Beautiful South - 14 days
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Overview
Highlights
- Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary - Spot herds of elephants from an included boat ride on Lake Periyar
- Kumarakom – Relax on the shores of Lake Vembanad and opt to visit the local bird sanctuary and the famous Kerala backwaters
- Alleppey - Visit the Venice of the East
- Historic Kochi - Explore the Parsi Synagogue, Dutch Palace, St Francis Church, Fort Cochin, colourful boats and Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront
- Trichy - Discover the high up Rock Fort Temple
- Tanjore – Tour the hotspots of the city and gaze admiringly at the towering Brihadishwara Temple
- Chennai - Visit the gateway of South India
- Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram - Walk around these temple towns
- Pondicherry – Stroll along the beach in this French colonial city and visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart
- Madurai – Explore the city and see the impressive rock cut temple of Thirupparankunram Murugan
What's this trip about?
Details
Destinations
Attractions
Trip includes
- Breakfast daily, 1 lunch and 1 dinner
- 12 nights superior hotels and 1 night rice boat. Accommodation rating – See Trip Notes for details
- Touring and excursions as per itinerary
- Periyar - Boating on lake OR visit to a spice plantation
- Keralan backwaters - Rice boat cruise (overnight)
- Entrance fees for all included sightseeing
- Services of a licensed English speaking tour guide at all included sites
- An airport arrival transfer day 1 and a departure transfer day 14
- All relevant transfer and transportation in private modern Chauffeur driven air-conditioned vehicles
Popular Trips
Itinerary
Once you arrive into Chennai you will be met and transferred to your hotel. An afternoon tour of the city includes a vist to St George Fort, built in 1653 and St Mary’s Church, the oldest British church in India.
Chennai - Pondicherry. En route to Pondicherry visit Kanchipuram, one of sacred cities in India and the seaside town of Mahabalipuram, famous for its shore temple. The city is also famous for handwoven silk. In Mahabalipuram, the huge rock-cut sculptures and mandapams...
Pondicherry - Tanjore. Start the day with a sightseeing tour of Pondicherry which includes Aurobindo Ashram, French Colony, Pondicherry Beach and the Sacred Heart Church before continuing south. Arrival at Tanjore, also known as Thanjavur, Tanjore is an ancient fortif...
Tanjore - Trichy. Spend the morning on a sightseeing tour of Tanjore before a short drive to Trichy. Our city tour includes the enormous Brihadishwara Temple. Built by Raja Raja in 1010, the World Heritage protected temple has a dome weighing an estimated 80 tonnes wh...
Trichy - Madurai. Take a morning sightseeing tour of Trichy before the journey continues south to Madurai. An important centre for worship and commerce, Madurai has been around since the dawn of civilisation in southern India. A bustling city jam-packed with rickshawa...
Madurai - Periyar. Your journey continues to Periyar, south India’s most popular wildlife sanctuary which is home to sambar, wild boar, elephant, bison, antelope, langur and a small tiger population. You'll stay in Kumily, which is a pretty town dotted with small spice and handicraft shops which is close to the sanctuary.
This morning spot herds of wild elephants and other wildlife on a Lake Periyar boat ride in the reserve, or visit the nearby spice plantation. Spend the afternoon at leisure.
Periyar- Kumarakom. Continue to Kumarakom. Perched sleepily amongst a tangle of lush tropical waterways known as the Keralan backwaters, Kumarakom is technically an island on Lake Vembanad. An ideal place to relax and be at one with natural surroundings, you’ll enjoy two nights here. Check out the wonderful bird sanctuary.
This morning, you’ll board a traditional Keralan rice boat for a journey through the backwaters in and around Allapuzha (Alleppey). The boat will cross shallow, palm-fringed lakes and cruise along peaceful canals where copra and cashews are loaded onto local boats. The on-board cook will prepare locally-inspired food. Relax, read and catch some sun as the boat plies it’s route.
Backwaters - Kochi. Disembarking at Allapuzha, enjoy a short drive to Kochi (Cochin). The city of Kochi perfectly reflects the eclecticism of Kerala. One can see winding streets with mosques, a 16th century Jewish synagogue and Jewish community with ancient roots and 500 year old Portuguese cottages! Enjoy the remains of the day your way.
This morning enjoy a sightseeing tour, including a walking tour of Fort Cochin. With the afternoon at leisure, perhaps watch famous Keralan dancers perform. Arrive early so you don’t miss the artists applying their awesome make-up.
Hotel check-out and included onward transfer to airport. If you'd like to extend your stay, we offer a variety of hotels, short stays and add-ons for you to choose from. Please read our best places to visit or [[best things to see each month|126647]] for suggeste...
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with On The Go Tours.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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Escaping a cold London winter back in 1998, we followed the sun for a colourful adventure around the world. Discovering amazing history, interesting cultures and the jaw-dropping beauty of our planet, the friends we made along the way made our journey all the more special. Inspired to share our experiences, the seeds were sown and On The Go Tours was born.
Over the years we’ve grown into a small yet global company, with a purposeful local ethos. True to our own travels, authenticity is core to our holidays. We’d love you to experience a country the way it really is, with people who live there and know it inside out. We know this makes the difference between a great holiday and a truly memorable one. Our carefully sought out English-speaking local guides are passionate about sharing their country with you and we believe that they are amongst the best in the business.
We know too that adventure feels better with a chilled beer poolside or a soft pillow at the end of each day and we search out comfortable hotels and boutique properties for your stay. As we love to say - travel with us and adventure in style!
Unbeatable value: Combining authentic local experiences with an excellent range of 3-5 star hotels & boutique properties, our tours represent unbeatable value. Add in airport transfers, passionate tour guides and all transportation and you do get the best of adventure travel and creature comforts too.
Great group size: With an average of 15 and a maximum of 24, our group size really works well on tour, so you’re bound to meet like-minded travellers and make lasting friendships. Our festival tours do have larger group sizes due to their ‘one-off’ nature.
100% Guaranteed: Not only are all our group tour departures 100% guaranteed, we are also fully financially bonded, so you can book our tours with absolute confidence. We’re proud to say that we recently won 2 prestigious British Travel Awards and were runner up for another 3, testament to the quality of our holidays.
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