South India Odyssey -- 1111 £

Day 01- Chennai (Madras)
Arrive Chennai at 0900 hrs by Sri Lankan airlines (Flight self-arranged). Meeting, assistance on arrival and transferred to your hotel. Stay at Hotel Marina Tower for 1 night (Standard Grade Modern Hotel; Standard room). After a relaxed morning enjoy an afternoon city tour visiting Fort St. George, built by the East India Company in 1653 and St Mary's Church, the first English church in India.
Day 02 - Pondicherry
Drive to Pondicherry (3 hrs driving time). Stay at Annamalai, Pondicherry for 2 nights. (Standard Room) Afternoon at leisure.
Day 03 - Pondicherry
Morning sightseeing of Pondicherry visiting the French part of the city, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the international township of Auroville. (Pondicherry is an interesting coastal city and a former French colony. The town has a grid layout, split north-south by a canal that once divided the French quarter (edging the sea) from the Indian quarter inland. The French quarter has interesting historic buildings including ornate Catholic churches. For the philosophically or spiritually inclined, there is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram where the inmates practice an integral Yoga. Also nearby is the beautifully landscaped international township of Auroville).
Day 04 - Madurai
After breakfast drive to Madurai (8 hrs driving time). Stay at GRT Regency, Madurai for 2 nights. (Standard Room) (Madurai is one of the oldest cities of south India and had originally been designed in a lotus motif. It is an extremely sacred city and here lies the renowned Meenakshi Temple. The vast walled complex of the temple with its shadowy chambers, tank, carved columns, shrines and courtyards built between twelve towering gopurams is considered south India's finest example of Dravidian architecture)
Day 5 - Madurai
Morning at lesiure Afternoon sightseeing of Madurai including Meenakshi temple.
Day 6 - Munnar
Morning drive to Munnar (6 hrs driving time). Rest of the day at leisure to explore (car and driver at disposal). Stay at T & U Resort, Munnar for 1 night. (Deluxe Room) (Munnar is a quiet hill station located at an altitude of 1600 metres. Sprawling tea plantations, picturesque towns and winding lanes make this region a sight to savour).
Day 7 - Periyar
To Periyar National Park Morning drive to Periyar National Park (4 hrs). Afternoon game viewing by boat on Lake Periyar. Stay at the Wildernest, Periyar for 1 night. (Superior Room) (Periyar National Park is situated in the hills of the Western Ghats. The centre piece of the Park is the 5500-hectare Periyar Lake. Periyar has one of the richest habitats for large mammals, as it provides both excellent cover and nourishment in the form of succulent shoots and grasses. Here it is possible to see large herds of Indian Elephant as well as Nilgiri Langur. There are more than 30 species of mammals including Tiger, Gaur (Indian Bison), Sloth Bear etc, as also a very rich birdlife including the Great Indian Hornbill. To maintain the sanctity of the Park, game viewing is only allowed by boat rides on the lake).
Day 8 - Kumarakom
Dawn boat cruise to view game. After breakfast drive to Kumarakom (3 hrs). Rest of the day at leisure. Stay at Cocobay Resort , Kumarakom for 1 night. (Suite Room) (Kumarakom is a nature’s paradise on the shores of the Vembanad Lake. It’s exotic houseboats and many backwater channels (waterways) make it an ideal place to undertake a backwater cruise. The eastern shore of the lake is a bird sanctuary).
Day 9 - Houseboat
Morning drive to Alleppey to board the Ketttuvalam (Houseboat) for overnight stay on board and cruise on the backwaters of Kerala. The backwaters is a maze of bridges and canals set in a labyrinth of backwater channels laced with endless stretches of lakes and lagoons. Over 900 km of this intricate network is navigable. This is the best place to explore the unspoilt countryside of Kerala. Overnight on Houseboat (air-conditioned). (Ketttuvalams - the traditional houseboats of Kerala are one of the most enduring images of the backwaters. These palm covered country boats are designed to navigate the narrow canals, myriad network of silent lagoons and fresh waters rivers. Kettuvalams offer one of the worlds best experiences. Winding their way through Hyacinth covered canals, colourful corridors of forests, palm and fruit tress makes them relaxing and romantic. Houseboats are fully staffed and fresh vegetables and southern delicacies are cooked on board for the guests).
Day 10 - Cochin
After breakfast you complete your cruise. You will be met and driven to Cochin. Rest of the day at leisure. Evening attend a Kathakali dance performance. (Cochin has a history stretching back to the time of King Solomon, when it was known as ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. Arabian, Phoenician and Chinese traders all stopped here in search of spices, silks and sandalwood. Marco Polo and Vasco da Gama followed, as did the Dutch East India Company and later the British. Today, Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus still live side by side, and Chinese fishing-nets, introduced by merchants from the court of Kublai Khan, continue to haul in fish. The adjoining backwaters make it a popular destination). Stay at Fort Heritage, Cochin for 2 nights. (Heritage Room)