South India Adventure Tour

Arrive Chennai and check-in at hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel

The capital of Tamil Nadu is a spacious and attractive city compared to other major cities in India, with many imposing buildings and charming old houses. We have arranged a half-day orientation drive through this sprawling city. This includes the Kapaleeswarar temple, the Marina Beach, St Thome Cathedral and Georgetown, (Chennai’s commercial centre). We will also pass by the 18th century Government Museum – a redbrick, circular building, built as a ‘place of entertainment and balls’, the East India Company Building and Fort St George. Although Chennai has expanded industrially, it is an important centre devoted to the revival of classical Indian dancing and is famous for its film industry – overtaking Mumbai (Bombay) by churning out over 250 movies in one year! We then take the early afternoon train to Tiruchirapalli.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today, we travel east, approximately 56kms by road to the temple city of Thanjavur with stops en route. We will walk across the Grand Anicut Dam, visit the Poondi Raman Catholic Church and orphanage and see the ancient art of wax mould bronze casting at a local artists village. We then proceed to the famous great Rock Fort which looms about 100m over the banks of the Cauvery river. Our tour also includes the river island of Srirangam and the temple of Ranganathasvami, one of the largest temples in India. This temple is dedicated to Vishnu and houses a rich collection of temple jewellery.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we visit the Palace housing the Manuscript and Bronze Museums and finally take in the exuberant Hindu architecture of the 10th-14th century Chola Empire at the stunning Brahadeswara Temple, a World Heritage Site. The main shrine houses a large Nandi Bull and the largest Lingam (the sacred fertility symbol of Shiva) in India. Later, in the afternoon, we journey by bus to the Tamil heartland and the acknowledged centre of Dravidian culture at Madurai.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we have a morning tour of Madurai including a visit to the 16th century Meenakshi Temple with its nine imposing gopurams (monumental gates). Within the temple complex we’ll explore the Thousand Pillared Hall, the Golden Lotus Tank and the Nandi Pavilion. Rising above the temple, above the festive pandemonium of swirling crowds of pilgrims that never seem to cease, are 12 stupendous towers. A short distance away is the Tirumalai Nayaka Palace, a blend of Hindu and Saracen architectural styles. Recent restorations include repainting the carvings and stone-work in their original colours - a startling effect. This afternoon you are free to explore this bustling temple town at leisure, taking in a trip to the Gandhi Museum, soaking up the vibrant colours and floral aromas. browsing through silver, craft and carpet shops or even ordering tailor-made outfits from one of the many bazaars.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

It is a full day’s drive to Thekkady. En route if we have time we may stop at one of the nearby colourful markets. On arrival in Thakkady there may also be the chance for you to visit a spice plantation as an extra optional activity.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We start the day in Chenganacherry where we can see the most beautiful stretch of inland waterways in Kerala – over 80km of Malabar backwaters winding under the lush leaves of coconut palms all the way to Alappuzha. We board our riverboat for an exotic journey of some 3 hours, chugging in unhurried style on waterways used by villagers commuting from village to village. The people are a colourful mix of high born Nayas, traditionally inheriting property through the mother; Brahmins, once priests but now mainly professional workers; Dravidians, speaking their own language and Christians, Jews, Muslims and Chinese – an attractive, friendly melée of different types, often looking somewhat incongruous with their black umbrellas to ward off the tropical sun. Keep an eye open for the rich variety of birdlife along the waters edge. After docking at Alappuzha, we join the bus and drive to our hotel in Kochi.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Kochi has been a gathering place of merchants since antiquity and is full of bustling traders. Fort Kochi is the oldest European settlement in India (1500), and has a mixture of English, Dutch and Portuguese influences. The Mattancherry Palace was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, but extensive renovations by the Dutch some hundred years later earned it the name ‘the Dutch Palace'. It has some of the best murals in India, depicting scenes from the Ramayana and other great legends. We will take a tour by river-craft to Fort Kochi, passing Bolgatty Island and seeing the cantilevered Chinese Fishing nets. We also visit St Francis Church and the Jewish Synagogue. The afternoon is left free for personal exploration.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we head inland to Mettupalayam, at the foot of the Nilgiri Hills. Our hotel here is set in a beautiful wooded area with views of the hills – we spend late afternoon relaxing and enjoying the tranquillity.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we board the Nilgiri Express (train journey availability is subject to local conditions) and climb by rack rail mountain train through the scenic Nilgiri Hills to Udhagamandalam, better known as ‘Ooty’. The most famous of all South India’s hill stations, Ooty (2270m) was first adopted by the British then by wealthy Maharajas, earning itself a reputation as ‘Snooty Ooty’. The afternoon is left free to visit the Botanical Gardens, St Stephen’s Church or Ooty Lake. You may like to play golf at the Ooty Golf Club or take a walk up to Dodabetta Peak for some stunning views, or perhaps visit a local tea factory. There may also be the option to take a guided walk with a visit to a tribal village with a local guide.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Making a morning start from Ooty, we use our own bus to drive to the grandiose. En route we pass through the Mudumalai National Park which is home to a variety of animals such as the chital (spotted deer), monkeys, mongoose, panther and the gaur – the Indian bison. The park’s elephant population is one of the largest in the country and we may see some of them working in the forest. Mysore offers the interested traveller a great deal including the huge Maharajah’s Palace. Originally built in the 14th century, the palace has undergone two subsequent re-buildings (the most recent in 1912) and is today an opulent mélange of Hindu and British architecture.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Whilst in Mysore, we include a morning visit to the Maharajah’s Palace and also see the enormous monolithic sculpture of the sacred bull Nandi standing halfway up the Chamundi Hill. The rest of the day is left free to explore at your own pace. You may wish to visit the Srirangapatnam Palace outside the city or see the historic art gallery in Jaganmohan Palace. In spring, the scent of jasmine fills the air, making Mysore a city of true oriental splendour. Later in the afternoon, we transfer to the station for our train to Chennai.

Overnight Basic Train Included meals: Breakfast

We arrive in Chennai in the morning. From here we will drive onto Mamallapuram on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. This was the chief harbour for the Pallavas Kingdom some 1200 years ago and many examples of masterful carvings from those days still exist in the so-called pagodas (actually ‘rathas’). On arrival, we will take a tour with a local guide. We will see the celebrated structures here. These include the World Heritage listed Shore Temple, built in 7th century and Ajuna’s Penance, the world’s largest basrelief (some 27m long by 9m high) and one of the most impressive friezes in India. Although both are quite weather-beaten, a remarkable amount of detailed carving still remains. We will also see the Mandapa Cave temples with interesting reliefs and the Five Rathas, monolithic temples sculptured out of the rock in the mid-7th century.

Overnight Standard Hotel

Mamallapuram offers us the ideal opportunity to relax after our journey. The area is well known for its many beautiful temples and miles of beaches, perfect for an evening stroll or beachcombing and your day is free here to relax and unwind before the journey back home.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Group flight passengers will be transferred to Chennai, where the tour ends, for an early flight. (Please note that breakfast is not included for these passengers).

Included meals: Breakfast