South India
Every place has a version that is entirely yours. Which one is calling you?
From Day #01 to Day #19
Day 1 | September 23
Arrival | Chennai
Your journey begins at Chennai International Airport, with a private transfer to your hotel. Once you've settled in, the city introduces itself through two of its oldest stories. St. Thomas Church is linked to the apostle believed to have brought Christianity to India's shores. The Madras Museum, one of the oldest in the country, holds a celebrated collection of Chola bronzes, a first glimpse of the artistry you'll see being made in Tanjore.
Day 1 | September 23
Arrival | Chennai
Your journey begins at Chennai International Airport, with a private transfer to your hotel. Once you've settled in, the city introduces itself through two of its oldest stories. St. Thomas Church is linked to the apostle believed to have brought Christianity to India's shores. The Madras Museum, one of the oldest in the country, holds a celebrated collection of Chola bronzes, a first glimpse of the artistry you'll see being made in Tanjore.
Day 2 | September 24
Arrival | Chennai to Mahabalipuram
Your journey begins at Chennai International Airport. A private transfer takes you south along the coast, with the Bay of Bengal appearing to your left as the city falls behind. We arrive in Mahabalipuram with time to settle in. In the evening, Charlie gathers the group for an orientation and welcome dinner.
Day 2 | September 24
Arrival | Chennai to Mahabalipuram
Your journey begins at Chennai International Airport. A private transfer takes you south along the coast, with the Bay of Bengal appearing to your left as the city falls behind. We arrive in Mahabalipuram with time to settle in. In the evening, Charlie gathers the group for an orientation and welcome dinner.
Day 3 | September 25
Rock, Sea & Stone | Mahabalipuram
Begin by visiting South India's most extraordinary heritage sites. The Shore Temple stands directly on the Bay of Bengal, 1,300 years old and salt-worn. The Pancha Rathas are five monolithic temples carved from single boulders, each dedicated to one of the Pandava brothers. This temple complex was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Arjuna's Penance, one of the largest open-air bas-relief carvings in the world, depicts a scene from the Mahabharata across a surface that rewards close inspection.
Day 3 | September 25
Rock, Sea & Stone | Mahabalipuram
Begin by visiting South India's most extraordinary heritage sites. The Shore Temple stands directly on the Bay of Bengal, 1,300 years old and salt-worn. The Pancha Rathas are five monolithic temples carved from single boulders, each dedicated to one of the Pandava brothers. This temple complex was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Arjuna's Penance, one of the largest open-air bas-relief carvings in the world, depicts a scene from the Mahabharata across a surface that rewards close inspection.
Day 4 | September 26
Mahabalipuram to Tanjore | Drive Day
It's a drive through the Kaveri delta: rice paddies, roadside temples, and the Tamil Nadu countryside at its most fertile. On arrival in Tanjore, the afternoon opens into the city's remarkable bronze tradition, with a visit to a working foundry where the lost-wax casting method, unchanged for a thousand years, is still practiced today.
In the evening, you'll visit the Brihadeeswara Temple, built in 1010 AD without mortar and still standing, for its evening ceremonies.
Day 4 | September 26
Mahabalipuram to Tanjore | Drive Day
It's a drive through the Kaveri delta: rice paddies, roadside temples, and the Tamil Nadu countryside at its most fertile. On arrival in Tanjore, the afternoon opens into the city's remarkable bronze tradition, with a visit to a working foundry where the lost-wax casting method, unchanged for a thousand years, is still practiced today.
In the evening, you'll visit the Brihadeeswara Temple, built in 1010 AD without mortar and still standing, for its evening ceremonies.
Day 5 | September 27
Tanjore to Madurai via Chettinad | Drive Day
An early return to Brihadeeswara, then we head south, with a lunch stop in Chettinad, the homeland of one of India's most celebrated regional cuisines. The extraordinary merchant mansions, and community architecture tells the story of a community that once traded across Southeast Asia. You will arrive in Madurai by evening.
Day 5 | September 27
Tanjore to Madurai via Chettinad | Drive Day
An early return to Brihadeeswara, then we head south, with a lunch stop in Chettinad, the homeland of one of India's most celebrated regional cuisines. The extraordinary merchant mansions, and community architecture tells the story of a community that once traded across Southeast Asia. You will arrive in Madurai by evening.
Day 6 | September 28
Temple City | Madurai
The morning is for Meenakshi Amman Temple and the extraordinary painted gopurams rising above the city. From there, it's on to the Thirumalai Nayak Palace, the 17th-century court of the king who built much of Madurai as it stands today. In the evening, a street food walk winds through the night city.
