{"id":200,"date":"2024-05-22T17:28:12","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T16:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/?page_id=200"},"modified":"2024-05-22T17:52:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T16:52:53","slug":"discover-south-india","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/discover-south-india\/","title":{"rendered":"DISCOVER SOUTH INDIA"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"200\" class=\"elementor elementor-200\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4adf9df0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4adf9df0\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-106e470a elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"106e470a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 20-05-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"961\" height=\"721\" src=\"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot_3.png\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048 wp-image-204\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot_3.png 961w, https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot_3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot_3-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 961px) 100vw, 961px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73999de9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"73999de9\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f3df4a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1f3df4a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 20-05-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Tour Route: Bangalore (1) \u2013 Hassan (1) \u2013 Mysore (2) \u2013 Ooty (1) \u2013 Kochi (2) \u2013 Alleppey \/ Kumarakom Houseboat (1) \u2013 Periyar (2) \u2013 Madurai (1) \u2013<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Trichy \/ Tanjore (1) \u2013 Pondicherry (1) \u2013 Mahabalipuram (2) &#8211; Chennai<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Tour Duration: 15 nights \/ 16 days<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Day 1: Arrive Bangalore<\/strong><br \/>Upon your arrival in the hi- tech Indian city of Bangalore, you will be greeted by our representative at the International Airport. After a warm welcome,<br \/>you will be escorted to your hotel for an overnight stay<\/p><p><strong>Day 2: DRIVE Bangalore \u2013 Hassan [185 Kms \/ 4 Hrs]<\/strong><br \/>After breakfast, enjoy a city tour of Bangalore visiting the Government museum (one of the oldest museums of India), Vidhan Soudha (state legislative<br \/>chambers with magnificent amalgamation of modern and traditional Dravidian temple style architecture), the famous Bull Temple (which houses a huge<br \/>granite monolith of Nandi, the holy Bull), ruins of the fort of Tipu Sultan and Lal Bagh Gardens (regarded as one of the most richly diverse botanical<br \/>gardens in south Asia).<br \/>Later, drive to Hassan for overnight stay.<\/p><p><strong>Day 3: DRIVE Hassan &#8211; Mysore [120 Kms \/ 3 Hrs)<\/strong><br \/>This morning, visit Belur, famous for its magnificent Hoysala Temple Complex with intricate sculptures. This is the only Hoysala Temple still in active<br \/>worship. Also visit Halebidu, the erstwhile capital of the Hoysalas. The Hoysaleswara Temple here perched on a star-shaped base amidst lawns, is a<br \/>sculptural extravaganza.<br \/>This afternoon, embark on your drive to Mysore for 2 nights stay.<\/p><p><strong>Day 4: Day in Mysore<\/strong><br \/>This morning, enjoy a city tour of Mysore visiting the Maharaja&amp;#39;s Palace, one of the biggest palaces in India; St Philomena&amp;#39;s Church; Sri Jayachamarajendra<br \/>Art Gallery in the Jag Mohan Palace, which has a collection of exquisite paintings.<br \/>In the evening visit the Chamundi hill and Bull temple and see the daily prayers and rituals being performed by priests.<\/p><p><b>Day 5: DRIVE Mysore &#8211; Ooty [125 Kms \/ 4 Hrs]<br \/><\/b>This morning embark on a leisurely drive to Ooty. Known as the Queen of the Blue Mountains, Ooty is famous for its rolling hills covered in pine and<br \/>eucalyptus, sparkling waterfalls and its coffee and tea plantations.<br \/>Enroute to Ooty, enjoy a tea plantation and factory tour and learn the secrets to a perfect brew. Evening at leisure to relax and unwind in the serenity of<br \/>Ooty.<br \/><b><br \/><\/b><\/p><p><b>Day 6: DRIVE Ooty &#8211; Kochi (300 Kms \/ 7.5 Hrs)<br \/><\/b>This morning, drive to Kochi, the commercial capital and the most cosmopolitan city of Kerala. Starting from the Dutch, Portuguese and the British, Kochi<br \/>was the site of the first European colonial settlements in India.<br \/>Upon arrival, check into your hotel for 2 nights stay.<br \/><b><br \/><\/b><\/p><p><b>Day 7: Day in Kochi<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, take a guided walk through the historic Fort Kochi area. This morning we will visit the Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue, St. Francis Church<br \/>and see the authentic Chinese fishing nets still in active use by the fishermen in Kerala.<br \/>This evening, watch a spectacular Kathakali performance. Kathakali is one of the oldest theatre forms in India. One of the most complex and highly<br \/>stylized Indian art forms, this performance is a spectacular combination of drama, dance, music and ritual. Characters with vividly painted faces and<br \/>elaborate costumes re-enact stories from the Hindu epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Reach early for the unique opportunity to see the performers<br \/>dressing up in their very elaborate and colorful costumes and painting their faces with make up to create the special persona for the performance. Also<br \/>visit the onsite cultural museum to see sculptures of Kerala&amp;#39;s unique dance forms, a large replica of an authentic Keralan wooden canoe and see how<br \/>Keralan handicrafts and saris are woven.