Fragrance of the South India

Day 1: Chennai – Mahabalipuram (55kms/ 2h)

Arrive at Chennai airport. Welcome by our local representative, then transfer to Mahabalipuram located on the Coromandel Coast. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the town was a seaport known to Phoenician, Arab, and Greek traders. It is still to the Pallava kings that we owe the extraordinary examples of Indian rock art from the 7th and 8th centuries gathered at Mahabalipuram. Check-in at the hotel. (Rooms will be available from 2:00 PM. If guests wish to check in earlier, please inform us in advance; we will share any additional charges.) Lunch. By the seaside, visit the Shore Temple, then the South Ratha, monolithic temples shaped like ceremonial chariots. Discover the bas-relief representing the "Descent of the Ganges," reputed to be the largest in the world. Visit a stone carving workshop. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Lunch and dinner are included)

Day 2: Mahabalipuram – Kanchipuram – Mahabalipuram (130kms/ 3h A/R)

Breakfast at the hotel. Then departure for Kanchipuram, also known as SHIVA, Vishnu, or Kanchi, one of the seven holy cities of India. It was successively the capital of the Pallavas, the Cholas, and the Vijayanagar kings. Visit Kanchipuram, which houses several temples considered masterpieces of Dravidian architecture: The Kailashnath Temple, whose sculptures express a very sophisticated symbolic program. Return to Mahabalipuram. Free late afternoon. Lunch, dinner, and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 3: Mahabalipuram – Pondichéry (100kms/2h)

Breakfast at the hotel, then departure for Pondicherry, a former French trading post and remnant of an imperial ambition that ended in 1954 after three centuries of presence. The city was then divided into the "white town" and the "black town," the latter reserved for the natives. Lunch. Visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the cenotaph of "The Mother." Rickshaw ride through the neighborhoods once occupied by the French: post office, bookstore, Alliance Française… You will discover streets with evocative names: Romain Rolland, La Bourdonnais, and Avenue Goubert, as well as the Sacred Heart Church. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 4: Pondichéry – Chidambaram – Darasuram – Tanjore (190 Kms / 4–5h)

Breakfast at the hotel, then departure for Tanjore. En route, stop for a visit to Chidambaram, a major training center for Brahmins dedicated to Shiva, the god of the Cosmic Dance. In the Nataraja Temple, a masterpiece of Dravidian architecture, the 108 traditional poses of Shiva’s sacred dance were sculpted. Continue to Darasuram and visit the Airavateshvara Temple, dating from the 12th century, known for its delicate carvings. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 5: Tanjore – Trichy – Tanjore (A/R 125 Kms)

Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion to Trichy, a unique city built on the side of a formidable rocky peak that dominates the plains for miles around. Visit its sanctuary of Sri Ranganathasvami, a true religious city surrounded by seven enclosures. Lunch. In Tanjore, visit the Brihadishvara Temple, a marvel of 10th-century Chola architecture, and the remarkable Bronze Gallery located in the former Nayak palace. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 6: Tanjore – Madurai (200 Kms / 4–5h)

Breakfast at the hotel, then drive to Madurai, the cultural capital of the Tamil region and a major center of Hinduism. Check-in at the hotel. Lunch. Late in the day, visit the Sri Meenakshi Temple, one of the masterpieces of Dravidian architecture and one of the most important active temples in India. It has two sanctuaries, one dedicated to each of the two gods it honors: Shiva and Meenakshi, his wife and incarnation of the Hindu goddess Parvati. Built in the mid-12th century, it is a labyrinthine complex of courtyards, galleries, hypostyle halls, and ablution tanks. One of its buildings, the great hall with 1,000 pillars, covers more than 5 hectares. The temple also features two Vimana, pyramid towers, that cover and protect the sanctuaries of the two deities. Every evening at dusk, the pooja is celebrated here, a traditional offering ceremony and temple closing during which the bronze statue of Shiva is taken to the temple chamber of his wife Meenakshi to spend the night. This ceremony is attended by many devotees with great fervor. Return to the hotel by tuk-tuk. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 7: Madurai – Periyar (150kms/ 4–5h)

Breakfast at the hotel, then continue to Periyar National Park and its beautiful spice and tea plantations, covering an area of 777 km². Check-in at the hotel. Lunch. Early afternoon visits to a spice plantation. Then, take a boat ride on the famous Periyar Lake to explore the nature reserve, home to buffalo, antelope, sambar deer, wild boar, langurs, elephants, leopards, porcupines, and more than thirty tigers. In the evening, depart for a cultural evening featuring Kalaripayattu (martial arts). This is the oldest form of martial art in the world; Kalaripayattu is the traditional martial art practiced in Kerala. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 8: Periyar – Backwater (140 Kms/ 3–4h )

Breakfast. Departure for ALLEPPEY. Boarding for a boat cruise on the backwaters, those famous canals lined with houses where farmers work in the fields, passing coconut groves and rice paddies. Lunch and boat ride on the Kerala backwaters. On board elegant "rice boats," you will navigate a maze of rivers and canals that form the backwaters, where land and water mingle. A unique experience, close to nature and the local people, allowing you to discover their life along the water. You will see, among other things, crayfish fishermen, schoolchildren’s ferry boats, and the daily chores of women washing clothes or dishes. In the afternoon, a peaceful cruise on the Kerala backwaters. Afternoon tea is offered during the afternoon. Stop at a typical village to mingle with the local population and discover village life. The houseboats, called "Kettuvalom," literally “tied boats,” these traditional vessels made of Anjili wood and coconut mats offer simple comfort, but a cruise on board is a pure moment of calm and delight and a unique experience, allowing you to explore an off-the-beaten-path India and discover villages, temples, and preserved ancient churches… Each boat consists of a lounge with a small terrace, a kitchen, 2 to 4 bedrooms each with a bathroom (shower and toilet), air conditioning at fixed times, and the crew is at your disposal. Dinner and overnight on the houseboat. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 9: Backwater – Cochin (50km / 2h)

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Cochin. It is a coastal city with a rich colonial past where classicism and modernism blend, and where it is pleasant to stroll. One lets oneself be carried away by the diversity of styles, atmospheres, and cultures that emerge from this fascinating former trading post, which was successively occupied by the Portuguese, the English, the Dutch, and the French! Check-in at the hotel. Lunch. Afternoon sightseeing: Saint Francis Church, the Dutch Palace (closed on fridays), and the Jewish quarter, which houses the oldest synagogue in the country (closed on friday afternoons and all day saturday) as well as old trading houses, warehouses, and small cobblestone streets. Free time at the local market. In the evening, a Kathakali performance – a costumed drama with singing and dancing, whose themes are drawn from the great Hindu epics. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included)

Day 10: Cochin – Depart

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Cochin Airport for your return flight. End of our services. (Meals: Breakfast included)