In depth Tamil Nadu
Bespoke Holiday Itinerary / Experience Tour

In this two-week privately guided holiday you’ll experience the southern state of Tamil Nadu only with its deep-rooted religious beliefs, incredible temple sites, remote plantations and the coastal regions of Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram.

You’ll move every couple of nights and travel by train, plane and your own private car; so this trip is designed for the more active traveller who likes to keep the trip varied, but balanced. Three days at the end of the trip give you some down time on the beach. 

Highlights include:

• Hunting for antiques with your guide in Chettinad, where you feel like you’ve stepped back in time
• Reading a book on the terrace of your home-away-from-home hotel in Rajakkad
• Watching the evening puja ceremony with pilgrims at Sri Meenakshi temple
• Walking around the white town area of Pondicherry with your local guide 

As with all of our suggested itineraries, we can tailor-make your holiday to suit your budget, style and expectations. Find out about our exclusive ‘Journey Planner’ here.  

Your personalised quotation with Experience Travel Group will include:

• International Flights (which can be omitted from your quotation if you prefer)
• Accommodation as described
• Privately guided tours and transfers
• Original Experience Travel Group "Signature" experiences
• Full financial protection (full ABTA and ATOL bonding)
• Meals as described
• 24 hour in-country backup whilst away
• Your own dedicated travel expert in the UK

For more on our pricing policy read here

DAY 1 DEPART THE UK

Depart the UK for your flights to Chennai.

DAYS 2 & 3 Pondicherry Discover the Former french territory

On arrival at Chennai airport your English speaking driver will pick you up; he will be spending the next 14 days with you. He will transport you to the beautiful former French territory of Pondicherry and the rest of this first day will be at leisure.

A full day will be spent touring the ‘white town,’ the French area of Pondicherry, by foot. Highlights will include the Place de La Republique, the museum and the Tamil Quarter.

DAY 4 & 5 Kumbakonam Explore the town and nearby Tanjore

This morning you will take the short transfer to Pondicherry train station where you will board the Kanyakumari express for the 4 hour train journey to Kumbakonam, one of the oldest towns in Tamil Nadu. Here you’ll be staying in a central location, convenient for exploring the 7th century capital of the Chola dynasty and situated by the two rivers of Cauvery and Arasalar.

Early the next day, you’ll take a morning sightseeing tour of Tanjore with a private local guide.  This is a fascinating city with its spectacular central temple, Brihadeeswara.

DAY 6 & 7 Chettinad Unique cuisine and artsitc heritage

Today, journey through rural countryside and villages towards Chettinad, a small town with an impressive artistic heritage. Your central small hotel has a homestay feel and is a great base from which to explore.

The next day you’ll have a full day guided tour of this prosperous community, during which you can experience the culture and cuisine of a relatively unchanged region. It’s hard not to be impressed by the beautiful mansion houses with lovely courtyards. Chettinad is a great town in which to go antique shopping too!  

DAY 8 & 9 Rajakkad Relax at a lovely plantation

This morning you’ll drive through the hidden hills of Tamil Nadu to a lovely estate in a lush forest and coffee plantation. Here you can take some time out to relax, go for walks, eat lovely home-cooked food from the locally grown ingredients and while away a few hours reading a book.

Day 10 & 11 Madauri City exploration

A relatively short drive today will bring you to the third largest city in Tamil Nadu: Madauri. It's a city famous for upholding Tamil traditions and is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure.

The next day you’ll have a private guided tour of the city, taking in the key sites such as the Meenakshi Amman Temple and the 17^th century Thirumalai Nayak Palace. In the evening you have a chance to experience the famous puja at the Sri Meenakshi temple, joining hundreds of pilgrims as an image of the god Shiva is carried from his shrine by temple priests and taken in a chariot procession to the shrine of his wife.

DAY 12–15 Mahabalipuram Relax on the coast

In the late morning you will take a short flight back to Chennai and transfer south for about 2 hours to Mahabalipuram. Now is your time to relax on the coast for the next 3 days, but the region still has a lot to offer thanks to the local UNESCO world heritage sites of beautiful stone carvings.

You may like to extend the trip or, if you are short of time, miss out the beach.  All of our tours are tailor-made, which means it’s easy to change them to suit your requirements. Please do call one of our India specialists on 0207 924 7133.