Tamil Nadu Tour Packages

The South India Temple Trail — 10 days and the 10 Days South India Tour Package start in Chennai and share their first stops: Mahabalipuram, Thanjavur and Madurai. The temple trail stays two nights in Thanjavur, with Trichy's temples, then continues to Rameswaram and Kanyakumari. The Kerala route stays one night in Thanjavur and, after Madurai, crosses the Western Ghats to Munnar's tea hills, a night on an Alleppey houseboat and Kochi. Choose more temples, or a change of scene.

October to December is Tamil Nadu's main rainy season and the Bay of Bengal's main cyclone season. A depression or cyclone can bring days of heavy rain to the coast: Cyclone Fengal crossed near Puducherry at the end of November 2024. The Vivekananda Rock ferry stops in strong wind or heavy rain, and trains on the Pamban bridge stop in high wind. Keep a spare day; our support is on call 24/7 during your trip.

It depends on the route. For the temple trail or the route into Kerala, fly into Chennai, where both begin. If you only want the deep south, Madurai is much closer: its airport has direct flights from Delhi and other Indian cities as well as from abroad, and the Rameswaram and Madurai temple trail usually starts there. The six-day pilgrimage begins at Tirupati instead. Flights in and out are not included in our packages.

Expect restrictions. The state's temple department sets the rules at its major temples, including Madurai's Meenakshi Amman and Rameswaram's Ramanathaswamy, and they have changed more than once recently: at times phones had to be left at counters, at others carried in switched off. Photography and filming are not allowed inside. The temples have counters for footwear and phones, and your guide checks the day's rule before you go in.

Yes. The Chettinad food trail is a tasting trail in the Chettinad region, usually based around Karaikudi: Chettinad chicken, pepper-forward dishes and vegetarian sides such as ven pongal, with a look inside a restored merchant mansion. The spice can be toned down, or the whole trail run vegetarian, and it is usually combined with Madurai or the temple trail. Some mansions are now heritage stays; see our Chettinad guide.

No. Many of the big temples open early and close for a few hours after midday. By their own published hours, Madurai's Meenakshi Amman temple closes from 12.30 to 4 pm, and Rameswaram's Ramanathaswamy temple from 1 to 3 pm. Hours change on festival days. Plan temple visits for the morning and the late afternoon, and use the middle of the day for the drive, lunch or a rest.

The South India Temple Trail — 10 days gives them two nights, one and two, after Chennai, Mahabalipuram and Thanjavur. The 6 Days Tirupati Madurai Rameshwaram Kanyakumari Tour gives them two nights, one and one, after a night at Tirupati. Each runs Madurai, Rameswaram, Kanyakumari in that order, so no road is driven twice. More on each place: Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari.