Grand South India Odyssey: All Seven States and Union Territories

Route: Chennai International Airport (MAA) to Taj Coromandel, about 20 km

Your driver meets you at Chennai airport and takes you to Taj Coromandel, in the quiet Nungambakkam district. Chennai, once called Madras, was the first English settlement on the east coast, founded in 1639. It is the gateway to Tamil culture, and the start of a loop that ends in this same city 23 nights later.

The rest of the day is free. If you arrive early, walk on the seafront at sunset, where families gather. Rest well, as the tour begins in earnest tomorrow.

Experience of the Day

• Airport welcome and check-in

• Evening on the seafront, if you arrive early

Food

Recommended: Dinner at the hotel, with South Indian dishes.

Must-Try: Dosa, idli and filter coffee, or a banana-leaf meal of rice, sambar and curd.

Activities to Do

• Rest after the flight

• Short walk near the hotel

Route: Chennai: Government Museum – East Coast Road – Mamallapuram – Puducherry, about 150 km

Start at the Government Museum in Egmore. Its bronze gallery holds some of the finest Chola bronzes in the world, cast by the lost-wax method in the 10th to 12th centuries. The figures of Shiva as the cosmic dancer, and of Parvati, show the south Indian idea of grace in metal.

Leave Chennai by late morning and follow the East Coast Road along the Bay of Bengal. Stop at Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The Shore Temple, built in the 8th century by the Pallava kings, stands on the sand, and the great rock reliefs and the Five Rathas are carved from single stones. Your guide explains how the Pallava sculptors worked.

Continue south, and reach Puducherry in the early evening. The former French town sits on the coast, with yellow villas and tree-lined streets.

Note on opening hours: The Government Museum is closed on Fridays. On a Friday we swap the museum for Fort St George and move the bronzes to Day 23. The Shore Temple is a ticketed site run by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Experience of the Day

• Chola bronzes at the Government Museum

• Shore Temple and rock reliefs at Mamallapuram (UNESCO)

• First walk along the Puducherry seafront

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a seafood restaurant at Mamallapuram. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Fresh grilled fish and prawns, and a French-style dinner in Puducherry.

Shopping

Stone carvings from the Mamallapuram workshops.

Activities to Do

• Evening walk on the Promenade

• Optional rickshaw ride in the French Quarter

Route: Puducherry: French Quarter – Sri Aurobindo Ashram – Auroville – Promenade

Puducherry was a French settlement from 1674 until 1954, and it is a Union Territory today. Walk the French Quarter with your guide in the morning, when the streets are quiet. Streets carry French names, and the villas are painted ochre and white. See the old lighthouse, the Government Place, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and the statue of Dupleix.

Pass the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, where the founder's tomb is a quiet place covered in flowers. Visitors enter in silence. In the afternoon, drive 10 km to Auroville, an experimental township founded in 1968. You can see the Matrimandir, a golden globe, from the viewing point. Entry to the inner chamber needs a booking made in advance, and we confirm availability.

Return to the town for the evening, and walk along the Promenade as the light falls over the bay.

Note on Auroville: Visitors see the Matrimandir from the viewing point. The inner chamber has limited slots and is not guaranteed.

Experience of the Day

• French Quarter walk

• Sri Aurobindo Ashram

• Auroville and the Matrimandir viewing point

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a French or Creole restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Croissants and crepes in the morning, and Creole fish curry.

Shopping

Handmade paper, incense and clothes from Auroville boutiques.

Activities to Do

• Cycle ride in the French Quarter

• Optional yoga class or sunrise walk

Route: Puducherry – Chidambaram area – Kumbakonam – Darasuram – Thanjavur, about 190 km

The road runs south through the Kaveri delta, a green land of rice fields and coconut palms that was the heart of the Chola empire. Your guide tells the story of the Cholas, who ruled much of south India and sent ships to south-east Asia between the 9th and 13th centuries.

Stop at Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, to see the Airavatesvara temple, built in the 12th century. It is part of the Great Living Chola Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its pillared hall is shaped like a chariot, and the stone is carved with small, fine figures. It is a site run by the Archaeological Survey of India, and we confirm what is open on the day.

