Destinations Covered: Mumbai -Cochin - Periyar - Madurai - Chennai - Mahabalipuram - Bangalore -Mysore - Bangalore - Hassan - Bangalore-DelhiDuration: 11 Nights / 12 Days
Day 1: Arrive Mumbai
Welcome on arrival at Mumbai and transfer to hotel.
Day 2: Mumbai
City tour of Mumbai.
Mumbai- The seat of Bollywood, the Indian film industry, the most notable highlights of Mumbai or Bombay are Gateway of India built in 1911, Prince of Wales Museum showcasing antique articles of art, sculpture, china, rare coins, weaponry and miniatures, Kamala Nehru Park, Hanging Gardens and Marine Drive known for its top-notch night life.
Evening Free.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 3: Mumbai - Cochin
Early morning transfer to airport for flight to Cochin.
Transfer to hotel followed by city tour and boating in the backwaters of Cochin.
Cochin- Kochi (Cochin) is rightly termed as the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' with a number of islands and promontories between the Arabian Sea and backwaters. It spreads across modern Ernakulam in the east and the old districts of Mattancherry and Fort Cochin in the west, which are interconnected by romantic ferries and bridges. The profound foreign influence can be seen in the architectural styles of its monuments. Some of the city's highlights are spice markets, Chinese fishing nets, Jewish synagogue, Portuguese palace, India's first European church, Dutch homes and Kathakali dance performances.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 4: Periyar
Morning after breakfast drive to Periyar (185 kms / 5 hrs).
On arrival transfer to hotel.
Afternoon view wildlife.
Periyar Wildlife Park - Best-known wildlife sanctuary in South India, Kerala's Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve is famous for wild Indian elephants and a century old artificial lake set in the beautiful thick woods of Western ghats. The other highlights here are Nilgiri Langoors, Nilgiri Tahrs, Bisons, Deers and Antelopes. Besides one can spot about 100 species of butterfly and 240 species of birds here and take a tour of the aromatic spice gardens around the park.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 5: Periyar
Early morning wildlife viewing and day at leisure.
Game viewing is done by boat around Lake Periyar.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 6: Periyar - Madurai
After breakfast, drive to Madurai (137 kms / 4 hrs).
Afternoon sightseeing tour.
Madurai - Famous for the Meenakshi Temple, around which Madurai was built in shape of a lotus, this temple town of South India was once the capital of the Pandya rulers. Originally, it was named as 'Madhurapuri' as it is said that Lord Shiva showered divine nectar here on the day it was to be named. Jasmine flowers of Madurai are very famous.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 7: Chennai
After breakfast transfer to airport to board flight to Chennai.
Upon arrival, transfer to hotel.
Afternoon city tour of Chennai.
Chennai - Chennai or Madras is a bustling metropolitan city of India and the capital of Tamil Nadu. It is home to the famous Marina Beach, the second longest beach in the world. One can see here the archaeological section and bronze gallery of the Museum, Dravidian style Lord Shiva's Kapaleeshwar Temple, East India Company's St. George Forte, Santhome Cathedral, Parthsarthy Temple, Guindy National Park and Snake Park.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 8: Mahabalipuram
Excursion to Mahabalipuram & Kanchipuram.
Mahabalipuram - The shore temples of Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram are known all over the world as an open stone art gallery and present stone sculptures that can be seen strewn all over the city along with the structured and chariot-shaped temples known as 'Rathas' and artificial caves cut out from volcanic rocks of Deccan India. However, the spotlight in the city falls on the Shore Temple on the beach.
Kanchipuram - The city of thousand temples, Kanchipuram is one of the seven most sacred Hindu pilgrimage centers in India. Besides the thriving handloom and cotton industry, it is known for its 108 temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, 18 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Adi Shankararchya's Ashram and silk weavers that have been living here for more than four centuries and are known to produce best silk sarees in the entire country.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 9: Bangalore
Transfer to airport for flight to Bangalore.
On arrival at Bangalore transfer to hotel for overnight stay.
Day 10: Mysore
Morning drive to Mysore (139 kms / 3 hrs) via Sravanabelgola and transfer to hotel.
Sravanabelgola - Home to the 17 m high, 10th century statue of s Bahubali or Gomateshwara, Sravanabelgola presents the world's tallest monolithic statue built by the sculptor Aristanemi and is one of the important Jain pilgrimage centers.
Afternoon sightseeing tour of Mysore.
Mysore - The City of Palaces, Mysore is home to Mysore Palace built by Wodeyars in the Indo-Saracenic style with its Golden Royal Elephant Throne, Durbar Hall, Kalyana Mandap and Gallery. The other citys highlights are St. Philomena's Church, one of the largest churches in the country, monolith of Nandi bull on the slopes of Chamundi, the 2000-year-old Chamundeswari Temple and the Brindavan Gardens with musical and colorful fountains.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 11: Hassan
Drive to Hassan (115 kms / 4 hrs) visit Halebid and Belur.
Belur and Halebid - These twin cities are home to some of the best Hoysala architecture. Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebid is said to have started about 10 years after the temple of Belur but even after 80 years of labor, it was still left incomplete. Adorned with innumerable Hindu deities, sages, stylized animals and birds and statues of lifestyle of the people at the time, on the exteriors, which give the temple its unique identity, it is a wonder that none of the two images are alike. The sculptures depict war, hunting, music, dance and othercourtly activities.
Later drive to Bangalore via Hassan and then transfer to hotel.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 12: Depart Mumbai
Morning sightseeing of beautiful city of Bangalore.
Bangalore - The Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore has managed to keep itself closer to nature than most of the other metropolitans in India. Hence, it is also known as the City of Gardens. The city highlights are the Bangalore Fort housing 16th century Ganapathi Temple, Tippu Palace famous for its carving and paintings, 17th century Venkataramanaswamy temple, Lal Bagh, Botanical Gardens, Bull Temple,Gangadhareshware temple or Cave Temple, the Dharmaraja Temple, the Ravindra Kalakshetra, St. Mary's Church, Gandhi Bhavan, the famous racecourse and Vidhana Soudha, a neo-Dravidian granite building near Cubbon Park.
Later transfer to airport for flight to Delhi.
On arrival, transfer to international airport for flight to onward destinations.
