South India Delight
09 Days
Suitable for families with young children
Highest point/ Max altitude
Fitness Grade
Easy
Fairly easy 5-6 hours of activity per day. May include some uphill sections, reasonable fitness recommended.
This 9 day sojourn takes you right into the heart of India's cultural heritage, rock carvings, famous Hindu temples, ostentatious places, blends of architectural styles, the famous mausoleum of Tipu Sultan and the beautiful hill station of Ootacamund - all makes for a fascinating journey into India's vibrant and delightful south.
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Tour Highlights
- Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram, famous for their spectacular rock temple carvings.
- The richly carved, intricate and colorful Mysore palace.
- Ooty, the queen of hill stations in India
- A picturesque drive from Mysore to Ooty
- Fort Kochi, an amalgam of old Portuguese, British and Dutch architectural treasures
- Flexible tailor-made booking options
Best Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tour Details
The tour starts with our arrival in the southern metropolis of Chennai (previously Madras) and transfer to Mahabalipuram en-route visiting the famous temple town of Kanchipuram. Famous for its myriad of over 100 temples and exquisite saris, Kanchipuram provides a great introduction to the cultural heritage of India’s deep south. Onwards we continue to Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO world heritage site and a place of primary importance in the art history of India. Its temples and sculptures are not only some of the earliest in this region, but also significant in variety and elegance. This is the only place where you can find all the three styles of temples, namely, cave shrines, single-stone temples and structural temples. Open-air bass-relief is a product of creative Pallava mind cannot be seen anywhere else. We spend the whole of our second day in this exquisite place taking in the various sights, culture and enjoying local exploration.
On day 3 we’ll take the morning train to Mysore and spend the following day exploring yet another jewel of south India’s art and history. We will visit the opulent and magnificent Mysore palace, Srirangapatna and Daria Daulat and the adjoining Chamundi hills famous for an ancient hindu temple and an impressive stone carved Nandi (bull) sculpture.
From Mysore, we will continue onto the picturesque and colonial hill-station of Ootacamund (Ooty) visiting local botanical gardens, rose garden, nearby Doddabetta peak and the local wax museum. Ooty provides a great natural and cultural contrast to the ancient temple towns of Mysore and Mahabalipuram. Continuing onwards from Ooty we will cross over from Tamil Nadu into the adjoining state of Kerala visiting its ancient and famous city of Cochin. One of the ancient continuously inhabited places in the world, its said that ships from here sailed to the Roman empire and beyond loaded with Indian spices and condiments. Cochin also has been a melting pot of cultures from centuries and we will be visiting some ancient cathedrals and Jewish synagogues here that are centuries old and a testament to the history and times they were established.
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Flexibility Guaranteed
Please note: You can use this itinerary as a guide to fully customise this tour as per your budget and requirements. Flexible options include travel dates and duration, places, activities and experiences, hotel category (star/rating) and any specific requirements that you may have.
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DAY 01 - Mahabalipuram
Arrive Chennai and transfer to Mahabalipuram en-route visit Kanchipuram
Arrive at the International airport of Chennai, the capital city of Indian state Tamil Nadu. After a traditional 'Swagat' (Welcome) our KVT’s representative would assist you at the airport and then we will be transferred to Mahabalipuram, en-route we visit Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram has been ruled by many dynasties and it has very popular Hindu Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Some of the prominent temples are Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Ekambareswarar Temple and many more. Kanchipuram is also known as ‘The City of Thousand Temples’. Afterwards we continue our drive to Mahabalipuram; it is an ancient historic town and was the major seaport during the Pallava Kingdom. The group of monuments at Mahabalipuram is considered as UNESCO World Heritage Site. We reach there and check-in to the hotel and relax. (Distance: 150km approx.)
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 02 - Mahabalipuram
Sightseeing of Mahabalipuram
Today after breakfast we start exploring this magnificent town called Mahabalipuram. We start our tour with the famous shore temple, is the structural temple built during the 8th century during the reign of Pallava dynasty and then we visit Pancha Rathas are the temples carved in the shape of Chariots and are the best example of monolithic Indian Rock-cut architecture. Then we visit Cave Temple and Krishna’ butter ball and spend some time to enjoy the beauty of Mahabalipuram beach.
