South India

Tropical South India offers Kerala's backwater houseboats and tea hills, Tamil gopuram temples, the ruins of Hampi and the Mysore Palace, at a more relaxed pace than the north.

This region follows the concept of South India commonly used by travelers, assigned by whole state: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, plus Puducherry and the Lakshadweep Islands. Goa belongs to West India, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to East India.

Highlights: in Kerala, houseboats on the Alleppey backwaters, Chinese fishing nets and Jew Town in Kochi, the tea gardens of Munnar and the sea cliffs of Varkala; in Tamil Nadu, the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur and the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram; in Karnataka, the ruins of Hampi, Mysore Palace and the coffee plantations of Coorg; the French Quarter of Puducherry, the hill stations of Ooty and Kodaikanal, and Hyderabad's Charminar and Golconda Fort.

Classic itineraries: the classic Kerala route (Kochi–Munnar–Thekkady–Alleppey–Varkala) takes 7–8 days; the Tamil temple route (Chennai–Mahabalipuram–Puducherry–Thanjavur–Madurai) takes 6–7 days; Karnataka (Bengaluru–Mysore–Coorg–Hampi) takes 5–6 days.

Getting there: Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi and Hyderabad all have international flights. Interstate rail is well developed, while hill and backwater areas mostly require a chartered car or boat.

Good to know: remove your shoes and dress conservatively to enter temples, and some inner sanctums are open only to Hindus. The Kerala monsoon season is the traditional season for Ayurvedic treatments. Lakshadweep requires an entry permit.

Destinations

• Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
• Wayanad
• Kodaikanal
• Agumbe
• Hampi
• Mysuru (Mysore)
• Kochi & Alappuzha
• Munnar
• Thekkady (Periyar)
• Varkala & Kovalam
• Chennai
• Puducherry (Pondicherry)
• Madurai
• Coorg (Madikeri)
• Araku Valley
• Badami
• Bengaluru
• Chikmagalur
• Gokarna
• Hyderabad
• Kannur
• Kozhikode
• Rameswaram
• Thanjavur
• Thrissur
• Tirupati
• Udupi
• Valparai
• Vijayapura (Bijapur)
• Visakhapatnam
• Warangal
• Yercaud
• Kanchipuram
• Mamallapuram
• Tiruchirappalli
• Bekal
• Chettinad

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.
• Karnataka Dynasty Heritage Trail – Travel south to north to see Mysuru, Hoysala temples, Hampi, Badami, and Vijayapura.
• Classic Kerala – Fly into Kochi and out of Trivandrum, taking in tea plantations, a tiger reserve, backwater houseboats, and red cliff b…
• Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ooty & Coorg – Loop from Bengaluru to see the royal city, ride the mountain toy train, and stay in the coffee hills.
• 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.
• Chennai, Kanchipuram & Pondicherry – Loop from Chennai to see Kanchipuram, the Shore Temple, Auroville, and the French Quarter.
• Coastal Karnataka & Rainforest – Head north along the Konkan Coast via Udupi, Agumbe Rainforest, and Murudeshwar to Gokarna.
• Malabar Coast & Theyyam Ritual Dance – Explore North Kerala via Beypore, Wayanad, Kannur Theyyam, and Bekal Fort.
• Koraput Tribal Highlands & Weekly Markets – Take the Araku Valley mountain railway up to the highlands, visit the Thursday Onkadelli market, and see waterfalls, ca…
• Goa, Hampi & Badami Loop – Take a train from Goa up to the Deccan Plateau, spend three days in Hampi, and visit Chalukya caves.
• Vizag Coast & Araku Valley – Spend two days in the coastal city, take a scenic train up the Eastern Ghats, and return via caves and coffee plantatio…