Day 6 | September 28
Temple City | Madurai
The morning is for Meenakshi Amman Temple and the extraordinary painted gopurams rising above the city. From there, it's on to the Thirumalai Nayak Palace, the 17th-century court of the king who built much of Madurai as it stands today. In the evening, a street food walk winds through the night city.
Day 7 | September 29
Into the Western Ghats | Madurai to Periyar
The drive from Madurai into Periyar is one of the most scenic transitions of the trip, as the flat Tamil Nadu plains give way to foothills, the forest, and the cool green of the Western Ghats. On arrival, the evening is spent at a spice plantation, where cardamom, pepper, and cloves fill the air. The smells of Kerala arriving before the landscape fully does. Dinner is hosted right there at the plantation.
Day 7 | September 29
Into the Western Ghats | Madurai to Periyar
The drive from Madurai into Periyar is one of the most scenic transitions of the trip, as the flat Tamil Nadu plains give way to foothills, the forest, and the cool green of the Western Ghats. On arrival, the evening is spent at a spice plantation, where cardamom, pepper, and cloves fill the air. The smells of Kerala arriving before the landscape fully does. Dinner is hosted right there at the plantation.
Day 8 | September 30
Forest & Water | Periyar
A boat safari on Periyar Lake is one of the quietest ways to move through a reserve, with elephants at the water's edge, and deer at the forest margin. For those who want to go deeper into the forest, there's an optional guided nature walk in the morning. In the evening, a Kalaripayattu demonstration brings you Kerala's ancient martial art form, one of the oldest in the world.
Day 8 | September 30
Forest & Water | Periyar
A boat safari on Periyar Lake is one of the quietest ways to move through a reserve, with elephants at the water's edge, and deer at the forest margin. For those who want to go deeper into the forest, there's an optional guided nature walk in the morning. In the evening, a Kalaripayattu demonstration brings you Kerala's ancient martial art form, one of the oldest in the world.
Day 9 | October 1
Life at Water Level | Periyar to Alleppey
After breakfast, it's a drive down from the Ghats to the coast, arriving in Alleppey to board your private houseboat. From here, the pace becomes the pace of the water: narrow canals, palm-lined banks, and paddy fields at eye level. The crew cooks Kerala meals right on board as the boat drifts along. For those who feel the day hasn't given them quite enough, there's an optional village walk in the evening.
Day 9 | October 1
Life at Water Level | Periyar to Alleppey
After breakfast, it's a drive down from the Ghats to the coast, arriving in Alleppey to board your private houseboat. From here, the pace becomes the pace of the water: narrow canals, palm-lined banks, and paddy fields at eye level. The crew cooks Kerala meals right on board as the boat drifts along. For those who feel the day hasn't given them quite enough, there's an optional village walk in the evening.
Day 10 | October 2
Alleppey to Cochin | Fort Kochi
The morning is spent on the water before disembarking and driving to Cochin. Fort Kochi fills the afternoon, with a stop at St Francis Church, one of the oldest European churches in India, and the Chinese fishing nets silhouetted against the waterfront. In the evening, a Kathakali performance brings you the classical dance form of Kerala, where costumes and expressions become a language all their own.
Day 10 | October 2
Alleppey to Cochin | Fort Kochi
The morning is spent on the water before disembarking and driving to Cochin. Fort Kochi fills the afternoon, with a stop at St Francis Church, one of the oldest European churches in India, and the Chinese fishing nets silhouetted against the waterfront. In the evening, a Kathakali performance brings you the classical dance form of Kerala, where costumes and expressions become a language all their own.
Day 11 | October 3
Layers of History | Cochin
The Mattancherry Palace was built by the Portuguese, renovated by the Dutch, and its walls are covered in extraordinary Hindu murals. The Jewish Synagogue in Jew Town has a floor laid with hand-painted Chinese tiles, no two identical.
The afternoon is left unstructured, so you're free to browse the spice market, poke around antique shops, or simply wander around Fort Kochi without a schedule. For those who want one more hour on the water, there's a sunset cruise.
Day 11 | October 3
Layers of History | Cochin
The Mattancherry Palace was built by the Portuguese, renovated by the Dutch, and its walls are covered in extraordinary Hindu murals. The Jewish Synagogue in Jew Town has a floor laid with hand-painted Chinese tiles, no two identical.
The afternoon is left unstructured, so you're free to browse the spice market, poke around antique shops, or simply wander around Fort Kochi without a schedule. For those who want one more hour on the water, there's a sunset cruise.
