The Deccan Plateau Explored Tour

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Travel Duration: 14Nights & 15Days
Covered Destinations: Hyderabad, Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai, Periyar, Kumarakom, Alleppey, Cochin, Ooty, Mysore, Bangalore, Hyderabad.
Tour Type: Personalized Tour with the Private Assistance

Highlights of the Tour

Get on the tour that starts from Southern India including visits to Chennai it was established as a trading port by the British East India Company and is now Southern India's largest city, Mahabalipuram - the temple town, Trichy, Madurai and Pondicherry - the erstwhile French Colony which is now famed for the Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. Continue your tour to Kerala to relish the beauty of lush countryside, serene backwaters, exquisite cuisine and gentle pace of life.

Special Activities Included

Meet and Assist our company representative in every destination before reaching.
Accommodation can be availed on the basis of Double or Triple Sharing, Sightseeing Tours as mentioned in the Travel Plan.
Comfortable and air-conditioned SUV 4WD always at your disposal, from first to last day of tour in India.
Our Tour Guides are a team of knowledgeable and quite articulate professionals, who enjoy taking visitors around. They speak
English, Spanish, German and Russian as mentioned Travel Plan.
Daily Buffet Breakfast in the Hotel as per the chosen Accommodation.
Excursions to Dakshinchitra, Kanchipuram and Tanjore.
Visit all temples with our company representative.
Visit wildlife sanctuary in Thekkady and Kumarakom.
Take a boat ride into the Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady.
Kath kali Dance program in Cochin.
Air Conditioned Overnight Houseboat Cruise from Kumarakom to Alleppey.
Toll Taxes, Driver Allowance and Parking are included during the Tour.
Mineral water in the Transport during the whole Tour.
All applicable taxes and service charges.
All prevailing taxes like Luxury Tax in all Hotels and expenditure tax wherever applicable.

Detailed Travel Plan

Day 01: Hyderabad - Chennai Airport
By Flight: 6E 301, Dep: 09:50, Arr: 11:00

On arrival in Chennai, you will meet the representative at the airport. Please keep a watch for him as soon as you collect your luggage and walk towards the exit gate in the arrival terminal (we request you not to leave the terminal building until the representative contacts you). Assistance and transfer by car to the hotel where room is reserved for immediate check-in.

In the afternoon, you will go for a tour of the Chennai city. You will be taken on a visit to Kalakshetra. It is the renowned cultural center established by Rukmini Devi Arundale and Theosophical Society with its huge Banyan tree (Theosophical Society of India was founded by Dr Annie Besant).

You will stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 02: Chennai Mahabalipuram (En-route visit Dakshinchitra)
By Surface: 58 kms, 1 hrs.

After breakfast at the Hotel, you will be driven to Mahabalipuram. On the way, you will visit Dakshinchitra. On arrival in Mahabalipuram, you will be transferred to the Hotel where room is booked for you. You will be provided with the schedule for the sightseeing tour of the city.

Mahabalipuram:- This is one of historys intriguing enigmas. Mahabalipuram was also called Mamallapuram. It was a developing port town of the Pallava rulers of South India who created fabulous open-air museum of sculpture under the vault of a burning sky. However, this is the only data that you will get to know about this place. What was the purpose behind this whole exercise, and, more important, why all the royal patronage this place enjoyed suddenly disappeared, no one actually has any answer. A stay at Mahabalipuram Resorts will take you close to its historical past.

In the afternoon, you will take a tour of Mahabalipuram. Visit Arjunas Penance: Arjunas Penance, an enormous relief made on two huge boulders, is the universe itself in stone, throbbing with a vastness of conception and The Varaha Cave: a small rock-cut mandapam (hall), is a faceted and finished gem with two incarnations of Vishnu-Varaha (boar) and Vamana (dwarf). About 5 kilometers north of Mahabalipuram, you will come across another cave called Tiger Cave. The rock-cut cave dates back to 7th century. Do check the Rathas: A group of structures lying at the southern extreme of Mahabalipuram, admist casuarinas trees, are the famous Rathas (chariots), Krishna Mandapam: The Krishna Temple is one of the earliest rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram and Shore Temple: The windswept and surf beaten Shore Temple, the mute tireless sentinel of the shore, is the ultimate expression of Mahabalipuram.

