South Splendour

Start point atA - Cial (COK),Kochi, KL

End point at2 - Cial (COK),Kochi, KL

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Day : 1 - Fort Kochi & SeaCruise

Night stay at C2 - Fort Kochi Beach, Kochi
Distance from days start -34 Kms.

Hotel - The Tower House by Neemrana

Star Rating of Hotel :

Halt C2 - Fort Kochi Beach, Kochi
Distance from days start -34 Kms.

Activities - Heritage tour of Fort Kochi and Mattachery

Factors at the Halt include : Beach,Cultural / History.

On Day 1 of the trip, we pick you up from the CIAL (Cochin International Airport) and head towards the city of Kochi which is about 30 Km south of the Airport. We shall begin by checking into our hotel in Fort Kochi. A charming seaside area, Fort Kochi is known for its Dutch, Portuguese, and British colonial architecture, and the Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi Beach. St. Francis Church was the original burial site of explorer Vasco da Gama. Upscale eateries and chic cafes serve European as well as Kerala specialties. Heritage buildings in Tort Kochi today house contemporary art galleries and museums turned restaurants. We have included a pit stop for lunch at the famous Kashi Art Cafe. The streets and promenades around the restaurant are worth exploring a bit with the spice and souvenir shops. We shall also visit the Mattancherry bazaar street and the Jew street, all of them still retain the look and feel of the bazaar from the original spice trade days centuries ago. Towards the latter half of the afternoon, we shall cross over from Fort Kochi to Vypin islands by a RoRo ferry and head to the mainland of Ernakulam city Marine drive Boat jetty, to catch up for an exciting 2-hour cruise to go deep into the Arabian sea. The cruise for sure will be a memorable experience for most in this trip especially for travelers who have had no previous experience of cruising in the sea. We shall be cruising up to 15 km deep into the Arabian sea from the Kochi coast.

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Chinese Fishing nets in Fort Kochi Beach
Fort Kochi streets
Bazaar road in Mattancherry
The quaint streets of Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi and around
Shopping in Jew street
The colorful buildings of Mattancherry
The boat for Sea cruise
Sea Cruise
Interiors of the sea cruise vessel
Interiors of the sea cruise vessel
Interiors of the sea cruise vessel

Day : 2 - Kochi city & theIslands

Halt D1 - Kadamakkudy, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -10 Kms.

Activities - Ernakulam Island tours, Ernakulam City tours, Seafood food thali Lunch from Periyar Riverside restaurant, Visit St George Cathedral

Factors at the Halt include : Iconic Food Outlets.

Night stay at E2 - Panampilly Nagar, Kochi, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -6 Kms.

Hotel - Hotel Arameca Luxury Boutique Hotel

Star Rating of Hotel :

On Day 2 of the trip, we shall explore the Mainland and the commercial area of Kochi, which is called Ernakulam city, and the surrounding islands that make up the city of the Kochi. Ernakulam city is just about 14 km north of Fort Kochi beach and the city is as commercial and packed as most big cities in India. Other than the city tour of Ernakulam what will make it more interesting would be the islands tour and a seafood lunch from a very famous Eatery in the city. After exploring the Ernakulam city in the first half of the day we shall visit the St George Cathedral which is regarded as one of the biggest cathedrals in Asia. After that, we can have the included Seafood Thali from Periyar Riverside seafood restaurant. Then we can go on a drive through the Coastal Road on the periphery of the city which is otherwise called the Container Road a very attractive and scenic road by itself. From there towards the later half of the day, we shall head on to visit the island of Kadammakudy, Mulavukadu, Vallarpadam, and Bolghatty islands. Among the islands, Kadammakudy is quite unique with a fairy tale feel with its narrow roads, cute bridges, and winding waterways across the island. In the evening we can visit the lovely Valappu beach in the Vypin islands and then head back to Fort Kochi by taking a ferry across from the Vypin island.

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Ernakulam City Views
Ernakulam City Views
View of Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary
View of Islands
The Scenic Container Road
Kadammakudi Islands
Kadammakudi Islands
Ernakulam City Views
Ernakulam City Views
Ernakulam City Views
Ernakulam City Views
St George Church
Kadammakudi Islands
Views from Container Road
Views from Container Road
Islands of Kochi
Vypin Island
Valappu beach
Valappu Beach Views

Day : 3 - Waterfalls and Rainforests

Halt F1 - Athirappilly Water Falls, Pariyaram, Kerala
Distance from days start -46 Kms.

