13 Days South India Highlights Tour Package
Duration: 13 Days / 12 Nights
Priced From: $ 4550  pp dbl.occ.
Date: Jan - Dec

Highlights

• Explore tropical, seaside Madras and ancient shore temples of Mahabalipuram and   Kanchipuram.
• Experience Kerala’s renowned backwaters from a houseboat & at heritage resort Coconut   Lagoon.
• Relish magnificently scenic Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary on your boat safari in search of   tiger, wild elephant, deer, gaur,  monkeys & birdlife.
• Learn about Cochin’s eclectic and historic mix of Jewish, Christian, Hindu & Muslim   cultures.
• Travel India's southernmost state, Tamil Nadu, to the wondrous Dravidian temple cities of   Madurai, Mahabalipuram, and  Kanchipuram.

Itinerary


Day 1:  Depart USA
Depart on your flight to Madras, the gateway to southern India.

Day 2:  En route

Day 3:  Arrive Chennai (Madras), India
Arrive in the tropical seaside city of Chennai, your gateway to the rich cultures, natural attractions and scenic beauty of India’s deep south. Your host greets you and escorts you to the hotel to assist with easy check-in. After a restful morning, begin with a visit to 17th century Fort St. George, Britain’s original stronghold. It houses a fine collection of colonial art and military memorabilia. See the opulent minarets and rose-red towers of High Court rising over the city’s commercial hub. Drive along Marina Beach to the elaborate Dravidian-style Kapaleshwar Temple and San Thome Cathedral. Choice of Hotels (B,D)

Day 4:  Chennai / Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram
Spend the day among picturesque villages, crashing coastline, and rock-cut temples.  Discover firsthand Mahabalipuram, the seaside capital of Pallava kings, famed for shore temples and lifelike rock carvings of animals, deities and village life 1,400 years ago. Good seafood and a fine beach are among the other attractions to sample before continuing to Kanchipuram, the golden pilgrimage city of silks and shrines. Return to your hotel in Chennai. Choice of Hotels (B,D)

Day 5:  Chennai / Trichy
This morning, you are free to walk around Chennai. Browse its hectic markets humming with activity. This afternoon fly to Trichy, an old trade city dominated by the imposing Rock Fort. Hotel Sangam (B,D)

Day 6:  Trichy / Madurai
Today adds a new dimension to your India experience as you explore Trichy, which includes a climb to Rock Fort.  Follow the sacred Cauvery River to Ramakrishna Tapovanam Ashram, a residential school.  A monk guides you on a tour. Built in Hindu Ramakrishna Mutt-style, the ashram includes grasslands, coconut groves, and hostel and farm where devotees carry out educational and social activities. Visit Musiri where a scholar explains the Vedas, integral to Hindu life. Drive to your garden hotel in India’s foremost temple city. Choice of Hotels (B,D)

Day 7:  Madurai
Dravidian temples of Southern India are world famous for their striking baroque architecture. Sri Meenakshi, your destination this morning, is an outstanding example. The entire complex is embraced by high walls, magnificently sculpted with colorful gods, demons, mortals and animals. Explore the dazzling temple.  Then, you are free to stroll the bazaars and take in the ever festive ambiance of Madurai.  Choice of Hotels (B,D)

Day 8:  Madurai / Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Drive into Kerala to its cool, misty Cardamom Hills, with elevations to 4,000 feet. The region is a scenic gem with forests, valleys, roaring streams and pristine jungles. Arrive at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of India’s first Project Tiger Reserves.  Spend a rewarding afternoon viewing wildlife by boat on Lake Periyar. Your boat slips within close range of elephant groups, feeding, bathing and socializing. Scout for statuesque sambar deer and giant wild oxen browsing the marshes. Search green wooded shores for wild boar, monkeys, and riotous birdlife. If you’re very lucky, you may sight a tiger. Spend the night in splendid isolation at your comfortable jungle cottage, raised on stilts among the trees. Choice of Hotels (B,D)

Day 9:  Periyar / Kumarakom
After a wonderful breakfast amid a chorus of wildlife, you travel through fragrant hills lined with spice groves and tea plantations into Kerala’s balmy, coconut-fringed backwaters. Arrive at your heritage resort on a shady private island on Lake Vembanad. The afternoon is at leisure to indulge yourself at the Ayurvedic massage center, swim, or just relax. Remote villages and a bird sanctuary are also nearby. Choice of Hotels (B,D)

Day 10:  Alleppey / Kerala Backwaters Cruise / Cochin
The modern world seems leagues away in this idyllic spot as you embark on a serene journey through Kerala’s lush backwaters. What an exceptional opportunity to learn about everyday life in this special place! Sail from the market town of Alleppey aboard a charming houseboat. Enjoy a hot lunch on deck while drifting through green panoramas dotted with snake boat docks, coir-making villages, fishermen, and paddy fields. Boatmen in hand-poled canoes and cargo-laden flat boats slip past you. Visit with friendly villagers along the way.  In late afternoon, return to Alleppey for the drive to your hotel on coast of historic Cochin.  Choice of Hotels (B,L,D )

Day 11:  Cochin
Today, you meet the legendary eclecticism of Cochin. This cluster of islands and peninsulas has been a gathering place for centuries. Ancient Phoenician, Arab, Jewish, Chinese, and European traders came here in search of prized spices, tea and hardwoods.  These dynamic influences merged with traditional culture to create a Hindu Renaissance that is still reflected in fine architecture and superb art and dance forms perfected and performed here. Visit the ancient Jewish Town, historic Mattanchery “Dutch Palace” and Fort Cochin, India’s oldest European settlement. Photograph exquisite cantilevered Chinese fishing nets and other signs of early traders. Tonight, relish a classical performance of Kathakali, Kerala’s elaborate, story-telling dance drama. Choice of Hotels  (B,D)

Day 12: Cochin / Mumbai  (Bombay)
Depart the spice-scented shores of southern of India on a mid-day flight to Mumbai. where your time is free for last minute shopping and packing. Leela Kempinski  (B,D)

Day 13:  Mumbai / Depart
Return to the airport early this morning to embark on your journey home.

12/08