South India Spectacular

Home » Tours » South India Spectacular

South India Spectacular

Read more: South India Spectacular

Share this tour:

Fast Facts

Duration:

12

Days

Group size:

Single supplement:

Destinations:

Chennai, India, Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Thanjavur, Kanadukathan, Madurai

Departs From:

Chennai

Ends In:

Chennai

Travel Styles:

Booking validity:

–

Best Months to Visit

Enquire Now

Tour Map

Click here to display the map

Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Upon arrival a representative of Luxury Trips will meet you at the airport after exiting immigration and baggage claim and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Chennai, formerly known as Madras is located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. It is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city has a rich history of strong kings as  rulers and then of course the influence of the British who ruled this city. They built a large fort here and brought in various European influences especially on food and architecture. Today, the city is India’s second largest exporter of software, information technology (IT) and information-technology-enabled services (ITES). A major chunk of India’s automobile manufacturing industry is based in and around the city, and it is also called as ‘Gateway to South India’, due to its importance as a port city and its major role in South India’s development.

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationChennai

Accommodation:

Accommodation The Leela Palace Chennai

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 2

This morning after breakfast you will be taken for a half-day city tour of Chennai visiting Fort St. George’s the first English Fortress in India built in 1644. Thereafter visit the San Thome Basilica built in the 16th century by the Portuguese.

This afternoon participate in a private walk through one of Chennai’s oldest areas. Visit an ancient temple and learn about the lives of the people living in this area. Here ancient traditions are kept alive and are part of everyday life. Learn about these as well as about the multitude of Gods, demons, ancient customs and symbolism. 

Return to your hotel for an evening at leisure.

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationChennai

Accommodation:

Accommodation The Leela Palace Chennai

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 3

This morning after breakfast you will be driven to Mamallapuram. En-route visit Dakshin Chitra a center for artists from across India run by an NGO the Madras Craft Foundation. (Closed on Tuesdays, Government Holidays and major festivals). This is a center for art, performing folk art, craft and architecture of South India. As it is a living history museum, its aim is to showcase a broader, more inclusive culture of the South Indian states. You get a chance to see exhibitions from lives. Dakshina Chitra has a collection of 18 authentic historical houses with contextual exhibitions in each house

Then continue to Mamallapuram and check in to your beach side hotel.

The historic town of Mamallapuram has various monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th centuries. It is a classified UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Arjuna’s Penance, an open-air bas-relief sculpture is built on a massive scale and depicts an episode from the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The other monument you visit is the amazing shore Temple, which is built close to the sea along the Bay of Bengal. Within this complex are also five chariots, depicting one of the protagonists in the Mahabharata. Each imposing and greatly etched chariots is built out of a single rock.

This afternoon you visit the shore temple, the exquisite stone chariots, and the beautiful bas relief work – Arjuna’s penance. There are a lot of areas to walk ad explore on your own, including the market close to the hotel which has a surfeit of cafes and restaurants catering to tourists from around the world.

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationMahabalipuram

Accommodation:

Accommodation Radisson Temple Bay

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 4

This morning after breakfast you will be driven to the temple town of Kanchipuram. Explore several of the 7th and 8th Century temples and visit a weaver’s village. Here you can see how the traditional Indian Sari woven in thick silk comes to life using ancient techniques and designs.

Return to Mamallapuram for an evening at leisure.  

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationMahabalipuram

Accommodation:

Accommodation Radisson Temple Bay

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 5

The morning is at your leisure to enjoy the hotel or explore the beach. Later in the afternoon you will be driven to Puducherry. 
While an ancient trading port with evidence from the Roman Empire, Puducherry or Pondicherry as it was once known, gained prominence as a French colony. From 1664 up until 1962, this was a French colony and the influence can be seen in the city planning, houses, language, traditions and of course food.

On arrival in Puducherry your day is at leisure. The evenings are a great time to explore this quaint city on your own.
 

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationPuducherry

Accommodation:

Accommodation La Villa

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 6

This morning start your day with a visit to the Aurobindo Ashram. Started as a commune of small group of the guru’s disciples in 1910. Sri Aurobindo’s vision became reality in Auroville an international township. The visit includes a video presentation about the Ashram, a chance to see Auroville and also see the amazing meditation dome (special permission is required to visit inside the dome).
 
After this, visit Puducherry, including the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Rock Beach, Immaculate Conception Cathedral and of course a walk through the heritage town. The rest of the evening is at your leisure. 
 

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationPuducherry

Accommodation:

Accommodation La Villa

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 7

This morning after an early breakfast you will be driven to Thanjavur and on arrival you will check into your hotel.

Thanjavur or Tanjore, as it was earlier called, was the capital of one of the most significant empires in the Indian Subcontinent, the Chola Dynasty. The city later became part of the Vijayanagar kingdom, then passed into the hands of the Marathas and later still went to the British. For ages it has been the chief political, literary and religious center of the south.

Late afternoon, visit a center for arts where you can see artists make the traditional Tanjore paintings using gold and stones on wood. This form of painting, is considered to be a form of prayer.  