Reach Thanjavur in the late afternoon. In the evening, walk in the old part of the city near the Thanjavur Palace.

Note on long stops: The distance is moderate, but the road passes through many towns. We plan lunch at Kumbakonam, and keep a margin before the sun sets.

Experience of the Day

• Chola country by road

• Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram (UNESCO)

• Evening walk near the Thanjavur Palace

Food

Recommended: Lunch at Kumbakonam. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kumbakonam degree coffee, and a Thanjavur meal of rice with several curries.

Shopping

Thanjavur paintings with gold leaf, and bronze figures from local workshops.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

• Optional visit to a bronze workshop

Route: Thanjavur: Brihadisvara temple – Karaikudi and Chettinad – Madurai, about 215 km

Visit the Brihadisvara temple early, in the soft morning light. It was built by Rajaraja Chola around the year 1010, and its tower rises over 60 metres. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Great Living Chola Temples. Your guide explains the huge granite Nandi, and the walls of the courtyard. The temple is an active place of worship, and a written declaration may be asked of non-Hindus at the inner areas. We plan the gateways and courtyard, and confirm on the day.

Drive south-west to the Chettinad region. Chettiar bankers built large mansions here in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with teak doors, marble floors and painted tiles from Athangudi. Stop in Karaikudi or Kanadukathan to see one. Many are private homes, and a few are open to visitors.

Reach Madurai in the evening. Heritage Madurai stands on a quiet stretch of land outside the city, with large villas set among lawns.

Note on temple entry: Rules at Hindu temples change. Your guide tells you what applies on the day, and nothing in the plan depends on the inner shrine.

Experience of the Day

• Brihadisvara courtyard and gateways (UNESCO)

• Chettiar mansion at Karaikudi or Kanadukathan

• Evening at the hotel

Food

Recommended: Lunch in the Chettinad region. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Chettinad pepper chicken or a vegetable meal on a banana leaf.

Shopping

Hand-painted Athangudi tiles and cotton saris from Chettinad.

Activities to Do

• Optional cooking class at the hotel

• Walk in the hotel grounds

Route: Madurai: temple area – Thirumalai Nayak Palace – Pudu Mandapam – city

Madurai grew around the Meenakshi Amman temple, rebuilt by the Nayak kings in the 16th and 17th centuries. It has four tall gateways, each over 45 metres, thick with painted figures of gods and animals. Your guide explains the colours and the carving.

Walk the temple streets to the tank and gateways. The Madras High Court order of 2024 limits non-Hindus at this temple to the area before the flagpole, unless a written undertaking is given. We do not plan the inner shrine. The Hall of a Thousand Pillars is now a museum of temple art, and we confirm its opening on the day.

In the afternoon, visit the Thirumalai Nayak Palace, built around 1636, with its tall arches and plaster work. Then stroll through Pudu Mandapam, a pillared hall full of tailors, and visit the flower market at dusk.

Note on temple entry: Rules at Hindu temples run by the state can change. Your guide tells you what applies on the day, and nothing in the plan depends on the inner shrine.

Experience of the Day

• Meenakshi gateways and tank

• Thirumalai Nayak Palace

• Pudu Mandapam and the flower market

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Jigarthanda, a cold milk drink with almond gum and ice cream, and parotta with a spiced curry.

Shopping

Cotton and silk saris from Madurai, and brass lamps.

Activities to Do

• Optional street food walk

• Rest at the hotel in the afternoon

Route: Madurai – Theni – Kumily (Thekkady), about 140 km

Drive west across the dry plain of southern Tamil Nadu, with palm groves and fields of banana and grape around Theni. The road then climbs the Western Ghats in hairpin bends and crosses into Kerala. The air turns cool and green within an hour.

Kumily is a spice town at the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Spice Village sits among the trees, with cottages set in a garden of pepper, cardamom and lemongrass. In the late afternoon, take a guided walk through a spice garden, where your guide shows how pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and clove grow. A short evening walk in the hotel grounds is a gentle end to the day.

Experience of the Day

• Ghat road into Kerala

• Spice garden walk

• Evening at the hotel

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kerala fish curry with rice, and appam with vegetable stew.

Shopping

Fresh spices, tea and coffee from Kumily's spice shops.

