Indian Cornucopia South India Tour

one of the most perfectly preserved Hoysala temples in India still stand as it did. Constructed from black soapstone in the shape of an eight sided star, maximise the wall area to be decorated with intricate carvings, in 1268, the kesava temple is said to be the one of the jewels of south India.

To the East of Mysore is Srirangapatnam, the home of the legendary Tipu Sultan, who gave the British Raj such a lot of trouble in the late 1700’s. The site of many hard battles, it was only after conquering this area that the British completed control of India.TipubSultan’s elegant summer Palace.Darya DaulatBagh, has been preserved as a museum, its interior walls decorated with finely painted panels, reminiscent of the silk paintings of Rajasthan. This small palace is surrounded by beautiful, restful gardens. From here we can go to Brindavan gardens, which are the top of a new Dam, where have been built spectacular gardens with fountains which play under colourful illuminations at night.

Vegetables-some of which you will never find in your local supermarket! When you tire of lying on a beach, as short stroll through the palm groves and into this area is both cooling, and gives you another view of life in this exotic land.

Dominating the skyline from all parts of the Mysore is Chamundi Hills, surmounted by the Sri Chamundeshwara Temple, dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Chamundi, who defeated the evil demon Mahishasura. It is the name of this demon which gives Mysore its name. About half way up Chamundi Hill is a Nandi (the God Shiva’s Holy Black Bull), carved from a solid piece of granite and measuring more than 16 feet in length.

On the way to Mysore, we stay overnight at the old British hill station of Ootacamund. Founded at the beginning of the 19th century as the summer headquarters of British Madras, ‘Ooty’ lies at a height of almost7500 ft. in the Nilgiri Hills. Once a reminder oh “home” for the British, with its green leafy streets and lanes and stone built cottages and administration buildings, Ooty has, sadly, seen better days.

From Mysore we travel on by road to Coimbatore, and spend one night here, before travelling on to Madurai for a further two nights.

One of the oldest cities in southern India, Madurai’s skyline is dominated by the fabulous Shri Meenakshi Temple, with its profusion of gopurams (towers) covered in carvings, all painted in gaudy colours, of the Hindu pantheon, animals & flowers. (We can, unfortunately, only view this from the outside as it is out of bounds to non-Hindus).

A city of about one million people and visited by tens of thousands of visitors and pilgrims from all over India and the rest of the world, every day, Madurai is one huge ‘shopping experience’, with, shops and bazaars everywhere you turn. A visit to Madurai is a true Indian experience, with people, bullock carts and modern traffic all jostling each other and is one of the most popular places to visit in the whole of India.

To enable you to recover from your exertions of the previous few days, we now return you to the relative calm of Kovallam for another 4 nights, before your return flight to the UK.

In Mysore, you will stay at the Hotel Metropole. Built by the last Maharaja for his own guests, the Metropole is now a beautiful hotel, set in its own gardens, full of exotic and colourful plants, with long verandas. The Metropole has service and rooms second to none (each room has twin beds, with air conditioning, colour TV, bathroom and separate dressing room vestibule) and we are pleased to be able to offer this hotel to you. Meals are taken either in the former ballroom, or, in the evenings, at the barbeque in the gardens.

Day 01 Arrive Bangalore and transfer to Mysore. ( 180 km /about 05 hrs) :
Arrive Bangalore, assistance, garland welcome and drive to Mysore with a stop en route to visit the spectacular Island Fortress of Srirangapatnan the capital of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, which was sieged by the British in 1782. On arrival Check into the charming hotel Metropole where two nights are spent. Afternoon visit Rajendra Vilas the summer palace of the Wodeyar family, situated in the Chamundi Hills. Also visit an ancient temple and the 16-foot Nandi (Siva’s bull) carved out of a single huge boulder. Drive past Jayalakshmi Vilas, which is now on the premises of University of Mysore.
Overnight

Day 02 Mysore Full day visit :
After breakfast Visit the Mysore Palace built in the early 20th century. The earlier royal palace of Mysore had been destroyed by fire and lightening. The regent Queen of Mysore, commissioned a British architect, Henry Irwin, to build another palace in the site of the destroyed place. The palace architecture combines Indo-Islamic and Gothic styles.
After Lunch excursion to Somnathpur famous for the ennakesava Temple built by Soma, a Dandanayaka (commander) in 1268 CE under Hoysala Empire King Narasimha III, when the Hoysalas were the major power in South India and back to Mysore.
Overnight

DAY 3, Mysore – Ooty ( 180km/about 05 hrs):
Morning after early breakfast drive to Ooty a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills. On arrival Check into the hotel. Rest of the day free to relax.
Overnight.

DAY 4, Ooty:
Morning after breakfast make a short drive to railway station to board Toy Train at 09:15 hrs to Coonoor, after 1 hour interesting toy train ride rejoin your car & driver and proceed for Ooty sightseeing visiting Botanical Garden, It was laid out by the then Governor of Madras. The garden, bordering on a beautiful pool, house a variety of flowering bushes, myriad rare species of plants and ferns. A 20 million year old fossilized tree is one of the biggest tourist attractions. Rose Garden, It is the largest rose garden in India, situated on the slopes of the Elk Hill in Vijayanagaram of Ooty town at an altitude of 2200 meters. It has one of the largest collection of roses in the country with more than 20,000 varieties of roses of 2,800cultivars. And Ooty Lake, it is an artificial lake. John Sullivan, the first Collector and virtual founder of Ooty, constructed the lake. Evening back to hotel.
Overnight.

