Day 1 – Arrive in Bengaluru – Hassan (182kms / 4hrs)

On arrival in Bengaluru, be met and transferred to the town of Hassan with an en route halt at Shravanabelagola, once a prominent center of Jain art & architecture and famous for the Gomateswara Temple with its monolith statue of Bahubali said to be one of the tallest and most graceful statues in the world. Later travel to Hassan and check into your night stay.

Overnight Hassan

Day 2 – Hassan – Coorg (104kms / 3hrs)

Visit the ancient temple complexes of Halebidu and Belur showcasing the extraordinary architecture of the Hoysala empire, it is said that the designs are not repeated across the temples and each one is surreally life-like. Later travel to the coffee cup of India, Coorg and check into luxury night stay in the midst of a coffee & spice plantation.

Overnight Coorg

Day 3 – Coorg

Spend the day at leisure in the resort – savor guided plantation walks, village visits on a cycle trail, coracle rides on the river Cauvery or even guided treks in the Dubare Forest Reserve. You may also choose to explore the touristy side of Coorg by visiting some of its prominent sites such as the Madikeri Fort on a hilltop, the scenic Abbey Falls, the temple of Talacauvery said to be the origin of the river Cauvery, the Dubare Elephant Camp or even the Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe

Overnight Coorg

Day 4 – Coorg – Kabini (122kms / 3-4hrs)

Checkout from Coorg and travel to the jungle lodge located on the banks of the river Kabini passing through the famed Nagerhole National Park, home to the herbivores such as the chital, sambar and gaur varieties of deer besides wild pig, common langur and the Asian elephant. The tigers, leopards and wild dogs seal the deal in terms of wildlife at the park making for a truly exciting stay here.

Overnight Kabini

Day 5 – Kabini

Spend the day participating in the different activities on offer from the resort – the boat safaris on the river Kabini allow for sighting of the largest congregation of the Asiatic elephants, the guided vehicle safari brings you face to face with the prevalent wildlife in the national park, besides guided nature walks which unravel the beauty of birds, insects, trees and wild flowers; there are also night trails letting you encounter the fascinating nocturnal world of spiders, beetles, owls, lizards and moths.

Overnight Kabini

Day 6 – Kabini – Mysore (45kms / 1hr)

Make inroads to the city of Mysore, Karnataka’s cultural capital. Arrive by early afternoon and check in. Later be taken on a guided walking tour unravelling the history and culinary side of Mysore besides visiting a local market. The tour starts with a walk around heritage structures starting at the Town Hall, past the palace and through the market and meanders into the tiny lanes morphing effortlessly into a food walk that lets you indulge in local street food.

Overnight Mysore

Day 7 – Mysore – Chennai (500kms / 8hrs)

Start your day early over a short hike up to the top of picturesque Chamundi Hills. On top of the hill is the Chamundeshwari temple that dates back to the 11th century and has an imposing Chola style tower. Next to it are a few more (older) temples, notably the Mahabaleshwara temple. After breakfast, visit the Mysore Palace which is an excellent combination of Dravidian, Indo-Saracenic, Oriental and Roman styles of architecture. The Palace is a beautiful three storied stone building of fine gray granite and rich, pink marble domes. Board the afternoon train to Chennai arriving by late evening. Be met and transferred to the hotel to unwind.

Overnight Chennai

Day 8 – Chennai

After a relaxed morning, visit T.Nagar, Chennai’s popular shopping hub, to look at some traditional Kanjeevaram silk sarees, beautifully crafted gold and diamond jewellery and other trinkets. Later in the afternoon, head to Mylapore for a guided heritage walk visiting the 300-year-old Kapaleeshwar (Shiva) Temple and nearby bazaars, fruits & vegetable sellers and flower vendors. Explore the bylanes before stopping for coffee and snacks at a popular eat out. In the evening, unwind at Marina Beach, one of the longest beaches in the world, and try to see how many statues of Tamil scholars you can spot!

Overnight Chennai

Day 9 – Chennai – Kanchipuram – Mahabalipuram (143kms / 6hrs)

Check out and travel to Kanchipuram, home to several temples and famous for its handloom silk textiles. Visit the Ekambareshwar Temple which gets its name from an ancient mango tree within the temple complex, the Kamakshi Amman Temple dedicated to the Goddess deity of Kanchipuram, before stopping at a traditional silk loom to see how silk threads are transformed into a beautiful sarees. Later travel to the world heritage site of Mahabalipuram famous for the Shore Temple and other rock cut wonders. Spend the evening at a school of stone sculpting learning the art. You can interact with a stone carver or shop at a local store for stone sculptures.

