Starting and ending in Chennai, this journey takes in the amazing sights of the southern tip of India.
Click on the links below to find out more about individual destinations.
Journey Summary
Starting off in Chennai, we head south to the incredible temple towns of Mamallapuram, Thanjavur, Trichy and Madurai, experiencing French colonialism in Pondicherry en route. After maxing out on temples we relax in the beautiful hill station of Kodaikanal, before heading west (via Madurai) to explore the stunning backwaters of Kerala and the cultural mishmash of Kochi. Finally, looping back northeast, we take in the colourful markets in Mysore and the progressive city of Bangalore before heading back to Chennai.
Suggested Itinerary
The following is only a suggested itinerary – one of the things about India is how it manages to make all carefully laid plans irrelevant after just a few hours. In India planning as you go is pretty much the only thing to do, and bear in mind that transit days are often just as fascinating as days spent exploring, especially if you're taking the train...
| Day | Suggested Itinerary |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fly to Chennai |
| 2 | One day in Chennai |
| 3 | Chennai to Mamallapuram |
| 4-5 | Two days in Mamallapuram |
| 6 | Mamallapuram to Pondicherry |
| 7 | One day in Pondicherry |
| 8 | Pondicherry to Trichy |
| 9 | One day in Trichy |
| 10 | Day trip to Thanjavur |
| 11 | Trichy to Madurai |
| 12 | One day in Madurai |
| 13 | Madurai to Kodaikanal |
| 14-18 | Five days in Kodaikanal |
| 19 | Kodaikanal to Madurai |
| 20 | Madurai to Kollam |
| 21 | Kollam to Alappuzha to Kochi (by backwater boat) |
| 22-24 | Three days in Kochi |
| 25 | Kochi to Mysore |
| 26-67 | Two days in Mysore |
| 28 | Mysore to Bangalore |
| 29-30 | Two days in Bangalore |
| 31 | Bangalore to Chennai |
| 32 | One day in Chennai |
| 33 | Fly from Chennai |