<\/p><p><b>Day 8: DRIVE Kochi &#8211; Alleppey [65 Kms \/ 1.5 Hrs]<br \/>CRUISE Alleppey &#8211; Kumarakom<\/b><\/p><p>This morning, drive to Alleppey, a coastal town in the backwaters of Kerala. Upon arrival in Alleppey, board your houseboat to cruise through the<br \/>backwaters. Kerala backwaters consist of a complex network of lagoons, lakes, &amp;amp; canals and are best experienced while slowly rowing down the labyrinth<br \/>of canals in a traditional thatch-roofed houseboat, known as &amp;#39;Kettuvallam&amp;#39;. See life on the banks, lush green rice fields, and coconut groves with occasional<br \/>temple or church as you cruise through the canals. Enjoy the special Kerala style meals prepared by your chef on board.<br \/>Overnight stay at houseboat.<\/p><p><b>Day 9: DRIVE Kumarakom \u2013 Periyar [125 Kms \/ 4 Hrs]<br \/><\/b>This morning, enjoy breakfast on board. Alight your houseboat at Kumarakom. You may wish to visit the Kumarakom bird sanctuary on the banks of<br \/>Vembanad Lake. This sanctuary is spread over 100 acres and is home to thousands of resident and migratory birds. Some commonly found species include<br \/>egret, darter, waterfowl, heron, bittern, kites, marsh harries, kingfishers, woodpeckers and wild ducks.<br \/>Later, embark on a scenic drive to Periyar, the wildlife and spice plantation hub of Kerala. Upon arrival in Periyar, check in to your hotel for 2 nights stay.<\/p><p><b>Day 10: Day in Periyar<br \/><\/b>Today, take a spice plantation tour and learn about the mystery and history of Indian spices. The spice plantations in Periyar are captivating farms<br \/>growing different spices in different sections of the plantations. You will be intrigued to see the vast variety of spices ranging from cloves, cardamom,<br \/>ginger, pepper, chilli, turmeric etc.<br \/>Optional Martial Art Performance at Village Arena: This evening watch Kalaripayattu performance, one of the oldest form of martial arts and known as the<br \/>mother of all martial arts. Kalarippayattu consists of punches, leg moves, stretches, twists, and jumps performed in a particular sequence. In Periyar, you<br \/>get a unique opportunity to witness a performance of this ancient art along with the locals at the village arena (at extra charge).<\/p><p><b>Day 11: DRIVE Periyar &#8211; Madurai [175 Kms \/ 5 Hrs]<br \/><\/b>After an early breakfast, embark on your drive to the temple city of Madurai. This afternoon, visit the Gandhi museum, containing photos, paintings,<br \/>sculptures, manuscripts, quotations, and some original articles used by Mahatma Gandhi. Then visit the 17 th century Tirumalai Nayak Palace which is<br \/>famous for its rectangular dance courtyard.<br \/>Later, visit the famous Meenakshi temple and stay on to enjoy the evening Aarti (prayer ceremony) to see the rituals being performed by priests.<\/p><p><b>Day 12: DRIVE Madurai \u2013 Tanjore via Trichy [185 Kms \/ 5.5 Hrs]<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, embark on your drive to Tanjore. Enroute visit Trichy, famous for its rich cultural and splendid architectural heritage.<br \/>Upon arrival in Tanjore, check in to your hotel and freshen up. This afternoon visit the Brihadeshwara Temple, which is often referred as the crowning<br \/>glory of Chola Temple architecture.<br \/>Also, visit the Thanjavur Palace, which was constructed in the 16 th century and has huge corridors, spacious halls, observation and arsenal towers.<\/p><p><b>Day 13: DRIVE Tanjore \u2013 Pondicherry [165 \/ 4.5 Kms]<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, drive to Pondicherry. Ruled by the French for 300 years, today Pondicherry stands as a living epitome of French culture in India.<br \/>Enjoy the evening at leisure walking around the small town and exploring the mix of French and Tamil architecture and culture in the region.<\/p><p><br \/><b>Day 14: DRIVE Pondicherry &#8211; Mahabalipuram [100 Kms \/ 2 Hrs]<br \/><\/b>This morning, visit the community of Auroville, a unique experiment in human unity and international living.<br \/>Located approx 6 kms north of Pondicherry, the community at Auroville, a unique experiment in human unity and international living. Auroville was<br \/>founded in 1968 by a French national who was a follower of local spiritual visionary, Sri Aurobindo. Today Auroville is an international community, with a<br \/>population of some 50,000 people from 43 different countries. The city is centred around Matrimandir, \u2018Temple of the Mother\u2019, the geographical and<br \/>spiritual heart of the community. Take a walk to the Matrimandir, observing the eclectic mix of people here. [entry to Matrimandir is not allowed]<\/p><p><br \/><b>Day 15: Day in Mahabalipuram<br \/><\/b>Today, explore the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, visiting the Shore temple (one of the oldest temples in south India, belonging to the early 8th century<br \/>AD), Arjuna&amp;#39;s penance (the world&amp;#39;s largest bas-relief measuring 27m x 9m &#8211; this huge rock consists figures of Gods, men, beasts, birds and represents the<br \/>entire creation), Five Rathas (five monolithic temples, each having its own style &#8211; also known as the &amp;quot;Panch Pandav Rathas&amp;quot;).<br \/>Enjoy the afternoon at leisure.<\/p><p><br \/><b>Day 16: DRIVE Mahabalipuram \u2013 Chennai [50 Kms \/ 1.5 Hrs]<br \/><\/b>This morning, embark on a short drive to Chennai, en-route visiting Dakshina Chitra, an exciting cross cultural living museum of art, architecture, lifestyles,<br \/>crafts and performing arts of South India. Dakshina Chitra has a collection of 18 authentic historical houses, transported from different states of south<br \/>India, and reconstructed here with interesting contextual exhibitions of the region in each house.<br \/>Later, continue drive to Chennai, where you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight back home<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tour Route: Bangalore (1) \u2013 Hassan (1) \u2013 Mysore (2) \u2013 Ooty (1) \u2013 Kochi (2) \u2013 Alleppey \/ Kumarakom Houseboat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-200","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/200\/revisions\/208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}