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 03 - Mysore
Morning train to Mysore, reach there and transfer to hotel
Morning we will be transferred to the railway station in Mahabalipuram to catch the day express train to Mysore. We reach Mysore railway station and will be transferred to the hotel for check-in. Rest of the day is free for us to relax at the hotel or can explore the surrounding on own.
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 04 - Mysore
Sightseeing of Mysore
Today we proceed for the sightseeing tour of Mysore city. We drive to Srirangapatna (Distance: 25km approx.); it is a river island formed by River Kaveri and an important place of religious, historic and culture. Here we visit Gumbaz, the mausoleum of Tippu Sultan, Ranganathaswamy Temple and the Daria Daulat. Srirangapattna was the capital of Tipu Sultan and it is said that both Tippu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali made generous endowments to the Ranganathaswamy temple. This enormous temple has fort like walls and it is dedicated to Lord Vishnu as Ranganatha. Later we drive back to Mysore and visit Mysore Palace; it is considered as the largest palace and is also known as Amba Vilas Palace. Mysore is often described as ‘City of Palaces’ and then we visit Chamundi Hills where lies the famous Chamundeshwari Temple. Afterwards we return back to hotel and relax.
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 05 - Ooty
Drive towards Ooty, reach there and check-in to the hotel and rest of the day is free
This day we drive towards the Nilgiri Hills of Ooty. A fabulous hill station used to be popular summer and weekend getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days. It is situated at an altitude of 2240m above sea level. Afternoon we reach there and check-in to hotel; rest of the day is free for us to relax at the hotel. (Distance: 130km approx.)
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 06 - Ooty
Morning toy train journey and sightseeing of Ooty
Early morning after breakfast we take a short toy train journey to Coimbatore and later we drive back to Ooty and we proceed for the sightseeing tour of this beautiful hill station, we visit Botanical gardens, which shows the explicit collections of flowering trees and shrubs. We visit Rose garden and Doddabetta peak, which is a view point from where the whole of Ooty can be seen and afterwards we head to Wax museum is also known as ‘melody world’. A boat ride at Ooty Lake can also be arranged as an optional activity.
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 07 - Kochi
Drive to Kochi, reach in the afternoon and check-in to the hotel
Early morning after breakfast we head towards Kochi passing through the Nilgiri hills and then down to the plains of Kerala. Kochi is also known as Cochin - the “Queen of Arabian Sea”, it is one of the finest natural and major harbor city of Kerala and it has a cosmopolitan culture highly influenced by historical trading partners. Reach there in the afternoon and check-in to the hotel and relax. (Distance: 280km approx.)
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 08 - Kochi
Sightseeing of Kochi
In the morning after breakfast we proceed for the sightseeing tour of Kochi, we start with Fort Kochi which is believed to be the earliest European settlement in India. Fort Kochi was built in 1503 and reinforced in 1538. Later visit The Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi, it is a very popular tourist attraction. These nets are fixed land installations, which are used for a very unique and unusual method of fishing. Then we head to Mattancherry Palace also known as the Dutch Palace, It was built by the Portuguese and presented to Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), Raja of Kochi, in 1555 AD. Visit Jewish Synagogue, it is the oldest synagogue in all the Commonwealth of Nations and was built by Malabar Yehudan People, or Cochin Jewish community and later we explore the town of Kochi, its bazaars and old harbor area.
Overnight Hotel
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DAY 09 - Kochi
Departure transfer to Kochi International Airport
Now today you will be assisted by our KVT’s representative while checking out at the hotel then you will be transferred to Kochi International Airport to board the flight for back home.
Tour Map
Send an enquiry
Flexibility Guaranteed! Using the above itinerary as a guide you can fully customise this tour as per your budget and requirements. Flexible options include travel dates and duration, places, activities and experiences, hotel category (star/rating) and any specific requirements that you may have. On receiving your enquiry we will respond with prices and work with you to create a truly personalised holiday experience that is in your budget and personal style.
