Overview
Swaying palm trees, rolling hills and calm backwaters make up southern India's lush landscape and on this 13-day Premium adventure, you’ll travel off the tourist trail. Head into the home of a local family and be immersed in their culture, head down the French-inspired streets of Puducherry and explore the maze of food stalls in Maduraito.
Go into the wilderness of the Periyar National Park to look for local wildlife and tiger tracks, watch a live performance of kalarippayattu and visit tea plantations to learn how this popular beverage is grown and made. With heaps of local food, a night read more in a converted houseboat and a knowledgeable local leader to help you uncover local secrets, this will be a trip of a lifetime.
Go into the wilderness of the Periyar National Park to look for local wildlife and tiger tracks, watch a live performance of kalarippayattu and visit tea plantations to learn how this popular beverage is grown and made. With heaps of local food, a night read more in a converted houseboat and a knowledgeable local leader to help you uncover local secrets, this will be a trip of a lifetime.
Trip Length
13 Days
Trip Starts
Chennai
Trip Ends
Kochi
Departures
Trip Style
Premium
Accommodation
4 Star
Budget
Premium
Age Range
15-99 Years
Max. Group Size
12
Pace
Leisurely
Guide Style
Fully Guided
Tour Code
HHPS
Countries Visited:
Itinerary
Namaste! Welcome to India! Your adventure begins in Chennai, India’s cultural heart and fourth-largest city. You’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel when you arrive. Meet your fellow travellers and experienced leader at a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive early, you may like to visit the market stalls of Georgetown Bazaar. After your meeting, join your group for a welcome dinner at Chennai’s first chain restaurant, serving an iconic array of south Indian vegetarian dishes like idly, dosa and poori.
Included Meals:
Dinner
This morning, leave the city behind and drive along the scenic East Coast Road to the fishing town of Mamallapuram. Visit the 8th-century Shore Temple and its mandapams (carved pillars) and watch locals pay their respects to Shiva. Later, continue to Puducherry. A French colony until 1954, the old parts of town retain a distinctly European feel, with leafy boulevards lined with houses and boutiques. When you arrive, the evening is free to explore. Puducherry has a varied food scene with Indian and classic French influences, so ask your leader where to grab dinner.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
This morning is free, then head out for a walking tour with your leader to see local temples and the French Quarter. Stroll past mustard-coloured buildings draped with vibrant bougainvillea as your leader shares stories of the revolutionaries, generals and kings who once walked these streets. Stop by the pastel pink Church of Notre Dame, then at a cafe in White Town to try local snacks, then enjoy a free evening to explore at your own pace.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Continue to Madurai today, with plenty of chai stops along the way. Arrive in the late afternoon and head out on a short orientation walk to get acquainted with one of India’s oldest cities. When you’ve got your bearings, join your leader on a tour of the city’s Tamil cuisine. Madurai is bursting with street food stalls, family-owned restaurants and regional delicacies, and your leader will show you dishes that aren’t on the tourist menus. Taste mutton dosa or fish gravy as your leader shares stories of centuries-old recipes, then round out the night with Jigarthanda, Madurai’s celebrated dessert.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Continue your exploration of Madurai today. Your leader will guide you through the Tailor’s Market, local bazaars and Sri Meenakshi Temple. Still in use today, this ancient temple is a maze of lamp-lit corridors leading to shrines where traditional rituals take place. Next, visit the National Gandhi Museum, dedicated to the life and achievements of India’s independence leader, then stop by the 17th-century Thirumalai Nayak Palace. This evening, immerse yourself in Tamil culture during a visit to a local family for a traditional home-cooked dinner featuring dishes like chettinad chicken, egg paratha and vegetable korma.
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Make your way to the countryside town of Thekkady today, driving past pineapple and rubber plantations. Thekkady is the gateway to Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve, sitting high in the Western Ghats. Stop at a spice plantation, where a local expert will help you taste, smell and learn about the spices that colour and flavour India’s cuisine. Put your new knowledge to good use during a flavoursome lunch made with spices from the plantation. The evening is yours to enjoy in Thekkady – maybe wander the spice and tea shops or relax by the palm-fringed pool at your resort.
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch
This morning, take a guided nature walk in the acclaimed Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Your expert guide will help you look for tiger tracks, spotted deer, Indian elephants and gaur – the world’s largest buffalo species. You’re most likely to encounter bonnet macaques and the Malabar giant squirrel, a species native to India. You’ll have some free time before unwinding with a traditional Keralite Ayurvedic massage, learning the fundamentals of Ayurveda – this ancient holistic healing method restores harmony between mind and body through natural therapies and herbal oils. In the evening, attend a demonstration of kalarippayattu at the Kadathanadan Kalari Centre. Originating in Kerala, it’s believed to be India’s oldest surviving martial art and the high-energy fighters are a thrilling sight.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
This morning, drive north to Munnar – an old British hill station sitting in the surrounding valley. At 1525 m (5003 ft) above sea level, there’s likely to be a dramatic drop in temperature. When you arrive, tour a tea plantation, where a resident expert will guide you through the tea-making process. Follow narrow pathways, see workers picking the best leaves, learn how the leaves become one of the world’s most popular beverages and sample different varieties. There may be an opportunity to visit the tea museum, though opening hours are irregular and cannot be guaranteed. This evening, relax at your mountain resort.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
This morning, take a guided walk around the lush hills of Munnar, often shrouded in clouds. Have your camera ready as the landscape unfolds in front of you. In the afternoon, journey to the scenic Mattupetty Dam, where you’ll find a man-made lake and spectacular views of the surrounding valleys. Here, you can take an optional motorboat ride around the lake. After some time to appreciate the scenery, return to Munnar for a free evening.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Drive to Kerala’s backwaters this morning and discover Alleppey’s palm-shaded waterways. Once a trading port, the town is now famed for its snake boat races. The backwaters were once busy with kettuvallams – wooden boats used to transport rice and spices. Today, these traditional vessels have been transformed into houseboats, allowing you to explore the lagoons in total comfort during your Feature Stay. Conversions use natural materials, with bamboo roofing, coir flooring and beds crafted from coconut-tree wood. These floating cottages include western toilets, private bedrooms, a dining area and an open deck where you can watch rural Kerala drift by.
