Traditions and Temples 14 days/12 nights South India’s oldest temples and famous monuments are featured on this fascinating tour. Vivid stories and mythology of the Hindu religion come to life in temples reflecting different eras and architecture, some dating back to the 7th century. And experience India’s many natural wonders, whether you’re catching a glimpse of elephants on a boat ride through Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary or relaxing on the tropical beaches in Goa.

Day 1 Chennai (Madras)
Upon arrival in Chennai, be met and transferred to your hotel.
Two nights’ stay: Chennai


Day 2 Chennai
In the morning, leave for Kanchipuram, known as the Golden City of a Thousand Temples and one of the oldest towns in India. It is famous for silk saris, shrines and saints. Visit Ekambareshwar, Kamakshi, Vaikunthaperumal and the Kailashnath Temples, all built in the 7th and 8th centuries. In the afternoon enjoy a city tour of Chennai, visiting the art gallery of the Government Museum. From here, drive to see the Flower and Fruit Market, High Court, Fort Museum, Marina Beach and San Thome cathedral.
Meal: B, D

Day 3 Chennai > Mahabalipuram > Pondicherry
Leave for Mahabalipuram, a coastal temple town an hour’s drive from Chennai. Mahabalipuram is India’s stone-carving capital, famous for its romantic Shore Temple — a World Heritage Monument. A long, beautiful white sand beach, crocodile farm, snake venom extracting centre, schools of art and sculpture and many resorts attract tourists to this busy village. Continue the drive to Pondicherry and transfer to your hotel. Later, visit the famous Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Its spiritual tenets represent a synthesis of yoga and modern science. This ashram, one of the most popular in India with Westerners, and also one of the most affluent, wields an enormous influence over the culture and economy of Pondicherry. Also visit the Pondicherry museum, which has sculptures and memorabilia of the French colonists, and the Sacred Heart Church with its Gothic architecture and stained glass windows.
Overnight stay: Pondicherry

Meal: B, D

Day 4 Pondicherry > Thanjavur
Leave for Thanjavur, stopping at Gangaikondacholapuram to visit the Brahadeeswarar Temple, which is similar to the Thanjavur temple of the same name. The temple is no longer used for Hindu worship, but it has been thoroughly restored and is well worth a visit. Also stop at Darasuram to see Airatesvara Temple, a superb example of 12th century Chola architecture. This small temple is exquisite and said to have been designed with perpetual entertainment in mind. Continue to Thanjavur and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight stay: Thanjavur

Meal: B, D

Day 5 Thanjavur > Trichy > Madurai
After breakfast, visit Thanjavur, located on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur
is graced with an astounding 74 temples and you will visit the most famous: the breathtaking Brahadeeswarar Temple, a World Heritage monument and the crowning glory of Chola architecture. The temple is set in spacious grounds around an inner courtyard. Also visit the palace and the art gallery, housing granite and bronze statues of the Chola period. Leave for Tiruchirappalli, or Trichy, located on the banks of the Cauvery River and dominated by the dramatic Rock Fort. You will visit the Rock Fort, which sits on a massive sand-coloured rock that towers above the old town. At its summit, reached by climbing 437 rock-cut steps, is a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. There is also a Shiva Temple and several cave temples with beautifully carved pillars and panels. Also see the Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, one of the most revered shrines of Lord Vishnu in the south, and also one of the largest and liveliest. It is surrounded by seven concentric walled courtyards with 21 magnificent gateways. Within the walls are several shrines and bazaars. Continue the drive to Madurai and transfer to your hotel. For those interested, an evening tour to the Meenakshi Temple to see the Palli Arai ceremony can be arranged.
Overnight stay: Madurai

Meal: B, D

Day 6 Madurai > Periyar
In the morning, tour the city of Madurai, first visiting its premier attraction, the great Sri Meenakshi Temple. Dedicated to the consort of Lord Shiva, the enormously popular and powerful goddess Meenakshi, this spectacular temple is one of the largest temple complexes in India. Later, visit the Tirumala Nayak Palace, a gracious building in the Indo-Saracenic style famous for stucco work. Also, if time permits, visit the Alagar Hills and the Tirupara Kundran rock temple. Leave in the early afternoon for Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight stay: Periyar

