DAY 1 Arrive Chennai (Madras). You will be met by our representative who will Transfer you to the hotel. Free morning. Afternoon sightseeing of Chennai. Visiting Churches Museums - temples and beach. Overnight in the hotel.
CHENNAI: FORMERLT KNOWN AS MADRAS, IS THE CAPITAL OF TAMIL NADU AND THE GATEWAY TO THE RICH AND VARIED CULTURE OF THE SOUTH INDIAN PENINSULA. ORIGINALLY A CLUSTER OF FISHING HAMLET ALONG THE COROMANDAL COAST, THE CITY DEVELOPED ITS COHESIVE SHAPE UNDER THE BRITISH. TODAY IT IS SOUTH INDIA'S COMMERICAL AND CULTURAL CAPITAL, AND THE FOURTHS LARGEST METROPOLIS IN INDIA.
DAY 2 After breakfast drive Channai to Mahabalipuram. Enroute visit Artist Village. Check into beach hotel. Rest of the day free.
MAHABALLIPURAM: THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE OF MAMALLAPURAM OR HAHABALLIPURAM WAS ONCE A MAJOR PORT CITY BUILT IN THE 7TH CENTURY BY THE PALLAVA KING NARASIMHA VERMANI, ALSO KNOWN AS MAMALLA,THE GREAT WRESTLER. THIS SPECTACULAR SITE SITUATED ON THE BAY OF BENGAL, EXTENDS ACROSS A BOULDER-STREWN LANDSCAPE AND COMPRESES ROCKCUT CAVES AND MONOLIT-HIC SHRINES STRUCTURAL TEMPLES AND HUGE BAS-RELIEFS THAT ARE CONSIDERED THE GREATEST EXAMPLES OF PALLAVA ART.
DAY 3 After breakfast visit the temples near by with the guide. Rest of the Afternoon free. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 4 After breakfast drive Mahaballipuram to Pondicherry. Check into hotel.Afternoon walking tour of French part of the town and beach front.
PONDICHERRY: THE FORMER CAPITAL OF FRENCH TERRITORIES IN INDIA, PONDICHERRY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1674 BY FRANCOIS MARTIN THE FIRST DIRECTOR OF THE FRENCH EAST INDIA COMPANY. THE TOWN IS LAID OUT IN A GRID PATTERN WITH PARALLEL STREETS CUTTING ACROSS EACH OTHER AT RIGHT ANGLES. ITS MAIN PROMENADE, THE 3KM LONG GOUBERT SALAI RUNNING ALONG THE BAY OF BENGAL, FORMED PART OF THE FRENCH QUARTER, WITH ITS ELEGANT COLONIAL MANSIONS TREE-LINED BOULEVARDS, PARKS,BARS ANS CAFES.
DAY 5 After breakfast visit Auroville. Afternoon free. Overnight in the hotel.
AUROVILLE: OR THE CITY OF DAWN WAS DESIGNED BY FRENCH ARCHITECT ROGER ANGER IN 1968. CONCEIVED AS A UTOPIAN PARADISE BY THE MOTHER, MIRRA ALFASSA, IT WAS PLANNED AS A FUTURISTIC INT'L CITY WHERE PROPLE OF GOODWILL WOULD LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE. THE INT'l COMMUNE WITH 40 SETTLEMENTS WITH NAMES LIKE GRACE,SEREN-ITY AND CERTITUDE, AND 550 PERMANENT RESIDENTS. THE MATRI MANDIR A MEDITATION CENTRE SET IN AN AREA OF 62 ACRES, REFLECTS THE MOTHER'S SPIRITUAL BELIEFS.
DAY 6 After breakfast drive Pondicherry to Kumbakonam. Check into Sterling Swamimalai Resort. You will be in this resort for two night, and this is Famous for Ayurveda treatments.
DAY 7 Day in the resort.
DAY 8 After breakfast drive Kumbakonam to Trichy. Enroute visit Thanjavur temple. Check into hotel. Late afternoon visit Trichy - Rock Fort temple.
THANJAVUR TEMPLE: OR TANJORE LIES IN THE FERTILE KAVERI DELTA. A REGION OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE RICE BOWL OF TAMIL NADU.FOR NEARLY 1000 YEARS THIS GREAT TOWN DOMINATED THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE CHOLAS 9TH-13th CENTURIES, THE NAYAKAS 1535-1676 AND THE MARATHAS 1676-1855. THE MAGNIFICENT BRIHADISHVARA
TEMPLE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHOLA MONUMENT. THANJAVUR'S CULTURAL EXTENDS BEYOND TEMPLES AND PALACES TO ENCOMPASS CLASSICAL MUSIC AND DANCE. IT IS ALSO A FLOURISHING CENTRE FOR BRONZE SCULPTURE AND PAINTINGS.
