Begin your first day of the Dravidian excursion at the metropolitan city of Chennai - ideal place to get off to a memorable start. After your arrival and the subsequent welcome, check in to the Hotel and get ready for a full day metro tour. Drive around the metro-city and get to know some of its famous landmarks. Visit the Fort St. George (the British built fortress, which still retains its colonial charm). Watch the big beach at Marina - regarded as world’s 2nd longest seashore.

A visit to Chennai will not be complete without tracing roots of its time tested lineage. Now, travel to a little outer from the metro area… towards the sacred hillock St. Thomas Mount. It was from here that St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ, carried out his missionary activities till he attained martyrdom - around thousands of years back. Observe his deeds through the sculptures and relics at the old European-styled Church on the hilltop. You can find how harmoniously the traditional Tamil culture and modern British culture are blended. As night falls, return to your Hotel for overnight stay.

Now it’s time for an insight into the priceless Dravidian culture & heritage… For that proceed to the most ideal place nearer Chennai - ‘Mahabalipuram’ (a centuries-old port city, abode of priceless heritage monuments). On reaching Mahabalipuram; set out for sightseeing… View some splendid specimens of Dravidian architecture & art forms - testimonies of former Pallava Kings, who were great patrons of arts / crafts - such as, ‘Pancha Rathas’ (‘Five Chariots’ - monolithic structures, each carved from one single large piece of stone - named after the five ‘Pandavas’ of the great epic Mahabharata), ‘Arjuna's Penance’ (a massive relief sculpture illustrating an episode from the epic Mahabharata), ‘Descent of the Ganges’ (another giant open-air bas relief, depicting a famous scene from Hindu mythology), ‘Varaha Cave Temple’ (a rock-cut-temple with fine carvings), ‘Shore Temple’ (a very old shrine with entry from the seashore) … to name a few.

As the daylight paves way for nightfall, get in to your lodgings… settle down in its soothing environs. Overnight stay at Mahabalipuram.

Today morning, depart Mahabalipuram and drive to the legendary city of Thanjavur… On the way, first halt at ‘Gangai Konda Cholapuram’ - erstwhile capital of great Chola emperor Rajendra I, who, after the conquest of North Indian Ganges regions, assumed the title Gangai Konda Cholan and named this place after him. Here visit the temple built by Rajendra Chola - an imposing multi storied shrine surrounded by a fort-like wall. Then you will know, like the Pallava kings; Cholas too were great connoisseurs of arts & crafts.

Next, en route halt at Kumbakonam, nicknamed as the ‘temple town’, due to presence of many beautiful shrines. After a quick get-around here, proceed to ‘Darasuram’, an ancient location nearby. At Darasuram you can find remnants of Airavateswar Shiva Temple. View some exclusive architecture, sculptures & paintings at this Temple.

Subject to time and convenience, take an optional halt at ‘Swamimalai’ - one of the six most important abodes of Lord Muruga, and also famous for its indigenous bronze sculptures. Here you can visit the sacred Lord Muruga Temple and watch a local unit where bronze sculptures are made, using centuries-old indigenous methods of bronze casting!

Continue with your trip… On reaching Thanjavur, check in to the hotel and settle down. Overnight stay at the hotel in Thanjavur.

After warming up with breakfast at hotel; set out for a day long sightseeing of Thanjavur - the ages-old capital royal of Chola Kings. Start with a masterpiece of Chola-styled architecture - the big temple ‘Brihandeswara’ (1000+ years old shrine, built by the esteemed Chola emperor Rajaraja I). Apart from its architectural intricacies and sculptures, what makes Brihandeswara temple unique is the high temple tower that is taller than the sanctum sanctorum - a feature not seen in other typical Tamil / Dravidian temples.

Later, visit the nearby water tank ‘Shivaganga’, a popular hangout place. As time permits, have a quick get-around in other notable sights like, ‘Thanjavur Palace’, ‘Royal Museum’ & ‘Art Gallery’. Afterwards do some shopping - buy unique Thanjavur specials, such as, the Thalayatti Bomai (head-nodding doll). Late evening, return to your hotel at Thanjavur for overnight stay.

After exploring the legendary mythical city of Thanjavur, get to know another significant spot in the Dravidian land… travel to Trichy (‘Tiruchirapalli’ in local). On arrival, check in to your hotel at Trichy and get refreshed. After sometime proceed for Trichy visit... Begin with the most important landmark in the city - the ‘Rock Fort Ucchi Pillayar Temple’ (a combination of two shrines located atop a high rock, 83 meters tall - one shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva and other to his son, Lord Ganesh, known as ‘Pillayar’ in Tamil). In these shrines, which are regarded as one of the oldest in the world, you can view some elegant rock architectures with ancient traits.

