TOUR ITINERARY
Day 1: Bangalore
A Tour Packages India Representative will meet you upon arrival and escort you to your hotel in The Garden City of Bangalore - the only planned city in India. It offers a cool break from the heat of the plains as well as being a beautiful city to spend time in with it's tree-lined streets, abundance of gardens, and a great mix of old and new architecture. Take a tour and visit Tipu's Palace Lalbagh, Ulsoor Lake, Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium, and Vidhana Soudha. Spend the evening as you like.
Day 2: Bangalore to Mysore (140 km / 3 hour drive)
After check-out take a little time to do some sightseeing or shopping in Bangalore. Visit the Srirangapattana Temple on a Cauvery River island just outside Bangalore. Continue driving down to Mysore - the capital city of Karnataka - and check-in to your hotel. Spend the evening as you like. Day 3 offers a full day of sightseeing.
Day 3: Mysore
Enjoy a full day of Guided touring. Mysore has always enchanted with its quaint charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, broad shady avenues and sacred temples. There's an old world charm about the city that brings tourists back time after time. Make Mysore Palace your first stop. Built in Indo-Saracenic style with domes, turrets, arches and colonnades, the palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from different parts of the globe. Try to arrange to be there on Sunday when the Palace lights up at night with 97,000 lightbulbs! )
Another "don't miss" is St. Philomena's Church - one of the largest cathedrals in India and constructed in medieval architectural style. Also, Jaganmohan Palace - another favorite - was converted into an art gallery in 1875 and exhibits paintings which date back to that period. The artists of that time used natural vegetable and mineral dyes and the famous traditional Mysore 'gold leaf ' paintings are also exhibited in the gallery. In the evening, take a trip up Chamundi Hill to view the grande monolithic bull statue, Nandi, as well as the 2,000 year old Chamundi Hill Temple. A 7-story, 40 meter high tower dominates the temple and offers panoramic views of the city.
Day 4: Mysore to Calicut (210 km / 5 hour drive)
Spend the morning driving to Calicut. Calicut, also known as Kozhikode, enjoys an ancient history in the spice trade. Long considered the "City of Spices" as far back as Vasco di Gama, the town has veins of canals running throughout - watery remnants of the spice marketing and shipping industry. Calicut is considered the 2nd best city in India to live in and the Malabar cuisine particular to the region is considered to be one of the most pleasing of India cuisines by gourmands. Spend the remainder of the day exploring. Spend the night.
Day 5: Calicut to Cochin
Enjoy the scenic coastal drive down to Cochin. Check in and spend the day as you like.
Day 6: Cochin
Enjoy the day with a Tour Guide. The harbor town of Cochin - the Spice Capital of the World - origins of trading can be traced back to the time of the Pharoahs. Spend the day seeing the sights which may include a visit to the Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue, St. Francis Church, Santa Cruz Basilica or a boat tour of the harbor islands . In the evening, enjoy a Kathakali performance by the Chinese Fishing Nets overlooking the harbor islands.
Day 7: Cochin to Alleppey (2 hours)
Take the short drive over to the Alleppey backwaters and board your private AC houseboat for an overnight cruise. All houseboats, regardless of category, have highly personalized service including an on-board chef who will no doubt create some of the best food you'll enjoy during the entire tour. Meander around the boat, perch yourself on top and observe the peaceful way of backwaters life, pull up next to a fishing boat and buy a fresh catch, stop off for fresh coconut juice, relax in the back open-ended sitting room and drift away to the morning.
Day 8: Alleppey to Kovalam (160 km / 4 hour drive)
Continue your travels down the coast to the world famous beach resort town of Kovalam. Long an international draw, you'll find it a fascinating and enjoyable way to spend a few days relaxing.
Day 9: Kovalam - Excursion trip to Kanyakumari (85 km / 2 hour drive)
Enjoy a day's excursion to the southernmost tip of India where the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean converge. Take a boat ride out to the Vivekananda Memorial. On the return, stop off at the famous wooden Padmanabhapuram Palace, built in the 1600s, a glowing example of traditional Kerala architecture. Return to Kovalam for an evening of leisure.
