Package overview

Covering the three states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, this itinerary captures the essence of South India. It introduces you to the culture, the highly devotional classical music and dance forms, the distinctive cuisine, the styles of dress, homes ... You start at Chennai, previously known as Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu, and, in 1639, the site of the first settlement of the East India Company. From there to Mysore, capital of the Wodeyar dynasty which ruled the state of Karnataka for some 150 years till Independence. Then into the interior – the misty hills, lush forests, acres and acres of tea and coffee plantation, orange groves, and breathtaking views of Coorg or Kodagu which translates as ‘dense forest on steep hill’ – an apt description. Kozhikode or Calicut is where Vasco da Gama landed – finally successful in his search for a sea route to the spice lands. But it is the cruise of the backwaters of Kerala that the true essence of the land comes through – a quiet peaceful countryside bathed in serenity.