Meal: B, D

Day 7 Periyar > Kumarakom
In the early morning take a boat ride on Lake Periyar and see the wildlife. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is one of South India’s most popular and encompasses an area of 777 square kilometres. Centered on a vast artificial lake, the sanctuary is replete with elephant, wild boar, sambar, mongoose and many species of birds and butterflies. Formerly royal hunting grounds, it became a wildlife reserve in 1933 and was made a part of Project Tiger in 1979. However, tiger and leopard sightings are very rare. Leave for Kumarakom, a tourist village in the scenic backwaters of Kerala, on the shores of the pleasant Vembanad Lake. Here, an old rubber plantation has been developed into a bird sanctuary. Transfer to your hotel. In the evening, enjoy a sunset cruise on the backwaters of Vembanad.
Overnight stay: Kumarakom

Meal: B, D

Day 8 Kumarakom > Alleppey > Cochin
Cruise from Kumarakom to Alleppey, the gateway to the inland waterways to Kerala. Travelling on the backwaters by traditionally designed houseboat is one of the highlights of a visit to Kerala. The boats cross shallow, palm-fringed lakes studded with cantilevered Chinese fishing nets. You will see how the local population lives on narrow spits of reclaimed land only a few metres wide. Disembark at Alleppey and drive to Cochin and transfer to your hotel.
Two nights’ stay: Cochin

Meal: B, D

Day 9 Cochin
Cochin is the most popular of Kerala’s cities, an eclectic and rich jewel in India’s most relaxed, lushly tropical and magical state. The tour will include the Pardesi Synagogue
in the heart of Jewtown, one of the centres of Cochin’s spice trade. Also visit St Francis Church, India’s oldest European-built church. The tour will take you to the Dutch Palace and the Santa Cruz Church, with its pastel coloured interior and carved wooden panels. Spend the afternoon at leisure. In the evening witness the classical Indian Kathakali dance. Kathakali (Katha means story and Kali means play) is the classical dance-drama of Kerala, which dates from the 17th century and is rooted in Hindu mythology.

Meal: B, D

Day 10 Cochin > Goa
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Goa. Upon arrival, be met and transferred to your hotel. Spend the evening at leisure.
Two nights’ stay: Goa

Meal: B, D

Day 11 Goa
In the morning, tour Old Goa and its fascinating churches and cathedrals. Hundreds of years of Portuguese control have left a legacy of Christianity in Goa, and you will visit churches such as the Basilica of Born Jesus. It contains the tomb and mortal remains of
St Francis Xavier. Later in the day, enjoy the tropical weather and superb beaches.

Meal: B, D

Day 12 Goa > Mumbai
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Mumbai. Upon arrival, be met and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight stay: Mumbai

Meal: B, D

Day 13 Mumbai
In the morning, tour Mumbai, and visit some of its famous historic sites. The Prince of Wales Museum is one of the city’s most distinctive Raj-era buildings. Crowned by a massive, white Moghul-style dome, it is the city’#s major museum, housing a superb collection of paintings and sculptures. Drive along the grand Marine Drive on the shore of the Arabian Sea, and feel the heartbeat of this electric city. The morning tour will also include visits to the Kamla Nehru Park and Hanging Gardens on the slopes of the Malabar hills, the Jain temple, Mani Bhawan where Mahatma Gandhi used to stay, and the Dhobi Ghat, a huge facility for hand-laundering clothes by Dhobi-wallahs. Later in the evening enjoy a farewell dinner. Transfer to the airport for your overnight flight.
Meal: B, D

Day 14 Depart Mumbai
Board your onward flight. (Most westbound international flights depart Mumbai around midnight or in the early morning hours.)

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