Overview
Visit the South India Heritage Tour with Greenedge Holidays. This tour starts from Chennai and ends at Kochi, covering the heritage, medieval architecture, and historical temples of South India, as well as the most important sightseeing places around these locations. The itinerary includes the best sightseeing tour of Chennai, visiting Gandhi Memorial, Kala Kshetra, Mylapore Temple, the famous Shore Temple, and other historical monuments of Mahabalipuram, Madurai sightseeing, the houseboat on the backwater, sightseeing tour of Kochi, formerly called Cochin, and much more.
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Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Chennai On arrival at Chennai airport/railway station in the morning, meet our representative and transfer to the hotel. Later, proceed for a city tour of Chennai. Chennai, the capital city, popularly known as the ‘Gateway to the South,’ represents a culture that differs from that of northern India. The places of interest in Chennai are Kalakshetra, a school of art and music that encourages exponents of Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music, traditional weaving, and designing. Fort St. George, built-in 1653 during the British reign in India, now houses the Secretariat and the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. Sri Parthasaratha Temple, built by the Pallavas in the eighth century AD. Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore, also an 8th century Pallava Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Later back to the hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel in Chennai.
Day 2: Chennai – Kanchipuram – Mahabalipuram After breakfast, drive to Kanchipuram, 70 km west of Mahabalipuram, a town of a thousand temples. Among the seven sacred cities of Hindus, it was the capital of the early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC. Besides temples, the city is also renowned for its silk weavers, who settled here some 400 years back and have given it an enviable reputation. Later, we shall move to Mahabalipuram, driving south of Chennai on the shore, which is the old port of Pallava. The Pallavas have generated several marvelous monuments with sculptural buildings, temples, Monolithic Rathas, and Temples. Overnight stay at the hotel in Mahabalipuram.
Day 3: Mahabalipuram Sightseeing After relishing morning breakfast, proceed for sightseeing of Mahabalipuram. Krishna Mandapam has a bas relief, notable for its realistic representation. The world’s largest bass relief measuring 27m 9m contains figures of gods, guys beasts, birds, and a representation of the whole creation. Shore Temple, one of the oldest in the south dating back to the eighth century AD, is a fantastic example of the first phase of structural temples built in the Dravidian style. The five rathe are a set of five monolithic temples, each of which is created in various fashion. Later Check in at the hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel in Mahabalipuram.
Day 4: Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry (100km-3hrs) After breakfast, transfer to the Greenedge Holidays hotel in Pondicherry. After lunch, enjoy a city tour of Pondicherry. Although the French influence is progressively fading, Pondicherry retains some Gallic accents. Pondicherry’s main sightseeing places are the Rai Nivas, the Sacred Heart Church, and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. This ashram was founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo, after whose death the spiritual authority passed to one of his disciples, a woman known as the Mother. The Mother was also instrumental in founding the city of Dawn Auroville, 10 km from Pondicherry’s main city. Its original charter aimed to create a town of the future where individuals from India and overseas could live and work together in a spiritual environment. Evening back to your hotel.
Day 5: Pondicherry – Chidambaram – Kumbakonam (150 Km) Overnight at hotel. Morning after breakfast, transfer to Kumbakonam, en route visit Chidambaram, the seat of the Cosmic Dancer, dedicated to Lord Nataraja. Spread over a place of 40 acres with gopuram on every side, the temple is distinguished by the 5 sabhas or counts. The towering gopurams, the tallest one on the north would be 42.4 m have been carved on it with 108 dances presents of Bharatanatyam. Overnight stay at hotel at Kumbakonam.
Day 6: Kumbakonam – Tanjore (40km-1hr) Check out after an early breakfast and drive to Tanjore and check in at the Greenedge Holidays hotel chosen for your stay. After resting for some time, head out for sightseeing areas such as Art Gallery, Brihadeeswara Temple, Saraswati Mahal Library, and The Palace. Return to the hotel for your overnight stay at Tanjore.
Day 7: Tanjore – Trichy (60km-1.5hrs) After breakfast in the Greenedge Holidays hotel in Tanjore, head out for a complete day excursion to Trichy. In Trichy, you can visit attractions such as Thiruvanaikaval Temple, Rock Fort Temple, Elakurichi, and Valaloor. Following the visit, return to Tanjore. Overnight stay at the Greenedge Holidays hotel in Tanjore.
Day 8: Trichy – Madurai (165km-4hrs) After breakfast, check out from the Greenedge Holidays hotel in Tanjore and drive down to Madurai. On arrival, check in at the Greenedge Holidays hotel chosen for your stay. After lunch, you can tour around Madurai’s attractions such as Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Thirumalai Nayak Palace, Thirupparankundram Temple, Alagar Koil, and Gandhi Museum. Following the tour is finished, come back to the hotel for your overnight stay at Madurai.
