Southern India's Coastal Route - Tamil Nadu to Kerala

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 • Departure

  Start your journey to Chennai (Madras) via Muscat.

• Day 2 • Arrival in Chennai

  Transfer to the hotel upon arrival.

• Day 3 • Chennai

  Discover Chennai’s bustling streets before arriving at the Dakshina Chitra Heritage Museum.

• Day 4 • Mahabalipuram & Pondicherry

  Discover the intricately carved 7th century temples of Mahabalipuram.

• Day 5 • Tanjore

  Enjoy a walking tour of the beautiful Indian town of Pondicherry.

• Day 6 • Tanjore

  Explore Tanjore further, taking in sights such as the extraordinary Brihadeeswara Temple.

• Day 7 • Chettinad

  We drive to the nearby Chettinad region, which you are sure to love. Undiscovered, it’s a revelation, the real rural India of small farming communities. Dinner is included this evening sampling some of the region’s unique cuisine, served on a banana leaf.

• Day 8 • Madurai

  Explore Madurai with a visit to a tile workshop, the Meenakshi Amman Temple and a dusk tuk-tuk tour.

• Day 9 • Kumily

  Re-visit the Meenakshi Amman Temple in daylight plus tour the nearby Nayak Palace.

• Day 10 • Periyar wildlife reserve

  Prepare for an early start as we take a tour through Periyar Wildlife Reserve, and later we visit a local spice plantation.

• Day 11 • Kerala houseboat overnight

  Experience a scenic boat ride and overnight stay on a Kerala Houseboat.

• Day 12 • Drive to Kumarakom

  After a dawn awakening, mesmerised by the stillness with the sights and sounds of the backwater, after breakfast we depart the Kerala houseboat and drive to to Kumarakom. The rest of the day is at leisure and early evening we enjoy a sunset boat cruise on Lake Vembanad, one of India’s largest lakes and wetland ecosystems home to an array of birds, animal and plant life.

• Day 13 • Kumarakom

  For early morning bird enthusiasts there is the opportunity to go bird watching and take a village walk. The rest of the day is free to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of this unique location.

• Day 14 • Cochin

  This morning we take a short drive to Cochin, the Malabar Coast’s most historic port, traditionally from where India’s invaluable spices were shipped to Europe. The city’s oldest quarter is Fort Cochin, a fascinating maze of narrow alleyways and large merchants’ houses, whilst the nearby bazaar district of Mattancherry has the Dutch Palace and the subcontinent’s oldest synagogue. The iconic sight in Cochin is the famed Chinese fishing nets, vast cantilevered contraptions that still work to this day.

• Day 15 • Return Home

  Say goodbye and begin your journey home.