ITINERARY SOUTHERN COMFORT

The Spice Trails team will meet you on arrival and drive to your Kovalam resort.

After breakfast, a half day excursion to Kanyakumari, visit the Gandhi Mandapam, located close to the Kumari Amman Temple. This is the place where the urn containing the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi was immersed in the three seas. On to Kovalam, en-route visit the Padmanabhapuram Palace, once the capital of the State of Travancore.

Following breakfast, drive to Alleppey, where you board the houseboat for a unique experience through the narrow canals and channels of the backwaters of Kerala. The cruise takes you along snake boat docks, friendly cheering villagers, jute making communities, toddy shops, fishing nets pitched for the day’scatch, bunded paddy fields and manual canoes of different sizes  criss-crossing each other. Lunch and dinners will be served on board.
Overnight on the Houseboat.

Following breakfast, disembark at Alleppey and drive to Cochin.
Check in to your hotel on arrival.
Cochin – A city with indelible marks of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Jewish traditions. Of Special mention is the older parts of the Fort Cochin area, which still reflect an unusual blend of medieval Portugal, Dutch and English country life, grafted on to the tropical Malabar Coast. The unique feature of Cochin is the unexpected and isolated Jewish community, whose origins date back to AD 52. They are self-contained and have there own
Synagogue. The area around the Synagogue, known as ‘Jew Town’ is one of the main centres of spice trade.

A special treat of the evening has you witnessing the strength and
vigor of Kathakali dance drama, enacting great episodes from the
Indian epics.
Night at hotel in Cochin.

On arrival you are met and taken to your hotel. Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu and was the oldest settlement of the British. The Cathedral and the Fort of St. George are a reminder ofit’s British past. Visit Marina Beach, second longest beach in the world and walk along its elegant promenade

After breakfast drive to Mahabalipuram, enroute visit Kanchipuram, known as the Golden city of a Thousand Temples. This is one of India’s sacred cities. Many early styles of temple architecture may be seen here. Drive to Mahabalipuram for your overnight stay.

Mahabalipuram is an ancient coastal port South of Madras and you will see many sculptures and temples of typical South India architectural design
CHENNAI – BANGALORE
Following breakfast, transfer to Chennai airport for your flight to Bangalore. On arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, a tour of Bangalore City, which includes:
The Vidhan Soubha or the State Secretariat, Cubbon Park, The Government Museum of Bangalore, the Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens, Tipu Sultan’s Fort and Palace and the 16th-century Dravidian-styled temple dedicated to Nandi the Bull.

Afternoon sightseeing tour of Mysore City. Mysore – This salubrious and charming City lies 770-m above sea level, is an easy-going City famous for it’s silk and is also a thriving sandalwood and incense centre. The City is steeped in history. The Mysore Palace, built in Indo, Saracenic style, is one of the largest and most brilliant palaces in India. It’s a kaleidoscope of stained glass, mirrors, gilt and colours. There are beautiful carved wooden doors, mosaic floors, as well as exquisite paintings.

Enjoy an excursion to Somnathpur this morning. An exquisitely carved, star-shaped temple with triple towers, a perfect example of Hoysala architecture. The friezes on its outer walls with their intricately carved rows of caparisoned elephants, charging horsemen, birds and beasts of mythology, will leave you
spellbound.

After breakfast drive to Bangalore for your flight to Goa on arrival transfer to your hotel.

Following breakfast, visit Panaji the capital of Old Goa. Visit the Church of St Francis, perhaps one of the most magnificent buildings in Old Goa. It contains glided and carved woodwork and old murals depicting scenes from the life of St. Francis.

The Convent and the back of the Church has been converted into an archaeological museum. The domeless Jama Masjid lies near the square. The Hindu Mahalxmi Temple, which is now hidden behind a new building, is by the Bocade Vaca.

A day to enjoy Goa’s famous beaches.

Mid-morning transfer to Goa airport for your flight to Mumbai where you will be transferred to your hotel.

A morning tour of Mumbai covering:
The Gateway to India, constructed to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to the city. Designed to be the first thing that visitors see when approaching Mumbai by boat, the looming Gateway was completed in 1924 and remains a striking symbol of the British Raj era.
The Hanging Gardens, perched on Malabar Hill, these terraced gardens offer lovely sunset views over the Arabian Sea. The park overlooks the Towers of Silence, a Parsi crematorium.
Haji Ali Dargah is a popular religious landmark situated 500 meters from the Mumbai shoreline in the middle of the Arabian Sea.

After breakfast a transfer has been arranged to the airport for your onward journey