DAY 5, Ooty – Coimbatore ( 100km/about 03 hrs) :
Morning enjoy beauty of Ooty. After noon drive to Coimbatore. On arrival check in hotel. Day free to relax.
Overnight

DAY 6, Coimbatore – Madurai ( 230km/about 06 hrs):
After breakfast drive to Madurai formerly the seat of power for the Pandya Dynasty, is one of the oldest cities in the South. It lies along the banks of the Vaigai River and as with many Hindu cities, the frenetic center of the city’s activity is the main temple, the mighty Meenakshi – Sundareshwarar – an important centre for Hindu pilgrimage. On arrival check into the hotel. Rest of the day free.
Overnight

DAY 7, Madurai
Morning after breakfast full day sightseeing of Madurai visiting the alive and bustling temple of Meenakshi (fish eyed goddess), located in the heart of Madurai, surrounded by colorful and bustling markets, Also Visit Thirumalai Nayak Palace, Gandhi Museume, Flower & Vegitable Market. Evening again witness of Meenakshi Temple to attend Aarti Ceromany
Overnight.

DAY 8, Madurai – Thekkady (170km/about 04 hrs):
Morning after breakfast drive to Thekkay. The road winds you through the tranquil countryside, plantations of rubber, pepper, tea, coffee and cardamom on Western Ghats. On arrival check into the hotel. Afternoon make a short drive to nearby plantations to know more about the spices of Kerala and the plantation crops. Evening stroll around the small spice market of Kumily.
Overnight

Thekkady: It is famous for the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, the place for watching the animals in the natural habitat. The forest here slopes into the manmade lake at the bottom of the hill. This lake serves as the waterhole for the animals and they come here to drink or take a dip. Elephants, Gaur, Sambhar deer and even tigers can be spotted here.

DAY 9, Thekkady:
Early morning explore the park by hiking through the buffer zone of the forest with tribal tracker as a local guide from the forest department. We return from our hike at 08.00hrs and back to hotel for breakfast. Afternoon free to relax. Late afternoon again explores the sanctuary, which offers a lovely, and comfortable way to see the animals via boat rides on the man-made lake, which the wildlife area encircles.
Overnight

DAY 10, Thekkady – Kovalam ( 240km/about 06 hrs):
After breakfast drive to Kovalam , on arrival checkin hotel. O/n in hotel.

Kovalam – Kovalam is a small coastal town in the southern Indian state of Kerala, south of Thiruvananthapuram. At the southern end of Lighthouse Beach is a striped lighthouse with a viewing platform. Palm-backed beaches also include Hawa Beach and Samudra Beach. Heading south, Vizhinjam Juma Masjid mosque overlooks the busy fishing harbor. Inland, Sagarika Marine Research Aquarium displays technology used in pearl production.
Overnight

DAY 11, Kumarakom to Thekkady (150 kms / about 4-5 hrs drive):
After breakfast drive to the gateway to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Thekkady. The core feature of the park is Periyar Lake – a rich habitat for large mammals. Here it is possible to see large herds of Indian elephant. There are more than 30 species of mammals including tiger, gaur (Indian bison) and sloth bear. The birdlife is vibrant and includes numerous aquatic species and the great Indian hornbill. On arrival check into the hotel. Late afternoon make a short drive to nearby plantation to know more about the spices of Kerala and the plantation crop. Evening stroll around the small spice market of Kumily by your own. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 12, Kovalam:
Kovalam also position as a most important Ayurvedic centre with many of its hotels and resorts providing excellent Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapies and treatments. You can either laze around on the beach for the entire day or pamper yourself with some rejuvenating Ayurvedic therapies at the Ayurvedic Treatment Centre in Kovalam. Trained masseurs will provide you traditional Ayurvedic massages with oil extracts and aromatic herbs. So spend your days revelling in the natural beauty of Kovalam besides enjoying some of the best Ayurvedic treatments that benefit both body and soul. Overnight at hotel.

DAY 13, Kovalam :
Day free to own activities and relax. Enjoy sunset beach.

OPTIONAL
After breakfast set out on a sightseeing tour to Trivandrum. Trivandrum is a bordered by Quilon district. It is a Capital of the Kerala State, is a most attractive city of magnificent structures built on seven hills with ancient and modern style of architecture. The main attractions include famous Padmanabhaswami temple, Museum, Sree Chithira Art Gallery and Science & Technology Museum. Padmanabhaswami temple, renowned for its towering gopuras and temples arts and paintings. The main pavilion of the temple stands impressive with 400 marvellously granite carved pillars. Your guided sightseeing tour will cover the rest of the places. Later in the evening return back to hotel in Kovalam.
Overnight

DAY 14, Kovalam – Trivandrum Airport:
Today early morning transfer to Trivandrum airport to board flight for your home country.