Kerala with Kanya Kumari Tour

Day 01 - Arrive Chennai
Arrive Chennai by international flight. Meeting & Greeting at Airport and transfer to the pre-booked hotel. Chennai, the capital city, popularly regarded as the 'Gateway to the South' represents a culture that is distinctly different from that of northern India. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 02: Chennai
After breakfast sightseeing tour to Chennai. The places of interest are Kalakshetra, a school of art and music that encourages exponents of Bharatnatyam, Carnatic music, traditional weaving and designing; Fort St. George built in 1653 during British reign in India, - now houses the Secretariat and Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu; St. Mary's Church, the oldest Anglican Church in India with its premises; Sri Parthasarathy Temple built by Pallavas in the 8th century AD; Kapaliswara Temple, Mylapore also an eighth century Pallava Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva; San Thomas Cathedral Basilica rebuilt in 1606 as a cathedral and in 1896 it was made a basilica; and Theosophical Society - the world headquarters of the Theosophical Society formed to encourage the study of comparative religion philosophy and science. Overnight at hotel.

Day 03 - Chennai-Kanchipuram-Mahabalipuram (110 kms / 3 hrs drive)
After breakfast drive to Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram, 70 kms west of Mahabalipuram, this city of thousand temples lies. One of the seven sacred cities of Hindus, it was the capital of the early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC. Kanchi was a major seat of Tamil learning as well as an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, Jains and Hindus. Apart from temples, the city is also famous for its silk weavers, settled here some 400 years ago and have given it an enviable reputation.
Later proceed to Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram, the ancient port of Pallavas. The pallavas have created many marvelous monuments with sculptural panels, caves, Monolithic Rathas and Temples. Krishna Mandapam, has a big bas relief, notable for its realistic representation. The world's largest bas relief measuring 27m x 9m, whale back shaped rock contains figures of gods, demi-gods, men .beasts, birds and representation of the entire creation. Shore Temple, one of the oldest in south dating back to 8th century AD is a good example of the first phase of structural temples constructed in Dravidian style. The Five Rathas, a group of five monolithic temples, each created in different style.
Overnight at the hotel in Mahabalipuram.

Day 04 : Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry (approx 140 km / 3 hrs drive)
After breakfast drive to Pondicherry. On arrival transfer to hotel. Later in the afternoon sightseeing tour of Pondicherry. Pondicherry's main sights are the Rai Nivas, the Sacred Heart Church and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. The ashram retreat was founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo after whose death the spiritual authority passed to one of his disciples, a French woman known as the Mother. The Mother was also instrumental in founding the city of Dawn Auroville, 10 km from Pondicherry. Its original charter aimed at creating a city of the future where people from India and abroad could live and work together in a spiritual environment.

Day 05 : Pondicherry - Tanjore (approx 175 km / 4 hrs drive)
After breakfast drive to Tanjore visiting en-route temple or Lord Natraja at Chidambram.
On arrival, check-in at the hotel. Afternoon sightseeing tour of Tanjore. Tanjore (Thanjavur) is famous for the Brahadeeswarar Temple. The temple constructed more than a thousand years ago by the Chola King Raja Rajan is an architect’s marvel. The Art Gallery and the Saraswathi Mahal Library are also well known places of interest. Overnight at hotel.

Day 06 : Tanjore - Trichy - Madurai (approx 201 km / 5 hrs)
After breakfast drive to Trichy. On arrival, visit Srirangam. 5 kms from Trichy, located in an island is Srirangam. Surrounded by the Kaveri water is a 600 acre island town enclosed within the seven walls on the gigantic Sri Ranganathaswami temple. There are no less than 22 gopurams, one of which is the tallest in India. The 72 m high 13 tiered gopuram dominates the landscape for miles around.
The Rock Fort situated on the banks of the Kaveri river, Trichy’s most famed land mark is an 84 m high rock, one of the oldest in the world aprox.3,800 million years. The attraction is not for fort itself but the temple at the summit. 344 steps hewn out of rock lead to the top where are the inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century B.C.
Later drive to Madurai and on arrival, check-in at the hotel for overnight stay.

Day 07 - Madurai
After breakfast sightseeing tour of Madurai. Visit 'The Meenakshi-Sundareswara Temple. Of its 12 gopurams, four of the tallest stand at the outer walls of the temple. The 48.8 m high southern gopuram is the most spectacular and have over 1500 sculptures. In the Ashta Shakti Mandapam inside the Meenakshi temple, the sculpted pillars tell the story of the beautiful princess of Madurai and her marriage to Lord Shiva. Evening is at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 08 : Madurai - Kanya Kumari (approx 245 kms. 5 hrs. drive)
After breakfast drive to Kanya Kumari. On arrival transfer to hotel. Afternoon visit Kanya Kumari - the land's end of India or the point where the three seas meet - the Bay of Bengal, The Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Visit the Kumariamman temple, Gandhi Memorial, Vivekanand Memorial. Evening watch the spectacular sunset from the beach. Overnight at hotel

Day 09 : Kanya Kumari – Kovalam (66 kms / 1 ½ hrs)
Morning watch sunrise from the beach. Later drive to Kovalam visiting en-route visit Padmanabhapuram. It is known for its fort which encloses, among other buildings, a palace and a temple. The palace has some important art relics while the Ramaswamy temple has exquisitely carved panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana. On arrival, check-in at the hotel. Evening free to relax on the beach. Overnight at hotel.