Day 12 | October 4
Into the Nilgiris | Cochin to Ooty
It's a train from Cochin to Coimbatore, then a climb up into Ooty, the Queen of Hill Stations, sitting at 2,240 metres in the Nilgiri mountains. The temperature drops noticeably as you gain altitude, tea plantations start appearing on the hillsides, and the town itself is quiet, colonial, and unhurried. The evening is yours to spend as you like.
Day 12 | October 4
Into the Nilgiris | Cochin to Ooty
It's a train from Cochin to Coimbatore, then a climb up into Ooty, the Queen of Hill Stations, sitting at 2,240 metres in the Nilgiri mountains. The temperature drops noticeably as you gain altitude, tea plantations start appearing on the hillsides, and the town itself is quiet, colonial, and unhurried. The evening is yours to spend as you like.
Day 13 | October 5
Mountain Railway & Tea | Ooty
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is the centerpiece of today: a UNESCO World Heritage rack-and-pinion train built in 1899, climbing through tunnels, bridges, and pine forest at a pace that actually lets you see the mountains.
The afternoon is spent at a tea estate, with a tasting that will help you understand why Nilgiri tea has a brightness you won't find anywhere else.
Day 13 | October 5
Mountain Railway & Tea | Ooty
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is the centerpiece of today: a UNESCO World Heritage rack-and-pinion train built in 1899, climbing through tunnels, bridges, and pine forest at a pace that actually lets you see the mountains.
The afternoon is spent at a tea estate, with a tasting that will help you understand why Nilgiri tea has a brightness you won't find anywhere else.
Day 14 | October 6
Into the Forest | Ooty to Bandipur
The descent from the Nilgiris into Karnataka brings a real shift in landscape, from mountain to scrub to the dry deciduous forest that Bandipur is known for. As the light softens in the evening, a jeep safari heads out onto open tracks with the possibility of elephants, leopard, gaur, and maybe a tiger.
Day 14 | October 6
Into the Forest | Ooty to Bandipur
The descent from the Nilgiris into Karnataka brings a real shift in landscape, from mountain to scrub to the dry deciduous forest that Bandipur is known for. As the light softens in the evening, a jeep safari heads out onto open tracks with the possibility of elephants, leopard, gaur, and maybe a tiger.
Day 15 | October 7
Safari | Bandipur
The dawn safari heads out before breakfast. Back at the lodge for breakfast, the rest of the day is yours.
Day 15 | October 7
Safari | Bandipur
The dawn safari heads out before breakfast. Back at the lodge for breakfast, the rest of the day is yours.
Day 16 | October 8
Dasara Begins | Bandipur to Mysore
The drive to Mysore is short, but you arrive to find the city already transformed. First up is Chamundi Hill and the temple that sits above it, the deity after whom Mysore is named, and the spiritual heart of Dasara. In the evening, there's an orientation to the festival, followed by a walk through of a city that's ten days into celebrating itself.
Day 16 | October 8
Dasara Begins | Bandipur to Mysore
The drive to Mysore is short, but you arrive to find the city already transformed. First up is Chamundi Hill and the temple that sits above it, the deity after whom Mysore is named, and the spiritual heart of Dasara. In the evening, there's an orientation to the festival, followed by a walk through of a city that's ten days into celebrating itself.
Day 17 | October 9
Dasara | Mysore
Mysore Palace, the Durbar Hall breathtaking and the scale of it surprising. In the afternoon, the Devaraja Market brings jasmine, spices, silk, and the daily commerce of a city that's been doing this for centuries.
Day 17 | October 9
Dasara | Mysore
Mysore Palace, the Durbar Hall breathtaking and the scale of it surprising. In the afternoon, the Devaraja Market brings jasmine, spices, silk, and the daily commerce of a city that's been doing this for centuries.
Day 18 | October 10
Mysore to Bangalore
Mysore gives way to the drive to Bangalore, with a stop at Srirangapatna along the way, the island fortress that was Tipu Sultan's capital and the site of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799. You'll arrive in Bangalore in time for a farewell dinner.
Day 18 | October 10
Mysore to Bangalore
Mysore gives way to the drive to Bangalore, with a stop at Srirangapatna along the way, the island fortress that was Tipu Sultan's capital and the site of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799. You'll arrive in Bangalore in time for a farewell dinner.
Day 19 | October 11
Departure | Bangalore
Transfer to Kempegowda International Airport; there are no activities scheduled today.
Day 19 | October 11
Departure | Bangalore
Transfer to Kempegowda International Airport; there are no activities scheduled today.