DAY 01 - BANGALORE (ARRIVE)
Upon arrival at Bangalore , our Executive will meet you at the Airport followed by transfer from Airport to Hotel. Then on for sightseeing tour of Bangalore city visiting - The Vidhan Soudha ,the major attraction in Bangalore . The building is a massive neo-Dravidian architecture presently functioning as the state legislative assembly. The Cubbon Park in the heart of the city, Lal Bagh (famous for the blooming red roses), Bangalore Palace - Built in the year 1887 with architecture based on Tudor Style, The Venkatappa Art Gallery - houses about 600 paintings on display, The Tipu's Palace and the adjoining fort are fine examples of Indo-Islamic architecture that also offer a glimpse into the Mughal lifestyle of the day. Apart from this among the religious places, the ISKCON Temple , Shiva Statue, and the Bull Temple are worth visiting. (Overnight at hotel in Bangalore )
DAY 02 - BANGALORE - MYSORE (140 KMS - 3 HRS)
Departing the hotel after breakfast drive to Mysore - the palace city of South India . On arrival at Mysore , sight seeing tour of Mysore visiting - the Famous " Palace of Mysore ": Built in 1912 in the indo Saracenic style, this palace exudes a grandeur that is unmatched and then on to The " Jayachanarajendra Art Gallery " housed in the Jaganmohan palace: that has a collection of Exquisite paintings dating back to 1875. Later drive to hotel and check in. After a short break, Evening visit to the bull temple (a 4.8mts monolith) on the middle of hill on the way to Chamundi temple and then to visit the " Chamumdi Hill Temple " at a height of 1062mts. The 2000-year-old temple is dedicated to Goddess Chamundi. A seven storey, 40mts high tower, dominates the temple. (Overnight at hotel in Mysore )
DAY 03 - MYSORE
Full day return excursion to Somnathpur and Srirangapattinum. Somnathpur - one need not search far for its history. An inscribed stone slab, in old Kannada, at the entrance says it all. The reigning monarch was Narasimha III (1254-91 A.D.) whose full regal title runs into a sizeable paragraph: "Sri Vishnuvaradhana, Pratapa Chakravarti, Hoysala Bhujabala, Sri Vira Narasimha, Maharajadhiraja, Raja Paramesvara, Sanivarasiddhi, Giridurgamalla etc. Srirangapattinam - a place with Ancient history is an Island fortress town on the bank of river cauvery. Visit the Srirengapatnam fort and the summer palace of Tippu sultan. Later visit Ranganathitu Bird Sanctuary at a 3km distance from here. (Overnight at Hotel in Mysore )
DAY 04 - MSYORE - CALICUT (210 KMS - 5 HRS)
Morning after break fast check out from hotel, drive to Calicut ( Kozhikode ) - the erstwhile capital of powerful Zamorins, is a historical town with a hoary past. It attained a position of pre-eminence in the trade of pepper and other spices, which made it India 's emporium to international trade. It is also a marketing centre for commodities like pepper, coconut, coffee, rubber, lemon grass oil etc. On arrival check in to Kadavu Resort -a luxurious resort located in a sprawling area along the backwaters, a charming location with groves of swaying, graceful coconut palms facing the dancing ripples on the water. Its unique and languorous backdrop makes it an ideal gateway,a tranquill spot away from it all. Ayurveda at kadavu is practiced in its best traditional Keralien method. You can opt for a body massage while in here. A perfect place to rejuvenate. (Overnight at Hotel in Kadavu)
DAY 05 - CALICUT - COCHIN (224 KMS - 5 HRS)
Morning after early breakfast checkout from the hotel and drive to Cochin - a cosmopolitan city in the federal state of Kerala. On arrival check in to hotel and rest. (Overnight at Hotel in Cochin )
DAY 06 - COCHIN
Sight seeing tour of Cochin visiting -The Dutch Palace at Mattancherry is renowned for its wall murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana, The Jewish Synagogue at the heart of what is locally called the Jew Town, The St. Francis Church, the oldest European Church in India, The Santa Cruz Basilica originally built in 1557 by the Portuguese and the Chinese fishing nets are huge cantilevered fishing nets believed to have brought to Kochi by Chinese traders. In the evening visit the famous dance drama of Kerala, the "Kathakali". This dance can be characterized by grotesque gesticulations, amazing costumes and very extensive make-up. The stories are mostly taken from the epics Mahabharatha and Ramayana. (Overnight at Hotel in Cochin )
DAY 07 - COCHIN - ALLEPPEY (65 KMS / 1.5 HRS) (House boat cruise 'Alleppey Round Trip')
Checking out from hotel and drive to Alleppey- the land of backwaters, so as to reach at 12.00noon to board the private House Boat that is waiting to take you on a tour through the backwaters , a splendid area full of canals, lakes and coves. You can sunbathe on the deck or observe the landscape from the protection of the cabin. The population's whole life takes place here on the water. The people sail, fish, swim and bathe here. They do their washing and their washing up. They are so adapted to the water that you can see people talking for an hour, while they are up to their necks in water. Canoes with huge sails still transport people and you can find vegetable sellers, fisherman and other household materials being brought door to door by small wooden boats. This whole area is surrounded with coconut palms and, lush green Rice fields. The major cropping here is of coconut and it is said that the name for this place KERALA was from the old name of coconut as KERA. This trip enables you to learn/ know more on life of people who are dependent on backwaters. (Overnight onboard House Boat)