Activities - Visit Athirapally waterfalls

Factors at the Halt include :

Night stay at G2 - Valparai, Tamil Nadu, India
Distance from days start -82 Kms.

Hotel - Wild Woods Resorts

Star Rating of Hotel :

On day 2, we shall pick you up from your hotel and go on a beautiful drive to Athirapally water falls through the highlands of Kerala. We shall spend some time by the waterfalls and have lunch from a restaurant that overlooks the spectacular waterfalls. After lunch we head towards Valparai, through the thick Rain forests of Kerala. The drive is through thick forest region and we can expect to come across some wildlife en route to Valparai. Once in Valparai we shall check into a container home overlooking beautiful hills of the region. We can also enjoy a Barbeque and campfire in the resort in the evening.

Day : 4 - Temple Circuit

Halt H1 - Palani, Tamil Nadu, India
Distance from days start -125 Kms.

Activities - Visit Palani Murugan Temple, Ropeway / Winch Train ride to Murugan Temple

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual.

Halt I2 - Main Entrance For Srirangam Temple, Ammamandapam Road, Sriramapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Distance from days start -397 Kms.

Activities - Visit Srirangam temple, Trichy

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual.

Halt J3 - Rockfort Hill, Trichy, Tamil Nadu
Distance from days start -397 Kms.

Activities - Visit Rock Fort Temple, Trichy

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual,Treks.

Night stay at K4 - Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India
Distance from days start -396 Kms.

Hotel - Grande Inn

Star Rating of Hotel :

From Valparai we head down onto the plains of Tamil Nadu, where we shall go on an intense temple and historical circuit. We begin with visiting the Murugan temple in Palani, where there is an interesting train that rides on a winch to the top of the hill to reach the temple. From Palani we head to Trichy, a famous city in Tamil Nadu, where we shall visit the famous ShreeRangam temple and the Rock fort temple. After that we shall check into a hotel in Trichy city for a much required rest for the night.

Day : 5 - Chettinad tour

Halt L1 - Brihadeeswara Temple, Membalam Road, Balaganapathy Nagar, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India
Distance from days start -46 Kms.

Activities - Visit Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual.

Halt M2 - Kanadukathan, Tamil Nadu, India
Distance from days start -68 Kms.

Activities - Chettinad Palaces and Village Tour

Factors at the Halt include : Cultural / History.

Night stay at N3 - karaikudi, Tamil Nadu
Distance from days start -79 Kms.

Hotel - Thappa Garden Resort

Star Rating of Hotel :

On day 4, we head to Thanjavur and visit the famous Brihadeshwara temple. We have enough time in the first half of the day to explore the temple and around. After that we shall have lunch from Thanjavur and we shall head to the Chettinad region and stop over at the KanaduKathan village. At Kanadukathan we will do a circuit tour of the ancient palaces and mansions of the Chettinad region. The full splendor of the Chettinad mansions can be enjoyed by the travelers as we drive through the neatly laid out grid lanes of the KanaduKathan village. The entire afternoon can be spend exploring the Chettinad mansions before we head to Karaikudi town to spend the night in a resort there.

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Brihadeshwara temple, Thanjavur
Chettinad Mansions
Streets of Chettinad
Palaces of Chettinad
The Mansions

Day : 6 - Dhanushkodi and around

Halt O1 - Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu
Distance from days start -125 Kms.

Activities - Visit Dhanushkodi Beach, Rama Sethu, Pamban Bridge

Factors at the Halt include : Great Views.

Night stay at P2 - Rameshwaram, Tamilnadu
Distance from days start -105 Kms.

Hotel - Jiwan Residency

Star Rating of Hotel :

Halt P2 - Rameshwaram, Tamilnadu
Distance from days start -105 Kms.

Activities - Visit Rameshwaram temple

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual.

On day 5 we drive from Karaikudi to Rameshwaram, which is just a 2 hour drive. In Rameshwaram, we shall visit the Ramanathapuram temple and go on a thrilling drive through the sea to the Dhanushkodi island and see the Ramasethu strait there. In Dhanushkodi we can also explore the remains of the old town which had been washed away by the Tsunami. There are lots of activities and sight seeing to be done around Rameshwaram, for which we have the full day there. We will spend the night in Rameshwaram in a hotel that overlooks the beautiful Bay Of Bengal sea.

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Ramanathaswamy temple, Rameshwaram
The Pamban bridge, Rameshwaram
The ruins of Dhanushkodi village
The road through the sea to Dhanushkodi
Dhanushkodi End point
The Rama Sethu

Day : 7 - Madurais splendour

Halt Q1 - Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
Distance from days start -149 Kms.

