14 Days South India Classic

Arrive in Chennai, where you will be met at the airport and transferred privately to your hotel. The first day is deliberately kept light so you can rest after your journey and adjust before the overland tour begins.

If your flight arrives early, take a short walk near the hotel or enjoy a relaxed dinner. Major sightseeing is saved for the following morning rather than being squeezed into your arrival day.

Travellers adding extra time in the city can explore our Chennai tour options.

Day Highlights:

• Private airport transfer.
• Flexible arrival day.
• Time to rest before sightseeing begins.

Overnight stay in Chennai.

After breakfast, begin with selected highlights of Chennai, including Mylapore and Kapaleeshwarar Temple. Continue towards Kanchipuram, one of Tamil Nadu's important historic temple cities.

Visit a carefully chosen combination of temples such as Kailasanatha, Ekambareswarar or Kamakshi Amman according to opening hours and the pace you prefer. It is better to experience a few sites properly than rush through every major temple in town.

Later, drive to Mahabalipuram on the Coromandel Coast and check in at your hotel. For longer temple-focused stays, see our Kanchipuram tour options.

Day Highlights:

• Mylapore and Kapaleeshwarar Temple.
• Kanchipuram temple heritage.
• Drive to the Coromandel Coast.
• Relaxed arrival in Mahabalipuram.

Overnight stay in Mahabalipuram.

Spend the morning exploring the UNESCO-listed monuments of Mahabalipuram. Visit the Shore Temple, Pancha Rathas, Arjuna's Penance and selected cave monuments from the Pallava period.

The monuments date mainly from the 7th and 8th centuries and show both rock-cut and structural temple architecture. Their compact location makes it possible to explore at a comfortable pace without turning the morning into a checklist.

Continue south along the coast to Pondicherry (Puducherry). After check-in, enjoy an evening walk through the French Quarter or along the seafront promenade. Travellers wanting more time here can browse our Pondicherry tour packages.

Day Highlights:

• UNESCO-listed Shore Temple.
• Pancha Rathas and Arjuna's Penance.
• Coastal drive south.
• Evening in Pondicherry.

Overnight stay in Pondicherry.

Begin with a relaxed walk through Pondicherry, including the French Quarter and selected heritage streets. Visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram if it interests you and visitor arrangements allow.

Later, drive inland towards Thanjavur. Depending on timing, the route can include Chidambaram or Gangaikonda Cholapuram, but it is best not to overpack the day with too many temple stops.

On arrival in Thanjavur, visit the magnificent Brihadeeswarar Temple, built during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I and included among the UNESCO-listed Great Living Chola Temples.

Travellers interested in more Chola history can compare our Thanjavur (Tanjore) tour options.

Day Highlights:

• Pondicherry heritage walk.
• Scenic inland journey.
• Brihadeeswarar Temple.
• Chola architecture and sculpture.

Overnight stay in Thanjavur.

Leave Thanjavur after breakfast and drive to Trichy (Tiruchirappalli). Visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, a vast living temple complex on an island between branches of the Kaveri River.

If time and opening hours allow, Jambukeswarar Temple can also be included. Continue south towards Madurai and check in at your hotel.

The evening is deliberately kept free rather than forcing a major temple visit after a full road-and-sightseeing day. Travellers wanting more time around Trichy can see our Trichy tour packages.

Day Highlights:

• Srirangam temple complex.
• Kaveri River landscape.
• Optional Jambukeswarar Temple.
• Comfortable arrival in Madurai.

Overnight stay in Madurai.

Spend a full day exploring Madurai, one of South India's great living temple cities. Begin with Thirumalai Nayak Palace before continuing into the old city.

Visit Meenakshi Amman Temple with a local guide. Its towering gateway towers, shrines, pillared halls and constant flow of worshippers make it very different from an archaeological monument.

Walk through the surrounding market streets, where flower sellers, textiles, religious shops and everyday commerce remain closely connected with temple life.

If temple schedules and your energy level permit, return in the evening to experience the changing atmosphere as local worshippers gather. Access to some sacred areas may be restricted according to temple customs. See our Madurai tour packages if you would like to extend your stay.

Day Highlights:

• Thirumalai Nayak Palace.
• Meenakshi Amman Temple.
• Old-city markets and local streets.
• Optional evening temple experience.

Overnight stay in Madurai.

After breakfast, leave Tamil Nadu and travel west towards Thekkady in Kerala. The route climbs gradually towards the Western Ghats, with the scenery changing from dry plains to greener plantation country.

On arrival, join a guided spice plantation visit where available. Learn how cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and other crops are grown in Kerala's highlands.

Depending on current availability and your interests, choose an approved Periyar nature activity or keep the afternoon free. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, so the experience is best understood as a nature and landscape day rather than a promise of seeing specific animals.

Travellers wanting more time around Periyar can browse our Thekkady tour options.

