Splendours of Southern India

Day 1 Fly from London Heathrow, Manchester or Birmingham via Dubai to Chennai.

Day 2 Transfer to Hotel GRT Grand for a two-night stay. Afternoon city tour of Chennai.

Day 3 A visit to Kanchipuram famous as a city of 1000 temples and for its silks.

Day 4 Drive to the coastal temple town of Mahabalipuram, its Shore Temple is now a World Heritage monument. Later visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram found by the philosophersaint Sri Aurobindo in 1926. Visit the Pondicherry museum and overnight at the Ananda Inn.

Day 5 Continue south through the flat landscapes of the Kaveri, to the Chola heartlands. Visit the temples of Gangaikondacholapuram. Continue to Tanjore for a onenight stay at the Hotel Sangam.

Day 6 Visit the ancient capital of the Cholas and continue south west to Trichy (Tiruchirappalli), mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century BC. Visit the Rock Fort and the temple complex of Srirangam. Continue to Madurai. Overnight at Hotel Sangam.
Day 7 A morning visit to the Meenakshi Temple with its towering Gopurams, before continuing to Periyar, Southern India’s most popular wildlife sanctuary. Two nights at the Hotel Elephant Court.

Day 8 Join an early morning boat ride on Lake Periyar.

Day 9 Travel to Kumarakom on the shores of Lake Vembanad, site of an old rubber plantation and now a bird sanctuary. Overnight at Cocobay Resort.

Day 10 Board a Keralan houseboat for a day cruise and overnight on board. Lunch, dinner and breakfast on board.

Day 11 Late morning departure for Cochin, stunningly located between the Arabian Sea and the backwaters of Kerala. An afternoon city tour. This evening watch a classical Indian Kathakali dance show. Overnight at the Hotel Trident.

Day 12 This morning drive to the Cherai Beach Resort for a three-night stay.

Days 13 & 14 At leisure.

Day 15 Transfer to the airport at Cochin for the return flight to UK, via Dubai, arriving later the same day or extend your stay at the Cherai Beach Resort.