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Enjoy a peaceful morning on the Kerala waters before driving to Kochi in the afternoon. Cochin, as it was formerly known, is spread over several islands and is a melting pot of Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese and British influences. Join your leader on an orientation walk to see how these influences appear in the city’s architecture, restaurants and daily life. Later, take time to enjoy the city – maybe head to Princess Street for a coffee. Tonight, watch a Kathakali dance performance, a classical Indian dance from Kerala combining symbolic storytelling and physical technique.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Today, take a tuk-tuk sightseeing tour of Fort Kochi. Wander antique shops and spice bazaars as your leader shows you how to haggle. Stop by the famous Chinese fishing nets, then visit Mattancherry Palace, built by the Portuguese and later claimed by the Dutch. Continue to the Paradesi Synagogue, India’s oldest existing Jewish synagogue, then try sweets at Shantilal S. Mithaiwala, open since 1953. In the early evening, meet an Ayurvedic doctor, learn about Satvik Bhojan – the Ayurvedic diet – and join a cooking demonstration followed by dinner using the methods and recipes discussed. Kerala is widely regarded as the heartland of Ayurveda, where this ancient healing tradition has been practised and preserved for centuries.
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Dinner
Your adventure comes to an end after breakfast. If you’d like to extend your stay in India, speak to your booking agent ahead of time to organise additional accommodation or transfers.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Trip Inclusions
- Find out what makes Indian cuisine so special during Exclusive Experiences like an off-the-beaten-path food tour in Madurai, a home-cooked meal with a local family and a fragrant lunch at a spice plantation.
- Enjoy a high-energy Exclusive Experience with a live performance of kalarippayattu in Thekkady – believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in India.
- Unwind with a traditional Ayurvedic massage in Kerala, learn the fundamentals of this ancient holistic healing method, and take part in an Ayurvedic cooking demo.
- Experience a thousand shades of green as you tour a scenic tea plantation in Munnar and track footprints in search of wild elephants in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Spend a night in a converted houseboat on the Kerala backwaters – your Feature Stay for this adventure – and watch the world go by as you float along the river.
- Private vehicle, Ferry
- 12 Breakfasts included
- 2 Lunches included
- 4 Dinners included
- Accommodation, itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included
- Intrepid regularly update their itineraries throughout the year based on feedback and local conditions. Therefore the itinerary you see now may differ from when you booked. Global Journeys will provide you with detailed trip notes at the time of quoting, along with a finalised itinerary and trip notes before your trip departs.
Operator
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers off the beaten track to discover the world's most amazing places for 30 years. Every trip is designed to truly experience local culture - to meet local people, try local food, take local transport and stay in local accommodation. Led by a local leader, our small more group tours offer a sustainable way to travel off the beaten track, while giving back to the places and people that travellers visit.
Dates & Pricing
AUD
Flexible Deposit
Cancel up to 56 days before departure and your deposit becomes a credit for future travel.
GJ Loyalty Discount
Save even more if you're a past client of Global Journeys!
Monday
04 Jan 2027
04 Jan 27
Chennai
Saturday
16 Jan 2027
16 Jan 27
Kochi
Details
Definite Departure
Exclusive Savings
Was: $5,330
A$5,223
Save $107
Twin Share (Per Personpp)
Sunday
10 Jan 2027
10 Jan 27
Chennai
Friday
22 Jan 2027
22 Jan 27
Kochi
Details
Definite Departure
Exclusive Savings
Was: $5,460
A$5,351
Save $109
Twin Share (Per Personpp)
Sunday
17 Jan 2027
17 Jan 27
Chennai
Friday
29 Jan 2027
29 Jan 27
Kochi
Details
Definite Departure
Exclusive Savings
Was: $5,660
A$5,547
Save $113
Twin Share (Per Personpp)
Thursday
21 Jan 2027
21 Jan 27
Chennai
Tuesday
02 Feb 2027
02 Feb 27
Kochi
Details
Definite Departure
Exclusive Savings
Was: $5,490
A$5,380
Save $110
Twin Share (Per Personpp)
Sunday
24 Jan 2027
24 Jan 27
Chennai
Friday
05 Feb 2027
05 Feb 27
Kochi
Details
Definite Departure
Exclusive Savings
Was: $5,760
A$5,645
Save $115
Twin Share (Per Personpp)
Sunday
31 Jan 2027
31 Jan 27
Chennai
Friday
12 Feb 2027
12 Feb 27
Kochi
Details
Definite Departure
Exclusive Savings
Was: $5,650
A$5,537
Save $113
Twin Share (Per Personpp)
Note
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Enquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Enquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Note
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Intrepid. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Intrepid. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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