Enchanting Tamil Nadu
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Join us on this enchanting trip to explore the southern state of Tamil Nadu. This is a comfortable 6N-7D itinerary with luxury stays at Chettiar mansions and boutique hotels, exploring exquisite Chola temples, experiencing the unique arts & crafts and gorging on the delicious Chettinadu and Tamil food
We start our trip with Madurai and the Meenakshi Amman temple. We then explore Rameswaram and the stunning town of Dhanushkodi. Proceed to explore the mysterious & unique stately mansions in Chettinad. Learn about the lesser-known Maratha history of Thanjavur and experience the temple town of Kumbakonam.
Dates: 30 September - 6 October
Highlights
- Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi
- Explore the Maratha history at Thanjavur
- Meenakshi Amman Temple & Madurai
- Visit living Chola temples at Thanjavur and Darasuram
- Live in a Chettiar Mansion, CGH Mantra Koodam and other handpicked boutique hotels
- Delicious Chettinad and Tamil cuisine
Day 1 - Arrivals & Madurai
Private Vehicle (AC Coach)
Hotel
Lunch, Dinner
Monday, 30 September
- We arrive in Madurai between 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- After lunch, we will explore the beautiful Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace followed by the light and sound show.
- Dinner and overnight stay at Madurai.
Day 2 - Madurai & Rameswaram
Private Vehicle (AC Coach)
Hotel
All Meals
Tuesday, 1 October
- We start the day early. After breakfast, we will explore the Meenakshi Temple with a local guide.
- Post lunch, depart for Rameswaram. This is a 3.5-hour drive.
- Evening free for leisure
- Dinner & overnight stay at Rameswaram.
Day 3 - Rameswaram & Dhanuskodi
Dhanushkodi Beach
Private Vehicle (AC Coach)
Haveli
All Meals
Wednesday, 2 October
- We start our day early with a VIP darshan at the Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram, a Shiva temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples in India.
- We then visit Dhanushkodi. Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town in India's south-eastern tip of Tamil Nadu. It is just 24 kilometres from Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed during the 1964 cyclone and remains uninhabited. The Dhanushkodi beach and sandbar offers panoramic views of the sea.
- After lunch, depart for Kothamangalam (Chettinad)
- Check-in and the remainder of the day is free for leisure.
- Dinner & overnight stay at Chettinad.
Day 4 - Chettinad
Athangudi Tiles
Handlooms
Private Vehicle (AC Coach)
Haveli
All Meals
Thursday, 3 October
- Post breakfast, depart for a tour of Kanadukathan, a town which has received the status of Heritage Town, owing to the presence of many stately mansions built in a unique architectural style popular in Chettinad.
- Lunch at a Chettiar mansion. After lunch, we visit the Athangudi handmade tiles factory followed by the Athangudi mansion. Today we also get a chance to see the weaving of Chettinad sarees.
- In the evening, we can take a leisure walk in the village or take a dip in the hotel’s beautiful swimming pool.
- Dinner & overnight stay at Chettinad
Day 5 - Thanjavur
Thanjavur
City Palace
Private Vehicle (AC Coach)
Resort
All Meals
Friday, 6 October
- Post breakfast, depart for Thanjavur. At Thanjavur explore the Brihadeeshwara Temple (Living Chola temple)
- This will be followed by lunch at Svatma. After lunch, explore the Maratha Palace Complex and the Saraswati Mahal Library.
- Proceed to Kumbakonam. Check-in
- Dinner & overnight stay at Kumbakonam
Day 6 -
Private Vehicle (AC Coach)
Resort
All Meals
Saturday, 5 October
- Post breakfast we will explore the ancient Airavatesvar Temple at Darasuram. This will be followed by a quick shopping break for the famous Darasuram silk sarees. We will also get a chance to shop for exclusive brass diyas and souvenirs along with the degree roast coffee powder at Kumbakonam.
- We will return to Mantra Koodam for the evening tea at the ingenious Mantra Tea Kadai for traditional snacks and refreshments.
- Dinner & Overnight stay at Kumbakonam.
Day 7 - Departures
Private Vehicle (AC Coach)
Breakfast, Lunch
Sunday, 6 October
- Start your day at leisure.
- Depending on our flights, we will start for Tiruchirapalli / Trichy airport.
- After lunch, departures to respective cities after 5 PM.
Meet your host
The Western Routes
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- Logout's Trusted
- Traveler's Choice
The Western Routes was founded in 2011. It started as a concept that found its roots in the love for the state of Maharashtra and its native culture. Since 2015, we have ventured into curating itineraries pan-India which are themed around history, culture, wildlife, people & food.
See The Western Routes's other listings
Inclusions
- 2 Night stay in Kumbakonam at CGH Mantra Koodam (or equivalent)
- 2 Night stay in Chettinad at Saratha Vilas (or equivalent)
- 1 Night stay in Rameswaram at Hotel Daiwik (or equivalent)
- 1 Night stay in Madurai at Hotel JC Residency (or equivalent)
- All Meals (Starting from Lunch on day 1 to Lunch on day 7)
- All internal travel in a private AC coach
- Entrance fees at monuments
- Guiding charges at Meenakshi Temple, Rameswaram Temple, Thanjavur temple and town, Chettinad Heritage Town, Airavatesvar Temple, etc.
- Light & Sound Show at Madurai Palace
- Taxes
Exclusions
- Travel from home destination
- Anything not mentioned in the includes list
- Personal costs (Shopping, laundry etc.)
- Activity charge for activities not mentioned above
- Travel Insurance
HOW TO REACH
We start our tour from Madurai airport on Monday, 30 September and end the tour at Tiruchirapalli / Trichy airport on 6 October. We will help with the flight suggestions from Pune/Mumbai to Madurai on 30 September and back from Trichy on 6 October. For participants coming from other cities, we will help with corresponding flights.
Policy and more
- 50% retention charges (Between 20 – 45 days prior to scheduled departure)
- 100% retention charges (Less than 20 days prior to scheduled departure)
Terms and Conditions
- This itinerary is subject to slight changes as per the situation on the ground during the trip dates.
- These are the hotel details. The hotels mentioned can change depending on their availability. If any of the mentioned properties are unavailable, an equivalent quality and service hotel will be picked as a substitute.
Chettinad (Kothmangalam)
Saratha Vilas
sarathavilas.com/
Kumbakonam
CGH Mantra Koodam
www.cghearth.com/mantra-koodam
Madurai
JC Residency
www.jcresidency.com/jc_madurai/
Rameswaram
Hotel Daiwik
www.daiwikhotels.com/daiwik-hotel-rameshwaram
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