Day Highlights:

• Cross from Tamil Nadu into Kerala.
• Western Ghats scenery.
• Guided spice plantation visit.
• Optional Periyar nature activity.

Overnight stay in Thekkady.

Leave the highlands after breakfast and drive down towards Alleppey (Alappuzha), where Kerala's network of canals, lakes and paddy fields creates a completely different landscape.

Board your confirmed houseboat around midday and cruise through the backwaters past coconut palms, village jetties and waterside homes. Lunch and dinner are generally served on board according to the selected houseboat programme.

The boat category, cabin type, air-conditioning arrangements and cruising route should be confirmed before travel. Larger houseboats cannot enter every narrow canal, so smaller waterways may require a separate local boat experience.

For alternative backwater combinations, compare our Alleppey tour packages.

Day Highlights:

• Scenic drive from the Western Ghats.
• Board an Alleppey houseboat.
• Backwater cruise through rural Kerala.
• Overnight stay on the waterways.

Overnight stay on an Alleppey houseboat.

Enjoy breakfast on board before disembarking and driving north to Kochi (Cochin). Check in at your hotel before beginning a relaxed afternoon of sightseeing.

Explore Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, including St. Francis Church, the historic waterfront, spice-trading streets and selected heritage sites according to current opening arrangements.

See the Chinese fishing nets from the waterfront and spend time walking through the older streets rather than rushing from one attraction to another. In the evening, an optional Kathakali performance can be arranged. Travellers adding another day can see our Kochi tour options.

Day Highlights:

• Disembark from the houseboat.
• Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.
• Historic waterfront.
• Optional Kathakali performance.

Overnight stay in Kochi.

After breakfast, begin the longer road journey from Kerala's coast towards Ooty in the Nilgiri Hills. This is mainly a transfer day, so the programme avoids unnecessary sightseeing stops.

As the road climbs, the climate and landscape gradually change from tropical lowlands to cooler hill country. Arrive in Ooty, check in and keep the evening free to rest.

Two nights are allocated here so the hill station feels like a real part of the journey rather than another one-night stop. Travellers wanting a longer stay can explore our Ooty tour packages.

Day Highlights:

• Long scenic drive to the Nilgiris.
• Changing landscapes and climate.
• Relaxed Ooty arrival.
• Two-night hill-station stay.

Overnight stay in Ooty.

Spend the day enjoying the Nilgiri Hills at a slower pace. Visit Ooty Botanical Gardens and selected viewpoints before continuing towards Coonoor.

Subject to railway schedules and ticket availability, a sector of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway can be included. This should only be treated as confirmed once tickets are secured.

Visit a tea estate or factory where operating arrangements allow and learn how tea is grown and processed in the Nilgiris. Browse our Coonoor tour options if tea country is a particular interest.

Day Highlights:

• Ooty Botanical Gardens.
• Nilgiri viewpoints.
• Optional mountain railway sector.
• Tea estate or factory visit.

Overnight stay in Ooty.

After breakfast, descend from Ooty towards Mysore. The route passes through forested landscapes associated with the wider Nilgiri Biosphere region.

Wildlife may occasionally be seen along permitted road sections, but sightings are never guaranteed and stopping inside protected zones must follow local rules.

Arrive in Mysore and visit Mysore Palace if timing allows. Otherwise, keep the evening relaxed and enjoy the palace area after dark if illumination is operating on your travel date. Travellers wanting more time in the royal city can compare our Mysore tour packages.

Day Highlights:

• Scenic descent from the Nilgiris.
• Forested landscapes en route.
• Arrival in Mysore.
• Mysore Palace according to timing.

Overnight stay in Mysore.

Begin with any remaining Mysore sightseeing, such as Chamundi Hills or the palace, depending on what was covered the previous evening.

Drive towards Bangalore, stopping at Srirangapatna for selected sites associated with Tipu Sultan and the Wodeyar period.

Continue to Bangalore and, if time permits, explore part of the city such as Cubbon Park, the Vidhana Soudha area or another landmark that fits your arrival time. For travellers extending their stay, our Bangalore tour options include additional city experiences.

Day Highlights:

• Mysore sightseeing according to timing.
• Srirangapatna heritage stop.
• Drive to Bangalore.
• Optional city sightseeing.

Overnight stay in Bangalore.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and keep the morning free according to your flight schedule.

At the appropriate time, transfer privately to Kempegowda International Airport for your onward journey.

This 14-day route concludes after combining Tamil Nadu's temple and coastal heritage, Kerala's spice country and backwaters, the Nilgiri hills, Mysore's royal history and Bangalore. Travellers wanting to compare longer or shorter combinations can browse our South India tour packages.

Day Highlights:

• Breakfast according to flight time.
• Private airport transfer.
• End of the 14-day South India journey.

Tour concludes in Bangalore.