Welcome to Chennai.
Transfer to hotel for overnight stay.
Sightseeing tour of the city including National Art Gallery, Government Museum, Fort St. George, Marina Beach, Kapaleeshwar temple, Senate House and San Thome Cathedral.
Chennai - Apart from the lazy stroll at Marina Beach, the second longest beach in the world, where you enjoy the playfulness of the seas and the sands and a look at the archaeological section and bronze gallery of the Museum, you also visit Lord Shiva's temple built in Dravidian architectural style known as Kapaleeshwar Temple.
Day 2 Mysore
Drive to Mysore.
Transfer to hotel for overnight stay.
Excursion to the temple at Chamundi Hill.
Day 3 Mysore
Sightseeing tour of the city including Maharaja's Palace, Brindavan Gardens and St. Philomena's Church.
Mysore - Often known as City of Palaces, lavish Mysore Palace was built in 1912 by the Wodeyars in the Indo-Saracenic style. Its highlights are the Golden Royal Elephant Throne, the Durbar Hall, the Kalyana Mandap and the Gallery. The gothic-style St. Philomena's Church is one of the largest churches in the country with beautiful stained-glass windows. The monolith of Nandi bull on the slopes of Chamundi Hills is a fitting introduction to the 2000-year-old Chamundeswari Temple atop. One can also visit the Brindavan Gardens with musical fountains and colorful lights.
Day 4 Hassan
Drive to Hassan.
Excursion to Belur and Halebid to visit magnificently carved temples.
Day 5 Bangalore
Transfer to Bangalore.
Half-day sightseeing tour of the city including Cubbon Park, Tipu Sultan's Palace and Lallbagh gardens.
Bangalore - Known as the City of Gardens and Indian Silicon Valley. Kempe Gowda built the Bangalore Fort and Tippu Sultan expanded it. It houses 16th century Ganapathi Temple. There is Tippu Palace famous for its carving and paintings, Venkataramanaswamy temple built in the 17th century as a splendid example of Dravidian temple architecture, lal Bagh, the botanical gardens laid out by Hyder Ali, the Bull Temple with a giant Nandi, the Gangadhareshware temple or Cave Temple, the Dharmaraja Temple, the Ravindra Kalakshetra built to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore's centenary, St. Mary's Church and Gandhi Bhavan. One can also visit the famous racecourse here and the picnic spot of Ulsoor lake. Vidhana Soudha is neo-Dravidian granite building near Cubbon Park.
Indulge in exciting nightlife of the city.
Day 6 Kovalam
Flight to Trivandrum.
Transfer to Kerala beach resort, Kovalam.
Indulge in beach activities such as sunbathing and swimming.
Day 7 Kovalam
Visit the Kovalam beaches and enjoy traditional cuisine of Kerala.
Kovalam - Beaches of Kerala are at their best in Kovalam. Situated on the Malabar Coast, Kovalam Beach is full of swaying coconut trees and has gained fame with the sea surfers all over the world. Oil baths, ayurvedic massages, health centers that promote yoga and meditation and seafood like lobsters are the highlights of the place.
Overnight stay at Kovalam.
Day 8 Periyar
Drive to Periyar wildlife sanctuary through rubber and cardamom plantations.
Periyar - Moist deciduous fauna, flat and hilly terrain, a delightful lake and rich wildlife makes Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary a hot favorite amongst the nature livers. A protected tiger reserve and a national park, Periyar is basically an elephant's paradise. Leopards, Wild Dogs, Barking Deers, Nilgiri Langurs (a primate), Bonnet Macaquea, Tigers, Nilgiri Tahrs and Flying Lizard and Flying Snake steal the limelight.
Transfer to hotel for overnight stay.
Evening free to relax and explore aromatic coffee plantations.
Day 9 Madurai
Morning boat cruise on Lake Periyar to see Wild Elephants.
Safari to the Periyar wildlife sanctuary featuring Tigers and other wild animals.
Transfer to Madurai.
Overnight stay at Madurai.
Day 10 Madurai
Morning sightseeing tour of the city including the Meenakshi temple.
Madurai - The temple town of South India, Meenakshi temple has become an icon of the city. Once the capital of the Pandya rulers, it has been built in the shape of a lotus and it is said that it was named 'Madhurapuri' as Lord Shiva showered divine nectar here on the day it was to be named. Later, the name distorted to Madurai. The city is famous for its jasmine flowers.
Evening free to relax and explore the city.
Day 11 Trichy
Morning drive to Trichy.
Sightseeing tour of the city including Rock Fort Temple, Vinayaka Temple and Srirangam Temple complex.
Day 12 Pondicherry
Transfer to Pondicherry.
Excursion tour of Auroville and Sri Aurobindo Ashram and explore the archaeological excavations and French period furniture.
Day 13 Mahabalipuram
Drive to Mahabalipuram.
Sightseeing tour of the city including Arjuna's penance, Krishna Mandapam, Varaha Mandapam, Five Rathas and Shore Temples.
Mahabalipuram - An open stone art gallery, Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram is world famous for its shore temples. The artwork here can be divided into following categories - stone sculptures strewn around in the open, structured and chariot-shaped temples and artificial caves cut out from rocks. However, the highlight of the city is the Shore Temple on the beach.
Day 14 Chennai
Drive to Chennai airport for flight to onward destination.