Grand Tour of South India By World Journeys

Grand Tour of South India By World Journeys

21 Days / 20 Nights from $8,045 Price Per Person

Sales from 03 May 2023 to 31 December 2026

**Day 1: Bengaluru**
On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

**Day 2: Bengaluru**
After breakfast, enjoy a sightseeing tour of Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore). Visit the beautiful colonial-style St Mark’s cathedral and Queens Park to see the Queen Victoria Statue and Mahatma Gandhi statue, known as the father of the nation. Next visit Cubbon Park that led to Bengaluru being known as the ‘Garden City of India’. The park stretches over 300 acres and houses various Government Buildings to explore. Continue exploring museums and famous buildings as you learn more about the city’s heritage. Make a stop at the four decade-old M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, home of team ‘Royal Challengers Bengaluru’. Transfer to your hotel late afternoon.

**Day 3: Bengaluru > Mysuru**
Today you will drive to Mysuru (formerly known as Mysore). Check in at your hotel before going on a sightseeing tour. Visit Mysuru Palace – the official residence of the Royal Family of Mysuru who ruled the princely state 1399 to 1950. The palace is an Indo-Saracenic masterpiece, having blends of Hindu, Muslim, Rajput, and Gothic styles. Explore artifacts and important cultural symbols. Later enjoy panoramic sunset views of the city before returning to your hotel.

**Day 4: Mysuru > Ooty**
Travel to Ooty, a beautiful hill station with charming British Raj era houses. Upon arrival you will check in at your hotel.

**Day 5: Ooty > Coonoor > Coimbatore**
This morning you will be taken for scenic tour of Ooty visiting the 1848-built Botanical Gardens, a living gallery of the natural flora of the Nilgiris and famous for housing fossils, some dating back 20 million years. Next, embark on a scenic boat ride on Pykara Lake, and if time permits, continue to some more hidden Lakes of Ooty.

In the afternoon transfer to Ooty Train Station to board your heritage steam train of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway to travel to Coonoor, located in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats. Transfer to Coimbatore on arrival and check in to your hotel.

**Day 6: Coimbatore > Chennai**
After breakfast transfer to the local airport for your flight to Chennai.

** Day 7: Chennai**
Today witness the British East India Company history of colonial Madras (now known as Chennai) and explore an architectural diversity of traditional ‘Dravidian’ styles with European influences. Explore the 17th-century Fort St George, St Mary’s Church, and learn about every-day life in Chennai as you stroll through the bustling bazaars of George Town. After your tour, return to your hotel.

**Day 8: Chennai > Mahabalipuram**
This morning drive to Mahabalipuram, an ancient seaport, for an historic tour in the afternoon. Visit Shore Temple, dating back to the 8th century AD. Located on the sea shore, the temple houses three shrines: one of Lord Vishnu and two of Lord Shiva. Next visit Five Rathas also known as Pancha Rathas – these rock temples are remarkable examples of Dravidian style architecture, constructed in the form of pagodas and resembling Buddhist shrines and monasteries.

**Day 9: Mahabalipuram > Pondicherry**
Travel to Indo-French Pondicherry, established in 1674.

**Day 10: Pondicherry**
Today explore an existing French Colony with a unique heritage, architecture and lifestyle. Enjoy a walk through the colonial streets of Old Pondicherry Town to discover Indo-French heritage evident all around. Later visit Auroville, an experimental community founded in 1968 by the spiritual leader Mirra Alfassa as a town where people from all over the world could live in harmony. Return to your hotel. This evening enjoy a French Masterclass followed by dinner.

**Day 11: Pondicherry > Kumbakonam > Tanjore**
Drive to Tanjore via Kumbakonam, where you will visit the UNESCO Heritage Site of the Chola Temples. On arrival in Tanjore, enjoy the day at leisure before a sightseeing tour late in the afternoon. Visit Maratha Palace and join a gold painting tour.

**Day 12: Tanjore > Madurai**
After breakfast travel to Madurai, an ancient city on the banks of the Vaigai River. Madurai is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, having once enjoyed extensive trade with ancient Rome. This evening head out for a Pooja ceremony at Meenakshi temple and participate in a Sacred Aarti Ceremony.