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationThanjavur

Accommodation:

Accommodation Hotel Sangam Tanjore

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 8

After breakfast, visit the celebrated temple of Brihadeshwara, which was built by the Chola King Raja the Great during the 11th century. The 107-paragraph long inscription on the walls accounts for the contributions of Raja Raja Chola and his sister Kundavai to the Thanjavur temple. Also visit the Saraswasti Mahal library, which dates back to the time of the Marathas, and accommodates a rare collection of books and manuscripts on paper and palm-leaf. The museum in the Nayaka Palace houses a rich collection of Chola sculpture, including famed bronzes.  

After the tour, drive to Chettinad (Karaikudi). On arrival you are welcomed into your heritage hotel Visalam, which is a repository of Chettiyar art and cuisine, and built in their architectural style. Just staying at this property gives you an insight into this region, its culture and people.

Chettinad is the home of the Nattukottai Chettiyars, a prosperous banking and business community who later migrated to Sri Lanka, Myanmar and South East Asia, but the culture of the region lives on through its architecture, temples and cuisine. Chettinad also means a social caste specializing in the preparation of food. Chettinads are considered master chefs, and Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India. 
Rest of the day is at leisure. 
 

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationKanadukathan

Accommodation:

Accommodation Visalam CGH Earth hotel Chettinad

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 9

This morning after breakfast we leave the hotel to explore Chettinad.
Chettinad is rich in cultural heritage, art and architecture. Its houses are embellished with marble and Burma teak, often with wide courtyards, spacious rooms, and beautiful floor tiles. 

Visit the beautiful Palace in Kanadukathan. This palace is distinctive for its use of material and decorative nuances from Far East and Europe. 

You also visit the beautiful temples of Chettinad. Distinctive in style, each temple has its own tank called oorani where water lilies are grown and used in holy rituals. 

The best part of the visit to Chettinad is the walk through the village. Every day brings a different market. See the making of the handmade Athangudi tiles (originally the rich citizens of these villages would import the tiles from Europe, but they found that repairing and replacing old or broken tiles was quite a task so they encouraged local artisans to make similar tiles which are now world famous). During the walk you will also see intricately carved wood work, beautifully sculpted brass and silver ware, the beautiful hand-woven Kandangi sarees. 

Early this evening, you will be taken for a cooking demonstration where you learn about the preparation of Chettinad cuisine. Watch the chefs as they explain the spices used and the flavor they generate to come up with the most mouth-watering dishes.

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationKanadukathan

Accommodation:

Accommodation Visalam CGH Earth hotel Chettinad

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 10

This morning after a leisurely breakfast drive to the temple town of Madurai.

Visit the Thirumalai Nayak Palace with its imposing domes and arches. Renowned for its stuccowork, its central pavilion and massive pillars.

Check in to your hotel this afternoon with time at leisure.  

Early this evening, visit the fabulous Meenakshi Temple, one of the biggest temple complexes in India (46 feet long and 790 feet wide) built in the 17th century. This city within the city is the landmark of Madurai and has put Madurai on the map. The enormous temple complex includes a bazaar that bustles from dawn to nightfall. The high point of the Meenakshi temple is Hall of a “Thousand Pillars”. Non-Hindus are not allowed in the main Sanctum Sanctorum but can see the elaborately decorated temples from the outside.

Optional – 2130hrs Witness the night prayer ceremony at the temple. This is a ceremony that takes place every evening when the bronze statue of Lord Shiva is carried to the bedchamber of his consort Parvati. This is an elaborate procession, which is accompanied by religious prayers and music.

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationMadurai

Accommodation:

Accommodation Heritage Madurai

Type:

Accommodation Type

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 11

This morning after breakfast you will be at leisure. 

Later in the afternoon you will be transferred to the airport to connect your flight to Chennai.

On your arrival in Chennai, you will be escorted to your hotel, where a day use room is reserved till departure.

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationChennai

Accommodation:

Accommodation The Leela Palace Chennai

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Day 12

Per your flight schedule, you will be escorted to the International airport to board your flight back home.

Read more: South India Spectacular

Information

Location:

LocationChennai

Accommodation:

Accommodation The Leela Palace Chennai

Room Basis:

Room Basis B&B: Bed and Breakfast

Enquire Now

Reviews

  • Carla and Riccardo

    Dear David Do you remember us? We spent our holyday in Namibia in 2007 following your itinerary. This email is to inform you, that advertising of your agency is now shown in the italian travel web magazine Viaggionelmondo.net In this…

    Read full review

  • Matthew Haler

    We just came back from a safari in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia, which was organised by Charlotte at ATI Holidays. We had a truly fantastic time, and would like to thank them for their help in organising it all. The…

    Read full review

Related Accommodation

  • Andaz Delhi

    Andaz Delhi

    Located in Aerocity New Delhi, Andaz Delhi is in proximity to the business hubs of Delhi and Gurgaon as well as some of the iconic tourist destinations and shopping locations in the city. The hotel offers 401 loft-style guestrooms, including…

    View More

  • Shan at Uley

    Shan at Uley

    The Snow Leopard Lodge is the only dedicated wildlife lodge in Ladakh. It began originally as a homestay owned by one of Ladakh’s top snow leopard trackers – Tchewang Norbu – under the auspices of a program initiated by the…

    View More

  • The Oberoi New Delhi

    The Oberoi New Delhi

    The Oberoi New Delhi boast breathtaking views of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb and a forested golf course. The guest rooms and suites are bright, spacious and elegantly decorated, equipped with air conditioning, Wi-Fi, TVs and private…

    View More