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4.19 (36 reviews)
18
Group Tours
9
Private Tours
5
City Explorer
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2026
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Almost every South India tour starts in Chennai. A day there covers Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore, Fort St George and San Thome Basilica, with Marina Beach in the late afternoon. Mahabalipuram lies an hour down the coast, where seventh-century shore temples and huge rock reliefs were cut straight into the granite.
The inland temple towns are why most people travel south. Madurai's Meenakshi Amman complex is the largest, its gopurams covered in painted figures, with a procession most evenings. Tanjore holds the Chola-built Brihadeeswarar Temple and Trichy the island temple at Srirangam.
The Nilgiris break the run of temple towns. Ooty sits high enough for tea estates and eucalyptus forest, and the air changes completely on the climb up. Coonoor below it is quieter and greener. Only the longer South India routes come this way, usually on the crossing between Kerala and Karnataka.
Karnataka appears on the longest itineraries only, and the architecture there is not Dravidian. Mysore Palace is Indo-Saracenic, finished in 1912 and is lit up on Sunday evenings. Hampi lies further north, a Vijayanagara capital abandoned in 1565 and now spread across a boulder field. Bangalore is also often included as the final destination on a tour.
South India tours run in a line rather than a circle, so length decides how far along it you get. Ten days is the shortest complete run, twelve gives the same ground more room, and the longest carry on into Karnataka for Mysore and Hampi.
| Tour | Duration | From price | Group size | Style | Hotel Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best of South India | 10 days | $1,485 | Max 15 | Group | 3 - 4 star hotels | |
| India Dravida Exploration | 11 days | $1,764 | Max 20 | Group | -5 star hotels | |
| Highlights of South India | 12 days | $1,215 | Private | Private | 3 star hotels | |
| South India Explorer | 14 days | $2,710 | Max 24 | Group | 3 - 4 star and heritage properties | |
| Great Southern Getaway | 15 days | $4,136 | Private | Private | Our rating: Standard | |
| Chennai to Bangalore | 18 days | $1,796 | Private | Private | 3-star hotels & a deluxe houseboat | |
| Delhi, Taj & Kochi | 24 days | $3,705 | Max 25 | Group | 3-5 star hotels |
From $950
3 toursTen days is the shortest route that still covers both halves of South India. It runs Kochi and the Kerala backwaters, Periyar and the tea hills, then east over the Western Ghats to Madurai, Tanjore and Pondicherry before normally finishing in Chennai. Nothing is dropped, but the driving days are full and most stops get a single night. This option is best if you want to experience both the temples and backwaters.
From $1,350
1 tourTwelve days runs much of the same ground as the 10 day options, starting in Chennai and finishing in Kochi, with the extra time spent at the most popular sites. Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram tend to be the starting point, Trichy joins Tanjore and Madurai on the temple run, and Periyar gets a proper day rather than a passing night. This is the most complete version of the classic route.
From $2,450
3 toursFourteen days is the length that gives the classic route a bit more breathing room. Second nights appear in the bigger stops, so Madurai gets an evening at Meenakshi rather than a rushed hour, and Chettinad and its merchant mansions are visited between Trichy and Madurai. The pace changes more than the map does so this option is best if the shorter routes seem too rushed.
From $1,796
2 toursEighteen days and above adds a third state to the itinerary. After Tamil Nadu and Kerala the road climbs to Ooty in the Nilgiris and on into Karnataka for Mysore, the Hoysala temples and Hampi, where the architecture stops being Dravidian and the language stops being Tamil. These routes finish in Bangalore rather than doubling back to Chennai, and most also run privately if that is preferred.
South India tours cross three states and each gives you something different: granite temples in Tamil Nadu, water and hills in Kerala, and ruined capitals in Karnataka. The Coromandel coast is another addition and is the colonial stretch that tends to fall at the start of the tour.
The Dravidian trail through Kanchipuram, Chidambaram, Tanjore, Trichy and Madurai. These are working temples with daily worship rather than ruins.
Granite gopurams across five temple cities, with local guides who can read the carving.
Temples close for several hours around midday, so the driving days start early.
Inland from the coast. Chennai to Pondicherry is 165km, then 365km on to Madurai.
The Western Ghats separate the two states, and crossing them changes everything: dry plains and granite on one side, tea estates and backwaters on the other.
Tea estates, spice hills and a night on a rice boat where the route reaches Alleppey.
If Kerala is the point of the trip, a Kerala tour will give you more nights there.
Over the Ghats from Madurai, 160km up to Munnar and 200km down to Kochi.
North and west of the Nilgiris the architecture changes. A palace at Mysore, Hoysala carving at Belur and Halebid, and the abandoned capital at Hampi.
A ruined city spread across a boulder field, and soapstone carving at the Hoysala temples.
Karnataka only appears on the longest routes, because Hampi is a long drive.
Inland Karnataka, north of Mysore. Bangalore is usually where these routes finish.
The colonial stretch between Chennai and the temple towns, taking in the rock-cut shrines at Mahabalipuram and the French grid at Pondicherry.
Seventh-century granite carving at Mahabalipuram and a French quarter that kept its street names.
This is a two or three-day stretch of a longer route rather than a trip.
South down the coast from Chennai, 55km to Mahabalipuram and 165km to Pondicherry.