Afterwards visit Trichy’s most elegant Christian monument, the St John's Church - a colonial styled church that dates back to almost two centuries. Experience the vintage air that engulfs the Church. Also visit the neighboring cemetery… all these will remind you about some fairy tale scenes. As night falls, return to your hotel at Trichy and stay overnight.

Begin today’s sightseeing on a high note with a visit to the largest functioning temple complex in the world - ‘The Ranganathaswamy Temple’. Located at Srirangam near Trichy, this overwhelmingly massive shrine is regarded as one among the holiest Vaishnavite (followers of Lord Vishnu) Temples in India. Watch in awe the fascinating architecture and sculptural beauty of this gigantic shrine. See the ‘One Thousand Pillar Hall’ (actually 953 intricately carved stone pillars) in the temple complex. Although Ranganathaswamy Temple complex is very vast, you won’t miss its most striking feature - the ‘Rajagopuram’ - built by the Vijayanagara Emperors this is the tallest temple tower in Asia!

Afterwards leave Trichy for another significant Temple city - Madurai, one of the oldest & continuously inhabited cities in the world. After reaching Madurai, check into your hotel and wash off your journey marks. If time permits take a quick look-around the surrounding city area. Overnight stay at Madurai.

Spend the morning at leisure, readying for Madurai sightseeing... Start with visiting one of India's greatest cultural & architectural landmarks - the ‘Meenakshi Sundareswar Temple’ (dedicated to Meenakshi - Goddess Parvathy). Watch the looming temple towers, each studded with carvings of Gods, Goddesses, mythological figures and even depictions from fairy tales. Explore the sprawling temple complex... Visit the awe inspiring ‘Thousand Pillar Hall’ (in fact 985 now). Then see the ‘musical pillars’ - each one, when struck, produces a different musical note!

Then visit the ‘Mariamman Teppakulam’, a huge water tank located near the Meenakshi Temple. The tank is known as 'Mariamman Teppakulam due to the presence of Goddess Mariamman Temple there (Teppakulam means water tank in Tamil). At the center of the tank is a Lord Ganesh temple - accessible only by water. The area of the tank and the island pavilion is approximately equal to the area of the great Meenakshi Temple!

Later visit Madurai’s other important landmarks like, the ‘Thirumalai Nayakar Palace’ (a splendid palace of the former Madurai King, who made this city a memorable one). Get a brief outlook this ageless city’s royal legacy. At nightfall, get back to your lodgings at Madurai for overnight stay.

Today, after recharging with breakfast, proceed to the ‘Queen of Hill Stations in South’ - Ooty. An exciting ride with heartwarming views of plantations, streams and waterfalls brings you to the hill station queen. Upon reaching, check in to the Hotel at Ooty and take own time to settle in the coolish environs. As time permits, just roam around in the town area and do some shopping - as at times you cannot restrict buying some cute things typically unique to this place. Overnight stay at cozy comforts of the Ooty Hotel.

A full day especially for Ooty sightseeing… Set out to experience the hill station’s prized attractions like, the Ooty Lake (where you can avail boating options or horse riding along the banks), Botanical Gardens (where you can find some of the treasured plants & flowers in the world), Dodabetta Peak (the highest point in Ooty, where you can experience a spellbinding view of the misty mountains & valleys), Echo Rock (a rock that naturally took the shape of a lamb; also known as Lamb’s Rock)… After plenty of refreshments return to your Hotel in late evening for overnight stay.

After uplifting your adventurous self in the Queen of Hill Stations, give it a further boost with some wildlife excitements… Leave Ooty and travel to ‘Bandipur National Park’, a reserve forest area famous for its Bengal Tiger and Elephant population plus Sandalwood trees. At Bandipur engage yourself with jungle activities as per personal choice: soft trekking with glimpses of wildlife, elephant ride (optional), etc. Overnight stay at Bandipur.

Add a little urban touch to your tour’s climax. Depart from Bandipur this morning and proceed to ‘Bangalore’ - Karnataka’s state capital nicknamed as the garden city.

After a few hours of drive with contrasting & enjoyable sceneries you will arrive at the city. Spend the rest of the time in Bangalore sightseeing… visit prime spots of attraction like, the imposing ‘Vidhana Soudha’ buildings, the lush ‘Lal Bagh gardens’, the holy & serene ‘Iskon Temple’… At nightfall, get in to your Hotel at Bangalore for overnight stay.

Your wonderful tour concludes today. Check out from your hotel and proceed for departure. If time permits, you can do a quick shopping at the famous Brigade Road, one of the city’s main shopping hubs. Then to the Airport / Railway station at Bangalore - a fitting farewell.