TRICHY: SITUATED AT THE HEAD OF THE FERTILE KAVERI DELTA, THIS CITY IS NAMED AFTER THE FIERCE THREE HEADED DEMON WHO ATTAINED SALVATION AFTER BEING SLAIN BY SHIVA. The TOWNS HISTORY IS INTERWOVEN WITH THE POLOTICAL FORTUNES OF THE PALLAVAS, CHOLAS, NAYAKAS AND FINALLY THE BRITISH, WHO SHOTTENED ITS NAME TO TRICHY. TODAY - TIRUCHIRAPALLI IS TAMIL NADU 's SECOND LARGEST CITY. DOMINATING THE TOWN IS THE MASSIVE ROCK FORT, PERCHED DRAMATICALLY ON A ROCKY OUTCROP THAT RISES 83 M ABOVE THE FLAT PLAINS.
DAY 9 After breakfast drive Trichy to Madurai. Arrive and check into hotel. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 10 After breakfast sightseeing of Madurai city. Overnight in the hotel.
MADURAI: ONE OF SOUTH INDIA'S TEMPLE TOWNS, MADURAI IS SYNON-YMOUS WITH THE CELEBRATED MINAKSHI TEMPLE. THIS ANCIENT CITY ON THE BANKS OF THE VAIGAI RIVER HAS, OVER THE CENTURIES,BEEN A RICH REPOSITORY OF TAMIL CULTURE. SOME 2000 YEARS AGO IT HOSTED THE FAMOUS SANGAMS, ( GATHERINGS OF WRITERS AND POETS) MINAKSHI SUNDARESHVARA TEMPLE: THIS ENORMOUS TEMPLE COMPLEX IS DEDICATED TO SHIVA, KNOWN HERE AS SUNDARESHVARA THE HAND SOME GOD AND HIS CONSORT PARVATI OR MINAKSHI THE FISH EYED GODDESS. ORIGINALLY BUILT BY THE EARLY PANDAYAS 7TH-10TH CENTURIES. IT WAS EXTENSIVELY ADDED TO BY SUCCEEDING DYNASTIES
DAY 11 After breakfast drive Madurai to Periyar (KERALA). Check into hotel. Rest Of the day free.
PERIYAR TIGER RESERVE: THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MULLAPERIYAR DAM ACROSS THE PERIYAR RIVER AT THEKKADY, IN 1895 SUBMERGED LARGE TRACTS OF LAND AND CREATED A HUGE LAKE, COVERNIG AN AREA OF 26 SQ KM. YEARS LATER IN 1935 THE THEN MAHARAJA OF TRAVAN-CORE DECLARED 600 SQ KM OF FOREST SURROUNDINGS THE LAKE A WILDLIFE SANCTUARY. DECLARED A TIGER RSERVE IN 1978 THE SANCTUARY
DAY 12 Day to explore Periyar. Walking with guide in the spice plantation hills. Here you will see a big variety of spice plants as well as medical plants. Coffee in the plantation café. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 13 Early morning breakfast, boat ride on the lake - here you may get a chance To see wild elephants - boars - deers etc.
Rest of the day free. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 14 After breakfast drive Periyar to Munar. Check into hotel. Later in day Walking in the hills. Overnight in the hotel.
MUNAR: A MAJOR CENTRE OF KERALA'S TEA INDUSTRY,AND CLOSE TO ANAIMUDT AT 2696 M THE HIGHEST PEAT IN THE SOUTH INDIA, MUNAR IS THE NEAREST KERALA COMES TO A GENUINE HILL STATION. IT IS SURROU-NDED BY ABOUT 30 TEA ESTATES, AMONG THE HIGHEST IN THE WORLD,AND FOREST THAT IS STILL RICH IN WILDLIFE, INCLUDING THE RECLUSIVE NILGIRI TAHR, THAT CONTINUES TO SURVIVE THE INCREASING COMMERCIAL USE OF THE HILLS. THE SURROUNDING HILLS ARE HOME TO THE RARE NEELLAKURUNJI ORCHID (strobilanthes) WHICH COVERS THE HILLS IN COLOUR FOR A MONTH ONCE IN 12 YEARS (which was this year 2007).
