From North to South India (21 Nights)

From North to South India

21 Nights

Excursion along the water in the backwaters

Detailed program

Route plan

Prices & conditions

Practical information

Your itinerary :

Day 1: Arrival at Indira-Gandhi International Airport

Welcome to India! Your driver will meet you at the airport and take you directly to your hotel. After settling in and resting from the long journey, you will take your first steps in India in the bustling business district of Connaught Place. Night on site.

Day 2: Delhi

You will get up early this morning, in order to be able to ride in good conditions, by bike, in the colorful, fragrant and noisy old Delhi. An original way to discover the old town, waking up little by little. The visit will be punctuated in particular by tasting stops to have the local breakfast. The afternoon will be devoted to visiting the main sites of the city including the Qutub Minar minaret, the Indian gate – the Indian triumphal arch, the president’s house and the final resting place of Mahatma Gandhi. Finally in the afternoon, you will enjoy strolling through the gardens of Humayun’s tomb, a huge red sandstone mausoleum, one of Delhi’s most beautiful monuments. In the evening, you will go to the temple of Akshardham to attend an aquatic sound and light show. Night on site.

Day 3: Delhi – Agra

After breakfast, you will depart for Agra, India’s most popular tourist destination. You will stop along the way at Vrindavan, the birthplace of Krishna for its Krishna Balaram Mandir temple, built by the Hare Krishna or ISKON movement. The opportunity to perceive the very great fervor of the worshipers of Krishna. You will take the road back to Agra. Upon arrival you will visit the imposing red fort. From the ramparts of this mighty citadel, you will see the sumptuous Taj Mahal for the first time. The alleys of the Mehtab Bagh – the “Moonlight” garden also offer an exceptional vantage point from which to observe the famous monument at sunset. Night on site.

Day 4: Agra – Jaipur

Get up at dawn for one of the highlights of your stay: visiting the famous Taj Mahal. The particular light of the morning will only sublimate the beauty of the site! A bit of history: Emperor Shah Jahan, inconsolable after the death of his wife while she was giving birth to their fourteenth child, had a mausoleum built to match his love, a sublime marble palace. You will then leave for Jaipur, the pink city. Along the way you will stop at India’s best preserved ghost town, Fatehpur Sikri for its red sandstone monuments and temples. Then you will stop at Abhaneri to contemplate its Chand Baori, a square well whose floors are made up of twelve levels of double flights of stairs with perfect symmetry. You will arrive in the capital of Rajasthan in the late afternoon. Before sunset you can venture into the old town, you will meet camels, elephants, snake charmers etc. The city is known worldwide for its gemstone market. Night on site.

Day 5: Jaipur

This morning, you will notably contemplate this extraordinary facade, that palace of the winds, made up of hundreds of windows, spread over five floors, which notably allowed the king’s wives to see without being seen. You will continue with the astronomical observatory of the city, discover the Fort of Amber, royal residence, protected by its nine kilometers of ramparts and offering a dominant sight on the city of Jaipur. Before dinner, screening for those who wish of a “Bollywood” film in the huge hall of the Raj Mandir, one of the largest cinemas in Asia. Night on site.

Day 6: Jaipur – Pushkar – Jodhpur

Departure this morning for Jodhpur, the blue city. You will stop in Pushkar, known for its camel fair and privileged destination of the hippie movement, now revisited by their children. The city is home to hundreds of clothing workshops from which come the clothes sold on European markets. Hindu pilgrims populate the ghats bordering its sacred lake to perform their ablutions. You will take the road back to Jodhpur after lunch. When you arrive, you will be struck by the sight of these ramparts which dominate the city and its imposing and majestic citadel, the fort of Mehrangarh. Night on site.

Day 7: Jodhpur

This morning, you will enjoy strolling through the narrow streets lined with their blue houses to reach the fortress. After crossing the doors, the last of which is a poignant reminder of the sacrifice of the royal wives, who, having become widows, were to perish by fire, the rooms of remarkable beauty follow one another. The palace also houses a museum, presenting a rich collection of palanquins, miniature howdahs (a kind of palanquin, carried by an elephant), musical instruments, costumes and furniture. In the afternoon you will stroll through the colorful alleys of Sardar Market or Clock Tower Market. Night on site.

Day 8: Jodhpur – Ranakpur – Udaipur

After breakfast, departure for Udaipur, the “Venice of Rajasthan”. Along the way you will stop in a small town nestled in the heart of the Aravalli Mountains, at Ranakpur, a major Jain pilgrimage site. You will be seized with admiration in front of the beauty in particular of the ornamentations of the Chaturmukha temple, entirely built of white marble. Road to Udaipur and arrival in the early evening. Night on site.

Day 9: Udaipur

You begin this day in the maze of rooms, corridors and small staircases of the City Palace, bordering Lake Pichola, marveling at the beauty of this grandiose palace. Then, a few steps from the palace, you will climb the fairly steep steps of the Jagdish temple to attend the ceremonies in honor of Jagdish, avatar of Vishnu. You will be amazed by the delicacy of the sculptures adorning its bas-reliefs. At the end of the afternoon, you will cross the lake, observing the last rays of the sun illuminating the palace. In the evening, you will attend a dance and puppet show at the Bagore ki Haveli. Night on site.

