The Best Of South India, French-speaking Guide, Private Tour

Welcome to Chennai. On arrival, you’ll be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Visit Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, home to an ancient civilization and a rich heritage in arts, sculpture, and architecture. See the National Art Gallery, Kapaleshwara Temple, and the Cathedral of St. Thomas.
Overnight in Chennai. 

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Kanchipuram, the “City of Gold,” former capital of the Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries. The city is sacred, having welcomed Buddhism and Jainism even before the Christian era, and later became a center for the revival of Hinduism in South India.
Explore the art of silk weaving with a visit to a factory, and visit Ekambareshvara Temple with its mandapam (hall of a thousand pillars) and Vaikuntha Perumal Temple, built in the 8th century and dedicated to Vishnu.
Continue to Mahabalipuram, a seaside town on the Coromandel Coast famous for its white sandy beaches, clear waters, and the iconic “Seven Pagodas.” The rest of the day is free to relax by the sea.
Overnight in Mahabalipuram.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Visit Mahabalipuram, a hub from the 6th to 9th centuries for Hindu and Buddhist traders, architects, sculptors, and scholars traveling to Southeast Asia. Discover the extraordinary 17m-long bas-relief, sculpted in the early 7th century, depicting ascetics, deities, Gandharvas, Apsaras, elephants, lions, and birds—believed to represent the “Descent of the Ganges” or the “Penance of Arjuna.”
See the “Ratha,” monolithic temples carved in the 7th century, and the Shore Temple, dedicated to both Shiva and Vishnu. Enjoy the bas-relief in the morning light before traveling to Pondicherry.
In Pondicherry, visit the Sri Aurobindo Museum and Ashram, including the Samadhi (cenotaph), shaded by a blooming frangipani tree. Take a rickshaw ride through the French quarters, including Alliance Française, the Post Office, and the old bookstore.
Overnight in Pondicherry.

Early departure for Chidambaram (approx. 2 hours), halfway between Pondicherry and Tanjore. Visit the 22-hectare temple complex dedicated to Shiva Nataraja, the King of Dance, known for its sacred pool, four grand gopurams, and exemplary Chola art.
Continue to Swamimalai with a stop at Gangakondacholapuram to see the majestic Chola-era stone temple reminiscent of Tanjore.
Overnight in Swamimalai.

Breakfast at the hotel. In Tanjore, the former Chola capital (10th–12th century) and still a center for music and dance, visit the Brihadishwara Temple dedicated to Shiva. This granite sanctuary rises 70 meters and is topped by an 80-ton monolithic dome. Explore the art gallery in the 16th-century Nayak Palace, showcasing around 100 bronze statues of Shiva, Parvati, and Vishnu.
Drive to Trichy to visit the Sri Ranganathasvami Vishnavite sanctuary, a sacred city surrounded by seven enclosures with 21 monumental gopurams. Non-Hindus may not enter the inner sanctum, where Vishnu is venerated lying on the primordial serpent.
Overnight in Swamimalai.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Madurai and check in at the hotel.
Discover Madurai, a bustling city centered around the Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple, rebuilt in the 17th century by King Tirumalai Nayak. Visit the Tirumalai Nayak Palace (founded 1636) and the Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple.
In the evening, take a Tuk-Tuk to the temple to witness the Goddess Sunset Ceremony.
Overnight in Madurai.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Periyar National Park, located in the Western Ghats, South India’s most famous nature reserve. Check in at the hotel.
Take a boat trip on Lake Periyar, a 26 km² artificial lake created by the British in 1895. The park is home to bison, antelope, sambars, wild boars, monkeys, semnopithecines, numerous bird species, and approximately 750 elephants.
In the evening, enjoy a Kathakali performance, a traditional costumed dance-drama based on Indian epics.
Overnight in Periyar.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive through tea, rubber, and spice plantations (pepper, nutmeg, cardamom) to Kottayam and then Kumerakom.
Check in at the hotel. Free time to relax or experience an Ayurvedic massage (not included), a traditional therapy aimed at restoring balance through essential oils and plant-based treatments.
Overnight in Kumarakom.

Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to board your Houseboat late in the morning. Enjoy lunch on board and cruise the Kerala Backwaters through villages and rice fields. Navigate shallow lakes lined with palms and Chinese fishing nets, observing locals loading coir, copra, and cashew nuts onto barges. Dinner and overnight on the Houseboat.
Overnight on the Houseboat.

Breakfast on board the Houseboat. Disembark at Alleppey port at 9:00 am and drive to Cochin. Explore the city, a former Portuguese and Dutch trading post, known for its bay and iconic Chinese fishing nets. Wander winding alleys lined with 500-year-old Portuguese houses.
Visit the Dutch Palace (closed Fridays) to see murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and legends of Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Kumara, and Durga. See the Church of St. Francis, India’s oldest European church, and the Synagogue (closed Fridays and Saturdays), founded in 1568, partly destroyed during the Portuguese assault of 1662 and later restored by the Dutch.
In the evening, enjoy a demonstration of Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art of Kerala dating back to the 12th century.
Overnight in Cochin.

Breakfast at the hotel. At the agreed time transfer to Cochin Airport for your onward flight.