Luxury tour of South India

Transfer from Chennai Airport to your hotel.

In the afternoon guided tour of Chennai visiting Museum, Fort St. George and Kapaleeswara Temple & drive past Marina Beach.

Overnight in Chennai.

Breakfast in the hotel.

Departure to Mahabalipuram. Along the way visit Kanchipuram, the golden city of the thousand temples and one of the seven sacred cities of India, 70 km from Madras. It was the capital of the kingdom of the Pallava, Chola and Raya from Vijaynahar. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the Pallava built many of the temples of the city. It was also a place of great knowledge and culture.

The main attraction in the city is Sakkiswarar temple, built by the Chola. This temple is located close to Amman Kamakshi Temple. Another place of great interest is Vaikuntha Perumal Temple, an important temple dedicated to Vishnu and built by the Pallava kings in the 7th century AD. In the temple there are many engravings representing the wars between Pallava and Chalukya. Unmissable are also temples Kailasanatha and Ekambareswarar.

Continue to Mahabalipuram and hotel accommodation upon arrival.

In the afternoon visit Mahabalipuram, famous for its temples on the beach. In the 7th century the city was the port of the Southern Indian dynasty of the Pallava, situated about 60 km south of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It has several historic monuments mainly built between the 7th and 9th centuries and was listed among Unesco Heritage Sites.

In the evening dinner at leisure and overnight in hotel.

After breakfast we will leave to reach Pondicherry.

Check-in to your hotel and afternoon visiting to Ashram, Auroville, Notre Dame Church, Manakulla Vinayagar Temple and Aayi Mandapam.

Overnight in Pondicherry.

Breakfast in the hotel.

Departure to Tanjore and enroute visit to Chidambaram. It is one of the oldest cities in India with the most beautiful temples and shrines in India. The city is one of the five Panchabhoota Salam, meaning the five temples of the elements; wind (Kalahasti), water (Tiruvanaikka), fire (Tiruvannamalai), earth (Kanchipuram) and space (Chidambaram).

Arrival in Tanjore and accommodation in hotel.

Free time, dinner at leisure and overnight.

Breakfast in the hotel.

Morning dedicated to the visit to Trichy and Srirangam.

Trichy, situated on the bank of Cauvery river, hosts the Rock Fort which dominates the city with its 83 meters and is used by Vinayakar Temple as accommodation. Sri Ranganathaswami Temple, considered as one of the largest temples of the century, is one of the most important tourist attractions in Trichy. Srirangam, or Sri Rangam, is situated 2 km north of Tiruchirappalli.The main deities of the area are Ranganatha or Vishnu, lying on Sesa Naga. This temple is the most important of the eight Vishnu shrines, Swayam Vyakta Ksetras, and is also regarded as the most important of the 108 Vishnu temples.

In the afternoon visit Tanjore, also called Thanjavur, famous for Brihadishwara temple in classic Dravidian style, built by the Chola in the 10th century AD and dedicated to Lord Shiva, and for its giant Nandi statue. The temple is listed among Unesco Heritage Sites. You'll also visit Tanjore palace, partly built by the Nayaka and partly by the Maratha. It's a large building with large halls, corridors, courtyards and high towers. The city is also known for art, its bronze and silver and for silk.

Return to the hotel and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Drive to Madurai. In the afternoon visit this city, 2,500 years old, the second largest city of the entire Tamil Nadu. The shape of the city is that of the lotus flower. You will visit the Thirumalai Nayak Palace Building of the 17th century, built by King Thirumalai Nayak, one of the Madurai Nayak kings in 1636 AD, in the city of Madurai, India. The palace was built with the help of an Italian architect and is a fusion of different styles, including classical Dravidian, Islamic and European.

The building was the main palace where the king lived. The original palace complex was four times the current structure. In its heyday, the Thirumalai Nayak Palace in Madurai was considered one of the wonders of the South. Then visit Gandhi Museum. Later you will visit the spectacular temple Sri Meenakshi, built during the reign of Thirumalai Nayak (1623-1655) dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi and her husband Shiva, that here is called Sundareshwarar.

The huge dome is covered by colorful statues. Designed in 1560 by Vishwanatha Nayak. You will then return in the evening to watch an impressive ceremony with a procession of priests and musicians to commemorate the marriage of the goddess. Overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel.

Drive to Periyar and upon arrival check in to the hotel. In the afternoon proceed to Nature Walk at Periyar. Numerous nature paths cross the hiking trails with their different types of habitats; you will be escorted by expert guides born and raised in these places. An alternative program offers the opportunity to observe birds, butterflies and other forms of wild life.

