Duration: 14 Days / 13 Nights
DESTINATION COVERD: CHENNNAI – KANCHIPURAM – MAHABALIPURAM (MAMALLAPURAM) – PONDICHERRY – KUMBHAKONAM – DARASURAM – TANJORE – TRICHY – MADURAI – PERIYAR – KUMARAKOM – COCHIN – BANGALORE – MYSORE – HASSAN – BANGALORE
02° DAY : ITALY – CHENNAI ( MADRAS )
Departure from Italy with flight to Chennai. Upon your arrival in Chennai a representative of our office will come to welcome you and accompany you to the hotel. Overnight stay at the Hotel.
02° DAY : CHENNAI – KANCHIPURAM – MAHABALIPURAM
After breakfast, excursion to Kanchipuram and in particular to the ancient temples of Kailashanatha and Ekanbaranathar. Visit to a silk processing center. Continue to Mahabalipuram. Visit of Mahabalipuram: visit to the famous temples on the beach, the first example of Hindu temple art. Overnight stay.
03° DAY : MAHABALIPURAM – PONDICHERRY – SWAMIMALAI (275 km. 6 hours approximately)
After breakfast, departure for Pondicherry to visit the Ashram of Sri Aurobindo. Continue to Swamimalai. Arrival and accommodation in the Hotel. Overnight stay.
04° DAY : SWAMIMALAI – DARASURAM – TANJORE (40 km. Approximately 1 hour)
Breakfast at the hotel and morning at leisure to learn about the different types of traditional activities of the Dravidian community. In the afternoon, departure for Tanjore with a stop, just before the city, to visit the grandiose Chola temple of Darasuram. Overnight stay at the hotel.
05° DAY : TANJORE – TRICHY – TANJORE
After breakfast, visit the Brihadeshwara temple dedicated to the god Shiva and the Museum that houses the precious collection of bronzes of the Chola dynasty. In the afternoon, return to Trichy to visit the temple-city of Srirangam, where pilgrims celebrate ancient rituals on the banks of the Kaveri river. Overnight stay.
06° DAY : TANJORE – MADURAI (180 km. Approximately 4 hours)
After breakfast, transfer to Madurai. Visit the colorful temple dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, the Museum and the royal palace of Tirumalai Nayak. In the evening you will attend a suggestive ceremony (Puja) in the temple. Overnight stay.
07° DAY : MADURAI – PERIYAR (145 km. 4:30 hours approximately)
After breakfast, transfer to Periyar. Afternoon boat excursion on the lake located in the heart of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, to observe the animals that go to drink. Overnight stay.
08° DAY : PERIYAR – KUMARAKOM (130 km. 4 hours approximately)
After breakfast, departure for Kumarakom, in the heart of the backwaters, the series of artificial canals, rivers and natural lakes that cross the Kerala region like a thick spider web. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. In the afternoon, short trip by motor boat through the narrowest canals. Overnight stay at the hotel.
09° DAY: KUMARAKOM – ALLEPPEY (HOUSEBOAT)
Morning at leisure for relaxation or Ayurvedic treatments. Around midday boarding the houseboat (floating house) for a tour of the largest canals of the Backwaters. Full board and overnight stay on board.
10° DAY: COCHIN
After breakfast, disembark and depart by car for Cochin. Arrival and visit of the most cosmopolitan city in South India: the Dutch Palace in Mattancherry, the church of San Francesco which houses the tombstone of Vasco de Gama, the synagogue with the Jewish quarter and the street of antique dealers and Chinese nets. In the late afternoon, dance show – Kathakali theater. Overnight stay.
11° DAY: COCHIN – BANGALORE – MYSORE
Breakfast at the hotel and departure by flight to Bangalore. Upon arrival, continue to Mysore (140 km. about 3 hours) with a stop and visit to the famous temple of Somnathpur, a masterpiece of stone inlay. Overnight stay.
12° DAY: MYSORE – HASSAN (120 km. Approximately 3 hours)
After breakfast, visit the city of the Maharaja’s palace and the colorful fruit and flower market. Afternoon transfer to Hassan. Arrival and accommodation in the Hotel. Overnight stay.
13° DAY: HASSAN – SRAVANABELGOLA – HASSAN
Breakfast and in the morning visit the temples of Belur and Halebid, splendid examples of the “stellar” architecture of the Hoyshala dynasty. Afternoon excursion to Sravanabelgola to visit the Jain temple located on an imposing hill that houses the gigantic monolithic statue of Bahubali. Overnight stay.
14° DAY: HASSAN – BANGALORE – ITALY
After breakfast, transfer to Bangalore (120 km. Approximately 3 hours). Short afternoon visit of the city. No overnight stay. Transfer to the airport and departure for Italy.