Day 01: Mumbai:
Arrive at the commercial capital of India and check
in. Rest of the day free for leisure.
Day 02: Bombay:
Half day trip to Elephanta cave island for astonishing ancient sculptures.
Later during the day visit notable attractions of the city which includes
Dhobi Ghat, Crawford market, Marine drive and old mansions of Colaba area.
Day 03: Kochi:
Take flight to Kochi. On arrival after leisure in your hotel proceed for a
short sightseeing tour of this heritage town. Visit the Mattancherry palace,
Jewish synagogue, Jew town, old spice markets, St. Francis church, Santa Cruz
Basilica and Chinese fishing nets.
Day 04 - Alleppey:
Drive through the green coastal belt and cashew plantations
and reach Alleppey - the central hub of the BACKWATER network. Stay in a traditional
Kerala house opening right over the Vembanad Lake and surrounded by banana
plantations. Day free to relax with the option of a herbal oil massage. Also
relish the wonderful Kerala cuisine in ethnic way.
Day 04: Houseboat:
Transfer to Alleppey by road. Board your exclusive houseboat that will quietly
sail through the backwater canals all day and night, a tropical sojourn not
to be missed!
Day 05: Kumarakom:
Alight your houseboat and check in your resort at
Kumarakom. Kumarakom is an island with a beautiful bird-sanctuary and extremely
serene atmosphere. Stay at Taj Garden Retreat - a wonderful resort providing
restored tharawads as idyllic rooms.
Day 06: Periyar:
Drive uphill through beautiful spice plantations and finally reach Periyar
National Park - One of the best jungles in India to see wild elephants. Day
free to explore on own.
Day 07: Periyar:
Visit the National Park on boat over Periyar lake where several wild animals
congregate at different times.
Day 08: Madurai:
Drive out of Kerala hills and reach Tamilnadu plains- the Dravidian heartland.
Visit the Thirumal Nayaka Palace and the Dravidian masterpiece Meenakshi Sundereshwar
temple which makes the city of Madurai so famous and pulsate with festivities.
Day 09: Thanjavur:
Driving down to fertile rice growing plains of Cauvery reach Tiruchirapally.
Nearby visit the enormous Srirangam temple and then continue to the Chola
citadel of Tanjore. Visit the World heritage Brihadishvara temple- simply
unparalleled!
Day 10: Pondicherry:
Reach the erstwhile French colony Pondicherry of
beautiful boulevards, gothic structures and quiet beaches.
Day free to relax and unwind.
Day 11: Pondicherry:
Morning head out for boat trips to see dolphins. During the day visit Auroville
(city of dawn) - the famous center for spiritual learning and meditation named
after Guru Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.
Day 12: Mahabalipuram:
Driving through fertile Coromondal coastline, reach
Mahabalipuram. Mahabalipuram (Mammalapuram) is famous for it’s shore
temples and other monuments which are in a form of epic recreated on stone.
Day 13: Chennai:
Morning walk over the seashore and explore the temples on own. Later drive
towards Chennai and enroute visit Dakshinchitra- an art and craft heritage
center. Day free to move around in Chennai for the enormous shopping opportunity
it offers. Also visit one of the many famous auditoriums for live performance
of Indian classical dances.
Day 14: Chennai:
Sightseeing trip of the city. Also visit Kalakshetra, the world famous cultural
center founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale and Theosophical society with its
huge Banyan tree (Theosophical society of India was founded by Dr.Annie Besant).
Day 15: Bangalore:
Board the morning Shatabdi Express train to Bangalore and reach there by noon.
At Bangalore visit Cubbon Park, Lal Baug and interesting public buildings
within Cubbon Park.
Day 16: Bangalore:
Excursion to Nrityagram- a center for learning of Indian classical dances
set up by noted Odissi dancer Protima Bedi. Rest of day left free to move
around at M.G.Road area. Board the overnight Hampi Express.
Day 17: Hampi:
Reach Hospet railway Station in the morning. Visit Hampi that has extraordinary
remnants of once great city Vijayanagara. The sheer size and majestic appearance
of this historical site is amazing! Day free to explore around the great monuments
that dot the whole area.
Day 18: Hampi:
In the morning take a walking tour of the Hampi bazaar and temples. Cross
the picturesque Tungabhadra River on a primitively designed corracle- a very
different experience!
Day 19: Goa:
Drive towards India’s western coastline and reach Goa- the exotic tropical
beach destination.
Day free to walk around the beaches.
Day 20: Goa:
Sightseeing tour of Old Goa and Panjim for beautiful churches and cathedrals.
Mandovi River cruise.
Day 21: Goa:
Day completely at discretion in the tropical paradise known as Goa.
Day 22: Mumbai:
Fly back to Mumbai. After checking in, day kept at discretion to indulge in
last day’s shopping or to enjoy the pulsating nightlife of Bombay.
Day 23: Departure:
Day free till the time of departure. At appropriate time, transfer to airport
to catch the flight back home.