You will stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 3: Mahabalipuram Kanchipuram Mahabalipuram

After breakfast, you will be taken on an excursion to Kanchipuram. It is a city of a thousand temples.

A 65-kilometre stretch of sun-dried road will connect you to Kanchipuram from Mahabalipuram. Kanchipuram is the fabled city of a thousand temples. There are 650 stones inscription in Kanchipuram belonging to different dynasties. The temples here reflect the maturity and efflorescence of Pallava art. The elaborate and ever impressive embellishments were later added by the Chola, Vijayanagara and Chalukyan emperors. There is a solemn grandeur, a grandiosity of vision and ornamental excess in the temples here. A disembodied otherworidly stillness impregnates their vast inner domains where time is a captive fugitive. You will have so many temples to visit here which range from The Ekambaranathar temple, the Kailasanatha temple and Sri Varadaraja temple to Sri Vaikuntaperumal temple among many others. The city itself is dedicated to the presiding deity, Sri Kamakshi (one with eyes of love) at the Kamakshi temple. In Sanskrit, Kanchi is translated to mean girdle. The poets have allegorically characterized the city as a girdle to the earth.

You will stay will be at the Hotel.

Day 04: Mahabalipuram Pondicherry
By Surface: 95 kms, 2 hrs

After breakfast at Hotel, you will be driven to Trichy. Reach Trichy. You will meet our company representative and with his help check-in at the Hotel. He will give you the schedule for the sightseeing city tour.

Trichy:- The Day starts with a sightseeing tour of Trichy visiting the Rock Fort Temple and the Ranganathswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and comprising of a series of walled courts with 21 towers.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 05: Pondicherry Tanjore
By Surface: 177 kms, 4 hrs

After breakfast at Hotel, you will be driven to Tanjore. Reach Tanjore and meet our company representative to get transferred to the Hotel for check-in. In the afternoon, you will go for the sightseeing of Tanjore with an experienced guide.

Sightseeing:- where you can explore the World heritage Brihadishvara temple.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 06: Tanjore - Trichy
By Surface: 54 kms, 1 hrs

After breakfast at Hotel, you will be driven to Trichy. Reach Trichy and meet our company representative who will transfer you to the hotel for check-in. He will provide you with the sightseeing schedule for the city.

Trichy:- The Day starts with a sightseeing tour of Trichy visiting the Rock Fort Temple and the Ranganathswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and consisting of a series of walled courts with 21 towers.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 07: Trichy - Madurai By Surface: 150 kms, 3 hrs.

After breakfast at Hotel, you will be driven to Madurai. Reach Madurai. Our company representative will receive you and help you in check-in at the Hotel where room is reserved for you. Obtain a sightseeing schedule of the city. Go for the sightseeing of the city of Madurai with a professional guide. He will give you all the information about sightseeing as well as city.

In Madurai:- A morning tour of the great Meenakshi Temple -a splendid example of Dravidian architecture; the Tirumala Nayak Palace - a gracious building in the Indo saracenic style; the Alagar Hills and the Tirupara Kundran Rock temple.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 08: Madurai Thekkady
By Surface: 160 kms, 3 hrs

After breakfast at Hotel, you will be driven to Thekkady by road. Upon arrival in Thekkady, you will meet our company representative. He will help you in check-in at the Hotel where room is reserved for you. Get the sightseeing tour schedule of the city from him.

Thekkady:- Thekkady is reckoned as one of the finest places to spot the Asian Elephants. Take a late afternoon boat ride into the Wildlife Sanctuary. In Periyar, you will have a pleasant experience of cruise on the lake and jungle walk. If you are lucky, you can very well get a chance to see the wild animals too. It is indeed a pleasant place to escape from the madding crowds of the cities and towns. Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats, in Kerala, is the Periyar famous for its National Park and Tiger Reserve. The park has a picturesque lake at the heart of the sanctuary. Formed with the building of a dam in 1895, this reservoir meanders around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a perennial source of water for the local wildlife. Herds of elephant and sambar, gaur and wild pigs wander down to the lakeside and can be observed from the launches that cruise the lake.

