South India tours, temples and monuments

COUNTRY:
India
DEPARTURES:
This trip can be tailor made at a time to suit you and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary
PRICE:
From £710 (11 days) excluding flights
MORE INFO:
Price is based on a minimum of 4 persons. Or from £890 based on a minimum of 2 persons. Tour includes: airport pick up & drop, local sight seeing, dedicated AC car through out, meals as specified and all internal taxes
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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South India tours, temples and monuments

South India tours, temples and monuments

Travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.

How South India tours, temples and monuments makes a difference

Community:
The tour is organized to offer an experience of Indian culture through visits to ancient monuments. Throughout the tour the accommodation is provided in Heritage Hotels, finest example of our ancient heritage and architectural splendour. The conservation of these age old marvels deserves accolades. We follow responsible tourism guidelines and hence employ local and hire services locally in order to employ and empower the local communities.

Pondicherry is home to the finest architecture exhibited in old monuments built by the French. One such luxury accommodation on the tour is an old 18th century mansion restored to its past glory. There are many such architectural marvels built by the French on the Pondicherry coastline. Some marvellous architecture arose on the French coastline of Pondicherry. The trip takes you back to times whence modern amenities were absent. Experience the time of Pankhawalla who gently fanned the cool air to offer comfort from heat. Experience real gastronomic delights of Creole cuisine whence the French mixed Tamil spices in their recipes to create this marvellous food.

Business generated from our stay helps in the preservation of these ancient marvels the Jewels of French Architecture influenced by local surroundings. Through our tours we encourage all accommodation and service providers to follow responsible tourism guidelines. Empowerment and employment of local youth and women are our first priority.

Throughout our tour our priority is to employ the local communities and accord requisite training if necessary. We advice all our guests to be respectful of the local custom, rites, rituals and sentiments of the people. In order to maintain the synergy with the local populace it is advisable to adorn the local dress. The tour offers more than just sightseeing it is a learning experience as well.

On this trip we support an NGO called Jagriti who are involved in giving education, accommodation, clothing and food to small children who are found begging in railway stations. An amount of £10 per person goes to this NGO.

Environment:
The trip includes a wildlife adventure to see the Royal Bengal Tiger. The visit to Periyar Tiger Reserve offers exciting wildlife viewing and birding. One can see major fauna on this trip. We are also the founder member of the Tiger Conservation foundation called TOFT (tour operators for Tigers) an organisation working in India for the conservation of Indian Wildlife.

South India tours, temples and monuments

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How we choose the provider of South India tours, temples and monuments

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South India tours, temples and monuments

Reviewed 05 Feb 2012 by Janet Galloway3 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


The traditional male dancers at the accommodation near Madurai were very much the local equivalent of morris dancers - bells, hats, stick dances, waving hankies, the hobby hoss .... Totally unexpected, and they had as much fun dancing as we had watching! The enormous and mostly colourful temples. So many friendly children (and sometimes adults) who wanted their photo taken even if they had their own cameras too. The crocodiles at the breeding centre south of Chennai.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Balance of holiday cost must be paid either by bank transfer or cash when you arrive - credit cards are not taken directly by this company, and Paypal is OK when used for the deposit has a large supplement if used for the balance. It takes a long time to get anywhere in India, even when it is a straightforward journey on good roads English is spoken less widely than you would expect. The holiday seemed to have been subcontracted out to a 3rd party, so the communication of arrangements to some hotels was patchy.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Local people did benefit, especially as we stayed in locally run and mostly locally owned accommodation. The accommodation Kadambavanam near Madurai was quite new, and incorporated a Tamil centre to show both tourists and local children Tamil culture in song, dance and stories and also traditional food.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


The holiday was good - it would have been better if the driver had spoken more English as he was obviously knowledgeable but not able to communicate much to us. He made up for this by being a safe, careful driver which was very welcome!
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