**Day 13: Madurai >  Kovalam, Trivandrum**
Enjoy a tour of the medieval city of Madurai. Visit 17th century Tirumalai Nayak Palace, built by the Nayaka Dynasty which once ruled Madurai, showcasing indigenous and Islamic architecture. Its giant pillars are a legacy of the Roman Empire. Explore the 6th Century BC Meenakshi Temple, then visit a local market before driving to Kovalam, a popular beachside town by the Arabian Sea, just 16 km from Kerala’s capital city of Trivandrum. This small town is known for its secluded coastline.

**Day 14: Trivandrum**
Enjoy your day at leisure. Relax at your resort or enjoy a traditional Ayurveda massage, an ancient healing massage using herbal oils to detoxify the mind-body-soul.

**Day 15: Trivandrum > Alleppey > Kerala Backwater Cruise **
Drive to Alleppey for an overnight Backwater Cruise aboard a kettuvallum. Relax and enjoy the leisurely pace as you cruise through scenic backwaters of South India, consisting of beautiful lakes, lagoons, floating villages. Catch a glimpse of authentic rural life and wildlife as you pass by.

**Day 16: Kerala Backwater Cruise > Alleppey > Periyar**
Arrive at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and check in to your eco-friendly retreat which resembles a traditional thatched village. Later take a shared boat ride inside the famous Periyar National Park to sight some of the rare flora and fauna of South India.

**Day 17: Periyar > Munnar**
Early this morning enjoy hiking and bamboo rafting activities through some of the richest forest tracts of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Animals like elephant, gaur and sambar deer may be sighted, keeping close to the edges of the lake. Return to your hotel to check out before driving to Munnar. Located high in the Cardamom Hills, Munnar was developed to cultivate spices and varieties of tea plants during the British Raj Era.

**Day 18: Munnar**
Today enjoy a tea tour and tasting in one of the country’s finest plantations. You will be taken to a family owned tea plantation in the region. Learn about growing tea and visit a tea factory to see how tea leaves are classified, processed and packaged. Also visit the iconic Tata Tea Factory and Museum. Enjoy tasting the various spices, herbs and teas that are grown in the area – the fragrance is in the air! Transfer to your hotel and relax, enjoying the sunset views.

**Day 19: Munnar > Kochi**
Travel to one of South India’s first European colonies, Kochi (formerly known as Cochin). Located by the Arabian Sea, Kochi is a major port city and a tourist hub. Nowhere else in India could you find such an intriguing mix: giant fishing nets from China, a 400-year-old synagogue, and a traditional art-crafts scene which includes the famed Kathakali dance.

**Day 20: Kochi**
Join a city tour and discover the traditional houses of vibrant Princess Street, with their mix of British, Portuguese, and Dutch architecture. Stop at Old Kochi beach and a small fishing village, then visit St Francis Church, one of India’s oldest European churches, built by Portuguese Friars.

In afternoon visit the home of a local South Indian family for an Anglo-Indian Masterclass session followed by lunch. Next drive or hop-on a local tuk-tuk to Mattancherry, a hub of spice trading and historic sites. Inside the 16th century Portuguese Dutch Palace discover well-preserved murals from Hindu and South Indian epics. Explore the famous Jewish quarter of Kochi with its 400-year-old Pardesi Synagogue. Afterwards, explore the street markets on a spice walking tour.

Return to your hotel. Later in the evening visit a vintage wood-lined theatre for a traditional Kathakali dance performance, complete with ancient story-telling using intricate hand-eye coordination. Before the show begins you may be taken backstage to witness the dancers’ authentic make-up ceremony and routine.

**Day 21: Kochi**
After breakfast, transfer to the airport where arrangements end.

Tailor-made journey: This itinerary can be tailor-made, with the number of days, places visited, and activities varied to suit you.

Inclusions

• • 19-nights’ accommodation
  • 1 night onboard a traditional Kettuvallam (houseboat)
  • 20 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners
  • Meet & Greet at all airports
  • Private transfers as per the itinerary
  • English-speaking local guides
  • Private sightseeing as per the itinerary
  • Entrance fees as per the itinerary
  • Economy class flight Coimbatore > Chennai
  • Goods & Services Tax (GST)