The Leela Palace Your Flight Will Land at Chennai International Airport At

Day 1 Arrive Chennai Hotel: The Leela Palace Your flight will land at Chennai International Airport at (TBA), local time. After you clear Immigration and Customs formalities, you will be met by our Peirce & Leslie colleague at the Arrival Hall and driven to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure Day 2 Chennai Meals: B, D In the morning, you will visit V. R. Devika’s house for a presentation on Nataraja. The Nataraja is a depiction of the Hindu God Shiva as the cosmic dancer who performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and makes preparations for the God Brahma to start the process of creation. Devika is a well-known expert on this subject and her presentation on the Nataraja will talk about the mythology and philosophy of Nataraja and new research about its connection with astronomy and the constellation Orion. In the afternoon, you will visit the Madras Museum (remains closed on Fridays). Your focus on this visit will be the Bronze Gallery with its superb collection of 9th to 13th century bronzes. Thereafter, you will proceed to Mylapore which is one of the most ancient parts of the city. Here, you will visit the Santhome Church built during the 16th century by Portuguese explorers. The area is abuzz with local restaurants, small shops selling flowers, coloured powders, and other items for the puja (worship). You will also take a heritage walk through the area including the four narrow streets which circle the 16th century Kapleeswarar temple. Built by the Pallava kings in the 8th century, it is a striking example of Dravidian architecture and the oldest temple in Chennai. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple boasts stunning sculptures and inscriptions dating back to 1250 AD. In the evening, you will have dinner with a local family. Day 3 Chennai Meals: B, L After breakfast, we will take you on an excursion to Mahabalipuram (approximately 2 hours, excluding stops). En route you will stop at Dakshina Chitra, which showcases the culture of the four southern India states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Next, you will proceed to the Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay in Mahabalipuram (30 minutes) for lunch at their seafood specialty restaurant. After lunch, you will visit a group of sanctuaries carved out of living rock at Mahabalipuram. This open-air museum of Tamil art (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is the work of students who were under the patronage of the Pallava rulers. Strewn along the coast are some outstanding examples of 7th century sculpture. In the evening, you will return to Chennai. Day 4 Chennai/Madurai (By Air) Hotel: Heritage Madurai Meals: B After a leisurely breakfast, you will be escorted to the airport in time to board your Air India flight AI 671 (11:50/12:55 hours – 1 hour/5 minutes) to Madurai. On arrival, you will be met by our colleague and escorted to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will visit the Meenakshi Amman temple dedicated to Parvati (also known as Meenakshi), and her consort, Shiva. The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2,500-year-old city of Madurai. After dinner, you may choose to return to the Meenakshi temple to witness a ceremony in which Shiva, represented by a silver lingam, is transported by palanquin amid much fire, incense, and drum beats, to the quarters of his consort, the presiding deity, Meenakshi. It’s certainly a sight to behold! (Non-Hindus are restricted from entering the inner sanctum of the temple). Day 5 Madurai Meals: B In the morning, you will begin with a specially designed tour - “Vanakkam Madurai” (Welcome to Madurai). This private interactive walking tour, which starts at dawn and lasts about 2 hours (06:00-08:00 hours), offers a unique and authentic experience that immerses you in the culture and everyday life of an Indian city. After breakfast at your hotel, you will visit the flower market on the outskirts of the city. Madurai’s link with flowers, especially jasmine, dates back to 300 BC. Sangams (Ancient Tamil poems) have numerous references to the malli poo (Arabian jasmine flowers). Perfectly strung by deft-fingered ladies, you will find fragrant jasmine florets and strings entwined into the oil-slicked back kondais, or topknots, of most women in the region. At the market you will see a variety of flowers, each with their own purpose – worship, weddings or personal adornment. You will then proceed to the Thirumalai Nayaka Palace. In the late afternoon hours, you will watch the unique “Feeding of the Gods” ritual, a unique tradition of preparing food to offer the deities, at a local temple. Day 6 Madurai/Thekkady (By Surface) Hotel: Spice Village Meals: B In the morning, you will drive into the cool lush hills to lakeside Thekkady, bordering