Southern Explorer & Bollywood

Arrive at Chennai International Airport. Please clear immigration and visa formalities, collect your baggage and proceed to the arrival lounge through the green channel if you do not have goods to be declared to customs. TOTAL HOLIDAY OPTIONS Executive will page you by your group name. Thereafter you will be assisted with a transfer to the hotel. Stay overnight in Chennai.

Chennai formally known as Madras, popularly regarded as the ‘Gateway to the South'. It represents a culture that is distinctly different from that of northern India. This city encourages all forms of development, both modern technology and the traditional arts and crafts and embraces a series of paradoxes. The numerous temples, shrines, forts and palaces are a reflection of the rich and diverse historical heritage of the city. After a brief introduction to the city by our tour manager we visit the Museum and Art Gallery and Marina beach, one of the longest beaches in the world. Afternoon travel to Mahabalipuram and stay two nights in hotel.

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After breakfast, we enjoy an excursion to Kanchipuram, the flourishing capital city of the 2nd century Cholas Dynasty, now known as City of a Thousand Temples and one of the seven most sacred cities of the Hindu faith. Visit intricately stone carved 8th century Shore Temples constructed in Dravidian style and now a World UNESCO site. Later visit a silk weavers village, settled around 400 years ago with an enviable reputation, who still use the highest quality silk and pure gold thread.

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We travel to Pondicherry, the town ruled by the French before India got independence in 1947. This French legacy is visible in the well-planned town, neatly laid roads, wide and vibrant beaches, beautiful promenades, architecturally imposing buildings and statues of Joan of Ark and Joseph Francois colonies in India from 1742-54. The day is free to take a stroll in the street in this beautiful town. Stay Overnight at hotel.

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After breakfast we enjoy the city sightseeing tour and visit to Rai Nivas, Sri Aurobindo Ashram and explore the medieval town of the French province, the town has managed to preserve its French aura. From its delectable restaurants offering French cuisine and streets bearing French names, Pondicherry's French connection is very much alive. The city’s temples and churches and imposing monuments of the colonial era are some of the sites worth visiting in this small port city. Afternoon travel to Tanjore and stay two nights in a hotel.

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After breakfast we enjoy the Thanjavur city tour. The city rose to glory during the later Chola Reign between 11th and 14th centuries and became the centre of learning and culture. It is also known for its exquisite handicrafts, bronzes and South Indian Musical Instruments. Evening free to explore the local bazaar.

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Today we travel to Chettinad, en-route stopping at Trichy. Visit Srirangam Temple located at River Kaveri and most famed 83 meter high rock on flat land, said to be 3800 million years old. Evening free to explore the local bazaar and witness 18thcentury wooden carved houses. Later in the evening, we enjoy Chettinad cuisine. Spices are so important to the cuisine – marathi mokku (dried flower pods) anasipoo (star anise), tamarind and saunf (fennel seed) are amongst the favourites used. 

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After breakfast we start our city sightseeing tour by visiting heritage mansions built more than 100 years ago and famous for their architecture, chandeliers and wooden craftsmanship. Continue with a visit to the Museum and famous temple before travelling to Madurai, the centre of Tamil heritage and culture. Stay overnight in hotel.

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Start our sightseeing tour of the city, once the capital of the Pandyan King in 550 AD. Visit the magnificent Meenakshi Temple to experience stunning architecture such as the sculpted pillars that tell the story of the beautiful princess of Madurai and her marriage to Lord Shiva. Later travel to Thekkady, famous for its wildlife sanctuary and enjoy a spice plantation tour to see crops of cardamom, cinnamon, pepper and coffee. Stay two nights at Thekkady.

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Wake up early to enjoy a boat ride in the Periyar wildlife sanctuary to spot various wild animals, birds and reptiles. Later visit a spice plantation. Evening attend a local cooking class to learn to cook Kerala dishes, one of the most intriguing cuisines of the world. The class will be held in a traditional home set on the grounds of a working bioorganic spice garden.

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Today we travel to Kumarakom and embark on our houseboat. Enjoy cruising through palm-fringed narrow canals winding through the vast expanse of paddy fields and the neat tiny hamlets lined up along the sides of the canals providing panoramic sights never to be forgotten. All meals and overnight on board.

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After breakfast, we disembark the houseboat and travel to Cochin, set on a cluster of peninsulas and islands in the Indian Ocean. A city tucked in the beauty of coconut palms and endless blue waters; it is one of the important towns in South India, with a natural harbour. Cochin offers a pleasurable blend of charming sightseeing with salivating culinary delights that will surely blow your mind. Afternoon visits the Jewish Synagogue, Dutch Palace and St Francis church, the oldest church built in 1503AD by Portuguese. In the evening explore the local bazaar of Fort Cochin and finish the day by witnessing the Kathakali dance drama cultural show in the theatre. Stay overnight in the hotel.

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After breakfast transfer to airport to board a flight to Mumbai. Assistance on arrival and transfer to the hotel. Touch, feel and experience the Mumbai, a bubblegum glamour of Bollywood cinema, shopping malls full of designer labels, promenading families eating Bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty and red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams. This pungent drama is played out against a Victorian townscape more reminiscent of a prosperous 19th-century English industrial city than anything you’d expect to find on the edge of the Arabian Sea. It’s a city with vibrant street life, India’s best nightlife, and a wealth of bazaars. Remaining evening free to explore and stay two nights in Mumbai.

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We enjoy a half-day sightseeing tour of Mumbai, visiting the Prince of Wales Museum, Gateway of India and Dhobi Ghat. The remainder of the day is free to relax or go shopping.

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After leisurely breakfast tour finishes with direct transfer to Mumbai international airport.

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