Day 10 : Kovalam
Full day free for leisure at beach.

Day 11 : Kovalam – - Periyar (approx 200 km / 5 hrs)
After breakfast drive to Periyar. Enroute visit . The main places of interest are Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Zoological Park, Napier Museum, Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Science & Technology Museum, Veli Lagoon, Shanmugham Beach, Aruvikkara Dam and Neyyar Dam, SMSM Institute. On arrival, check-in at the hotel.

Day 12 : Periyar
Periyar, The park encompasses a 26 sq km artificial lake and is the home of sambars, wild boars, elephants and antelopes which can be occasionally seen on the banks of the river during a boat cruise. Periyar, otherwise, blessed by Nature has enormous tea, coffee, pepper and cardamom plantations and is lush green. Morning boat cruise on Lake Periyar to view wildlife. Afternoon is free to explore the hill station. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 13 : Periyar - Kumarakom (approx 136 kms / 3 hrs drive.)
After breakfast at hotel drive to Kumarakom. On arrival check into hotel. Later visit Kumarakom bird sanctuary. Rest of the day free to explore the place by own.

Day 14 : Board Houseboat
Board houseboat (Kettuvalam) from Kumarakom jetty. Staying in this moving palace is breathtakingly stimulating experience. While sailing down a maze of canals one sees different scenes from the villages, paddy fields, coconut palms, fisherman and local life. Lunch, dinner next day breakfast and tea snacks will be provided in the boat. Overnight on houseboat.

Day 15 : Arrive Alleppey – Cochin (70 kms / 1 ½ hrs)
After breakfast, at houseboat disembark at 09:30 hours and drive to Cochin. On arrival transfer to hotel. Rest of the day free. Overnight at hotel.

Day 16 - Cochin
After breakfast sightseeing tour of Cochin. Cochin(Kochi) gateway for Kerala is famous for Mattanchery Palace, St. Francis Church, Wellington Island, Bolghatty Island, Chinese Fishing nets and Jewish Synagogue. Afternoon at leisure. Evening witness Kathakali Dance Show in an auditorium. Overnight at hotel.

Day 17 : Cochin - Ooty (approx 280 km)
After breakfast drive towards Ooty. On arrival, transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day free. Overnight at hotel.

Day 18 - Ooty
After breakfast sightseeing tour of Ooty and Conoor.
Ooty, an integral part of the great plateau occupying the junction of the Eastern and Western Ghats. Ooty is the headquarters of the Nilgris district. Apart from coffee and tea plantations, trees like confiers, eucalyptus, pine and the wattle dot the hillside in Ooty and its environ. Visit Botanical Gardens where "summer Festival" is held each during the month of May: the artificial lake and Dodabetta Peak which is the highest point in the district at a height of 2623m.
17 km from Ooty is the first of these hills stations. Coonoor is a small town with an equable climate that has made it popular as hill resort. Tea and Tourism Festival is held here during Dec-Jan. visit the Sim's Park, a small well maintained botanical garden that has several varieties of plants not to be found in other hill stations.

Day 19 : Ooty - Mysore (approx 155 km)
After breakfast drive to Mysore. On arrival, check-in at the hotel. Later in the afternoon sightseeing tour of Mysore. Mysore as we see today is most famous for the imposing Royal Palace with a magnificent Durbar Hall, Chamundeshwari temple perched on a hilltop is 2000 years old, Nandi Bull half way to the hill is a 4.8 metre monolith, KRS Dam and the ornamental Brindavan Gardens. The musical fountains and colourful lights transform this place into a fairly land in the evenings. Overnight at hotel.

Day 20 : Mysore
After breakfast visit Somnathpur temple. 45 km from Mysore, the temple, the temple built in 1268 AD is known for its Hoysala architecture. The temple is seated on a star shaped base, The temple wall depicts scenes from Ramayana, Mahabharta and Bhagvata. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 21 : Mysore - Hassan (approx 150 km)
After breakfast drive to Hassan. On arrival, check-in at the hotel. Later in the afternoon visit of Belur and Halebid. Belur temple took over 103 years to build and is a classic example of the Hoysala style of architecture. It rises like a wedding cake in stone, from a star shaped plinth, one of the hallmarks of Hoysala building design. From the base upwards, there is an extraordinary wealth of decorative detail.
Halebid - 16 km east of Belur and 27 km from Hassan, the Hoysaleswara Temple dating back to 12th century, is astounding for its wealth of sculptural detail. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of gods and goddesses, animals, birds and dancing girls. Yet no two facets of the temple are the same. The magnificent temple -dedicated to Lord Shiva guarded by a Nandi Bull was never completed despite 86 years of labour. In the inner sanctum, the star black lingam, the symbol of Shiva, is still worshipped. The carving at the door is ornate with small details.

Day 22 : Hassan - Bangalore
After breakfast drive to Bangalore visiting en-route Sravanbelgola. Said to be the world's tallest monolithic statue rises 17 metre high of Bahubali (Gomateshvara). The statue was built in 981 AD by the sculptor Aristanmi and is most sacred to the Jain Community. Arrive Bangalore, city sightseeing tour. The Lalbagh, one of the finest botanical Gardens of India, Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha built in 1956 housing The State Legislature and Secretariat are the main attractions. Late evening transfer to airport for flight to Mumbai. On arrival, transfer to the hotel.

Day 23 : Bangalore - Out
Morning free for leisure. Later transfer to airport in time to connect flight for onward destination.