Southern India's Coastal Route: Tamil Nadu to Kerala
Southern India's Coastal Route: Tamil Nadu to Kerala
Southern India's Coastal Route: Tamil Nadu to Kerala
15 Days Starting in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and ending in United Kingdom
Visiting: Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Thanjavur, Chettinadu, Madurai, Kumily, Periyar National Park, Kumarakom, Kochi, ሀመር።
Tour operator:
Tour code:
SI
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Age range:
18-99
Special diets catered:
Vegetarians
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Activities:
From:
$3121 (USD) including Flights from the UKTourhub Members Discount - Sign In
Tour Overview
Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala: Discover their remarkable cities, thought-provoking temples and astonishing natural wonders.
Less familiar than the north, visiting the south of India is an incredible journey of discovery: we'll see amazing thousand-year old rock-cut and granite temples, intricately carved, rising to over 200ft high, packed with pilgrims and devotees and remarkable forts, mansions and churches from British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonial periods. We'll sail on converted rice barges through the tranquil backwaters of Kerala and walk through fragrant spice plantations and pristine tropical forests of the Western Ghats. Staying in colonial hotels, lakeside bungalows, thatched cottages and hundred-year old original traders' mansions and we'll experience a cuisine and hospitality renowned throughout India. All blended together; this outstanding eclectic mix will ignite your imagination.
Southern India and specifically the vast states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, are worlds away from New Delhi, Agra or Rajasthan. It's much more laid back here, slower paced and a simpler way of life. There are no deserts here and lush fertile land yields plentiful harvests of rice and every sort of tropical fruit. In the higher elevations of the Malabar Hills in the Western Ghats, the altitude and temperature are perfect for every type of spice - the 'black gold' of 500 years ago was not oil but pepper from these very hills. Vast fortunes were made and lost, battles and campaigns were fought and colonies founded just to control the spice trade. We'll stay in Kumily, at 2,600ft, markedly cooler than the plains below, with its lush spice plantations and Kerala's best-known Nature Reserve, Periyar, where we'll explore the enchanting forest during a fascinating walk with a naturalist guide.
The great temple cities of Tanjore and Madurai are quite unique - there is nothing like them anywhere else in India. The astonishing craftsmanship and sheer scale of these temples is extraordinary. But the real beauty here is that they are not mere tourist attractions; they are working Hindu shrines, many locals visit daily and many more travel great distances. You'll see young people and families, from every walk of life, coming to pay their respects.
In Chennai, we'll visit Fort St George, the British fortification where Clive of India first rose to prominence from a lowly clerk with no military training, to a Major-General securing India for the East India Company and ultimately the British Crown. The fascinating museum houses some of his letters, period military uniforms, cannons and arms.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1
Location: Chennai
Meals Included: No Meals
Take your overnight flight to Chennai (Madras) via Muscat.
Day 2
Location: Chennai
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: No Meals
On arrival we transfer to the hotel.
Day 3
Location: Mahabalipuram
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning your immersion in one of the world’s oldest cultures commences by discovering Chennai’s bustling streets, passing numerous Victorian-era buildings and the famous Marine Beach, with its fish market and multi-coloured long wooden fishing boats drawn up on the sand, before arriving at the very centre of colonial Madras, Fort St George.
This was one of the most vital outposts of the British Empire – its first in India, the home of Clive of India for many years and the military base for numerous wars against the French. Continuing south we soon arrive at Mahabalipuram, a port which traded with Rome in ancient times. Its huge 7th century temples have been carved remarkably from vast granite monoliths and are now UNESCO World Heritage sites. Dinner is included this evening. (B, D)
Day 4
Location: Puducherry
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast we travel south to Pondicherry and on arrival have a walking tour of the beautiful old French colonial centre of ‘Pondy’. Both its architecture and ambience are very different from any other Indian town.
