Day 01 - Thiruvananthapuram:
Pick up and transfer to a beach resort at Somatheeram . Day at leisure.
Day 02: Somatheeram :
Day long sightseeing tour. Option I: Trip to Padmanabhapuram Palace Option II: Trivandrum city sightseeing tour.
Day 03 : Somatheeram:
Day free to relax at the wonderful tropical beach, set out for fishing with
local fishermen on traditional kattamaran or rejuvenate yourself with the much
acclaimed Ayurveda treatment.
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 05 - Alleppey:
Day will be used to closely watch backwaters lifestyle. Visit coir-making factory,
a temple and bathe the elephants at the Elephant Rearing Center.
Day 06 - Kumarakom:
Sail through the backwater canals and reach Kumarakom - 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 07 - Kumarakom:
Day free to relax and explore around.
Day 08 - Periyar:
Drive through rubber plantations over forested mountains and finally reach Periyar
National Park - one of the best jungles in India to see wild elephants. Day
free to explore on your own.
Day 09 - Periyar:
Visit the National Park on boat over Periyar Lake where several wild animals
congregate at different times.
Day 10 - Madurai:
Drive out of the Kerala hills and reach the Tamil Nadu 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 11 - Thanjavur: Driving down to the 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 12 - Pondicherry:
Reach the erstwhile French colony Pondicherry of beautiful boulevards, gothic
structures and quiet beaches. Day free to relax and unwind.
Day 13 - 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 14 - Mahabalipuram:
Drive through the fertile Coromondal coastline and reach Mahabalipuram (Mammalapuram)
- famous for its shore temples and other monuments which are in a form of epic
recreated on stone.
Day 15 - Chennai:
Morning walk over the seashore and explore the temples on own. Later drive towards
Chennai and en route 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 16 - 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 17 - Chennai:
Assisted in check out for onward journey.