Activities to Do

• Optional Ayurvedic massage

• Optional Kalaripayattu martial arts show

Route: Periyar Tiger Reserve – Vandanmedu – Nedumkandam – Munnar, about 105 km

Start early with a boat ride on Periyar lake, set in the tiger reserve. The lake was made by a dam in the 1890s. From the boat you may see elephants, gaur, wild boar and many birds at the shore. Wildlife sightings cannot be promised, and the early boat has the best chance. The ticket is arranged for you.

After the boat, drive north through the cardamom hills of Idukki. The road winds past spice estates, small hill towns and tea gardens. As you approach Munnar, the hills turn to green rows of tea.

Reach Windermere Estate in the afternoon. It stands on a cardamom estate above the town, with wide views of the valley.

Experience of the Day

• Boat ride on Periyar lake

• Road through the cardamom hills

• Arrival in the tea country

Food

Recommended: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch on the road. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kerala-style breakfast of puttu and kadala curry, and a tea-estate dinner.

Activities to Do

• Sunset on the hotel terrace

• Short walk through the estate

Route: Munnar: Eravikulam National Park – Tea Museum – Mattupetty – Echo Point

Drive up to Eravikulam National Park, home to the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in the Western Ghats. A bus takes you to the walking trail on the high grassland. The park closes for about 45 to 60 days from 1 February each year, when the young are born.

Visit the Tea Museum, which tells the story of tea in these hills. See the plantations that began in the late 19th century, and how the leaf is dried and graded. Stop at Mattupetty Lake and the Echo Point road, and walk among the tea rows for photographs.

Return in the evening to the hotel, and rest with a cup of local tea.

Note on Eravikulam: Entry is by timed ticket and the park shuts for the calving season. We plan the day around the dates of your travel. If the park is closed, we replace it with a walk to Top Station.

Experience of the Day

• Eravikulam National Park, for the Nilgiri tahr

• Tea Museum and a tea estate walk

• Mattupetty Lake

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kerala parotta with beef or vegetable curry, and fresh Munnar tea.

Shopping

Tea, spices and homemade chocolate in Munnar town.

Activities to Do

• Optional sunrise trek to Kolukkumalai

• Optional spa massage

Route: Munnar – Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls – Kothamangalam – Fort Kochi, about 130 km

Descend from the hills through tea, rubber and spice gardens. Stop at the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls, which are at their fullest after the monsoon and thinner in the dry months. The air grows warmer as the road reaches the coastal plain.

Reach Fort Kochi in the afternoon. Brunton Boatyard stands on the waterfront, on the site of a 19th-century boatyard. Take a first walk along the fort's old lanes at dusk, past colonial houses, small cafés and the Chinese fishing nets.

Experience of the Day

• Descent from the hills

• Waterfall stops

• First walk in Fort Kochi at dusk

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Dinner at a Fort Kochi restaurant.

Must-Try: Karimeen fry (pearl spot fish) and Kerala prawn curry.

Activities to Do

• Walk along the waterfront

• Watch the fishing nets at sunset

Route: Fort Kochi: St Francis Church – Chinese fishing nets – Mattancherry Palace – Jew Town – Kathakali

Fort Kochi has been a trading port for six centuries. The Portuguese came in 1503, then the Dutch, then the English. Walk with your guide to St Francis Church, one of the earliest European churches in India, and to the Chinese fishing nets on the shore, where fishermen work huge cantilever nets.

In Mattancherry, visit the Mattancherry Palace, built by the Portuguese around 1555 and later known as the Dutch Palace. Its murals show scenes from the Ramayana. Walk through Jew Town, with its antique shops and spice warehouses, and see the Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1568. Check the opening days in advance.

In the evening, watch a Kathakali performance. The dancers' make-up is applied over an hour, and you may see this before the show begins.

Note on opening days: The synagogue and palace have fixed closing days. We plan around them.

Experience of the Day

• St Francis Church and Chinese fishing nets

• Mattancherry Palace and Jew Town

• Kathakali performance

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a Fort Kochi café. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kerala-style fish curry and appam, and fresh coconut water.

Shopping

Spices, antiques and cotton in Jew Town.