Day 10: Kovalam to Periyar
Drive up into the Cardamon Hills of Kerala to the town of Thekkady, home to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided spice plantation tour along with an elephant ride. Spend the evening as you like.
Day 11: Periyar
Spend the day touring the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve. Take a guided jungle walk and enjoy a boat ride on Lake Periyar. The sanctuary has a rich diversity of vertebrates. The diverse forest types, vayals, marshes, and a large aquatic habitat together support a vast and diverse assortment of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. The Tiger is found in all types of habitats though their density is much less in the evergreen forests. Though sighting one is difficult because of the thick vegetation, evidence like pugmarks, clawings, and scat are located throughout the reserve. The population is estimated to be between 35 to 40.
Day 12: Periyar to Madurai (170 km / 4 hour drive)
In the afternoon, explore Madurai via a Cycle Rickshaw - sit back while the rickshaw driver maneuvers through the narrow and lesser-seen alleyways and hidden lanes of the town. The rickshaw tour will take you to flower/fruit markets, spice vendors, brassware-makers and silk weavers. During the evening, visit the Meenakshi Temple for it's nighttime ceremonies. Spend the night.
Day 13: Madurai to Swamimalai via Kumbakonam (240 km / 5 hour drive)
After arriving in Kumbakonam, take the afternoon to see the sights. Take the Navagraha Temple Tour to see some of the more prominent temples of Kumbakonam. Kumbakonam, well known for its silk industry, is also a producer of great brass wares. Arrive in Swamimalai for the night and spend the evening as you like.
Day 14: Kumbakonam to Mamallapuram via Pondicherry (255 km / 6 hour drive)
Take a drive up the east coast of Tamil Nadu to the former French colony of Pondicherry.In Pondicherry. Enjoy the rocky beachfront which leads down to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, a beautiful example of French-influcenced architecture. Later, depart for Mamallapuram - along the way, stop in Auroville and pay a visit to the Matrimandir - an architectural marvel as well as the point from which all things in Auroville radiate - solar-powered, peaceful, welcoming, beautiful surroundings. Arrive in Mamallapuram later in the day and spend the evening as you like. Wander down to the beach and enjoy a fresh caught fish dinner in a beachside restaurant.
Day 15: Mamallapuram
Spend the day sightseeing. By far and away, the most popular tourist attraction is Arjuna's Penance - one of the largest bas relief works of art in existence - carved out of the hillside rock it never fails to impress. Mamallapuram is famous as a pilgrimage town as well as being the seat of stone carving in South India and you'll see evidence of this especially on the way to the Five Rathas. Take time to enjoy the traditional South Indian thali lunch served on a banana leaf. Later, visit the Shore Temple, a rare item as it's the only monument in Mamallapuram "constructed" as opposed to being carved out of the rocky terrain of the town. Go to the beach and treat yourself to fresh fish in beachside restaurants while listening to the sounds of the surf.
Day 16: Mamallapuram to Chennai for Departure
Transfer to Chennai to your point of departure.
Extend or Customize Your Tour: We would be happy to assist with additional travel and hotel arrangements. Changes to this tour can be added as an inclusive part of the package.
ACCOMMODATION CHOICES
Tour Price Includes
- Accommodations with breakfast are provided on twin sharing
- One overnight stay in Houseboat including ALL meals
- An AC Car/Driver will be provided for tour duration as specified in Itinerary
- An English-speaking Guide will be provided for sightseeing outings in Mysore, Cochin, Madurai and Mamallapuram
- One FREE Ayurvedic general body massage in Calicut
- Traditional South Indian lunch in Mamallapuram
- Bicycle Rickshaw Tour in Madurai
- Periyar Guided Trekking, Plantation Tour, and Elephant Ride
- Entrance fees to sightseeing spots
- Kathakali dance performance in Cochin
- Farewell dinner in Mamallapuram
- All applicable taxes
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