Tamil Nadu

The center of Dravidian culture, combining grand temples, coastal stone carvings and cool hill stations.

Tamil Nadu lies at the southeastern tip of India and is the center of Dravidian culture and the Tamil language, famed for its temples with soaring gopuram gateway towers. The Meenakshi Temple in Madurai is brilliantly colored, the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur is a World Heritage Site, and the Shore Temple and rock reliefs of Mahabalipuram are also World Heritage Sites; the capital, Chennai, is an important gateway to South India. Ooty (Nilgiris) and Kodaikanal in the Western Ghats are cool hill stations, and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a special attraction. The best season is November to February, and the hill stations are also pleasant in summer.

Destinations

• Chennai
• Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
• Madurai
• Kodaikanal
• Thanjavur
• Valparai
• Yercaud
• Rameswaram
• Mamallapuram
• Kanchipuram
• Tiruchirappalli
• Chettinad
• Puducherry (Pondicherry)
• Thekkady (Periyar)
• Varkala & Kovalam
• Munnar
• Mannar

Itineraries

• Tamil Nadu Temple Trail – Travel south from Chennai to Madurai, exploring Pallava rock carvings, Great Living Chola Temples, and the sacred Pamba…
• South India Coast-to-Coast: Chennai to Kochi – From the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea, traverse temple plains, Chettinad, tea hills, and backwaters.
• Chennai, Kanchipuram & Pondicherry – Loop from Chennai to see Kanchipuram, the Shore Temple, Auroville, and the French Quarter.
• Classic Kerala – Fly into Kochi and out of Trivandrum, taking in tea plantations, a tiger reserve, backwater houseboats, and red cliff b…
• Madurai to Twin Hill Stations (Munnar) – Ascend from the ancient temple city to two hill stations, crossing the Western Ghats into the tea hills of Kerala.
• Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ooty & Coorg – Loop from Bengaluru to see the royal city, ride the mountain toy train, and stay in the coffee hills.