Tamil Nadu Discovery

Discover the best of Tamil Nadu on a 9 night cultural journey through one of India's most colourful regions.

Fly to Chennai and transfer for 2 nights by the sea front shore temple at Mahabalipuram.

Discover the French influence in Pondicherry and make a fascinating visit to the experimental city of Auroville.

Visit the important art and religious centre of Tanjore and take an excursion to Trichy, visiting the Rock Fort and the Ganesh Temple.

Experience a taste of Tamil Nadu cuisine in Chettinad before heading to Madurai to explore the Sri Meenakshi Temple.

Finish your Tamil Nadu discovery in Chennai with it's colonial heritage.

As with all of our holidays to India, this one can be ammended to suit you as you wish - so just let us know your preferences.

Day 1: Fly UK to Chennai

Overnight flight from UK to Chennai.

Day 2: Mahabalipuram  

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your chosen hotel in Mahabalipuram.

Enjoy the rest of the day free to relax.

Overnight: Mahabalipuram
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 3: Mahabalipuram

Enjoy a morning tour of Mahabalipuram including the Shore Temple, Arjuna's Penance, and Artisans Village etc.

In the afternoon depart to Kancheepuram, the 'City of Thousand Temples' , which is also famous for hand-woven silk fabrics.

Return to your hotel in the evening.

Overnight: Mahabalipuram
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 4: Pondicherry

After breakfast, drive to Pondicherry,  a charming coastal town with a few enduring pockets of French culture and an ashram.

Check in to your hotel and in the afternoon, explore nearby Auroville, Pondicherry Museum and the Botanical Gardens. The evening is free.

Overnight: Pondicherry
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 5: Swamimalai

Depart for Swamimalai and visit Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram en-route.

On arrival, check into the resort and in the afternoon enjoy a tour of Tanjore.

Visit the most spectacular Brihadeeswara Temple, Saraswathi Mahal Library and Art Gallery with a large collection of Chola bronzes - a unique example of Hindu architecture.

Overnight: Swamimalai
Meals: Breakfast included

Is this a Private Tour or a Group Tour?

All of our tours are private tailor made itineraries, customised for you - we can amend things to entirely suit you.

You will have your own private car, driver and guide on excursions and for transfers around India.

Vehicles are modern and air-conditioned and bottled water is provided.

What are the departure dates?

Let us know your preferred dates of travel and we will find the best and most suitable flights to fit your itinerary.

As this is a private tour, there are no set departure dates.

Which Airlines do you use?

We work with all the major airlines flying to India.

Typically for India, British Airways, Virgin, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India and Jet Airways are the airlines we most often use.

However, just let us know your preferred airline if you have one. We can organise flights from any regional destination in the UK.

There are currently direct flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa and Ahmedabad.

Which Hotels do you use?

We're careful with our choice of hotels in India, but we're guided by our customers also. If you have some preferred hotels, just let us know.

We specialise in boutique hotels and so we will often suggest some of our favourite smaller hotels where we think these will be suitable.

We keep on top of hotel developments in India through our own inspection trips and also through the expertise of our local partners. We also keep tabs on feedback online and from our customers.

India has a really great choice of heritage hotels in Rajasthan in particular - usually former royal palaces or lodges converted into boutique hotels - often very luxurious, usually very atmospheric.

There are also many great boutique hotel options in destinations such as Tamil Nadu which we try to utilise. The bigger cities have some outstanding luxury hotels and an increasing number of smaller, more interesting options too.