Itinerary
- Day 1
Bangalore
You'll arrive at Bangalore airport and get transferred to your hotel. Room check-in opens at 2 pm, so you'll have some time to settle in. The rest of the day is flexible - you can either rest after your journey or head out to get a feel for the city if you're not too tired.
- Accommodation
- Hotel
Optional Activities
- Early check-in before 2 pm (requires advance booking)
- Day 2
Bangalore to Hassan
A guided city tour takes you through Bangalore's highlights. You'll start at Lalbagh Botanical Garden, which spreads across 240 hectares with exotic trees and plants throughout. From there, you pass by the Vidhan Sabha building and then visit the 16th-century Bull Temple, carved entirely from granite. Before heading to Hassan, you'll drive past the Maharaja's Palace, Indian Institute of Science, and the public library.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel
Included Activities
- Bangalore city tour
- Lalbagh Botanical Garden visit
- Bull Temple visit
- Drives past Vidhan Sabha building, Maharaja's Palace, Indian Institute of Science, and public library
Landmarks/POIs Lalbagh Botanical Garden Vidhan Sabha Bull Temple Maharaja's Palace Indian Institute of Science 
- Day 3
Hassan to Mysore
This morning you head toward Mysore and stop at the 12th-century Chennakesava Temple in Belur, known for its intricate carvings and detailed interior work. Next, you'll see the Hoysaleswara temple in Halebid, dedicated to Shiva and equally impressive with its stone work. You'll arrive in Mysore by evening, a city famous for its palaces and rich cultural heritage.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel
Included Activities
- Belur Chennakesava Temple visit
- Halebid Hoysaleswara temple visit
Landmarks/POIs Chennakesava Temple Hoysaleswara Temple - Day 4
Mysore
Starting early, you take a heritage walk through town exploring the town hall, palace, and heritage buildings plus the colorful local market with fruit, vegetables, and flowers. After breakfast, a guided city tour shows you the ornate Maharaja's Palace with its detailed carvings and artworks. You'll also check out the Rajendra Art Gallery featuring paintings by well-known artists. In the afternoon, you head up to Chamundi Hill for the impressive Nandi bull statue and views over the city.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Heritage walk through Mysore
- Maharaja's Palace visit
- Rajendra Art Gallery visit
- Chamundi Hill visit with Nandi bull statue
Landmarks/POIs Maharaja's Palace Rajendra Art Gallery Chamundi Hill Nandi Bull Statue - Day 5
Mysore to Ooty
You depart early heading to Coonoor and grab lunch at a local spot along the way. Sim's Park sits at 1,780 meters/5,840 feet and is perfect if you enjoy nature. Then you tour a tea garden and visit a tea factory to see how it works. Later, you board the famous Toy Train for a scenic ride through rocky terrain, tea plantations, and forested hills all the way to Ooty.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Local restaurant lunch in Coonoor), Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel, Hotel
Included Activities
- Sim's Park visit
- Tea garden visit
- Tea factory visit
- Nilgiri Mountain Railway Toy Train ride from Coonoor to Ooty
Landmarks/POIs Sim's Park - Day 6
Ooty to Cochin
You drive to Coimbatore this morning and board an express train heading to Cochin, arriving in the early evening. Cochin is a historic port city where colonial architecture sits alongside vibrant local culture, with lagoons and backwaters dotted by coconut palms. The city shows the influence of centuries of trade from Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British traders.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel
Included Activities
- Train journey from Coimbatore to Cochin
- Day 7
Cochin
A detailed city tour takes you through old Cochin to see the historic fort built back in the 1340s following major floods. You'll see colonial buildings, Chinese fishing nets, beach areas, and fruit streets throughout the day. Come evening, you attend a Kathakali dance performance with elaborate makeup and colorful costumes. After that, you have a cooking demonstration and dinner with a local family who'll show you how to prepare authentic Kerala dishes.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Special Kerala dinner with local family after cooking demonstration)
Included Activities
- Cochin city tour
- Colonial buildings and avenues tour
- Chinese fishing nets viewing
- Beach area and fruit street visit
- Kathakali dance performance
- Kerala cooking demonstration with local family
- Dinner with local family
Landmarks/POIs Cochin Fort Chinese Fishing Nets - Day 8
Cochin to Kumarakom
You drive to Alleppey, the starting point for Kerala's backwaters, a network of 900 km of waterways and lakes. You board a houseboat and have lunch while drifting past palm-lined banks, rice fields, and banana trees. The journey continues to Kumarakom on Lake Vembanad's shores, surrounded by narrow canals winding through rice fields and small villages.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on houseboat), Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel
Included Activities
- Backwaters houseboat journey from Alleppey to Kumarakom
- Lunch on houseboat
Landmarks/POIs Lake Vembanad - Day 9
Kumarakom to Periyar