Activities to Do

• Optional cooking class

• Optional backwater boat trip

Route: Fort Kochi – Kochi airport (COK) – flight – Goa Dabolim airport (GOI) – Benaulim, about 25 km

Keep the morning free in Fort Kochi. Walk once more through the lanes, stop at a café, or visit a gallery. The only nonstop flight from Kochi to Goa leaves in the evening, so the day is relaxed and the drive to the airport starts after lunch.

You reach Goa in the evening. Taj Exotica stands on the quiet Benaulim beach in South Goa, set in gardens that run down to the sand. After the hills and the harbour, the coast is a change of pace.

Note on the flight: The Kochi to Goa flight is a separate domestic ticket. We book it with the package. It runs once a day in the evening, so the timing is confirmed at booking, and we keep a margin before the airport.

Experience of the Day

• Morning in Fort Kochi

• Flight to Goa

• First evening at the resort

Food

Recommended: Lunch in Fort Kochi. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Goan fish curry with rice, and fresh seafood from the grill.

Activities to Do

• Walk on the beach at dusk

• Rest at the resort

Route: Benaulim – Old Goa – Panjim – Fontainhas – Divar Island, about 100 km round trip

Old Goa was the capital of Portuguese India, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1986). Visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus, which holds the relics of St Francis Xavier, and the Se Cathedral, one of the largest churches in Asia. Your guide explains how the city was built and why it was left to the forest.

Drive on to Panjim, the present capital, and walk the Latin Quarter of Fontainhas. Its narrow lanes have painted houses in yellow, blue and green, and small chapels. In the afternoon, take the ferry to Divar Island for a quiet walk through villages and rice fields.

Return to the resort for the evening.

Note on church rules: Cover shoulders and knees in the churches. Visiting hours vary around services, and we confirm them.

Experience of the Day

• Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral (UNESCO)

• Fontainhas Latin Quarter

• Ferry to Divar Island

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a Panjim restaurant. Dinner at the resort.

Must-Try: Goan sausage, prawn balchão, bebinca for dessert.

Shopping

Cashews, spices and feni (a local spirit) in Panjim.

Activities to Do

• Optional Goan cooking class

• Optional sunset river cruise

Route: Benaulim – Cabo de Rama – Agonda – Palolem – Benaulim, about 110 km

Today is a day for the quiet south. Drive to Cabo de Rama, a fort with sea views over the cliffs, then to Agonda, a long curved beach with few buildings and fishing boats on the sand. Continue to Palolem for lunch at the shore.

Return in the afternoon to the resort. Swim in the pool, rest, or take a massage. The sea in Goa has strong currents, and lifeguards are limited, so swim only where your guide or hotel says it is safe.

Experience of the Day

• Cabo de Rama fort

• Agonda and Palolem beaches

• Free afternoon at the resort

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a beach shack. Dinner at the resort.

Must-Try: Grilled catch of the day and a cold coconut.

Activities to Do

• Optional spa treatment

• Optional dolphin-watching boat trip

Route: Goa Dabolim airport (GOI) – Bengaluru airport (BLR) – Madikeri, Coorg, about 280 km by road

Take the earliest available flight to Bengaluru. Your driver meets you at the airport and drives you south-west across the Karnataka plateau, through Mysuru country and into the hills of Coorg (Kodagu). The last stretch climbs through coffee, pepper and forest.

This is the longest road day of the journey. We stop for lunch and a break at Kushalnagar, near the Tibetan settlement. Vivanta stands above Madikeri, with views over the hills.

Note on the long day: The Goa to Bengaluru flight is a separate domestic ticket. If the only flight lands in the afternoon, we advise a night in Bengaluru or Mysuru so that you do not drive the hill road in the dark. This adds a night, and we price it before you book.

Experience of the Day

• Flight to Bengaluru

• Drive into the Karnataka hills

• Arrival in Coorg

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Pandi curry (Kodava pork curry) with kadambuttu rice dumplings, or a vegetable thali.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

• Short walk in the hotel grounds

Route: Madikeri – Talacauvery – Bhagamandala – Abbey Falls – coffee estate

Coorg is home to the Kodava people, who have their own language, dress and martial traditions. Drive up to Talacauvery, the source of the Kaveri river, in the Brahmagiri hills. It is a sacred place, and the view from the hill is wide. The temple at the source is an active place of worship, and we confirm what visitors can see.