Overnight Mahabalipuram

Day 10 – Mahabalipuram – Pondicherry (100kms / 2.5hrs)

Spend the morning touring Mahabalipuarm – visit the Five Rathas which are monolithic temples named after the Pandava brothers and shaped uniquely, the Mahishasuramardhini Cave, one of nine rock cut caves depicting the goddess fighting a demon on one side and Lord Vishnu in cosmic sleep on the other, Arjuna’s Penance which is the world’s largest bas relief containing mythological figures and Krishna’s Butter Ball which is a huge boulder resting precariously on a narrow rock base and supposed to have been immovable neither by kings nor their elephants. Later travel to Pondicherry, arrive by late afternoon. Check in and spend the evening over a walk on the seaside promenade.

Overnight Pondicherry

Day 11 – Pondicherry

Visit the International City of Auroville this morning, a community that is home to more than 2500 people from 50 different countries. You may walk up to the Matrumandir here or just go about the precincts interacting with Aurovillians to understand what makes it unique. Later in the afternoon, be taken on a guided walk around Pondicherry’s French Quarter aka the White Town covering the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and nearby buildings. Many of these structures are colonial buildings, some even deemed as heritage sites. Besides covering the French influence, the walk will also cover the spiritual journey of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother who introduced integral yoga to the world.

Overnight Pondicherry

Day 12 – Pondicherry – Tanjore (170kms / 4hrs)

Come face to face with the Great Living Temples of the Chola empire that showcase the best of their art & architecture and stand as examples of the workmanship in that era. En route Tanjore, visit the Brihadisvara temple in Gangaikondacholapuram and later the Airavatesara & the Brihadisvara temples in Tanjore; the latter being amongst the tallest temples in the world and whose gopuram never casts a shadow. Also visit some of the other treasures in Tanjore such as the Saraswathi Mahal Library with its huge collection of 30000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts, the 16th century built Tanjore Palace and the Art Gallery housing a good collection of stone & bronze Chola statues dating from the 9th to 12th century.

Overnight Tanjore

Day 13 – Tanjore

Tanjore is known for its art & architecture; the city still upholds some of its ancient lineage in music, paintings and handicrafts. Take the time today to cover some of art places and meet the artists involved in making the famous Tanjore and Kalamkari paintings, discover how musical instruments such as the Tanjore Veena and Nadhaswaram are made, understand the skills behind making the traditional Tanjore dancing dolls made of paper mache and wax. Also visit the historical town of Nachiarkoil where over 200 craftsmen are engaged in the 1000 year old art of lamp making.

Overnight Tanjore

Day 14 – Tanjore – Karaikudi (102kms / 2.5hrs)

Make a jump from arts to commerce – travel to Karaikudi in the region of Chettinad, home of the Nattukotai Chettiars who were a prosperous banking and business community. The region is also known for its 18th century mansions characterized by wide courtyards and spacious rooms decked with furnishings from East Asia and Europe. Spend the next two nights in one such mansion converted heritage hotel. Arrive in Karaikudi by afternoon and spend the rest of the day at leisure over bicycle rides or walks to the surrounding villages

Overnight Karaikudi

Day 15 – Karaikudi

Soak in the flavors of Chettinad today through choices of visiting a village market, savoring a traditional lunch served on banana leaf, stopping at a potter and handloom weaver’s workshop, braving a bullock cart ride, watching the age old tradition of making handmade decorative tiles or even learning to prepare authentic dishes passed down from generations with locally sourced ingredients. You could unwind with a soothing massage using local herbs and oil concoctions.

Overnight Karaikudi

Day 16 – Karaikudi – Madurai (87kms / 2hrs)

Travel this morning to Madurai, which was once a thriving trade center and reached the pinnacle of its glory under the rule of the Nayaks. Whilst here, visit the 2000 year old Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple with its sprawling complex, walk through the din and chaos of the Temple Bazaar and take a swig of the popular Jigar Thanda – a cool refreshing beverage, discover Samanar Malai – a hill rock complex with carvings and once home of Jain monks and the partially demolished but grand Thirumalai Nayak Palace housing ancient maps and many paintings. Additionally, you could also attend the night ceremony in the Meenakshi Temple.

Overnight Madurai

Day 17 – Depart from Madurai

Spend the day till it is time to check out and be transferred to the airport for your onward/return flight.