DAY 08 - ALLEPPEY - KOVALAM (160 KMS - 4 HRS)
Disembark from Houseboat at 10.00am and drive to " Kovalam beach" which is rich with palm trees. The journey through the tropical landscape of Kerala gives a good idea of people living in here. Kovalam beach is one of the most beautiful seaside resorts in India . On arrival Kovalam check in to hotel and rest of the day at leisure. (Overnight at hotel in Kovalam)
DAY 09 - KOVALAM
After early breakfast we drive to Kanniyakumari ( Cape comorin ) for a day return excursion. Kanyakumari is at the tail point of India, where the three seas meet together. The place is most famous for the spectacular sunset and moonrise. The Vivekananda rock in the island is reachable by the govt ferry. There is also a recently built memorial to Tiruvalluvar , the author of the philosophical work Tirukkural - a treatise on the Indian way of life. The temple of Kumari Amman (the virgin lady) and Gandhi Memorial are some of the finest attractions. Enroute visit the famous wooden palace at Padmanabhapuram. Return to hotel late evening and rest. (Overnight at hotel in Kovalam)
DAY 10 - KOVALAM - PERIYAR/THEKKADY (245 KMS/ 6 HRS)
Check out from hotel after breakfast and drive to Periyar (also known as Thekkady). The name periyar comes after the Dam made here by the English in 1895. A wild life reserve hence is an ideal place to track down wild life such as Elephants, Bison, Deer and numerous other varieties of birds. The landscape here is with very tropical and you will be surrounded by tea, coffee & other spices. A small walk in to the forest early morning & the boat ride in the evening through the lake in to the wild life sanctuary are very interesting. Plantation tour at this spot is an added attraction. (Overnight at hotel in Thekkady)
DAY 11 - PERIYAR/THEKKADY
Early morning take a guided Jungle walk at the Periyar tiger reserve/national park. This 03hrs walk (not very hard) is very interesting and gives you the chance to see the wild life at a very close distance. If you are lucky you may even spot the rarely sighted leopards & tigers. Later return to the hotel and after refreshment we set on for a guided plantation tour at the outskirts and then on for the most popular boat trip at the park - the best place to observe the game in wild life by boat. There are many animals to see, including herds of elephants, bison's and packs of wild boars that roam through the woods and parade along the shores of the lake just before sunrise and sunset. You can also see also different species of apes. The golden langur monkey that lives here is rarely seen in the rest of India . Other animals in Periyar are otters and porcupines. Water turtles can often be seen sunning themselves on the pieces of wood that stick out of the water. Osprey and Cormorants belong to the most important species of birds in this area . (Overnight at hotel in Thekkady)
DAY 12 - PERIYAR - MADURAI (170 KMS / 4 HRS)
After breakfast we proceed to Madurai - the old city of Tamilnadu . The name Madurai reminds the city of the legend that a drop of sweet nectar from the hair of the god Shiva fell to earth here. 'Madhuram' means 'sweet' in Sanskrit. On arrival check in to hotel and then on for Sight seeing tour of Madurai visiting - the famous Meenakshi Temple, where thousands of priests and worshippers come daily, people are blessed by the temple elephant. Further more visit the Tirumalai Nayak palace and Gandhi Museum . Later return to hotel and after dinner visit Meenakshy temple for the ceremony with a fanfare, where the god Shiva is lead to the bedroom of his wife, Meenakshi. Madurai is also a great place to look for bronze statues, carpets or other souvenirs. (Overnight at Hotel in Madurai )
DAY 13 - MADURAI - KUMBAKONAM (240 KMS - 5 HRS)
Checking out from the hotel after early breakfast, we drive to Kumbakonam - a typical Indian town in south Tamilnadu. Enroute sight seeing at Tanjore (the chola citadel) visiting - the world Heritage Brihadeshwara Temple (dedicated to lord shiva in the form of Linga) & The Palace Museum. Further head to Swamimalai and on arrival check-in to the Heritage hotel of Sterling resorts. Rest of the day free to explore this heritage resort on your own. (Overnight at hotel in Swamimalai)
DAY 14 - KUMBAKONAM - MAMALLAPURAM (255 KMS - 5.5 HRS)
Morning after breakfast check out from hotel and drive to the laid back beach resort of Mamallapuram. Enroute sight seeing of Pondicherry - a former French enclave that is especially famous because of the mystic Sri Aurobindo. On arrival at pondicherry visit 'Sri Aurobindo Ashram' & ' Govt Museum '. Later lunch at a nice hotel and then on visit 'Auroville' - the French village where in you will visit the Matrimandir (the mothers place) & the tourist information center of Auroville. From here you drive for less than 02hrs on the scenic highway to reach Mamallapuram. On arrival at Mamallapuram check in to hotel and relax at the beach. (Overnight at hotel in Mamallapuram)
DAY 15 - MAMALLAPURAM
Morning sightseeing tour of Mamallapuram visiting the Famous world heritage monuments of -The Shore Temple (built in 7 th century), The Arjuna`s Penance (Bass Relief), Five Rathas (symbolises equality of men & women) and many cave temples. Later return to hotel and rest of the day at leisure on the beach. (Overnight at hotel in Mamallapuram)
DAY 16 - MAMALLAPURAM - CHENNAI (DEPART) (65 Kms : 1 HRS)
Check out from the hotel according to flight timing and the tour ends today with a departure transfer to Chennai airport, according to your flight timing.
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