| Grand Tour of South India |  |
Duration : 15 Nights / 16 Days
Places to See : Chennai - Mahabalipuram – Kanchipuram - Pondicherry - Tanjore - Trichy - Madurai – Thekkady – Kumarakom – Alleppey – Cochin – Wayanad – Mysore – Hassan – Belur & Halebid – Bangalore - Home
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| DAY 01 – ARRIVE CHENNAI. |
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Upon arrival, Spirit of India Tour’s representative shall meet you and escort you to your designated hotel. Chennai formerly known as Madras is the capital city of the India State of Tamil Naidu. The city was established and developed by the British as a Urban centre and naval base in the 17th century. It is famous for its culture and tradition. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the fifth most populous city in India. Its has the 2nd longest seashore in the world. Overnight stay at Chennai.
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| DAY 02 : CHENNAI SIGHTSEEING. |
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After breakfast in the hotel, enjoy sightseeing tour of Chennai visit Fort St. George, St. Thomas Mount, St. Andrews Church, San Thome Cathedral (San Thome Cathedral, where lie the mortal remains of St. Thomas Christ's apostle and the earliest Christian missionary in Asia). Also visit Kapaleeswar Temple - commonly known as the Kapaleeshwar koil is one of the very ancient temples of India, and the National Art Gallery and Vivekananda House. In the evening visit the Marina beach that is both beautiful and inviting tourist from around the world. Evening return back to the hotel for overnight stay.
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| DAY 03 : CHENNAI – KANCHIPURAM - MAHABALIPURAM (140 KMS/ 4 HRS) |
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After breakfast, drive to Mahabalipuram. Stop at Kanchipuram to visit Kailasanthar temple, Ekambareshwarar temple, Vardarajanperumal temple and the Sakkiswarar temple. Continue drive to Mahabalipuram. Reach Mahabaliuram and enjoy tour of Mahabalipurma (UNESCO Heritage site) visit Arjuna’s penance, The Shore Temple (One of the oldest temple in South India), Five Rathas - These rock-cut temples are rated as excellent examples of Pallava Art, Krishna Mandapam and Mahishasuramardhini Cave. Overnight stay at Mahabalipuram.
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| DAY 04 : MAHABALIPURAM – PONDICHERRY – TANJORE (275 KMS/ 5 HRS). |
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After breakfast, check out from the hotel and drive to Tanjore. Enroute stop at Pondicherry to visit Aurobindo Ashram - A spiritual community established at Pondicherry by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh on November 24th 1926 and Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus – It was consecrated on December 17th, 1907. The building is a fine specimen of gothic style architecture and has become a famous pilgrimage spot for the Christians in India. Reach Tanjore and check in at hotel. Overnight stay at Tanjore. |
| DAY 05 : TANJORE – TRICHY – MADURAI (200 KMS/ 4 HRS) |
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After breakfast, enjoy sightseeing tour of Tanjore visit Brihadeeswarar temple – The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it was built by Great Chola King Raja Raja I (985-1012 AD), Tanjore Palace – Still the royal family of Marathas resides in this palace, Saraswathi Mahal Library as well as an art gallery that has various collections of sculptures and paintings. After sightseeing, drive to Madurai. Enroute stop at Trichy to visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple - most important pilgrim centre in the district. Reach Madurai and check in at hotel. Overnight stay at Madurai.
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| DAY 06 : IN MADURAI |
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Morning tour of Madurai visit the Meenakshi temple one of the biggest temple complexes in India. The temple was constructed by Kulasekara Pandya. Later visit palace of Tirumala Nayak. Return to the hotel for rest and relax. Evening witness Pooja ceremony at Hindu Temple “ Meenakashi Temple”. Overnight stay at Madurai.
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| DAY 07 : MADURAI TO THEKKADY (140 KMS/ 4 HRS) |
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After breakfast, check out from the hotel and drive to Thekkady. The Periyar forest of Thekkady is one of the finest wildlife reserves in India. Upon arrival, check in to the resort. Afternoon, Now all set for sightseeing tour by motorboat to watch the wild life, mainly wild elephants in herds, Bison, Spotted deer, Gaur. If you are lucky you may also catch sight of Tigers. This is the only sanctuary in India where you can have the unique experience of viewing wildlife at close quarters from the safety of a boat on the lake. Overnight stay at Thekkady.
