15 days Tour

Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty - Mettupalayam - Chettinad - Rameswaram - Madurai - Periyar - Munnar - Alleppey - Cochin

 

 

Karnataka presents a balanced mixture of natural and architectural sites. Open-air museum with its temples classified by Unesco. Its coffee plantations and its sandalwood, essential for religious rituals. Bangalore, the capital city is the leading edge of technology, the future of India.

 

A Kerala trip is perfect to start discovering India ! This small state that is surrounded by water and subtropical mountains is often the travelers’ favorites. This can be explained by its gorgeous mountain landscapes, spice and tea plantations, the Periyar wildlife sanctuary, beautiful tropical beaches, and canoe rides on quiet backwaters canals. The cities are small, the gastronomy is fresh and tasty, the hospitality is kind and caring.

 

Tamil Nadu is filled with colors: beautiful saris, temples with flamboyant hues, flower garlands ...

It stretches from the Bay of Bengal in the east to the mountain range that separates it from Kerala in the west. Most of the region consists of huge plains.There is a constant contrast between the omnipresent modernity of the cities and the timeless villages.

Tamil Nadu is the true birthplace of the Dravidian civilization. 

Its official language is Tamil, one of the most ancient languages in the world.

Visiting it is a journey through architecture and culture to the discovery of huge colorful temples designed a lot like the Sri Meenakshi temple in Madurai. 

 

 

Day 1 :  Bangalore Airport - Bangalore    35 km - 1 h

Your driver will welcome you at your arrival at Bangalore airport and will drive you to your hotel. 

Visit of Bangalore :

Bull Temple or Basavanagudi Nandi

Dodda Ganapathi Temple

Bangalore Palace

Tipu sultan's palace

Vidhana Soudha (the state parliament of Karnataka)

Attara Kacheri (the court of justice)

Lalbagh Botanical gardens

Temple Iskcon

Overnight in Bangalore.  

 

Day 2 :  Bangalore - Mysore     190  km - 4 h

Mysore with its incredible palace, one of the most beautiful in India.The illumination of the palace on Sundays and holidays is fairy-like.

We will continue with the market of Devaraja who offers travellers a feasts of fragrances and color, and the chamundi hill

Overnight in Mysore.  

 

Day 3 :  Mysore

Visit of Mysore :

Mysore Palace

Devaraja Market

Lalitha Mahal

Sainte philomena's Church

Chamundi Hill

Overnight in Mysore.  

 

Day 4 :  Mysore - Ooty        125 km - 3 h 30

Ooty is a hill station. Its cool climate, famous tea gardens , forests with eucalyptus make it one of the popular hill stations in the Nigiri mountains.

Visit tea factory and plantations, rose garden (over 20000 varities of rose, Ooty Lake.

Overnight in Ooty.  

 

Day 5 :  Ooty - Mettupalayam    50 km - 2 h

Toy Train of the Nilgiris Mountains is the last train in India to operate in stream traction. Listed as Unesco World Heritage, it links Otty to Mettupalayam (50 km), crossing magnificent landscapes. 

 -   Ooty - Mettupalayam 3 h 30  -  Departure at 2 pm.

Overnight in Mettupalayam.

 

Day 6 :  Mettupalayam - Chettinad  - Karaikudi       300 km  - 6 h

Depart for Chettinad, the land of the wealthy merchants of yesteryear - the Nattukottai Chettiars. They built marvelous little palaces which for the most part are abandoned. Some, however, have been restored and converted into charming residences  (Saratha Vilas). 

Chettinad is famous for its aromatic and spicy gastronomy. 

Overnight in Karaikudi.

 

Day 7 :  Karaikudi - Rameswaram     140 km - 3 h

Rameswaram is located on an island connected to the mainland by two bridges: 

- The big Indira Gandhi road bridge. 

- A railway line. The train seems to fly over the sea, the tracks being just over the water. 

 

A pilgrimage city with a major sacred site of Hinduism, one of the Indian holy cities. Religious devotion is very important in Rameswaram, much like in Varanasi, the northern holy city where Hindus come to get purified in the Ganges, sacred river. Pilgrims go from well to well in order to receive holy water and get purified from their sins.