Continuing on, you reach Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve located in the Cardamom Hills. The park has a beautiful lake where late afternoon boat rides let you spot wildlife like herds of elephants, sambar deer, gaur cattle, wild boars, leopards, and wild dogs. You'll see monitor lizards on the rocks too. In the evening, there's a Kalaripayattu martial arts demonstration in a theater.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel
Included Activities
- Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve visit
- Wildlife boat ride on Periyar Lake
- Kalaripayattu martial arts demonstration
Landmarks/POIs Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve - Day 10
Periyar to Madurai
This morning you visit a local spice plantation to learn about regional spice varieties and how they're grown. Then you explore Madurai, one of South India's oldest cities laid out like a lotus flower with the Meenakshi Temple at its center. The temple complex has an estimated 33,000 sculptures and colorfully painted gopurams with thousands of stone statues. You take a temple auto-rickshaw ride and attend the night ceremony. The Sree Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple features magnificent pillared halls and smaller shrines around the main ones.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel
Included Activities
- Spice plantation tour
- Madurai city tour
- Meenakshi Temple museum visit
- Gapuras gateway climb for city view
- Auto-rickshaw ride
- Sree Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple night ceremony visit
Landmarks/POIs Meenakshi Temple Sree Meenakshi Sundareshwar Temple - Day 11
Madurai to Tanjore
You explore Chettinad, home to the Nattukottai Chettiars banking community known for their wealth and influence. You visit old manor houses, the Athankudi tile factory, and a cotton weaving mill. Lunch comes served on banana leaves so you can experience local cuisine and see the architecture up close. After that, you head to Tanjore where the Brihadeeswarar Temple awaits, a structure over 1,000 years old with an evening ceremony. The temple's tower reaches nearly 66 meters high.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch served on banana leaves in Chettinad), Dinner
Included Activities
- Chettinad old manor house exploration
- Athankudi tile factory visit
- Cotton weaving mill visit
- Brihadeeswarar Temple evening ceremony
Landmarks/POIs Brihadeeswarar Temple 
- Day 12
Tanjore to Trichy and back
An excursion takes you to Trichy to see the Sri Ranganatha Temple, India's largest temple dedicated to Vishnu. Built in the 13th century, it has seven rectangular courtyards and 21 monumental gopurams, with the Rajagopuram being India's largest. The walls display brilliant carvings and paintings throughout. You return to Tanjore afterward to see the Tanjore Palace and watch traditional Veena stringed instrument making. You'll also visit the Thanjavur-Maratha Palace complex, the official residence of the Bhonsle family who ruled from 1674 to 1855.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Sri Ranganatha Temple visit
- Tanjore Palace visit
- Brihadeeswarar Temple visit
- Traditional Veena instrument making observation
- Thanjavur-Maratha Palace complex (Aranmanai) visit
Landmarks/POIs Sri Ranganatha Temple Tanjore Palace Thanjavur-Maratha Palace - Day 13
Tanjore to Mahabalipuram
A long drive takes you to Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage coastal town built during the 7th and 8th century Pallava dynasty. The site features impressive monuments and sculptures, some of India's finest rock-cut artworks from that era. You'll see the two-story Shore Temple complex, which is unique because it's dedicated to both Vishnu and Shiva.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel, Hotel
Included Activities
- Mahabalipuram UNESCO World Heritage Site tour
- Shore Temple viewing
Landmarks/POIs Shore Temple 
- Day 14
Mahabalipuram
This full day focuses on cultural highlights in Mahabalipuram. You visit the Shore Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage structure built by Pallava king Raja Singha in Dravidian sculpture style right on the beach. You explore cave temples carved into granite rocks, including the ancient Krishna Temple showing episodes from Srikrishna's life. You'll see 'Arjuna's Penance,' an elaborately carved rock relief measuring 29 by 7 meters depicting mythological scenes and the descent of the Ganges.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Shore Temple visit
- Cave temple exploration
- Krishna Temple visit
- Arjuna's Penance rock relief viewing
Landmarks/POIs Shore Temple Krishna Temple Arjuna's Penance - Day 15
Mahabalipuram to Chennai
Early morning you visit a local fishing village to see the daily catch being brought in with live fish market auctions happening. After breakfast at your hotel, you drive to Chennai for a city tour. The city grew from a small fishing village into a major center of Dravidian culture, known for Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance. You'll experience the city on a rickshaw ride supporting 'Baladharshan,' an NGO that employs female rickshaw drivers. The city showcases impressive architecture, art, craft, and sculpture reflecting Indian artistry.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Accommodation
- Hotel, Hotel
Included Activities
- Fishing village and fish market visit
- Chennai city tour
- Rickshaw ride supporting 'Baladharshan' NGO
- Day 16
Chennai
Your tour wraps up with breakfast at the hotel followed by a transfer to the airport for your departure.
- Meals
- Breakfast