The paths often pass through evergreen, moist deciduous forests and interspersed with marshy meadows and pastures. Nature Walk is the right program to feel the nature, listen to its sounds and savor the scent of its flowers. The participants to the excursion can follow nature trails specially selected for them. The program is perfect for bird lovers. Overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. Morning departure to Cochin, on arrival check in to the hotel and free time available. Visit of Cochin, also known as the "Queen of the Arabian Sea", with its natural harbors. The synagogue of the Chinese fishing nets, the Dutch palaces, Portuguese architecture and British influence harmonize perfectly with the culture of Kerala: in Cochin the emblematic testimonies of this seamless integration of different cultures are the exchange products and legends of visitors from distant lands.

Chinese fishing nets are unique in their kind in India. It is believed they were sold by the Chinese emperor Kublai Khan's court. Fort Kochi beach with its promenade, especially at sunset fascinates with its Chinese nets and sailboats as a backdrop. European-style bungalows dot the shoreline.

Another important monument is the Church of St. Francis, an old church built by Europeans in India; Vasco da Gama was also buried here; during his third visit in Kerala he became ill and died right here in Kochi. Later his remains were given to his native Portugal. However, the place where he was buried has been marked and is a place of worship and a good omen for the Christian faithful people.

Another noteworthy monument is the Dutch Palace which was built in the seventeenth century. The coronation of each Raja of Kochi occurred within this majestic palace that still retains an excellent collection of murals of scenes from Hindu epics. The Jewish synagogue, then, (closed on Fridays and Saturdays) is located near the Dutch Palace and designed way back in 1568, it was decorated with the typical Chinese tiles and Belgian chandeliers.

Here the ancient scrolls of the Old Testament were preserved. In the evening you will witness a show of Kathakali dance, a name that implies an epic history of well over 400 years. The dancers with enormous skirts, with glittering crowns and painted faces relive ancient legends. The representation will take place by the light of small bronze lamps: an unforgettable experience. Overnight at the hotel.
 

Breakfast in the hotel.

Departure to Coimbatore. Upon arrival check in to the hotel and free time. Overnight in the hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel. Departure for Mysore, capital of Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka of which is the second largest city after the capital Bangalore. It is located about 146 kilometers to the southwest of Bangalore. The name Mysore is the English version of Mahishūru (which means " the Mahisha dwelling" ).

En route visit Ooty, the capital of Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu. It is green and hilly, the ideal stopover area for those who want to embark on a tour in Tamil Nadu . You will also visit the Botanical Garden built in 1847; it is a garden with an amplitude of 55 acres.  Another attraction is the lake, a meeting place for those who want to have a picnic and a leisurely boat ride.

Arrival in Mysore, hotel accommodation and overnight.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning excursion to Srirangapatnam. Here you can visit Fort Srirangapatnam built in 1454 and situated on an island. Nearby you will also visit the Daria Daulat Bagh garden where the summer palace of Tipu Sultan is located. The walls of the building are decorated by beautiful murals depicting the battles between Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.

Immediately outside the fort is Gumbaz, a beautiful tomb, with ebony doors with ivory inlays which houses the mortal remains of Hyder Ali, his wife and Tipu Sultan. In the afternoon visit Mysore Palace, which is 770 meters high. Thousands of small factories flood the air with the fragrance of the essential oils used for the production of incense sticks.

The places of interest are Mysore Palace, the magnificent residence of the Maharaja built in the early twentieth century in the Indo-Saracenic style, which recalls the opulence of the courts narrated in the "Thousand and One Nights tales" and the temple of Sri Chamundeswari, in Dravidian style, dedicated to the goddess Kali and located on a hill overlooking the city and the St. Philomena church. Dinner and hotel accommodation.
 

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Hassan and on arrival transfer to hotel.

In the afternoon excursion to Belur and Halebid, 2 twin villages, which complete the entire scenario of the Hoysala temples. They were in fact built by the Hoysala dynasty, between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, the period when it was the capital of their kingdom.

Visit the largest temple in Belur, the Chenakeshava: It took at least 103 years for its construction, adorned with a multitude of statues and sculptures. About 16 km from Belur, Halebid is located, which was the capital of the Hoysala kingdom until the fourteenth century when it was destroyed by the troops of the Delhi Sultanate. You will visit the twelfth century temples of Hoysaleshwara and Kedareshwara, stunning for the wealth of the sculptural decoration and the intricate details.

Dinner at leisure and hotel accommodation.
 

Breakfast in the hotel. Departure to Bangalore. Along the way stop in Shravanbelagola which means "monk of the white pond ", the oldest and most important pilgrimage center for Jains.

A staircase leads to the spectacular statue of the god Bahubali "Gomateshwara" of the seventh century , it is one of the tallest and statues prettiest in the world, and is located at the top of Indragiri hills. The colossal monolithic statue is reached by climbing 700 steps carved into the steep granite slope, and is the symbol of renunciation of worldly goods. It was carved by Aristanemi and Chamundaraya in 981 AD, general and minister of King Ganga Rachamatta.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
 

The tour is over, after breakfast the day is free depending on airport transfers.