the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve (approximately 4 hours, excluding stops). On arrival, you will check-in to your resort. Late in the afternoon, you will be taken on a walking tour to a spice plantation. Day 7 Thekkady Meals: B Early in the morning, you will embark on a 2-hour boat cruise on Periyar Lake and experience its calmness. The cruise is unique for it’s one among the few in the world that offers such an up-close view of wildlife. You can see the wild animals along the shore of the lake bathing, drinking, resting and foraging. Later this evening, you will watch a demonstration of the famous Dravidian martial art form of Kerala – Kalaripayattu, which originated in 1362 AD. The demonstration will take place at a Kalarikallam or training square. Day 8 Thekkady/Backwaters (By surface) Hotel: Luxury Houseboat Meals: B, L, D This morning you will drive 04 hours to Alleppey to board your houseboat for an overnight cruise. A visit to Kerala is incomplete without touring the backwaters. Traveling the canals and wide open lakes in a houseboat or “Kettuvallom”, you will see sights impossible to see if you were traveling by road. Day 9 Backwaters/Cochin (By surface) Hotel: Eighth Bastion Meals: B After breakfast you will disembark from the houseboat and drive to Cochin. In the afternoon, you will stroll through the charming Heritage Zone, where you will see various architectural styles reflecting the many cultures that lived here. Dutch houses stand next to spacious porticoed British plantation style homes. Further down are two churches built by the Portuguese, while standing guard over the harbor are the Chinese Fishing nets. This evening you will watch a private Kathakali dance performance at a local theater. An Indian dance- drama, Kathakali is usually performed in front of a Kalivilakku (“kali”=dance, “vilakku”=lamp). A distinguishing characteristic of this art form is that the actors never speak, but instead use hand gestures, expressions and rhythmic dancing in place of dialogue. Another standout feature is the wonderful makeup worn by all performers. Day 10 Cochin Meals: B, L Your day will start with a visit to the Jewish Synagogue (remains closed on Fridays and Saturdays). It is one of the oldest in India and is set in the Jewish Quarter, commonly known as “Jew Town” which is also known for its aromatic spice market and antique shops. The interior of the Synagogue is decorated with 18th century blue ceramic Cantonese tiles, hand painted and each one different! From here, you will proceed to Mattancherri Palace, (remains closed on Fridays) which was commissioned by the Portuguese for the Raja of Kochi in exchange for trading rights. The palace is two stories high and is built in the traditional Kerala style of “nalukattu” (four buildings around a central courtyard). Made of richly carved wood, the palace exhibits memorabilia from the Raja of Kochi’s collection, but it is best known for the outstanding murals painted on its walls. Today’s lunch will be at Nimmy and Paul’s Kerala residence “At Home” in Kochi. A prominent Syrian Christian couple, Nimmy is a renowned cooking instructor. Paul and Nimmy plan each meal meticulously and showcase the traditional flavours and preparations of Kerala in a comfortable and informal setting. Note: “At Home” honours only one booking at a time on first-come-first- serve basis; therefore, confirmation would be subject to availability. Day 11- Kochi/Kovalam (By Surface) Day 16 Hotel: Niraamaya Retreats Surya Samudra Meals: B After breakfast, you will drive to Kovalam (5 hours) On arrival you will check-in to your hotel. In the afternoon you will meet with your personal Ayurveda doctor for a consult in order to arrange a suitable course of treatment. You will spend next 5 days indulging in the Ayurvedic treatment’s customized for you! Day 17 Kovalam/Trivandrum (By Surface) Today you will be transferred to the airport to board your flight. ABBREVIATIONS: B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; and D = Dinner Notes: Standard check-in time at hotels is 1400 hrs and check-out time is 1200 hrs. All tours in our program are privately guided and exclusively arranged for you. You have full flexibility in making any special requests or opting out of any activity that you are not interested in, by simply letting your guide or our representative know. We are committed to ensuring your comfort and safety and are able to re-arrange or reschedule all tours at your convenience. Our local staff will check with you to confirm the times at which you would like the tours to start. Reporting time at airports for flights: International flights: 3 hours prior to the departure time for Economy class passengers and 2 hours prior to the departure time for Business class passengers Domestic flights: 90 minutes prior to the departure time for Economy class passengers

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