13 days
from 3.750 euro
Southern India is very different from the north: first of all, it is greener and much less desert-like; then there are the enormous Hindu shrines, visited every day by thousands of pilgrims. The trip we offer combines the cultural treasures of Tamil Nadu with the breathtaking beauty of Kerala's landscapes. Karnataka is rich in monuments of great interest but off the beaten track of mass tourism. The hotel accommodations are not comparable to those in northern India, which is much more touristy.
Plus Ecoluxury:
Arrival in Madras. Border formalities. Transfer to hotel and overnight stay. Breakfast. Free morning to relax. Lunch, then visit to Madras: this large metropolis, located on the Coromandel coast, retains a pleasant atmosphere despite its size. The area was ruled by the Portuguese and French before coming under the control of the East India Company in 1639; the apostle St Thomas was martyred on a hill near the city. We will visit: St. Mary's Church in Fort St. George (closed on Fridays), Kapaleshwar Temple, and the Bronze Gallery in the museum. Dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast.
Transfer to Mahabalipuram, ancient port of the Pallava kingdom, which flourished from the 7th to the 10th century and is rich in medieval monuments. Visit: the gigantic bas-relief measuring 27 x 9 metres, representing the descent of the Ganges to Earth, the rock-cut temples called ‘mandapa’ with beautiful sculptures, the monolithic ‘rath’ temples, the temple of Shiva called the Temple on the Beach. Lunch in a restaurant. Departure for Pondicherry, a French colony until 1954.
Check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Breakfast.
Departure for the south, arrival in Gangaikondacholapuram, an exceptional temple dating back to 1044 in a fortified enclosure, with a 55-metre-high tower (vimana) and remarkable statuary decoration. Visit, then continuation for lunch.
Visit to the Shiva shrine in Darasuram, dating back to 1146, called Airavateshwara, named after the elephant ridden by Indra, king of the gods. Beautiful sculptural decoration, especially the various black basalt statues. After another short journey, we arrive in Tanjore, a large city on the Cauvery River delta and the ancient capital of the Chola kingdom. Check-in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Breakfast.
Visit to the Brihadishwara temple, dating back to the year 1000, the most beautiful in South India, dedicated to the god Shiva, with an immense monolithic bull at the entrance. The Vimana, 60.5 meters high, is surmounted by a monolithic carved boulder weighing 50 tons. Continue to Nayaka Palace, where you will visit the Bronze Gallery, masterpieces of Chola art, cast between the 10th and 14th centuries using the lost wax technique.
Of particular note are the figures representing Shiva Nataraj (Lord of Dance) and the couple Shiva-Parvati. Lunch.
Departure for Sri Rangam, an island on the Cauvery River, where we visit a gigantic temple (the largest in India), built between the 10th and 17th centuries, with seven very high concentric walls and tall “gopuram” gates. Here, visitors are allowed to enter up to the 4th enclosure. We then proceed south to the Chettinad region, where there are large palaces built by merchants who made their fortune in Southeast Asia. Dinner and overnight stay.
Breakfast. Departure for Madurai.
Upon arrival, check into the hotel. Lunch. Visit the famous Meenakshi Sundareshwara double sanctuary, surrounded by a high wall and with many entrance towers (“Gopuram”) covered with multicolored sculptures. The sanctuary is one of the most famous in South India and offers interesting scenes of worship. It receives more than 10,000 pilgrims a day and has gigantic galleries and corridors filled with sculptures. Opposite the main entrance is a huge 17th-century portico called Tirumala Choultry. Dinner at the hotel and return to the sanctuary to watch the noisy ceremony in which the statue of the god Sundareshwar (Shiva) is carried to the altar of his wife Meenakshi to spend the night with her.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Renovation work is currently underway at the Thirumalai Nayak Palace and Meenakshi Temple in Madurai. The Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple is currently preparing for its Kumbabishekam, scheduled for April 2026. Both will be open to visitors but not completely.
Breakfast.
In the morning, visit the grand royal palace of Tirumala Nayak (reigned 1623-1655), with its 12-meter-high columns, and stroll through the bustling bazaar around the Meenakshi temple. Lunch at the hotel.
After lunch, we will depart, following the Vaigai and Kambam river valleys to the Cardamom Hills, which divide the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and reach a height of about 1000 meters here. Check-in at the hotel.
In the afternoon, you will meet a local family who will take you through their private spice plantation, explaining how they are grown, their various uses, and their market value. You will be able to admire and practice local cooking techniques; the evening culminates in a traditional dinner shared with the members of the host family. At the end of the day, return to the hotel and overnight stay.
Breakfast.
Descent through plantations, first tea, then spices, then rubber trees, finally coconut palm forests, to the shores of Lake Venbanad, which is part of the network of canals, lagoons, and lakes called the “Waterways of Kerala,” parallel to the Malabar coast. Check-in at the hotel. Lunch.
Free afternoon for relaxation and the option of Ayurvedic massages (to be paid for and booked on site). Dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast. Around 10:30 a.m., transfer to Aleppey.
Boarding a “rice boat” to navigate the canals and lagoons that form the “Kerala Backwaters.” Observe the life of the farmers, the rice fields, and the work in the fields. Continue sailing along the backwaters. Simple lunch on board. Disembark at Aleppey and transfer to Cochin (Kochi). Hotel accommodation and dinner.