After lunch, visit a coffee estate. Your guide explains how the beans are grown in the shade, picked, dried and roasted. The harvest runs from about November to February, and the estates are in blossom in March. In the late afternoon, stop at Abbey Falls, which is strongest after the monsoon and thinner in the dry months.

• Experience of the Day

• Talacauvery and the Brahmagiri view

• Coffee estate walk and tasting

• Abbey Falls

Food

Recommended: Lunch at an estate or local restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Kodava pandi curry, and filter coffee from the estate.

Shopping

Coffee, honey, pepper and cardamom.

Activities to Do

• Optional Madikeri Fort visit

• Optional spa treatment

Route: Madikeri – Kushalnagar – Bylakuppe – Mysuru, about 120 km

Drive down from the hills to Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India. Visit the Namdroling Monastery, with its golden statues and bright paintings. Visitors are quiet in the prayer hall, and photographs are limited. We confirm the rules on the day.

Continue to Mysuru, the city of the Wodeyar kings. Check in at the Metropole Heritage Hotel, then take a walk around the Devaraja Market, a covered market of flowers, fruit, spices and incense, if time allows.

Experience of the Day

• Namdroling Monastery at Bylakuppe

• Arrival in Mysuru

• Evening at Devaraja Market

Food

Recommended: Lunch at Bylakuppe, with Tibetan dishes. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Momos and thukpa at Bylakuppe, and Mysore pak in the evening.

Shopping

Sandalwood, silk and incense in Mysuru.

Activities to Do

• Evening walk at the market

• Rest at the hotel

Route: Mysuru: Mysore Palace – Chamundi Hill – Somanathapura, about 90 km round trip

Visit Mysore Palace, the home of the Wodeyar kings, finished in 1912. Inside, the halls have stained glass, carved doors and painted ceilings. On Sunday evenings and on festival days, the palace is lit by thousands of bulbs.

Drive up Chamundi Hill, to the temple of Chamundeshwari and the great Nandi carved from a single rock. In the afternoon, drive 35 km to Somanathapura, where the Chennakesava temple was built in 1258 by the Hoysala kings. It is covered in fine carving, and was inscribed as part of the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala (UNESCO, 2023).

Note on palace and temple rules: Photography is not allowed inside the palace. Shoes are removed at the temples. The Chamundi temple has long queues at weekends, and we plan the hill outside peak hours.

Experience of the Day

• Mysore Palace

• Chamundi Hill and the great Nandi

• Somanathapura Hoysala temple (UNESCO)

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a Mysuru restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Mysore masala dosa and Mysore pak.

Shopping

Silk saris, sandalwood and rosewood carvings.

Activities to Do

• Optional yoga session at the hotel

• Optional perfume workshop

Route: Mysuru – Srirangapatna – Bengaluru airport (BLR) – flight – Hyderabad (HYD), about 190 km by road

Leave Mysuru after breakfast and stop at Srirangapatna, the island fortress of Tipu Sultan. See the Daria Daulat Bagh, his summer palace, with painted walls, and the Gumbaz, where he is buried. Then follow the expressway to Bengaluru airport.

Take an afternoon or evening flight to Hyderabad. Taj Krishna stands in the Banjara Hills, and you arrive in time for dinner. We pick a flight after 4 pm, so that the road is not rushed.

Note on the flight: The Bengaluru to Hyderabad route has many daily flights, and we book one that leaves with a safe margin after the drive.

Experience of the Day

• Srirangapatna: Tipu Sultan's summer palace and tomb

• Flight to Hyderabad

• Evening arrival

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Hyderabadi biryani, a first taste on arrival.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

Route: Hyderabad: Charminar – Laad Bazaar – Chowmahalla Palace – Golconda Fort

Start in the old city at the Charminar, the four-minaret monument built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. Walk through Laad Bazaar, where shops sell glass bangles set with stones, and the pearl shops nearby.

Visit the Chowmahalla Palace, the seat of the Nizams, with its courtyards, durbar hall and collection of cars. In the afternoon, drive to Golconda Fort, the stronghold of the Qutb Shahi kings. The fort is known for the clap at its entrance that echoes up to the hilltop, and for the diamond trade of the old kingdom. Climb to the top for the view. Stay for the sound and light show, if the timing suits.