DAY 15 Whole day in Munar - walking with guide. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 16 After breakfast drive Munar to Cochin. Check into hotel. Afternoon sightseeing of Cochin - visiting MATTANCHERRY PALACE & JEW'S SYNAGOGUE, AND CHINESE FISHING NETS.
COCHIN: KOCHI (COCHIN) ONE OF SOUTH INDIA'S MOST INTERESTING TOWNS, STILL LARGELY COMPRISES LOW RISE, PICTURESQUE BUILDINGS. RICH IN HISTORY, DESPITE RAPID RECENT GROWTH IT RETAINS A RELAXED,QUITE ATMOSPHERE. NARROW SPITS OF LAND AND COCONUT COVERED ISLANDS JUT OUT INTO THE WIDE AND ALMOST ENCLOSED, BAY WHOSE NECK IS LINED WITH THE FAMOUS CHINESE FISHING NETS. TODAY KOCHI'S TWIN TOWN, ERNAKULAM IS BUSY AND NOISY BY COMPARISON, A DYNAMIC CITY WITH HIGH LAND PRICES.THE MATTANCHERRY PALACE, CONSTURCTED BY THE PORTUGUESE IN THE MID 1550's WAS GIVEN TO THE RULER OF COCHIN AS A TOKENOF GOOD WILL IN EXCHANGE FOR TRADING RITES. IT WAS LATER RENOVATED BY THE DITCH, AND SO GAINED THE MISNOMER, DUTCH PALACE.
JEW'S SYNAGOGUE: NESTLING IN A CUL-DE-SAC AT THE END OF A NARROW LANE IN THE HEART OF JEW TOWN, IS INDIA'S OLDEST SYBAGOGUE.THE FIRST JEWISH SETTLERS ARE SAID TO HAVE REACHED KODUNGALLUR IN THE 1ST CENTURY AD. COCHIN JEWISH COMMUNITY WAS DIVIDE INTO TWO DISTINCT GROUPS-THE SOCALLED BLACK OR MALABARI JEW CLAIMED TO BE DECENDANTS OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS, AND THE WHITE OR PARA- DESIM JEWS WHO CAME HERE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.
CHINESE FISHING NETS: FIRST ERECTED BETWEEN 1350 AND 1450 CANTIL- EVERED FISHING NETS INDICATE TRADE LINKS WITH CHINA.
DAY 17 Day at leasure in Cochin. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 18 After breakfast leave Cochin for Alappuzha (alleppy) . Transfer to houseboats You will spend the whole of the day and night on the houseboat – exploring The back waters. Lunch - dinner and breakfast on houseboats. Most of the Houseboats have two to three bedrooms with attach toilets.
BACKWATERS TOURS: A CRUISE ALONG THE BACKWATERS IS ONE OF THE MOST ENCHANTING EXPERIENCES THAT KERALA OFFERS. EXPLORING THIS LABYRINTHINE NETWORK OF WATERWAYS, WHICH WEAVE THROUGH VILLAGES SET AMIDST LUSH VEGETATION OFFERS GLIMPSES OF KERALA'S UNIQUE RURAL LIFESTYLE, WHERE LABD AND WATER ARE INSEPARABLE. KETTUVALLAMS ARE NOW OFTEN CONVERTED INTO HOUSEBOATS. KETTU MEANS A BUNDLE WHILE VALLAM IS A BIG BOAT. ORIGINALLY, THESE WERE USED AS FERRIES OR TO CARRY RICE.
DAY 19 AFTER BREAKFAST TRANSFER BACK TO LAND AND DRIVE ON TO BEACH HOTEL NEAR TRIVANDRUM. NIGHT IN THE BEACH HOTEL. DAY 20 FULL DAY AT LEASURE ON BEACH.
DAY 21 DAY AT LEASURE - LATE NIGHT TRANSFER TO AIRPORT FOR FLIGHT BACK HOME.
COST: US$2600 We need minimum 4 persons for this tour and maximum 20.
COST INCLUDES:
Twin sharing accommodation in three/ four starhotels. Breakfast All taxes Guide Deluxe car - mini bus - large bus Lunch - afternoon tea - dinner and breakfast on houseboat Lunch during walking. Boat ride on Lake Periyar
COST EXCLUDES: Single rooms - extra USD 350/- per room Dinners Laundry - telephone - fax etc Entry fee to monuments Tips of all nature Airport entry and departure tax. Drinks of all nature
DAY 1 Arrive Chennai (Madras). You will be met by our representative who will Transfer you to the hotel. Free morning. Afternoon sightseeing of Chennai. Visiting Churches Museums - temples and beach. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 5 After breakfast visit Auroville. Afternoon free. Overnight in the hotel.