Duration: 22 Nights / 23 Days

Destination covered : Mumbai - Kochi - Kumarakom - Periyar - Madurai - Thanjavur - Pondicherry - Mahabalipuram - Chennai - Bangalore - Hampi - Goa

Arrive at the commercial capital of India and check in. Rest of the day free for leisure.

Half day trip to Elephanta cave island for astonishing ancient sculptures. Later during the day visit notable attractions of the city which includes Dhobi Ghat, Crawford market, Marine drive and old mansions of Colaba area.

Take flight to Kochi. On arrival after leisure in your hotel proceed for a short sightseeing tour of this heritage town. Visit the Mattancherry palace, Jewish synagogue, Jew town, old spice markets, St. Francis church, Santa Cruz Basilica and Chinese fishing nets.

Transfer to Alleppey by road. Board your exclusive houseboat that will quietly sail through the backwater canals all day and night, a tropical sojourn not to be missed!

Alight your houseboat and check in your resort at Kumarakom. Kumarakom is 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.

Drive uphill through beautiful spice plantations and finally reach Periyar National Park - One of the best jungles in India to see wild elephants. Day free to explore on own.

Visit the National Park on boat over Periyar lake where several wild animals congregate at different times.

Drive out of Kerala hills and reach Tamilnadu 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.

Driving down to 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!

Reach the erstwhile French colony Pondicherry of beautiful boulevards, gothic structures and quiet beaches. Day free to relax and unwind.

Morning head out for boat trip 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.

Driving through fertile Coromondal coastline, reach Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram (Mammalapuram) is famous for it’s shore temples and other monuments which are in a form of epic recreated on stone.

Morning walk over the seashore and explore the temples on own. Later drive towards Chennai and enroute 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.

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).

Board the morning Shatabdi Express train to Bangalore and reach there by noon. At Bangalore visit Cubbon Park, Lal Baug and interesting public buildings within Cubbon Park.

Excursion to Nrityagram- a center for learning of Indian classical dances set up by noted Odissi dancer Protima Bedi. Rest of day left free to move around at M.G.Road area. Board the overnight Hampi Express.

Reach Hospet railway Station in the morning. Visit Hampi that has extraordinary remnants of once great city Vijayanagara. The sheer size and majestic appearance of this historical site is amazing! Day free to explore around the great monuments that dot the whole area.

In the morning take a walking tour of the Hampi bazaar and temples. Cross the picturesque Tungabhadra River on a primitively designed corracle- a very different experience!

Drive towards India’s western coastline and reach Goa- the exotic tropical beach destination.

Day free to walk around the beaches.

Sightseeing tour of Old Goa and Panjim for beautiful churches and cathedrals. Mandovi River cruise.

Day completely at discretion in the tropical paradise known as Goa.

Fly back to Mumbai. After checking in, day kept at discretion to indulge in last day’s shopping or to enjoy the pulsating nightlife of Bombay.

Day free till the time of departure. At appropriate time, transfer to airport to catch the flight back home.