fine colonial residences, the seafront, and the Muslim quarter on the other side of the canal with its beautiful houses, and more. You will thus experience the atmosphere of the old colonial city. Return to your hotel, dinner and overnight in Pondicherry.
DAY 7: PONDICHERRY / CHIDAMBARAM / GANGAICONDACHOLAPURAM / TANJORE (200 km / approx. 6h)
Buffet breakfast. Departure for Chidambaram, where you will visit a remarkable sacred complex characteristic of Dravidian India: the Temple of Nataraja, where Shiva is worshipped in the form of the god of the cosmic dance. Two of the gopurams are adorned with sculptures illustrating the 108 positions of the Natya Shastra, the treatise on the dramaturgy of Hindu ritual dances. (Lunch at a restaurant along the way) In the afternoon, the journey continues toward GANGAICONDACHOLAPURAM.
Visit the magnificent temple of the god Shiva, whose history tells that the Ganges once reached this very place.
Arrival and check-in at the hotel. (Dinner at the hotel)
DAY 8: TANJORE / MADURAI (90 km / approx. 2h)
Buffet breakfast. Visit of Tanjore. It was undoubtedly the favorite city of the Chola kings. During their reign between the 10th and 14th centuries, the city was at its peak. Discover the Temple of Brihadeshvara, one of the finest masterpieces of Dravidian architecture. Astonishing for the refinement of its architectural detail, it is the jewel of Chola architecture, as much for its beautiful gopurams, double enclosure and surprising monolithic dome as for the frescoes that adorn its inner courtyard. Visit the Saraswati Mahal, dating from the 17th century, where you will see a superb collection of Chola bronzes, including some of the finest representations of Shiva "Nataraja".
Then visit a workshop where artisans practice the ancestral art of cast bronze. They make statues, oil lamps and many ritual objects using a thousand-year-old technique. You will also discover artists who paint according to the rules of the Tanjore school. Lunch at a restaurant in town.
Departure for Madurai. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 9: MADURAI
Breakfast and discovery of the fascinating Minakshi-Sundareshvara temple in the Vijayanagar style. It is a true masterpiece, where you can admire an astonishing profusion of columns and corridors embellished with countless statues, in an atmosphere charged with the life and faith of Hindu devotees. (Lunch at the hotel)
Then, you will visit the Thirumalai Nayak Palace, which dates from the 17th century. It is built in the Indo-Muslim style with an Italian influence.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel
DAY 10: MADURAI / PERIYAR (150 km / approx. 5h)
Buffet breakfast. Then, an early departure across the countryside and the fertile plain of the Tamil land toward the Blue Mountains, the Nilgiris. In this part of Kerala, the vegetation is lush and the forest dense. It has become a sanctuary that protects wild animals and their natural habitat. (Lunch at the hotel)
Drive toward Lake Periyar, through the plantations and foothills of the Nilgiris, the Blue Mountains, up to the village of Thekkady.
Arrival and check-in at the hotel. (Dinner at the hotel)
DAY 11: PERIYAR
Buffet breakfast. Early morning departure into the reserve for a boat ride on Lake Periyar (about 2:30). There you will see many birds and wild animals such as elephants, antelopes, monkeys, and more. (Lunch at a restaurant)
In the afternoon, visit a spice garden and discover the plants, flowers and trees that give South Indian cuisine all its richness. Then, discover the elephant camp, where you can take an elephant ride. Afterward, a stroll through the village and its bazaar renowned for its spices and cashew nuts. In the late afternoon, a show of Kerala dance and dance-theater. You can also watch the makeup of the Kathakali artists, the dance-theater of Kerala, whose tradition dates back to the 17th century.
Return to the hotel. (Dinner at the hotel)
DAY 12: PERIYAR / MUNNAR (120 km / approx. 4h)
Breakfast and departure for Munnar. You will cross the Nilgiri valley and observe many waterfalls and all the beauty of nature. Visit a tea factory and a national park in Munnar.
Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. DEEP WOODS HOTEL
DAY 13: PERIYAR / BACKWATERS (135 km / approx. 4h)
Buffet breakfast. Then, departure across the Cardamom Hills and the tea, spice, pepper and cardamom plantations toward the Backwaters. This region is nicknamed the "rice bowl of Kerala" because of its wealth of paddy cultivation. The countryside, with its shimmering waterways, also offers delicious bananas, cassava, yams and more. It is perhaps the only region in the world where cultivation takes place 1.5 to 2 meters below sea level. Legend has it that Parasurama, the sixth avatar of the god Vishnu, threw his war axe out to sea, and thus a strip of land rose from the water. This land became Kerala and was offered to the Brahmins.
Board the Kettuvallam, the famous houseboats of Kerala. Welcomed by your crew, you settle in aboard your boat. At the southern tip of India lies an aquatic paradise that can only be explored by boat, a maze of lagoons steeped in lush nature. At the pace of a Kettuvallam, a traditional craft transformed into a floating hotel, you glide along the waterways that intertwine between the towns of Quilon and Cochin. Here and there, fishing villages, temples and churches emerge from the tangle of vegetation. It is a delight to sail through the land of cinnamon! It is hard to list all the riches of the Keralan soil: cashew nuts, pepper, cardamom, and more. Kerala has turned many heads. Phoenician and Roman navigators came here in search of spices, sandalwood and ivory.
This traditional boat, built from jackfruit wood and tied with coconut ropes, offers simple comfort: 2 to 4 cabins with attached shower and toilet, a large lounge, a sun deck and a kitchen. The boats are built on the same model, with a tropical atmosphere and palm leaves. Forget the chaos of the cities and the teeming crowds. The boat glides on in silence. It is a genuine experience in itself, though the boats do not offer the comfort of a hotel.
Lunch of local specialties during the cruise along the canals. An afternoon of sailing in the Backwaters, which will peacefully carry you through the tropical countryside inland, along shaded banks of coconut palms and emerald rice paddies irrigated by a maze of canals and lagoons, where traditional craft glide by. The boat follows the Spice Coast and the traditional villages set at the water's edge. In this setting of peace and harmony, you will watch the day unfold with real scenes of everyday life, off the beaten track! 5 o'clock tea aboard your boats in the Backwaters. In the late afternoon, the boats moor for the night.
Dinner of local specialties and overnight on board in the heart of the Backwaters. – PREMIUM HOUSE BOAT
DAY 14: BACKWATERS / KOCHI (55 km / approx. 1h30)
Cochin, now called Kochi, saw the first European settlers arrive in India around 1500, led by Vasco da Gama, who died there with the title of Portuguese Viceroy of the Indies. His tomb still exists, but his body was brought back to Lisbon. Tradition holds that the apostle Thomas preached the Gospel there. A little-known village that became the first European town in India, Cochin has an eventful and colorful history to tell. Its reputation as a maritime and trading city was such that Niccolò de' Conti, an Italian traveler of the Middle Ages, remarked: "If it is in China that you make your fortune, then it is surely in Cochin that you will have to spend it!" The city was developed by the Portuguese, the Dutch and then the English. The fruits of these intercultural encounters are visible in the surviving Indo-European architecture.
*Arrival and check-in at your hotel.
In the afternoon, discover the Dutch Palace, or Mattancherry Palace, where you will find some of the finest sacred murals in Kerala. On the upper floor, the coronation hall holds objects that belonged to the ruler of Cochin, Raja Vera Kerala Varma (1537-1561). Then, you will discover the Synagogue, which dates from 1568, the oldest in the Commonwealth. It is a witness to the importance the community once held.
In the evening, a walk through colonial Old Cochin. Discover the Church of St. Francis. It is the oldest European church in the country. It was built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan monks who accompanied the expedition led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. Originally made of wood, the church was rebuilt in stone around the middle of the 16th century. Vasco da Gama died in India in 1524 with the title of Portuguese Viceroy of the Indies. His tomb still exists, but his remains were brought back to Lisbon. Then, a stroll along the seafront, where you will see the huge Chinese fishing nets in action, evoking the memory of the first sailors.
Return to your hotel. (Dinner at the hotel)
DAY 15: KOCHI / Departure point
Departure to the airport in the morning for the flight to Chennai. On arrival, transfer to the international airport for the return flight.
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