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| DAY 08 : THEKKADY TO KUMARAKOM (150 KMS/ 4 HRS) |
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Kumarakom (Motherland of Backwaters). Kumarakom is undoubtedly the most invigorating, fascinating paradise in Kerala, God's own country. This rich green, sleepy little village of Kumarkom is located on the Vembanad lake amidst mangrove forests and coconut groves. Upon arrival, check in to the resort. Later visit Bird Sanctuary. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy backwaters around Kumarakom. Overnight stay at Kumarakom..
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| DAY 09 : KUMARAKOM TO ALLEPPEY (HOUSEBOAT) |
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Overnight Backwater Trip Till Alleppey
After breakfast, this is the time for the most awaited moment of the tour as you embark your Kerala Houseboat Tour (Kettuvallam) and cruise across the backwaters of Kerala till the next day. Enjoy watching the scenic beauty of Kerala Backwaters and green lands of Kerala from your floating villa. All meals, tea/coffee will be served to you on board your Kerala Houseboat cruise tour as you continue your journey to Alleppey
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| DAY 10 : ALLEPPEY T0 COCHIN (63 KMS/ 2 HRS) |
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After breakfast, disembark the houseboat and drive to Cochin. Reach Cochin and enjoy sightseeing tour of Cochin visit Jewish Synagogue, Mattancherry Palace, St. Francis Church, Chinese Fishing Nets with spectacular view of Wellington Island. Overnight stay at Cochin.
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| DAY 11 : COCHIN TO WAYNAD (270 KMS/ 5-6 HRS) |
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Morning after breakfast, drive to Wayanad. Wayanad, the green paradise is nestled among the mountains of the Western Ghats, forming the border world of the greener part of Kerala. Clean and pristine, enchanting and hypnotizing, this land is filled with history and culture. Reach Wayanad, check into the hotel. Explore the city. Overnight stay at Wayanad |
| DAY 12 : WAYNAD TO HASSAN (200 KMS/ 5-6 HRS) |
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After morning breakfast, enjoy tour of Wayanad visit Pookoda Lake, Lakkadi, Edakkal Cave.
After sightseeing, drive to Hassan. Reach Hassan and check in at hotel with rest evening at leisure. Overnight stay at Hassan.
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| DAY 13 : TOUR OF BELUR & HALEBID. |
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After breakfast, excursion to Hoysala Temples of Halebid & Belur. Visit the Hoysaleswara Temple dating back to 12 century at Halebid is the most outstanding example of Hoysala art. At Belur, visit the Channekeshava temple is the only one at the three Hoysala sites still in daily use and it took 103 years to complete the construction and you can see why. Return back to Hassan for overnight stay in the hotel. . |
| DAY 14 : HASSAN TO MYSORE (120 KMS/ 3-4 HRS). |
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After breakfast, leave to Mysore. En route visit Sravanabelagola, one of the oldest and most important Jain pilgrimage centers in India, and the site of the 17m high statue of Gomateshvara, said to the world's tallest monolithic statue - an important Jain religious centre - a colossal Gomateshvara statue. Continue drive to Hassan. Reach Mysore and check in at hotel. After relaxing for a while, enjoy splendid sightseeing tour of Mysore visit St. Philomena’s Church, Maharaja’s Palace. Visit Illuminated Brindavan Gardens and Krishnarajasagar Dam in the evening. Overnight stay at Mysore. |
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| DAY 15 : MYSORE TO BANGALORE (150 KMS/ 3-4 HRS). BANGALORE SIGHTSEEING. |
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Breakfast in the hotel and then proceed for your onward Destination Bangalore - "city of gardens". Enroute stop to Visit Sri Rangapatnam. Continue drive to Bangalore. Reach Bangalore and check in at hotel. Later ejoy tour of Bangalore visit Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park, Nandi Temple - One of the oldest temple, popularly known as the Bull temple, Government Museum and Vidhan Soudha - It houses the State's Legislature and Secretariat. Overnight stay at Bangalore.
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| DAY 16 : DEPARTURE FROM BANGALORE. |
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After breakfast, departure transfer to Bangalore airport to board flight back to home or onward destination.
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| Tour ends here……… | |