The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Here is the place the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary where you will enjoy your time to the hilt. This is one of the natural wildlife reserves which occupies 777 sq.km area and of which 360 sq.km land is dotted with thick evergreen forest. Noted for its geomorphology, diversity of wildlife and scenic beauty, the Reserve attracts visitors from all over the world.

The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar adds to the charm of the park. This is the only wildlife sanctuary in India where you get an unusual opportunity to view wildlife from close quarters from the safety of a boat on the lake. The reserve is mainly acclaimed for the herds of wild elephants that visit the lake to play.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 09: Thekkady Kumarakom
By Surface: 185 kms, 4 hrs

After breakfast at Hotel, you will leave for Kumarakom city by road. On arrival in Kumarakom, our company representative will receive you and transfer you to Hotel for check-in where a room is reserved for you.

Kumarakom forms a part of Kerala's rice bowl, the Kuttanand region which is the ideal destination for the backwater cruises. The Kumarakoram Backwater makes for a fascinating backwater tour destination amid the countryside. While cruising through placid backwaters, you will watch the lush paddy fields, sprawling mangrove forests stretching into acres of land with the rows of the palm trees by the sea shores. This tiny hamlet is an island of paradise, absolutely unspoiled and untouched.

On this day, you will get to see the wildlife with our company representative during the Sightseeing tour of Kumarakom.

Major Attractions of Kumarakom City

Water Bird Sanctuary: in this scintillating backwater destination, a 14 acre long bird sanctuary is found on the eastern banks of the Vembanad Lake. This sanctuary is home to several bird species. Many migratory birds also arrive here. Water fowls, water ducks, cuckoos, wild ducks, egrets, darters, herons, teals, and the migratory Siberian cranes are also found here. Nearby lies the rubber plantations in Kottayam where the churches are also grand.

Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls: The Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls are situated at a distance of 18 km from the town of Kottayam. The place is touted as one of the most picturesque and wonderful picnic spots. The streams of silver cascades of water flow down from the height of the`100 Ft from the Mountains here.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 10: Kumarakom - Alleppey
By Overnight Houseboat: A/C Houseboat.

On the 03rd Day of your Kumarakom Alleppey Tour includes an Overnight houseboat cruise across the Vembanad Lake.

In the morning, you will move for Alleppey Kumarakom. Embark on houseboat on arrival. Enjoy a traditional lunch aboard. Cruise through various villages.

The House boat journey is considered to be one of the best attractions. The houseboat is completely equipped with single and double bedrooms, a kitchen, sundeck and private balcony. Chef, Oarsmen and cabin assistant are also found aboard. The houseboat is built of all local and Eco friendly materials such as bamboo poles, bamboo mats, coconut fiber ropes and coir carpets.

Stay overnight on the Houseboat.

Day 11: Alleppey Cochin
By Surface: 63 kms, 1 hrs

After breakfast, you will be driven to Cochin. Reach Cochin. Our company representative will receive you and help you check-in at the Hotel where a room is reserved for you.

Kochi (colonial name Cochin) is a lively city. It is located on the south-west coast of the Indian peninsula in the attractive and flourishing state of Kerala, which is nicknamed as 'God's Own Country'. Its strategic importance over the centuries is underlined by the sobriquet Queen of the Arabian Sea. Informally, Cochin is also referred to as the Gateway to Kerala.

Proceed for a Kathakali show. It is a popular classical form of dance of Kerala. Later, you will return to Hotel. Day free at leisure for own activities.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 12: Full day sightseeing as the Gateway of Kerala (Cochin)

After breakfast at Hotel, our experienced guide will provide you the city information. He will take you on sightseeing city tour as well.

Atrractions of Kochi (Cochin)

Being a major harbour from the times of the British and Portuguese, Cochin has a rich heritage of forts, churches and temples. A visit to these ancient marvels gives you an overview of the political, religious and commercial developments of the city. An array of tourist attractions of this place comprise Dutch Palace, Fort Kochi, Jewish Synagogue, Santa Cruz Basilica, St. Francis Church, the Chinese Nets, Dutch Cemetery, Willingdon Island and Hill Palace Museum.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 13: Cochin Ooty
By Surface: 280 kms, 5 hrs

After breakfast at Hotel, you will be driven to Ooty. Upon arrival in Ooty, you will meet our company representative to check-in at the Hotel where a room is reserved for you. Proceed for the sightseeing of Ooty.

Enjoy the charm of this beautiful creation of God. The British founded this popular hill station in the early 19th Century as the summer capital of the Madras Government. Prior to this it was inhabited by the Toda Tribal people who were primarily the husbandmen. Today, only about 1500 of them remain and you see their shrines in various places through out the hills.

Ooty was the first esablished hill station in India. It is referred to as the queen of the Blue Mountains too. One can still see the remnants of the British occupation in the single storey stone cottages, winding lanes with tall leafy eucalyptus, the stone churches, the private schools and the Ooty club house. The Maharaja's summer palace harks back to yet another time.

Ooty extends over large meandering hills and valleys. It is perched at 2286 m above sea level. The Blue Mountain Express, a small hill train colored in blue and ivory hues, travel daily from Mettupalayam.

You can also try adrenalin pumping activities like trekking, horse riding, boating in the lake here.

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 14: Ooty Mysore
By Surface: 155 kms, 3 hrs

Have your breakfast and drive towards Mysore. Reach Mysore and check in at the hotel.

Mysore, which is touted as the city of palaces, has become a noted travel destination of South India. Also referred to as Mysooroo, the city was earlier the capital of the Wodeyar rulers. The Wodeyar rulers were great patrons of art and culture, which you can see in the rich heritage of the city. Apart from several palaces and royal buildings, Mysore city is also famed for its nearness to several other places of tourist interest such as Srirangapatna, Krishna Raj Sagra dam and Sivasamudram falls.

Along with tourist attractions, Mysore city is recognized for its sandalwood products and the Dasara festival (Navaratri) celebrated annually. The famous Mysore Dasara attracts the attention of the people from world over. The name Mysore is said to have been derived from Mahishuru, which in turn has come from Mahisha. According to legends, the area around the Mysore city was once under the demon king Mahishasura, who was defeated and killed by goddess Chamundeshwari.

The Chamundeswari Temple, located on the top of the hill of Chamundi, has great religious importance. It is consecrated to the Goddess Chamundi or Durga, who is believed to have killed the devil king. This temple earlier was a small one, but later was expanded under the Wodeyar rule.

Another temple to see is the Mahabaleshwar Temple. The temple is believed to be older than the Chamundeswari Temple, which to some extent lost its importance due to the latters growing significance.

The Prasanna Krishnaswamy Temple is consecrated to Lord Krishna. It was built by a Wodeyar ruler and is as old as 18th century. The temple is home to as many 40 bronze statues of gods and saints. One can also see the statue of the ruler who built this temple.

Another very old temples are the Lakshmiramana Swamy Temple and The Trinesvaraswamy Temple.

Stay overnight at the hotel in Mysore.

Day 15: Mysore Bangalore
By Surface: 140 kms, 3 hrs

Enjoy your breakfast and leave for Bangalore. Upon arrival, you will be received by our company representative. He will help you check-in at Hotel. Venture out for sightseeing city tour of Bangalore.

Sightseeing city tour of Bangalore includes visits to the Bangalore Fort, the Bull Temple and Cubbon Park. The park is very beautiful and extends over an area of 300 acre. The park is equipped with public library and the museum. Continue on to Lal Bagh and the Vidhana Soudha - Bangalore's centre of State Government,

Stay overnight at the Hotel.

Day 16: Bangalore - Hyderabad
By Flight: 6E 351, Dep: 08:25, Arr: 09: 25

After breakfast at Hotel, our company representative will transfer you to the Airport to board the flight to Hyderabad with the sweet memories of India Tour. Please allow a minimum of 2 hours for flight check-in formalities at the airport. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey home on behalf of Castle & King Team!

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Holiday Themes

FIRST TIME VISITORS

GROUP TOURS

FAMILY HOLIDAYS

WILDLIFE TOURS AND SAFARI

The Deccan Plateau Explored Tour

Highlights of the Tour

Special Activities Included

Detailed Travel Plan