There’s a sleepy, almost Mediterranean air here, with bougainvillea-clad walls and mustard-yellow coloured neo-classical villas. We’ll see the impressive Governor’s residence, the former site of the French fort designed by the French military architect, Vauban – there is even a Hotel de Ville! Dinner is included this evening. (B, D)
Day 5
Location: Thanjavur
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
We continue our journey south to Tanjore, with a two-night stay at the three-star superior Ideal River View Hotel with breakfast. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the tranquil surroundings and palm-shaded pool. Lunch is included today. (B, L)
Day 6
Location: Thanjavur
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Tanjore was the capital of the ancient Chola Empire and is mainly known for its extraordinary Brihadeeswara Temple, the template for all in southern India. Standing over 200ft tall, its main tower is covered with an intricately-carved ochre-coloured facade which glows in the morning light. A working temple for over a thousand years, surrounded by colonnaded halls and a fortified wall, it is a testament to the power and wealth of the Chola Empire which at sunset seems to give off a red hue. Tanjore is also noted for its fine metalwork and the nearby Royal Palace’s art gallery houses a fascinating array of bronze sculptures. (B)
Day 7
Location: Chettinadu
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We drive to the nearby Chettinad region, which you are sure to love. Undiscovered, it’s a revelation, the real rural India of small farming communities. Dinner is included this evening sampling some of the region’s unique cuisine, served on a banana leaf. (B, D)
Day 8
Location: Madurai
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
After breakfast we’ll explore this undiscovered region, visiting other remarkable mansions, seeing the local Maharaja’s palace, plus local handicrafts. A fascinating visit is to a tile workshop, where each piece is delicately handmade and decorated, whilst saris are still woven to age-old local designs on traditional wooden handlooms.
In the afternoon we drive to Madurai for one of the tour’s real highlights: the Meenakshi Amman Temple. This is the southern India’s Taj Mahal, a complex shrine of courtyards, vast pillared halls, a sacred lake and no less than twelve gateway towers completely covered with thousands of brightly-painted stucco carvings. Madurai was already an ancient city well before Chennai was even founded, trading spices with the ancient Romans. It is considered to be Tamil Nadu’s spiritual and cultural heart.
This afternoon we take tuk-tuks to visit the temple at dusk, exploring its busy traditional markets full of impossibly laden stalls and tailors rattling away at their ancient Singer sewing machines! (B)
Day 9
Location: Kumily
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
This morning we re-visit the temple in daylight plus tour the nearby Nayak Palace, with its vast throne-room and ceremonial courtyard. Then drive west towards the distant outlines of the Western Ghats, the mountain range and border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The road zig-zags through lush forest with fleeting glimpses of verdant valleys below then crossing the border, we arrive at Kumily, surrounded by spice plantations and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. (B)
Day 10
Location: Periyar National Park
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Rising early, with a tropical dawn chorus ringing in our ears we enter the wildlife sanctuary for a guided nature walk through the tall stands of teak, bamboo, wild fig and beautiful jacaranda trees. The reserve has a small population of rarely seen tigers, however, as the reserve’s core surrounds a large lake, the birdlife is absolutely excellent, with over 260 species recorded, including hornbills, parakeets, kingfishers, eagles, kites and flycatchers. You may also be lucky enough to spot a Malabar giant squirrel or a lion-tailed macaque.
