Educational Fam Tour - South India Fam Tour

Reach Chennai, and welcome to India. You will be received by our representative who would take you to the hotel and guide you through the checking-in process etc. Your half day tour will begin at the afternoon that would include places like St. George Fort, Kapaleeswarar temple, Santhome Church, St. Thomas Mount, Art Gallery, and of course Marina beach. Come back for dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Chennai.

Start early for a morning drive to Mahabalipuram visiting Kanchipuram on the way. Located 64 km from Chennai, Kanchipuram is the ancient capital of the Pallavas which is famous as a city with 1000 temples and 124 shrines. The first temple dedicated to Shiva was built in the 7th and 8th century with paintings on its walls. The other temples of must-visits are those of Ekambaswara, Kailasanatha, Sri Kamakshi and Varadarajaswamy.
Kanchipuram is popular for its silk – sarees, stoles and other apparels and one must pick a souvenir in the form of these magnificent pieces of apparels.
Moving to Mahabalipuram, a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas, the place is famous for monuments that are mostly rockcut and monolithic. They beautifully display the early stages of Dravidian architecture that prominently exhibits the Buddhist elements of design. You will find cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples in Mahabalipuram where the pillars are of the Dravidian order and the sculptures perfectly showcase Pallava art.
Your overnight stay is at the hotel in Mahabalipuram.

After breakfast, start for Pondicherry - the city that was under French rule for around 280 years. You can still find French flavor in the living and in the architectural essence – check out their colonial mansions, beautiful boulevards, promenades, and street names on signboards to feel the same. You will be taken to Shri Aurobindo Ashram, which was built in 1926 by Shri Aurobindo, a revolutionary turned Yogi from Bengal and The Mother (Mira Alfassa), a French painter and sculptor.
The ashram is world famous as a Center of Education as well as a cultural hub. The central courtyard of the main ashram building has flower festooned memorials of the Mother and Shri Aurobindo under a firangipaani tree. You can also find gardens, farms, printing press, some small-scale industries, libraries and facilities for recreation in the different parts of the ashram.
You will also visit the Government Museum before coming back to Pondicherry for overnight stay.

Your morning begins with a drive to Trichy visiting Chidambaram Temple on the way. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva that displays his form as cosmic dancer (Nataraj performing Tandav Nritya). Considered as the most famous of the five dancing halls of Nataraja, Chidambaram is named as the Kanaka Sabha (Golden Hall).
Up next is Gangaikondacholapuram that happened to be the capital of the Cholas by Rajendra Chola I. He was the son and successor of Rajaraja Chola, the great Chola who conquered a large area in South India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sumatra, Kadaram (Kedah in Malaysia) at the beginning of the 11th century CE. The place holds an important value in the history of India.
Reach Trichy and check-in to the hotelfor overnight stay.

This day is for visiting the city of Trichy before getting transferred to Madurai. Trichy was the fortress of the Chola dynasty in the medieval period. It witnessed the famous Carnatic wars fought between the French and the English in the 18th century. Visit the house of Lord Robert Clive and the Danish Church – two of the must-visit places of Trichy. Needless to mention the Rock-Fort which is the landmark of the city. You have to climb up 434 steps to reach the ancient temple of Ganapati located at the top and a further climb to a Shiva temple.
You will be later taken to Madurai by road. Upon reaching, get transferred to the hotel for check-in. The day is at leisure. Spend overnight at the hotel in Madurai.

Your city trip of Madurai is scheduled for the entire day. Known as one of the great temple towns of South India, Madurai reminds of Meenakshi Temple at the first instant. The city is situated on the banks of river Vaigai and was the ancient capital of the Pandya rulers. It used to be a prominent cultural and commercial centre in the early 550 AD.
You will be mesmerized with the colorful and majestic look of the Meenakshi Temple – the heart and the lifeline of the 2500 years old city. There are 14 spectacular Gopurams (towers) in the complex that includes two golden Gopurams devoted to the main deities. You will find in the ancient Tamil classics that the temple used to be at the center of the city from where the roads and the streets channelized out giving a shape of lotus and its petals.
Up next is the Gandhi Memorial Museum at the Tamukkam Palace, followed by the Koodal Azhagar Temple, one of the 108 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The architectural and sculptural works made of lime mortar are worth treating your eyes with. There are three separate altars featuring three different figures of Vishnu – standing, sitting and reclining postures.
Come back to the hotel in Madurai for overnight.

After breakfast, get driven to Periyar by road. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is a famous one that is spread across 777 sq km (300 sq mi) and 360 sq km (140 sq mi) of the same is covered in thick evergreen forest. The sanctuary was declared as a Tiger Reserve in 1978. The charm of the park is doubled with the spectacular artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River.
If you are among the lucky ones, catch a glimpse of the herds of wild elephants coming down to the lake for drinking water or to take a playful bath. You can visit the sanctuary through a natural walk, boating or by a jeep safari.
Overnight stay in Periyar.

Get driven to Kumarakom in the morning, and check-in to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure. In the evening, enjoy a memorable sunset cruise in the backwater. Overnight stay in Kumarakom.

After breakfast, get driven to Marari and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day at leisure or at your own which you can spend exploring the natural beauty of the place or by trying the delicacies or by shopping.

The entire day is at leisure for you to spend it your way. You may take rest or take a walk near the beach. Please note that there will not be any transports available here in Marari, so don’t plan to visit distant places. Overnight stay in Marari

Get driven to Cochin in the morning. Upon arrival, get transferred to the hotel. In the afternoon, you will be visiting Cochin, the natural harbor created by the famed underwater Malabar mud-banks. It ensures that the rougher the sea is outside, the calmer the water is within the harbor. Thanks to Vasco-de-Gama for placing the city on the World Map. The places of interest are a Jewish synagogue, Portuguese churches, mosques and Hindu temples. Don’t miss the Chinese fishing nets and the unique technique of fishing here. Overnight stay in Cochin.

Time to depart, get driven to the international airport for your return or outgoing journey. There is no accommodation in Cochin on this day.