Premium South India

What's Included

• Accommodation
  Hotel (9 nights), Houseboat Feature Stay (1 night), Kochi Feature Stay (2 nights)

• Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer

• Chennai - Welcome dinner

• Mamallapuram - Shore Temples guided tour

• Auroville - Experimental township

• Puducherry - Leader-led French Quarter walking tour

• Puducherry - Sri Aurobindo Ashram

• Madurai - Leader-led street food tour

• Madurai - Sri Meenakshi 1000 Pillar

• Madurai - Sri Meenakshi Temple

• Madurai - Gandhi Museum

• Madurai - Leader-led walking tour

• Madurai - Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace

• Madurai - Local family visit and home-cooked Tamil dinner

• Thekkady - Expert-guided spice plantation visit and lunch

• Periyar - Kalaripayattu (Indian Martial Art) performance

• Periyar - Guided nature walk

• Munnar - Tea plantation

• Munnar - Tea Museum

• Munnar - Mattupetty Dam

• Munnar - Leader-led town walking tour

• Kochi - Kathakali performance

• Kochi - Jewish Synagogue

• Kochi - Ferry to Mattancherry

• Kochi - Leader-led Fort Kochi walking tour

• Kochi - Dutch Palace

• Kochi - Ayurveda-inspired dinner

• Kochi - Converstation with an expert on Satvik Bhojan (Ayurvedic food)

• Meals

  12 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 dinners

• Complimentary Arrival Transfer

• Puducherry - snack stop at local cafe

What's Not Included

• Tipping and Gratuities

• International Travel

Transport

• TRANSPORT IN INDIA
• Main roads in India are usually very busy with an assortment of vehicles from the biggest trucks (who always have right of way) down to bikes (and animals!). Overtaking on blind corners at speed is common as is the total use of the horn as a form of communication. Our leaders have complete authority to remove groups from local transport if the driver is not driving safely. Drivers of our private vehicles are experienced and well trained. If you are uncomfortable with your driver, please always let your tour leader know immediately. Please ensure you wear your seat belt at all times.
• TRAVEL TIMES
• Distances in India do not reflect the driving time and to cover 100km may take much longer than you would expect at home, even if much of the route is on a highway.
• TRAINS:
• India has a massive network of trains and millions of people travel by rail every day. Trains often travel the length of the country over several days. Trains are a great way to see the countryside and get you away from the busy road system. Delays and cancellations are common on trains. Your tour leader will check the train status to see if there are delays and will do their best to keep you informed of any changes.
• From December to February, delays are more common, especially in the north of the country due to fog. It’s not uncommon for trains to be delayed for up to 12 hours. On occasion, your trip may need to be rerouted to allow for these delays. Your tour leader in conjunction with our local office will advise any changes to the itinerary.
• FLIGHTS
• Airlines in India are of excellent quality. Airports are becoming more modern (especially in the major and tourist cities). To enter the airport, you must have a copy of your flight ticket and passport. Schedule changes and delays do occur, especially when weather conditions make visibility poor.
• AUTO RICKSHAWS
• On this trip we may travel in a local style of transport called an auto-rickshaw. These small, motorised three-wheeled vehicles are a common form of transport in India and do not have seatbelts.

Accommodation

• The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.
• Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.
• ACCOMMODATION
• The hotel accommodation on this trip is in air-conditioned rooms. Some areas of India experience daily load shedding. This is where the power may be turned off at certain times of the day and usually occurs for a few hours in the early afternoon. Most hotel properties have a restaurant or cafe serving local meals. Many restaurants and hotels do not serve alcohol for religious reasons or due to local laws.
• SHOWERS:
• Showers at some hotels only have hot water at peak times (usually morning and evening). Outside of these times, you may need to speak to reception to obtain hot water.
• WIFI:
• Generally, WiFi is available in most parts of India and at most of the accommodation we use. Sometimes it's free in the room, other times only available in reception or public areas. A general rule of thumb is the more expensive the hotel, the higher charge for WiFi access. Your group leader or local representative can assist locally in accessing the internet.
• ISSUES:
• If you have any issues with your room, please speak to the hotel and your group leader or local representative right away rather than your travel agent so that the problem can be addressed without delay.

Important Information

• 1. A complimentary airport arrival transfer is included; valid if you are arriving on Day 1 or if you have booked pre-tour accommodation through us. You must provide your flight details to your booking agent at least 14 days prior to travel.
• 2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room?on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip?and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information
• 3. Please provide your full name exactly as it appears on your passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport. Fees may apply for adding or amending details within 45 days of departure, and in some cases, you will be required to cover the cost of issuing a new ticket.

Mode of Transport

• TRANSPORT IN INDIA
• Main roads in India are usually very busy with an assortment of vehicles from the biggest trucks (who always have right of way) down to bikes (and animals!). Overtaking on blind corners at speed is common as is the total use of the horn as a form of communication. Our leaders have complete authority to remove groups from local transport if the driver is not driving safely. Drivers of our private vehicles are experienced and well trained. If you are uncomfortable with your driver, please always let your tour leader know immediately. Please ensure you wear your seat belt at all times.
• TRAVEL TIMES
• Distances in India do not reflect the driving time and to cover 100km may take much longer than you would expect at home, even if much of the route is on a highway.
• TRAINS:
• India has a massive network of trains and millions of people travel by rail every day. Trains often travel the length of the country over several days. Trains are a great way to see the countryside and get you away from the busy road system. Delays and cancellations are common on trains. Your tour leader will check the train status to see if there are delays and will do their best to keep you informed of any changes.
• From December to February, delays are more common, especially in the north of the country due to fog. It’s not uncommon for trains to be delayed for up to 12 hours. On occasion, your trip may need to be rerouted to allow for these delays. Your tour leader in conjunction with our local office will advise any changes to the itinerary.
• FLIGHTS
• Airlines in India are of excellent quality. Airports are becoming more modern (especially in the major and tourist cities). To enter the airport, you must have a copy of your flight ticket and passport. Schedule changes and delays do occur, especially when weather conditions make visibility poor.
• AUTO RICKSHAWS
• On this trip we may travel in a local style of transport called an auto-rickshaw. These small, motorised three-wheeled vehicles are a common form of transport in India and do not have seatbelts.

Accommodation

• The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.
• Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.
• ACCOMMODATION
• The hotel accommodation on this trip is in air-conditioned rooms. Some areas of India experience daily load shedding. This is where the power may be turned off at certain times of the day and usually occurs for a few hours in the early afternoon. Most hotel properties have a restaurant or cafe serving local meals. Many restaurants and hotels do not serve alcohol for religious reasons or due to local laws.
• SHOWERS:
• Showers at some hotels only have hot water at peak times (usually morning and evening). Outside of these times, you may need to speak to reception to obtain hot water.
• WIFI:
• Generally, WiFi is available in most parts of India and at most of the accommodation we use. Sometimes it's free in the room, other times only available in reception or public areas. A general rule of thumb is the more expensive the hotel, the higher charge for WiFi access. Your group leader or local representative can assist locally in accessing the internet.
• ISSUES:
• If you have any issues with your room, please speak to the hotel and your group leader or local representativer right away rather than your travel agent so that the problem can be addressed without delay.

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