Note on opening days: Chowmahalla is closed on Fridays. We confirm opening days and plan the order around them.

Experience of the Day

• Charminar and Laad Bazaar

• Chowmahalla Palace

• Golconda Fort

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a biryani restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Hyderabadi dum biryani, haleem in season and Irani chai.

Shopping

Pearls, bangles and Pochampally and Himroo textiles.

Activities to Do

• Optional sound and light show at Golconda

• Optional evening at Hussain Sagar lake

Route: Hyderabad: Qutb Shahi tombs – Hyderabad airport (HYD) – flight – Tirupati (TIR)

Spend the morning at the Qutb Shahi tombs, where the domed tombs of the Golconda rulers stand in a garden. Then take an afternoon flight to Tirupati, in Andhra Pradesh. Tirupati is the base for the Tirumala hills.

Check in at Fortune Select Grand Ridge and rest. In the evening, walk in the town near the hotel.

Note on the flight: Hyderabad to Tirupati has a small number of nonstop flights each day. We confirm the timetable when you book. If no suitable flight runs on your date, we fly Hyderabad to Chennai instead and drive to Tirupati, which adds about 4 hours by road.

Experience of the Day

• Qutb Shahi tombs

• Flight to Tirupati

• Evening in the temple town

Food

Recommended: Lunch in Hyderabad. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: A south Indian vegetarian meal. Tirupati is a pilgrim town, and most restaurants are vegetarian.

Activities to Do

• Rest at the hotel

• Short walk in the evening

Route: Tirupati: Chandragiri Fort – Govindaraja Swamy temple area – Kapila Theertham – Tirumala hills viewpoints

Drive 12 km west to Chandragiri Fort, a hill fort that was once a capital of the late Vijayanagara kings. See the Raja Mahal and Rani Mahal, and the museum inside. The fort is run by the state archaeology department, and we confirm opening hours.

Return to Tirupati to see the outside of the Govindaraja Swamy temple, with its tall gateway, and the area around Kapila Theertham, where a waterfall runs beside a temple at the foot of the hills. Drive part of the way up the Tirumala hills for the view.

The Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala is one of the most visited in the world. Non-Hindu visitors are asked to sign a declaration of faith, and the queues can last many hours. We do not plan a darshan. We can add the hill road and the surroundings if you wish.

Note on Tirumala: The temple is run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Its rules for non-Hindu visitors may change, and we confirm them before you travel.

Experience of the Day

• Chandragiri Fort

• Govindaraja Swamy temple gateway

• Kapila Theertham and the Tirumala hills view

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a local vegetarian restaurant. Dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: Idli, dosa and the famous Tirupati laddu, sold as temple prasad.

Activities to Do

• Optional photography at Chandragiri

• Rest in the afternoon

Route: Tirupati – Sri City area – Chennai, about 150 km

Drive east and south across the plain back to Chennai, where the journey began. The road crosses the border from Andhra Pradesh into Tamil Nadu.

In the afternoon, visit Fort St George, begun in 1644 by the English East India Company, and the church of St Mary, built in 1680. Then stop at Santhome Basilica, first built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. If you missed the Government Museum on Day 2, it fits here, on any day but Friday.

Take a last evening walk on the Marina seafront, and have a farewell dinner at the hotel.

Experience of the Day

• Fort St George and St Mary's Church

• Santhome Basilica

• Last evening on the seafront

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road. Farewell dinner at the hotel.

Must-Try: A last Chettinad meal or a Chennai seafood dinner.

Shopping

Silk saris from Kanchipuram and last souvenirs.

Activities to Do

• Optional visit to the Government Museum

• Packing and rest

Route: Taj Coromandel to Chennai International Airport (MAA), about 20 km

Your driver takes you to the airport for your flight home. We plan the drop around your departure time, and recommend that you leave the hotel at least three hours before an international flight.

You leave having travelled through all seven states and union territories of the south, from the shore temples of Mamallapuram to the Deccan fort of Golconda.

Experience of the Day

• Airport drop

• Farewell