Spicy South India

Arrival at Chennai airport/railway. Assistance on arrival and transfer to the hotel. Afternoon sightseeing tour includes Kalakshethra, St. George Fort, Marina Beach etc. Chennai, the capital city, popularly regarded as the 'Gateway to the South' represents a culture that is distinctly different from that of northern India.

Morning drive to Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram, 70 kms west of Mahabalipuram, this city of thousand temples lies. One of the seven sacred cities of Hindus, it was the capital of the early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC. Today you can visit Sri Ekambareswara Temple, Sri Kailasanathar Temple, Sri Vardaraja Perumal Temple, Sri Kamakshiamman Temple, Sri Ulagalandar Temple, Sri Vaikunda Perumal Temple, Sri Kacchapaeswarar Temple, Sri Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple, Jain Temples at Tirupparuthikkundram etc.

After breakfast proceed to Pondicherry, and transfer to Hotel. Check in to the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Pondicherry has a splendid history. A lot of overseas rulers have been here including the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danes, the English and the French. But out of all of them, the French have had the greatest influence with their rule spreading across centuries. Places of interests are Sri Aurobindo ashram, Sri Aurobindo Handmade Paper, Pondicherry museum, Rai Nivas, the Sacred Heart Church etc. Overnight in Pondicherry.

After breakfast proceed to Tanjore Via Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Kumbakonam. Evening arrival at Tanjore. Tanjore - The home of Carnatic music, musical instruments, dance and traditional hadicrafts, Tanjore (Thanjavur) is famous for the Brahadeeswarar Temple. The temple constructed more than a thousand years ago by the Chola King Raja Rajan is an architect's marvel.

Morning transfer to Trichy and visit Rock Fort Temple. The Rock Fort situated on the banks of the Kaveri river, Trichy's most famed land mark is an 84 m high rock, one of the oldest in the world aprox.3,800 million years. Later drive to Madurai and on arrival, check-in at the hotel. Overnight stay Madurai. One of South India's great temple towns, Madurai is synonymous with the celebrated Meenakshi Temple. Situated on the banks of river Vaigai, Madurai has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years old. Madurai was an important cultural and commercial centre even as early as 550 AD. It was the capital city for the great Pandya kings. The Pandyan King Kulasekarar built a great temple and created a lotus shaped city around the temple.

After breakfast proceed for a full day sightseeing tour of Madurai. Places of interests are:- Meenakshi Amman Temple The city of Madurai is originally built around the Meenakshi temple. Though there are many temples in the city, Meenakshi temple outdoes all with its sheer magnificence and splendour of architecture. You can marvel the temple's flawless Dravidian Architecture and be a part of devotees who throng the temple from all over India. If you wished to have a bird's eye view of the city, you could also climb the southern Gopuram of the temple see to get a great view of the city. Thirumalai Nayak Mahal Built in 1523 AD by the Nayak ruler Thirumalai Nayak, the palace is an excellent example of Indo-Sarcenic architecture. Once four times larger than what is left of it today, the palace is only left with the main entrance gate, the dancing hall and the main hall. You can enjoy the main attraction of the palace which is light and sound show based on the life of "Tirumalai Nayak" and "Silapathikaram". Vanditur Mariamman Teppakulam Built by Thirumalai Nayak in 1646, this huge tank covers an area equal to the six of Meenakshi temple. Some sources say that this tank was once connected to Vaigai River, however today it lies empty except during the Teppam Festival. Thirupparankundram As one of the abodes of Lord Sundareshwara, it is a rock cut temple carved out of a mountain, just 8-km from the city. Late evening visit the temple again to watch the night ceremony. Overnight stay. Enjoy the Night ceremony at the Meenakshi temple (Closing ceremony of the temple) – For any tourist it is the worth visit as they can understand the procedure and formalities how the Hindu temple is been closed every day. Overnight in Madurai.

After breakfast proceed to Periyar. On arrival check in to the hotel. Evening go for a cruise on the Periyar Lake. Here you will be able to see a large variety of wildlife, which include elephants, monkeys, deer, wild boar etc, and quite a lot of unique birds can also be spotted. There are also few tribal villages to explore. Later, come back to the hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Full day at leisure. Suggested activities are, spice plantation tour, Elephant package, Elephant back safari, short trekking etc. Overnight in Periyar.

Morning after breakfast at hotel transfer to the houseboat. 1200 hrs check-in to the houseboat. Houseboat cruise is the best way to explore the beauty of backwaters Rest of the day at leisure on the House Boat. Enjoy the serene beauty of the backwater throughout the day . Boat will be anchored in a safe place. Lunch, Tea/Coffee, snacks, Dinner and breakfast will be provided. Overnight stay in the House Boat.

Check out from the houseboat after breakfast, and proceed to Cochin. Check in to the hotel. After noon go for a half day sightseeing tour of older part of Cochin. Places of interests are St. Francis Church, Chinese Fishing Nets, Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue, Santa Cruz Basilica etc. Overnight stay at hotel in Cochin.

Transfer to the airport/railway station for departure with memories of life time. Tour Ends!!!!!