Day 09: Madurai – Thekkady (140km-4hrs) Take breakfast and after that drive to Thekkady. Thekkady offers diverse attractions including a wildlife sanctuary, hill station, and a spice plantation. Hence it’s very popular among nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Reach and check in at the Greenedge Holidays hotel. Freshen up and unwind in the comforts of your room. Evening if required, can visit traditional Kathakali & Kalaripyettu show. Today your stay would be in Thekkady.
Day 10: Thekkady Sightseeing Today morning at 7.00 am, head out with Greenedge Holidays to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Here, you can indulge in a wildlife cruise to view a large variety of animals including wild elephants, Nilgiri langur, sambar deer, wild bison, wild boar, and many unique bird species. You may also take pleasure in other delightful and thrilling activities such as a spice plantation tour, bamboo rafting, jungle trekking, and elephant rides. Don’t forget to visit the local spice market for buying handicrafts and some garden-fresh spices. Return to your hotel in Thekkady for an overnight stay.
Day 11: Thekkady – Alleppey Houseboat (170km-4hrs) After enjoying the beauty of nature, relish your morning breakfast and proceed to the famous backwaters of Alleppey. Check in to the houseboat, now operated by Greenedge Holidays, which is an indigenously developed and designed private vessel with fully furnished spacious bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a hygienic kitchen, a dining area, and a private front deck to catch the cool beauty of the backwaters. Cruise through the coconut-fringed small canals, and soak in the exceptional life of the backwater. The beauty of nature surrounding you will leave long-lasting impressions on your mind. Today, you will spend the night on the houseboat.
Day 12: Alleppey – Kochi (100kms-2.5hrs) After enjoying a traditional Kerala breakfast, proceed to your last destination, Kochi. Check-in to the hotel booked by Greenedge Holidays. Later, go for a half-day city sightseeing tour of Kochi. The major attractions for tourists include St. Francis Church, Chinese fishing nets, Santa Cruz Basilica, Jewish Synagogue, Jewish Street, and Mattancherry Palace/Dutch Palace. Today, you will stay at the hotel in Cochin. (Attn: Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue closed on Friday & Saturday)
Day 13: Cochin Airport Departure (40km-1hr) Enjoy your breakfast. Today marks the conclusion of your Southern Heritage Tour with Greenedge Holidays. Pack your bags with a promise to return once more to this part of the world. Proceed on time to Cochin Airport to board your flight home.
Inclusion & Exclusion
Greenedge Holidays offers well-appointed room accommodations at the base category hotel on a twin or triple sharing basis. Guests will enjoy a daily buffet or fixed menu breakfast at the hotel and delicious Kerala cuisine meals during their houseboat stay. A comfortable A/C Indigo or small sedan vehicle will be provided for all transfers and sightseeing to the listed destinations for 2-3 pax. All applicable hotel taxes are included.
Please note that the package cost excludes any meals apart from those mentioned, Christmas Eve Gala Dinner and Gala Dinner, airfare or train fare, mandatory Christmas and New Year Eve Gala Dinners (which will be charged extra), entrance fees to amusement parks and boating charges not included in the inclusions, portage at airports and hotels, tips, insurance, wine, mineral water, telephone charges, and all items of personal nature. Any services not specifically mentioned in the inclusions, and expenses caused by factors beyond our control like rail and flight delays, roadblocks, vehicle malfunctions, political disturbances, etc.
It’s important to note that the above package is only an offer and not a confirmation. We will proceed with the booking only after receiving confirmation from you. In case the hotels mentioned are unavailable, we will provide alternate hotels of a similar category. Check-in time at the hotel is 14.00 hrs, and check-out time is 11.00hrs. Booking confirmation is subject to availability, and the above rates are valid for the mentioned period only. The Eravikulam National Park, Munnar, will remain closed from 01 Feb to the first half of April every year.
For guests interested in Kerala Houseboat services, please note that the check-in time is 12.00 hrs, and check-out time is 09.00 hrs. Houseboats will be stationed at one place from 6:00 pm to 8:00 am the next day due to government restrictions. Each houseboat comes with a navigator, cook, and a helper. In Deluxe category Houseboats, A/C will be operational from 9.00 pm to 6.00 am the next day. In Premium Houseboats, A/C will be operational as per guest request anytime. No two houseboats are of the same size and quality, and the interiors of each houseboat vary. Houseboats are for exclusive use and are not shared by other guests unless specified. Guests are requested to carry mosquito and insect repellents since the boat is anchored along the waterway at night. Always keep the door of the bedroom and washroom closed to avoid mosquitoes and insects. The choice of food is limited, and mostly South Indian cuisine is served. The quality of the houseboat cannot be compared with that of hotels, where the guests were staying previously. Houseboat rooms are small in size and have basic amenities.
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