Down South Tour Package
Duration: 16 Nights / 17 Days
Destination Covered: Thiruvananthapuram - Alleppey - Kumarakom - Periyar - Madurai - Thanjavur - Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram - Chennai.
Day01 - Thiruvananthapuram
Arrive and transfer to a beach resort at Somatheeram . Day at leisure.
Day02 - Somatheeram
Trivandrum city sightseeing tour.
Day03 - Somatheeram
Day free to relax at the wonderful tropical beach, set out for fishing with local fishermen on traditional kattamaran or rejuvenate yourself with the much acclaimed Ayurveda treatment.
Day04 - Alleppey
Drive through the green coastal belt and cashew plantations and reach Alleppey - the central hub of the BACKWATER network. Stay in a traditional Kerala house opening right over the Vembanad Lake and surrounded by banana plantations. Day free to relax with the option of a herbal oil massage. Also relish the wonderful Kerala cuisine in ethnic way.
Day05 - Alleppey
Day will be used to closely watch backwaters lifestyle. Visit coir-making factory, a temple and bathe the elephants at the Elephant Rearing Center.
Day06 - Kumarakom
Sail through the backwater canals and reach Kumarakom - an island with a beautiful bird-sanctuary and extremely serene atmosphere. Stay at Taj Garden Retreat- a wonderful resort providing restored tharawads as idyllic rooms.
Day 07 - Kumarakom
Day free to relax and explore around.
Day08 - Periyar
Drive through rubber plantations over forested mountains and finally reach Periyar National Park - one of the best jungles in India to see wild elephants. Day free to explore on your own.
Day09 - Periyar
Visit the National Park on boat over Periyar Lake where several wild animals congregate at different times.
Day10 - Madurai
Drive out of the Kerala hills and reach the Tamil Nadu plains - the Dravidian heartland. Visit the Thirumal Nayaka Palace and the Dravidian masterpiece Meenakshi Sundereshwar temple which makes the city of Madurai so famous and pulsate with festivities.
Day11 - Thanjavur
Driving down to the fertile rice growing plains of Cauvery, reach Tiruchirapally. Nearby visit the enormous Srirangam temple and then continue to the Chola citadel of Tanjore. Visit the World heritage Brihadishvara temple- simply unparalleled!
Day12 - Pondicherry
Reach the erstwhile French colony Pondicherry of beautiful boulevards, gothic structures and quiet beaches. Day free to relax and unwind.
Day13 - Pondicherry
Morning head out for boat trips to see dolphins. During the day visit Auroville (city of dawn) - the famous center for spiritual learning and meditation named after Guru Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.
Day14 - Mahabalipuram
Drive through the fertile Coromondal coastline and reach Mahabalipuram (Mammalapuram) - famous for its shore temples and other monuments which are in a form of epic recreated on stone.
Day15 - Chennai
Morning walk over the seashore and explore the temples on own. Later drive towards Chennai and en route visit Dakshinchitra - an art and craft heritage center. Day free to move around in Chennai for the enormous shopping opportunity it offers. Also visit one of the many famous auditoriums for live performance of Indian classical dances.
Day16 - Chennai
Sightseeing trip of the city. Also visit Kalakshetra, the world famous cultural center founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale and Theosophical Society with its huge Banyan tree (Theosophical Society of India was founded by Dr.Annie Besant).
Day17 - Chennai
Assistance at the time of check out for onward journey.