After returning to the hotel for a late breakfast, the day is at leisure until our afternoon visit to one of the numerous local spice plantations where our guide explains the uses, medicinal and culinary, of pepper, cloves, curry leaves, cardamom, vanilla, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon and a host of others. (B)
Day 11
Location: Periyar National Park
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning we leave the hills of Periyar behind us descending towards the Kerlan coast, passing the almost carpet-like tea plantations en route to discover the enchanting Keralan backwaters. We experience an overnight stay on a Kerala Houseboat. Leaving from nearby Alleppey, each houseboat accommodates six to eight guests plus three crew who prepare a delightful and typical Keralan lunch and dinner on board. It’s a wonderful way to travel, passing paddy fields, coconut palms and colourful local houses – watch out for the plentiful birdlife, children walking (or rowing!) back from school, people washing their clothes, pots and pans and even themselves in the narrow waterways. (B, L, D)
Day 12
Location: Kumarakom
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
After a dawn awakening, mesmerised by the stillness with the sights and sounds of the backwater, after breakfast we depart the Kerala houseboat and drive to to Kumarakom. The rest of the day is at leisure and early evening we enjoy a sunset boat cruise on Lake Vembanad, one of India’s largest lakes and wetland eco systems home to an array of birds, animal and plant life. (B)
Day 13
Location: Kumarakom
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
For early morning bird enthusiasts there is the opportunity to go bird watching and take a village walk. The rest of the day is free to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of this unique location. (B)
Day 14
Location: Kochi
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
This morning we leave Coconut Lagoon for the short drive to Cochin, the Malabar Coast’s most historic port, traditionally from where India’s invaluable spices were shipped to Europe. The city’s oldest quarter is Fort Cochin, a fascinating maze of narrow alleyways and large merchants’ houses, whilst the nearby bazaar district of Mattancherry has the Dutch Palace and the subcontinent’s oldest synagogue. The iconic sight in Cochin is the famed Chinese fishing nets, vast cantilevered contraptions that still work to this day. (B)
Day 15
Location: ሀመር።
Meals Included: Breakfast
Fly home to the UK via Muscat, arriving later the same day. (B)
Day 16
Fly home to the UK, arriving later the same day.
What's Included
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The price of this holiday is per person, based on two people sharing a twin room. Single occupancy rooms are available at the relevant supplement. The price includes: Scheduled flights to Chennai and from Cochin via Muscat All transfers Guided visits to Fort St George in Chennai, temples at Mahabalipuram, Tanjore, and Madurai Guided tour of Pondicherry and Chettinadu region, walking tour of a spice plantation and Periyar nature walk, and a city tour of Cochin Overnight-cruise on the Kerala backwaters by houseboat Connecting flights Hotel porterage of one item of luggage per person The services our experiened and insightful tour manager throughout
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Accommodation
Hand-picked 3 to 4-star accommodation
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Airport Transfers at Destination
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All Domestic Transportation (including internal flights)
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Entrance Fees
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Local Taxes
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Meals
Daily breakfast & 6 meals
What's Not Included
Check out our Q&As
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Are all entrance fees included in the price?
Yes
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes
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Are flights included in this tour?
Yes
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
No
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Are all the relevant entry visa’s included in the price of the tour?
Yes
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Are airport transfers included in this tour?
Yes
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How long has the tour company been trading?
For almost 40 years
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I have reduced mobility; can I still travel?
We want to ensure you make the correct choice before you book your holiday with us. If you have any concerns regarding the suitability of the holiday due to reduced mobility we would encourage you to contact us to discuss these concerns
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Do I require travel insurance?
It is a condition of booking that you carry suitable travel insurance.
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What is my luggage allowance?
You will receive details of your luggage allowance with your final travel documents, which are sent approximately 10 days prior to your date of departure.
Reviews of this Operator
Dates & Availability
Wednesday - Wednesday
Sep 25, 2024 - Oct 09, 2024Wednesday - Wednesday
Oct 23, 2024 - Nov 06, 2024Wednesday - Wednesday
Jan 22, 2025 - Feb 05, 2025Wednesday - Wednesday
Feb 12, 2025 - Feb 26, 2025Wednesday - Wednesday
Mar 19, 2025 - Apr 02, 2025Wednesday - Wednesday
Apr 09, 2025 - Apr 23, 2025Wednesday - Wednesday
Oct 15, 2025 - Oct 29, 2025Wednesday - Wednesday
Nov 05, 2025 - Nov 19, 2025Wednesday - Wednesday
Dec 03, 2025 - Dec 17, 2025Book with Confidence
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Low Deposit
Riviera Travel requires a minimum deposit of 500 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 75 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of riviera travel charges.
Up to 75 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 74 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 70% of booking price.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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