Itinerary
- Day 1
Chennai
You'll land in Chennai and get picked up for your hotel transfer. There's a welcome meeting with your group and leader at 6 pm, so if your flight comes in early, check out Georgetown Bazaar beforehand. Dinner features traditional south Indian vegetarian food like idly, dosa and poori to get you started.
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome dinner at Chennai's first chain restaurant serving iconic array of south Indian vegetarian dishes like idly, dosa and poori)
Included Activities
- Welcome dinner at Chennai's first chain restaurant serving south Indian vegetarian dishes
Optional Activities
- Visit Georgetown Bazaar market stalls
- Day 2
Chennai to Puducherry
The drive along the East Coast Road takes you to Mamallapuram where you'll see the 8th-century Shore Temple with its carved pillars and watch locals making offerings to Shiva. After that, you head to Puducherry, a former French colony with a very European character. Your evening is free to wander the food scene, which blends Indian and French styles throughout the town.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Shore Temple guided tour with visit to mandapams (carved pillars)
Optional Activities
- Dinner at Puducherry restaurants
Landmarks Shore Temple 
- Day 3
Puducherry
Sleep in this morning if you need it. Later, join your leader for a walking tour through local temples and the French Quarter, passing mustard-colored buildings covered in bougainvillea while hearing about revolutionaries and kings. You'll stop at the pastel pink Church of Notre Dame, then grab local snacks at a White Town cafe. The rest of the evening is yours to explore on your own.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Leader-led French Quarter walking tour
- Visit Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Local temple visits
- Snack stop at local cafe in White Town
Optional Activities
- Evening exploration of Puducherry
Landmarks Church of Notre Dame Sri Aurobindo Ashram - Day 4
Puducherry to Madurai
The drive to Madurai includes chai stops along the way, and you arrive in the late afternoon. After a short orientation walk to get your bearings in one of India's oldest cities, your leader takes you on a street food tour where you'll taste regional dishes like mutton dosa and fish gravy while learning about centuries-old recipes. Finish with Jigarthanda, Madurai's famous dessert of condensed milk, almond gum and ice cream.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Street food tour including regional delicacies like mutton dosa and fish gravy, ending with Jigarthanda dessert)
Included Activities
- Leader-led street food tour of Madurai
- Orientation walk
- Day 5
Madurai
Continue in Madurai as your leader guides you through the Tailor's Market, local bazaars and the ancient Sri Meenakshi Temple with its lamp-lit hallways and active shrines. You'll visit the National Gandhi Museum, then see the extravagant 17th-century Thirumalai Nayak Palace. Tonight you'll have dinner with a local family featuring Tamil dishes like chettinad chicken, egg paratha and vegetable korma.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Local family home-cooked Tamil dinner featuring chettinad chicken, egg paratha and vegetable korma)
Included Activities
- Leader-led walking tour through Tailor's Market and local bazaars
- Sri Meenakshi Temple visit
- National Gandhi Museum visit
- Thirumalai Nayak Palace visit
- Local family visit with home-cooked Tamil dinner
Landmarks Sri Meenakshi Temple Sri Meenakshi 1000 Pillar National Gandhi Museum Thirumalai Nayak Palace - Day 6
Madurai to Thekkady
Head to Thekkady, a countryside town that's the gateway to Periyar National Park in the Western Ghats. Along the way you'll pass pineapple and rubber plantations. At a spice plantation, local experts help you taste, smell and learn about spices that flavor India's cooking, and lunch is made with those plantation spices. Your evening is free to relax, shop for fragrant spices and organic tea, or hang out by the resort pool.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Flavoursome lunch made with spices from the plantation)
Included Activities
- Expert-guided spice plantation visit with lunch made with plantation spices
Optional Activities
- Shop at spice and tea shops
- Relax at resort pool
Landmarks Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve 
- Day 7
Periyar
An expert guide leads a nature walk through Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary where you'll look for tiger tracks, spotted deer, Indian elephants and gaur. You're likely to see Bonnet macaques and Malabar giant squirrels. The afternoon is yours to unwind, maybe with an ayurvedic massage. Evening brings a kalarippayattu martial art demonstration at Kadathanadan Kalari Centre, said to be India's oldest surviving martial art.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided nature walk in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Kalarippayattu Indian martial art performance
Optional Activities
- Ayurvedic massage
Landmarks Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary Kadathanadan Kalari Centre - Day 8
Periyar to Munnar
Drive north to Munnar, an old British Hill Station at 1525m/5,003ft where you'll notice a sharp temperature drop. A resident expert guides you through a tea plantation tour, showing tea workers picking leaves and explaining how they become the world's most popular beverage. You'll sample different tea varieties, and there's a chance to visit the tea museum if it's open. Relax at your mountain resort in the evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Tea plantation tour with expert guide and leaf picking observation
- Tea tasting
- Tea Museum visit
Landmarks Tea Plantation Munnar Tea Museum 
- Day 9
Munnar
Take a guided walk around Munnar's lush, cloud-covered hills with your camera ready as views change around you. In the afternoon, head to Mattupetty Dam where a man-made lake offers spectacular valley views. If you're interested, there's an optional motorboat ride across the lake. Get back to Munnar for a free evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Leader-led town walking tour
Optional Activities
- Motorboat ride around Mattupetty Dam lake
Landmarks Mattupetty Dam - Day 10
Munnar to Alleppey
Drive to Kerala's backwaters and discover Alleppey's palm-shaded waterways. Once a major trading port, it's now known for annual snake boat races in August. You'll stay on a traditional houseboat (Feature Stay) built with bamboo, coir and coconut wood. These converted kettuvallams originally transported rice and spices and now offer private bedrooms, western toilets, dining areas and open decks as you float through rural Kerala's dreamy waters.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Landmarks Kerala Backwaters 
- Day 11
Alleppey to Kochi
Start with a peaceful morning on the Kerala waters, then drive to Kochi in the afternoon. Spread across several islands, Kochi shows Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese and British influences in its architecture, restaurants and daily life. Your leader gives an orientation walk to highlight these connections, and you can grab coffee on Princess Street. Tonight you'll watch a Kathakali dance performance, a classical Indian art form with symbolic storytelling and physical technique.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Leader-led orientation walk of Kochi
- Kathakali dance performance
Optional Activities
- Visit Princess Street
Landmarks Kochi - Day 12
Kochi
A tuk-tuk tour takes you through Fort Kochi where you'll wander antique shops and spice bazaars, learning to haggle from your leader. Stop at the famous Chinese fishing nets, probably Kochi's most photographed spot. You'll see the 16th-century Mattancherry Palace and the Paradesi Synagogue, India's oldest surviving Jewish synagogue. Lunch is at Shantilal S. Mithaiwala, a cafe and sweet shop running since 1953. In the early evening, meet an ayurvedic doctor to learn about Satvik Bhojan and join a cooking demonstration before dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at Shantilal S. Mithaiwala featuring famous sweets), Dinner (Keralan cooking class dinner using ayurvedic methods and recipes)
Included Activities
- Fort Kochi tuk-tuk sightseeing tour
- Chinese fishing nets visit
- Mattancherry Palace visit
- Paradesi Synagogue visit
- Lunch at Shantilal S. Mithaiwala
- Ayurvedic doctor consultation and cooking demonstration
- Keralan cooking class with dinner
Landmarks Chinese Fishing Nets Kochi Mattancherry Palace Paradesi Synagogue - Day 13
Kochi
Your trip wraps up after breakfast. If you want to stay longer in India, contact your booking agent beforehand to set up extra accommodation or arrange transfers.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Extend stay in India with additional accommodation or transfers