According to the Hindu story of Ramayana, it is in Rameswaram that Rama has built a bridge to Lanka Island in order to save his wife Sita, who was captivated by the evil Ravana. After he went back to Ceylan, with his brother Lakshmana and his wife Sita, Rama built a worship space to honor Shiva and expiate the murder of King Ravana. To do this, he asked his loyal friend Hanuman to bring him two lingams from Mount Kailash. According to a later version of the legend, Sita, who could not wait Hanuman’s return, made herself a first lingam from sand near the shore, which would be one of the two lingams located in the temple sanctuary.

Ramanathaswamy temple is devoted to Shiva. But the city and its temple are considered pilgrimage sites by both Shaivits - Shiva’s worshippers - and Vaishnavits - Vishnu’s worshippers. 

 

We will take you to the end of the world, at Dhanushkodi Beach, located at the end of Rameswaram. It's on this beach that the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet.

Dhanushkodi was a large and lively town. The 1964 tsunami has destroyed everything on its path, leaving only ruins and a few dilapidated fishermen houses.

Overnight in Rameswaram.  

 

Day 8 :  Rameswaram - Madurai      180 km - 4 h

Madurai is one of the most ancient Southern Indian cities, a pilgrimage site for centuries and the birthplace of Tamil culture.

Obernight in Madurai.  

 

Day 9 :  Madurai

Sri Meenakshi temple, a city in the city with its continuous flow of pilgrims, is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating Indian temples with its 50 meters tall carved and colorful gates. A real maze where you can witness the devotion of the faithful Hindu priests where you will understand the importance of religion in an atmosphere of spiritual fervor.
Visit to Ghandi Memorial Museum to discover the history of the independence of India and Gandhi’s life.
Overnight  in Madurai. 

 

Day 10 :  Madurai - Periyar       150 km - 3 h 30

Parc national de Periyar :   https://thekkady.org/?page_id=879  et https://elephantjunction.in

• Visit the spice plantations

• Elephant ride or activity including the elephant (bath, feeding, training…)

• Jeep tour for about 3 hours with an English-speaking guide. Panoramic view on the Tamil Nadu

•  3-hour trekking in the Periyar wildlife sanctuary with an English-speaking guide 

• Boat on the lake

Overnight inThekkady.

Day 11 :  Periyar - Munnar      98 km - 3 h 30

Small mountain resort perched at an altitude of 5000 feet (1524 meters), Munnar is located in the most spectacular mountainous landscape of Southern India. 

Munnar is the quiet part of Kerala. It is a place to unwind and hike. 

Visit to the tea museum where you can discover the entire production process.  

In the evening, ayurvedic massages and Kathakali performance, an art between dance and theater.

Overnight in Munnar. 

 

Day 12 :  Munnar

We can book a guide for a walk through the tea plantations (guide required)

• Trekking 12 km - 1/2 day -  7:30 am to 1 pm with breakfast.
• Trekking 24 km - Full day - 7:30 am  to 5 pm with breakfast and lunch.

Overnight in Munnar.

 

Day 13 :  Munnar - Alleppey     170 km - 5 h

Discover the intertwined canals between sea and land. We offer you a night in a Houseboat, an unforgettable experience from 12 pm to 9am the next morning. We can book this private boat for you.
Overnight on the houseboat. 

 

Day 14 :  Alleppey - Cochin        50 km - 1 h 30

End of the cruise at 9 am. 

Visit the old neighborhoods, The Paradesi Synagogue,  The Church of Saint-Francis, The Folklore Museum in Ernakulam,  The Mattancherry Palace, The Dutch palace Paliam.
The Chinese fishing nets (Cheenavala) can be visited in the late afternoon before a meal by the seaside.
In the evening Kathakali spectacle.
Night in Fort Cochin. 

 

Day 15 :  Cochin - aéroport de Cochin    40 km - 1 H 30

Last shopping time and transfer to Cochin international airport for your return flight. It might be interesting to do this at LULU MARKET mall. This is a huge mall where you will find everything with various ranges of price.