Activities - Visit Madurai Meenakshi Temple

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual,Cultural / History.

Night stay at R2 - Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Distance from days start -149 Kms.

Hotel - Hotel President

Star Rating of Hotel :

On day 6 we head to Madurai city to visit the famous Madurai Meenakshi temple. Since we have enough time in Madurai we can relax and spend the whole after noon around the temple premises and spend the night in this wonderful and Vibrant city.

Day : 8 - Back to hills and Kerala

Night stay at S1 - Chinnakanal, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -105 Kms.

Hotel - Ayurcounty

Star Rating of Hotel :

Halt S1 - Chinnakanal, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -105 Kms.

Activities - Visit Munnar

Factors at the Halt include : Forests,Hills.

And on day 7 we head back to Kerala from Madurai. We shall head to Munnar through the Western ghats crossing through Theni and Bodimettu. The scenery as we ascend to Munnar is spectacular and the weather dips to a pleasant single digit or so towards the evening. We have enough time to explore around Munnar, before we retire for the night in a beautiful resort with some amazing views of the hills around.

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Munnar
Tea plantations in Munnar
Echopoint Munnar
Boating in Mattupetty lake

Day : 9 - A day in Munnar

Halt T1 - Top Station Munnar, Chittavurai Junction to Top Station Road, Top Station, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -27 Kms.

Activities - Views of Topstation

Factors at the Halt include : Great Views.

Halt U2 - Eravikulam National Park, Kannan Devan Hills, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -31 Kms.

Activities - Visit Eravikulam national park

Factors at the Halt include : Wildlife.

Halt V3 - Mattupetty Dam, Munnar - Top Station Highway, Mattupetty, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -17 Kms.

Activities - Boating in Mattupetty lake, Elephant safari

Factors at the Halt include : Small Boats / Canoes.

Halt X4 - Chinnakanal, Kerala, India
Distance from days start -0 Kms.

Activities - Offroad drive and trek to Kolukkumalai View Point

Factors at the Halt include : Hills,Treks,Great Views.

On Day 9 we have an exciting day around the Kannan Devan Hills of Munnar. Munnar is a hill station in Kerala that is situated at a height of 1600 meters above Sea Level and ranging up to 2695 meters above sea level in the Anamudi peak region. The hills of Munnar are the tallest it gets in the mountain ranges south of the Himalayas. Munnar experiences pleasant weather due to its high altitude across the year and in the winter the temperatures even plummeting to subzero temperatures. Our day in Munnar is packed with as much as we can cover in 1 day. We can begin with going on a drive to the Top station region along the way passing through the Lake district of Munnar. In the Mattupetty dam region, we can do boating and a short elephant ride too. After that, we can drive further up the road along which we shall come across more waterbodies that the region is famous for and can continue the scenic drive up to the top station where the regular road ends. From the top station, we can return and visit the Eravikulam national park and the Rajamalai region where we can view the endangered Nilgiri Tahr a species that is a mix of Deer and that of a mountain goat. By afternoon we can proceed to Suryanelli from where we can hire a 4 wheel jeep for an exciting offroad drive to reach the Kolukkumalai. Kolukkumalai viewpoint is situated at a height of 2200 meters above sea level and the sceneries are nothing short of spectacular. A narrow 3 - 4 meter wide path separates the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on both sides of the hills and the walk through the path with just astounding scenery on both sides will definitely be one of the most memorable parts of this trip for you. After finishing the Kolukkumalai trip we can return to our hotel where you can relax for the evening in the misty surroundings.

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Mattupetty lake
Elephant Safari
Kundala Lake
Boating in Mattupetty lake
Views of Eravikulam National Park
Views of Eravikulam National Park
Nilgiri Tahr at Eravikulam National Park
Offroad jeep drive to Kolukkumalai
Views en route to Kolukkumalai view point
Kolukkumalai View Point
Kolukkumalai View Point
En route to Top Station Munnar
Munnar Sceneries
Munnar Sceneries

Day : 10 - Munnar to Kochi

And the last leg being a fabulous drive from Munnar to the Cochin International Airport through the thick green plantation belt of Kerala. It is a pleasant 3-4 hour drive through the tea plantations and forests and en route we also get to view some lovely waterfalls too.. We shall drop you off to the airport for you to catch your return flight to your homes, taking with you the wonderful memories of such a memorable trip of the splendors of South India.