Spotlight on South India - Tamilnadu, Kerala & Karnataka (All inclusive tour with domestic flight)

Arrival in Chennai. After the customs formalities, meet with MTA Representative. Our representative will be waiting for you outside the exit gate of the International Airport. Start your day with the panoramic tour of the city with the Marina Beach and the church of Saint Thomas, who came to India in 3rd century AD.

Inclusions: Accommodation, Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrances Tour
Highlights: St Thomas Church, Kanchipuram Temple, Kailashanatha Temple.

Please Note: The tour starts at 9 AM in the morning, please plan your arrival accordingly. Hotel check in would be after the sightseeing.

Drive to Pondicherry. Along the way, stop at Mahabalipuram to visit the famous seashore rock-cut and monolithic temples, aWorld Heritage site. 

Visit the 7th-century Shore temple which is surrounded by lush gardens. Later visit the 7th- century Five Rathas and Arjuna Penance.These temples are considered the very first example of Hindu temple architecture. Continue to Pondicherry.

Arrival at Pondicherry and in the afternoon visit the ancient French colony of Pondicherry with the ashram of Sri Aurobindo, the great philosopher. Built by a disciple of Aurobindo in his memory, it is one of the most evocative active ashrams in India. Then take a walking tour in the old city followed with the visit of ancient Portuguese and French churches.

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrances
Tour Highlights: Seashore Temples of Mammalapuram, Aurobindo Ashram

Transfer to Tanjore with a stop to visit the temples of Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram and the village of silk weavers. The town of Darasuram is famous for the Airavateswara temple built by Rajaraja Chola II in the twelfth century. The temple is a Unesco world heritage site and is a treasure trove of art and architecture.

Arrival in Tanjore. Once the ancient capital of Cholas, Tanjore dates back its history to the time of emperors Rajaraja I and Rajendra I, protectors of the arts and brave conquerors, who ruled over the city in the 11th century. Visit the temple of Brihadeshwara, the symbol of the city of Tanjore and a world heritage temple complex, surrounded by long walls, a cloister with columns and niches, and boasts two gopurams at the east entrance.

It preserves the classical architecture of the Dravidian temples with a mandapa and a large room that leads to the central sanctorum, made from a single piece of granite weighing 80 tons.

After visiting the temple, continue with a stop at "The Raja Museum and Art Gallery" to admire an interesting collection of artefacts and sculptures in bronze and granite in the Chola style. The Saraswati Mahal library contains over 40 thousand rare books and inscriptions on palm leaves in Indian and European languages.

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast , Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrances
Tour Highlights: Darasuram Temple, Brihadeshwara Temple at Tanjore.

Transfer to Chettinad, enroute stop at Srirangam to visit the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, considered as the most important of the 108 temples dedicated to the deity. Its foundation dates back to the fourteenth century: the complex consists of seven concentric walls, called prakara, with entrances to the four cardinal points, surmounted by high gopurams, for a total of twenty-one towers.

At the center of the island is the sancta santorum with the main image of Vishnu Ranganatha. Cross the Indian countryside rich in banana plantations, sugar cane and paddy fields. Continue to the area called Chettinad from the name of the ancient rich merchants who lived there. In the afternoon, walk in the village to admire the ancient buildings, visit a cotton weaving center and a factory for the manual manufacturing of the tiles.

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast , Transport, Tour Guide , Monument Entrances
Tour Highlights: Sri Ranganathswamy Temple at Trichy, Chettinad Village

Drive to Madurai. Arrive in Madurai and visit the Meenakshi Amman Temple, dedicated to Meenakshi (Goddess Parvati) and Sundareshwar (Lord Shiva). The main attraction of temple are its colourful towers. Later proceed to take a rikshaw ride in the old city. This rikshaw ride is a different experience everyone should take. This longest rikshaw ride in Asia will take you on a journey back in time. Visit the Spice Market, Banana Market, Onion Market, Textile Market, residential areas and local small scale factories. In the evening pay an another visit to the Meenakshi Temple to participate in the evening ceremony. 

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrances
Tour Highlights: Meenakshi Temple, Rikshaw Ride, Evening Ceremony.

Continue in the direction of Periyar, located at 900 meters on the Western Ghats, in a splendid scenery of tea and spice plantations. Periyar National Park is one of the most important and ancient projects to protect the Indian tiger. Arrival and hotel accommodation in the area of Thekkady.

In the afternoon take a Jeep Safari in the mountains. Along the way, take a brief tour of the spice plantations and drive through the gardens of tea, coffee and cocoa.

Inclusions: Accommodation, Train, Breakfast , Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrances
Tour Highlights: Jeep Ride, Spice Plantations.

Drive to Kumarakom. Arrive and check in to the hotel. Afternoon free for leisure, relax, Ayurvedic treatments and to admire the nature of Kerala. 

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch, Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrances
Tour Highlights: Houseboat excursion followed by lunch, Backwaters of Kerala

Morning free for leisure, Ayurvedic treatments or relax. Later, checkout from the hotel and proceed to Cochin. Enroute excursion with the houseboat in the backwaters, the series of canals, rivers and natural lakes that cross the region of Kerala like a spider web. Lunch in the houseboat. Disembark from the houseboat and proceed to Cochin.

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch, Transport, Tour Guide
Tour Highlights: Houseboat Excursion and Lunch.

Visit the most cosmopolitan city in South India: admire the Chinese nets, the Mattancherry Dutch Palace, the church of San Francesco which houses the tombstone of Vasco de Gama, the synagogue in the Jewish area. In the afternoon enjoy the Kathakali dance show of Kathakali. 

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrance
Tour Highlights: Chinese Fishing Net, Fort Cochin.

Flight to Bangalore. On arrival proceed to Mysore (140 km approximately 3 hours), stop and visit the famous temple of Somnathpur, a masterpiece of inlaid stone. In the aftrenoon visit Mysore Palace, the residence of Maharajas. The interior is beautifully decorated with mirrors, paintings and stained glass, the floors are mosaic and doors are finely carved.

Inclusions: Domestic Flight, Accommodation, Breakfast , Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrance
Tour Highlights: Somnathapur, Mysore Palace.

Transfer to Hassan. Upon arrival transfer to the hotel, in the afternoon visit the famous temples of Belur and Halebidu, splendid examples of the architectural style of the Hoysala dynasty. 

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast , Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrance
Tour Highlights: Temples of Belur and Halebidu.

Excursion to Sravanabelgola to visit the Jain temple located on an imposing hill that houses the gigantic monolithic statue of Bahubali. This is the oldest and most important jain pilgimage centre in India and the site of the huge 17 metres high naked statue of Gomatesvara. Back to Hassan.

Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrance
Tour Highlights: Sravanabelagola Jain Pilgrimage Site

Transfer to Bangalore. Afternoon short tour of the city. No overnight. Transfer to the international airport.

Inclusions: Breakfast , Transport, Tour Guide, Monument Entrance.