Kochi is the main port on the Malabar coast: Vasco da Gama was buried here before his body was transferred to Portugal. It was occupied by the Portuguese and then by the Dutch, and finally came under British rule. It has an island part: Vypeen, Willingdon, Bolgatty; a peninsular part: Fort Cochin; and a mainland district: Ernakulam.
Breakfast.
In the morning, visit Mattancherry Palace (1557), built by the Portuguese for the Raja of Cochin. Today it is a museum with beautiful 16th-century murals in the royal bedroom, the “staircase hall,” and the women's bedrooms (closed on Fridays). Lunch.
We then go to the White Jews Synagogue, built in 1568, with a beautiful Chinese tile floor (closed on Saturdays). The tour continues with the Jewish quarter of antique dealers and junk shops, the church of St. Francis, and the “Chinese nets” at the entrance to the port. In the afternoon, we attend a performance of “Kathakali,” the traditional dance-pantomime of Kerala. Dinner at the hotel and overnight stay.
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and flight to Bangalore.
Arrival and transfer to Mysore. Check-in at the hotel and lunch. Afternoon orientation tour of Mysore, including the Devaraja market and the monumental Royal Palace. If time permits, we will climb Chamundi Hill to visit the 12th-century temple. Halfway up the hill, stop to see a huge statue of the bull Nandi, the mount of the god Shiva, carved in black granite in 1659 and measuring 5 meters.
Dinner and overnight stay.
Breakfast.
Morning stop in Srirangapatna to visit the Summer Palace of the Muslim leader Tipu Sultan, with its outer walls painted with murals depicting his victory over the British at Pollilore.
Afterwards, continue to Hassan. Check into hotel. Lunch. Afternoon trip to Belur and Halebid to visit the wonderful temples built by the Hoysala kings in the Middle Ages. The Channakeshava of Belur, dating back to 1116, is dedicated to Krishna and stands on a star-shaped base with exquisite ornamental carvings. The Hoysaleswara of Halebid dates back to 1121 but was never completed. It has two altars dedicated to Shiva and religious statues executed with incredible detail. Return to Hassan and dinner.
Breakfast. Early morning departure for Bangalore.
After about an hour, stop at Shravanabelagola, where we will only go if it is not too hot, as there are 620 steps to climb barefoot. At the top of Indragiri Hill is a huge 19-meter-high monolithic statue representing Gomata Raya, carved in 983 AD.
At the end of the visit, continue to Bangalore. Arrival and check-in at the hotel. Lunch. In the afternoon, orientation tour of the city of Bangalore. Dinner and overnight stay.
Transfer to the airport for departure. End of our services.
- Domestic flight Cochin - Bangalore in economy class (15kg checked baggage)
- Accommodation in the hotels indicated or similar
- Full board
- New Year's Eve dinner at the hotel for departures on December 28
- Transfers and sightseeing tours in a private vehicle
- Assistance of a local tour guide until the 10th day
- English-speaking local guides from the 11th day, for the extension in Karnataka
- Local cooking demonstration
- Rice boat cruise through the Backwaters
- Kathakali show in Cochin
- Sightseeing tours as per itinerary
- Entrance fees to sites
- Flights to and from the destination
- Cost of Indian visa
- Drinks, personal expenses, tips
- Supplement for Italian-speaking guide for the extension in Karnataka (from the 11th day on request)
- Anything not expressly mentioned in “The price includes”
Group trip minimum 4 participants until the 10th day, extension in Karnataka from the 11th day minimum 2 participants
Currency parity Euro 1.00 = INR 89
Madras – Taj Club House 5*
Pondicherry – Hotel Accord 4*
Tanjore – Hotel Great Trails 3* among the best available
Chettinad – Chidambaram Vilas 4* heritage
Madurai – Heritage Madurai 4*
Thekkady – Spice Village 4* eco resort
Kumarakom – Coconut Lagoon 4* eco resort
Cochin – Hotel CGH Eighth Bastion 4*
Mysore – Hotel Country Inn & Suites 4*
Hoysala – Hotel Hoysala Village Resort 4*
Bangalore – Hotel Taj MG road 5*
- A tip fund of €70 per passenger will be collected by the Indian tour leader upon arrival in Madras. Tips are not included for the extension in Karnataka, and we suggest allowing approximately €8-10 per person per day for the guide.
- According to new Indian regulations, only one piece of luggage weighing a maximum of 15 kg may be checked in, and only one piece of hand luggage weighing a maximum of 7 kg may be carried.
- Meals are buffet style (served in the buffet restaurant/coffee shop restaurant) and set menu in restaurants during excursions.
- In most hotels, Christmas and New Year's Eve dinners are always included because they are mandatory, due to specific hotel policy. However, please note that it is not at all like what we are used to in Italy, but rather a slightly more abundant dinner. There is no particular dress code.
- Triple rooms are actually double rooms with an extra bed/sofa bed added. Not recommended for adults. Obviously, the extra bed or sofa bed will reduce the living space in the room.
- For operational reasons, adverse weather conditions, or force majeure, the order of visits to the various cities may be subject to change. We apologize for any inconvenience not attributable to our organization.