Day 10: Udaipur – Pondicherry

For this last morning in the city of lakes, you may want to walk the alleys of Bara Bazar again before your departure for southern India. You will arrive around noon at the airport and board your flight for Chennai. You will leave the capital of Tamil Nadu only around 8 p.m. and will not arrive in Pondicherry until a little before midnight.

Day 11: Pondicherry

This morning, the old residences of the historic heart of the city will open their doors to you during a walking tour and will share some of their secrets with you. You will also not miss the must-see places such as the ashram of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, the temple of the god Ganesha or the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, which can be seen from the seafront. the streets of old Pondi, you will certainly succumb to the old-fashioned charm of its pastel-colored facades. You will also appreciate the eerie calm that reigns in some of its streets while the rest of the city is in turmoil. Around 4 p.m. you will go to the covered market in the company of your local guide, who will receive you at her home to prepare the evening meal. After the meal, ladies can try on saris!

Day 12: Pondicherry – Kumbakonam

If you don’t leave Pondicherry too late, you can stop at Chidambaram, a Shivaism hotspot and the home of Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. The supreme god Shiva performs the Tandava there, a sacred dance that presides over the world of forms. You will then continue your journey to visit another remarkable temple, also erected by the Chola dynasty, the temple of Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Traditional lunch served on a banana leaf in a family restaurant near the temple. Finally shortly before your arrival in Kumbakonam, you will finish for the temples with the site of Darasuram. A few houses nearby are home to silk weaving workshops, enough to fill your suitcases a little more! Overnight in Kumbakonam.

Day 13: Kumbakonam – Madurai

Departure for a busy day of visits and discoveries. You will make a first stop in the neighboring town of Thanjavur for its Big temple, built during the reign of Raja Raja Chola I, in the 11th century. You will continue with the royal palace, built by the Nayaks, which notably houses a remarkable collection of bronzes, dating from the Cholas era. You will also discover the library of Saraswathi, goddess of knowledge, eloquence and poetry. After lunch, you will take the direction of Chettinad. Along the way, you will visit a typical local market, with its auction vendors where you will find spices, tea, etc. You will land at Athangudi. You will most certainly be conquered by the charm of the old palatial residences of this desolate village. You will finally leave for Madurai before the sun sets. Night at the hotel.

Day 14: Madurai

Your senses will be awakened during a morning walk through the alleys of the Madurai flower market. You will continue with the visit of the museum dedicated to Gandhi, the father of the nation. You will finally continue with the Thirumalai Nayak palace, royal residence, built in the 17th century, an architectural mixture of the Dravidian and Rajput styles. At the end of the afternoon, you will go to the famous temple of Meenakshi, an emblematic masterpiece of the Dravidian era. You will witness this extraordinary fervor that animates the temple at nightfall. Night on site.

Day 15: Madurai – Munnar

The road will be long, today you are leaving Tamil Nadu to join nothing less than the country of God – god’s own country , an expression adopted by the Ministry of Tourism of Kerala in the 80s. In the Indian imagination, Kerala is sometimes seen as the garden of India for its very generous nature. A hill station, the small town of Munnar is known for its beautiful green landscapes of tea plantations. After your arrival, the little ones will not want to miss an encounter with the elephants for anything in the world. Night on site.

Day 16: Munnar

Early rise for a hike in the middle of the plantations which promises to be very pleasant. Your guide will not fail to share his knowledge of the endemic plants of the region. The duration and difficulty of this excursion will be adapted to your desires and physical abilities, and depending on the time available, the day can end with a visit to a tea factory. Night on site.

Day 17: Munnar – Fort Kochi

Today you will leave the rolling hills of Kanan Devan for the Malabar Coast. But before that, some spices and medicinal plants may have found their way into your luggage after a walk in a spice farm. An important trading port during Antiquity, the city of Cochin came under Portuguese control with the arrival of Vasco de Gama at the beginning of the 16th century. In the evening you will attend a performance of Kathakali, a dance theater originating from Kerala, and the make-up session for the dancers which precedes the show. Night on site.

Day 18: Fort Kochi

This morning you will discover the historic heart of the city. Early risers will enjoy observing the handling of the essential Chinese fishing nets, a real postcard image of old Cochin. Nearby, you’ll visit St. Francis Church – the oldest Catholic church in the country, then continue to the Portuguese Museum and the Dutch Palace. You will stroll through the sheds of Jew Town, the antiques district, and visit its synagogue. Finally you will end with an exchange of smiles with the Dhobi Wallah in the laundry district. At the end of the afternoon, you will attend a performance of Kalarippayatt, a traditional martial art. Night on site.

Day 19: Fort Kochi – Alleppey

Departure for Allepey, a coastal town on the Laccadives Sea, nicknamed “the Venice of India”. On your arrival, you will embark on a private house boat , a real floating house, with its on-board staff, at your disposal. It is an encounter with an extremely luxuriant nature that awaits you. Meals and overnight on board.

Day 20: Alleppey – Mararikulam

After breakfast, you will leave your boat to experience a traditional massage at an Ayurvedic clinic in Alleppey. To perfect this state of relaxation, destination the beach! The small village of Mararikulam offers one of the most beautiful beaches in Kerala. Your hotel will provide you with bicycles to take you around the area. Night on site.

Day 21: Mararikulam

Free day to fully experience the pleasures of the beach under the palm trees before your return to close your trip to India. Night on site.

Day 22: Mararikulam – Cochin International Airport

You will be transferred to Cochin airport according to your flight schedules, taking many wonderful memories with you.