South India Grand Tour in Fifteen Days
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
This 15-day South India tour is one private drive from Chennai to Kovalam, through Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Thanjavur, Madurai, Kodaikanal, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey and Kochi. It links Pallava and Chola monuments, two Western Ghats hill stations and Kerala's backwaters, and suits travellers with two weeks. November to February is the most comfortable season throughout.
Travellers with fifteen days who want temples, hill country and backwaters in one private tour, and accept one long driving day near the end
Highlights
Good to know
Long driving day
Day 14, Kochi to Kovalam, is a long driving day: about 210 km and roughly 5 to 5.5 hours, so an early start helpsTwo hill climbs
Day 7 (Madurai to Kodaikanal) and Day 8 (Kodaikanal to Munnar, crossing into Kerala) are both on winding hill roads, best driven in daylightEravikulam closure
Eravikulam National Park near Munnar usually closes in February and March for the Nilgiri tahr's calving seasonMany hotel changes
The tour changes hotels on all but a handful of nights, so pack so bags are quick to repack each morningDay-by-Day Itinerary
- San Thome Basilica
Arrive in Chennai
- 1Meet your driver at Chennai International Airport
- 2Drive about 21 km to the hotel and rest after the flight
- 3An evening walk near Marina Beach or the San Thome Basilica if time allows
- Pancha Rathas
- Shore Temple at sunset
Chennai to the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram
- 1Morning stop at the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore
- 2Drive about 56 km down the East Coast Road to Mahabalipuram
- 3See the Pancha Rathas and Arjuna's Penance
- 4Reach the Shore Temple for the late afternoon light
- Pallava cave sanctuaries
- French Quarter walk
Mahabalipuram to the French Quarter of Puducherry
- 1Morning look at the Pallava cave sanctuaries and Krishna's Butterball
- 2Drive about 96 km down the coast road to Puducherry
- 3Walk the French Quarter's yellow-painted lanes
- 4Evening on the seafront Promenade
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Brihadisvara Temple
Puducherry inland to Thanjavur's Chola temple
- 1Morning visit to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- 2Drive about 182 km inland, roughly 4 hours
- 3See the Brihadisvara Temple's tower and monolithic Nandi in the evening light
- 4Walk the Thanjavur Maratha Palace's Durbar Hall if time allows
- Saraswathi Mahal Library
Thanjavur to the temple city of Madurai
- 1A last look at the Saraswathi Mahal Library before checking out
- 2Drive about 189 km south-west, roughly 4 hours
- 3Check in and rest
- 4Evening at leisure near the hotel
- Meenakshi Temple
- Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
Meenakshi Temple and the old city of Madurai
- 1Morning at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, with its fourteen gopurams and the Thousand-Pillared Hall
- 2Walk the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal's courtyard of massive pillars
- 3See the Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam tank
- Kodai Lake
- Coaker's Walk viewpoint
Madurai to the hill station of Kodaikanal
- 1Drive about 115 km into the hills, roughly 3 hours, climbing through forest and farmland
- 2Walk or cycle around the star-shaped Kodai Lake
- 3Evening at Coaker's Walk for the valley view
- Western Ghats hill crossing
Kodaikanal across the border to Munnar
- 1A long hill drive of about 162 km, roughly 4.5 hours, crossing from Tamil Nadu into Kerala
- 2Stop for a photo at a roadside viewpoint if the driver judges it safe
- 3Settle in among Munnar's tea estates by evening
- Tea estate walk and museum
- Eravikulam National Park
A full day in Munnar's tea country
- 1Morning walk through a tea estate and the tea museum
- 2Pedal boats on the Mattupetty reservoir
- 3Eravikulam National Park for the Nilgiri tahr, when the park is open
- 4Evening at the Top Station viewpoint
- Spice plantation visit
- Periyar Lake boat ride
Munnar to the spice forest at Thekkady
- 1Drive about 91 km south, roughly 3 hours
- 2Check in and visit a spice plantation around Kumily
- 3Evening Periyar Lake boat ride if the day's timing allows
- Periyar Lake morning boat ride
- Afternoon backwater cruise
Periyar Lake, then down to the Alleppey backwaters
- 1A morning Periyar Lake boat ride, if not already taken the evening before
- 2Drive about 138 km to Alleppey, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours
- 3Check in and take an afternoon cruise on the canals near town
- Kuttanad canal cruise
- Alappuzha Beach and pier
A full day on Alleppey's waterways
- 1A slow cruise through Vembanad Lake and the narrower canals of Kuttanad aboard a traditional kettuvallam
- 2Meals served aboard if a day cruise is booked, or on arrival if staying overnight on the water
- 3Evening at Alappuzha Beach and its old pier
- Chinese fishing nets
- Jew Town and Paradesi Synagogue
Alleppey to Fort Kochi's heritage lanes
- 1Drive about 53 km to Kochi, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours
- 2Walk past the Chinese fishing nets and St Francis Church in Fort Kochi
- 3Browse Jew Town's antique shops and see the Paradesi Synagogue in Mattancherry
- Coastal drive to the south
A long drive south from Kochi to Kovalam's beaches
- 1An early start for a long driving day: about 210 km and roughly 5 to 5.5 hours down the coast through Alappuzha and Kollam
- 2A lunch stop breaks the drive midway
- 3Settle in among Kovalam's three crescent beaches by evening
- Vizhinjam Lighthouse
Kovalam's beaches and departure
- 1A last morning on Lighthouse Beach or a climb up the Vizhinjam Lighthouse, if your flight time allows
- 2Check out and drive about 15 km to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, around 30 minutes
- 3Transfer to the terminal for your flight
Indicative — varies with season and hotel category.
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Trip Facts
Local Activities & Events
Updated Oct 23, 2026Munnar — Days 8-10 of this trip
Thrikarthika Festival
festivalUsually on the Karthika star day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, in late November or early December
Kerala's festival of lights reaches the Sri Subrahmanya Swamy Temple in Munnar, with lamps lit across the temple grounds on the Karthika star day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesKovalam — Days 14-15 of this trip
International Independent Music Festival (IIMF)
culturalUsually in November, over two to three days
An independent and world-music weekend with bands from India and abroad at the Kerala Arts and Crafts Village, held here three times since 2022.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesKerala — across your trip
Vettukadu Feast
festivalMadre de Deus Church in Thiruvananthapuram marks the feast of Christ the King over ten days, with worshippers of several faiths attending.
Champions Boat League: Kayamkulam
sportsA snake-boat race at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district, a round of the 2026 Champions Boat League.
Kalpathy Ratholsavam
festivalChariot festival in Kalpathy, Palakkad, where decorated chariots are pulled through the village streets from the Viswanatha Swamy Temple.
Sabarimala Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrim season
festivalPilgrim season at the Ayyappa temple in Pathanamthitta district, from the Mandalam opening through Mandala Pooja and Makaravilakku to closing in January.
Tamil Nadu — across your trip
Kanda Sashti and Soorasamharam
festivalSix days of fasting and worship at Tiruchendur's Murugan temple lead to Soorasamharam, the re-enactment of Murugan's victory over the demon Surapadman.
Karthigai Deepam
festivalArunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai holds a ten-day festival that ends with a flame lit on Arunachala hill at dusk and an overnight walk around it.
Events are reviewed by our team before publishing and drop off after they end. Please confirm timings and availability with us before your trip — local schedules can change without notice.
What's Included & Excluded
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