4.19 (36 reviews)
The houseboat on the backwaters. The calm and peace of Kerala. The beautiful scenery. Guide didn't come with us (we were only 3). My travel agent checked when I booked and was told a guide would accompany us with just 3. Some of the hotels were too remote. They were lively but you couldn't leave the hotel to eat or explore. Particularly in Kochi, the hotel should be in old town.
AmberKerala boat trip. Taj Mahal and observatory on the north tour. Some hotels not quite up to standard. A tipping fee was collected from us in advance but our north India tour guide asked us to top again this not acceptable Kerala tour guide told us a price for each guide so there was no double dipping. Vinesh was very helpful and efficient
AlexAn excellent tour again. The organisation was very good as usual and staff were available at all times especially at arrival and departure.. the guide was excellent and explained the sites in detail. Some hotels were situated away from other facilities and therefore there was no choice but to eat in the hotel. Most hotels served very good food, Some hotels did not serve alcohol. Although not an issue, the odd gin and tonic before dinner would have been nice.( and wine with the meal)
PeterI thought the tour even though was quite short, gave people like us who had never previously been to the India a window to its culture, history, insight to daily life expressed through the guides, nature and other facets that make up the rich tapestry of this colourful, bustling and diverse land Found the time between finishing the first stage and commencing the southern section proper is too drawn out. Suggest those joining the south India tour are flown out of Jaipur to Kochi thus avoiding going back to Delhi and saving a day.
very good trip. what we enjoyed most was the safari stops in Nagarhole and Bandipur. Although trips to see tigers are currently banned, we were able to see a lot of birds: birdwatching in south India is definitely a thing. Fort Kochin also an excellent stop At Coonor, after the toy train ride up to the tea growing area, there are no decent hotels. You booked the best one, but it was horrible: the bathroom was dirty and mouldy and the bedsheets were so old there were holes. Better to stay in a different town
It was the itinerary and destinations and the tour leader was very efficient and knowledgeable.we both enjoyed being in a small group and we got to know each other. The driver was also very good as also the helper. We were well looked after.
The destinations, but mostly the second part of the tour to Kerala was outstanding. It was also greatly enhanced by the tour guide in Kerala as well as having very nice fellow travelling companions
As always, an enjoyable experience but with one or two reservations. We felt that the Fern Hotel and Amberdale, while beautiful, were to far out from the city. There was very little for us to explore nearby and no alternative but to eat in the hotel.
Every South India tour runs as either a group departure or a private trip. The route and the temples are the same, so what changes is the pace and the company.
From $695 · 18 tours
Guided throughout
A tour leader travels the whole route, with local guides at each temple complex along the way.
Set departure dates
Departures run to a published calendar and the group forms around you as other travellers book onto the same date.
Travelling with others
Groups are capped, though the cap varies by trip, so check the specific tour if travelling with a crowd matters.
Not ideal for young children
Most group departures set a minimum age, several at eighteen, so families with younger children suit a private trip.
From $845 · 9 tours
Your own car and driver
The trip runs for your party alone, with a car and driver dedicated to you throughout the route.
No minimum age on most trips
Almost every private South India tour is open to any age, so they suit families better than a group departure.
The widest choice of trips
Most of the South India range is private, including every itinerary shorter than ten days.
Not if you want a leader
Private trips are generally partially guided, so local guides cover each stop rather than one leader accompanying you.
South India is hit by two separate monsoons, so there is no single answer for the region. The southwest monsoon crosses Kerala and the Western Ghats from June to September. The northeast monsoon then brings rain to the Tamil Nadu coast from October into December, by which time Kerala is drying out. Group departures run October to March.
Temperature figures are overnight low to daytime high averages for Chennai, Madurai and Kochi, so afternoons feel hotter, and the hill stations at Ooty and Munnar run far cooler than these.
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Ten days is the shortest route that covers both the Tamil Nadu temple towns and Kerala, though it is a full ten days with a single night in most places. Twelve gives the same ground more room. Two weeks adds second nights and Chettinad. Eighteen days and above reaches Karnataka for Mysore, the Hoysala temples and Hampi.
Length, whether the trip runs privately or as a group departure, and hotel grade are what move the price. Ground transport, accommodation, guiding on routed days and temple entrance fees are standard, and breakfast is daily. Other meals vary by tour. International flights are not included unless stated, and each tour page carries its own from-price.
The Golden Triangle is shorter, five to ten days, and delivers the Taj Mahal, Delhi and Jaipur in a single loop. South India needs ten days or more and trades famous monuments for working temples, backwaters and hill country. Take the Golden Triangle if time is tight or the Taj is the point. Take South India for a slower, gentler first trip.
A Kerala tour stays inside one state and is built around water, hills and wildlife: the backwaters, Munnar, Periyar and the coast, usually over eight or nine days from Kochi. A South India tour crosses two or three states and is built around the Dravidian temples, with Kerala as one leg. For Madurai and Tanjore as well, allow at least ten days.
January to March. Both monsoons are done with, the plains are dry and the group calendar is at its fullest. December works too but is busier over the holidays. October and November are less reliable than they look, because the northeast monsoon lands on the Tamil Nadu coast just as Kerala is clearing, so a trip then can start wet.
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