Take a sojourn to where the spices grow and the palm trees slope, under the beam of India’s southern sun. We’ll prance the streets of the delightfully French Pondicherry, and drift in a bamboo houseboat through the backwaters of Kerala. Temples, tea plantations and a tiger reserve – the phrase “Incredible India” must have been coined in the south.
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Travel is best shared. This is a small group adventure of 12-30 people, aged between 18-35 exclusively, giving you the perfect balance of new friends to travel with and access to even more authentic experiences.
Take a sojourn to where the spices grow and the palm trees slope, under the beam of India’s southern sun. We’ll prance the streets of the delightfully French Pondicherry, and drift in a bamboo houseboat through the backwaters of Kerala. Temples, tea plantations and a tiger reserve – the phrase “Incredible India” must have been coined in the south.
Travel is best shared. This is a small group adventure of 12-30 people, aged between 18-35 exclusively, giving you the perfect balance of new friends to travel with and access to even more authentic experiences.
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Your trip summary
SOUTHERN SPICE
Only $200 deposit to book.
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FREEDOM GUARANTEE
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Change your travel dates or even your trip for free.
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if you're more than 45 days out you can swap onto a different departure or change your trip entirely, free of charge.
FLEX DEPOSIT
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This departure can only be booked by speaking with our reservation team.
Price breakdown:
(Adult Port Tax)
All prices in
ITINERARY
Time spent in each place (in days)
YOU WILL VISIT
IndiaIndia, and 5 more
SEE FULL ITINERARY
Via
Via
1
2
Time spent in each place (in days)
approx time spent
Via
1
2
Chennai
1 day
Pondicherry
2 days
Kumbakonam
1 day
Madurai
1 day
Periyar
1 day
Kumarakom
1 day
Kerala Backwaters
1 day
Cochin
2 days
Via
1
2
DAY 1:
Arrive Chennai
Chennai
Welcome people of pilgrimage! A hub of South Indian arts & traditions, Chennai will play the perfect host to our trip’s introduction. Unite with the team for a 6pm pow wow before having a free evening to unwind in our hotel or take to the streets to suss out this city.
Chennai
DAY 2:
Chennai to Pondicherry
Chennai
This morning we’ll peel back the layers of Chennai, seeing Kapaleeswarar Temple and St Thomas’s Church, driving along Marina Beach & walking through the markets by the Chennai Fort. Now starting to feel acclimatised to life in India, we kick on to our second destination.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Sightseeing tour of Chennai with local guide
Pondicherry
Our journey through Tamil Nadu will see us stopping at Mahabalipuram Shore Temple & the peculiar boulder of Krishna's Butter-ball. Arriving in ‘Pondy’ we’ll find a delicious fusion of French beauty & Indian soul, and have a free evening to enjoy it how we see fit.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
See Mahabalipuram Shore Temple + Krisna's Butterball
DAY 3:
Pondicherry
Pondicherry
Today you can jump onto an optional Heritage Walking Tour to go deep into Pondicherry’s unique history. You can then devour cake and coffee at ‘Eat My Cake’, a café run by local widows, and visit the progressive experimental township of Auroville. A vegetarian lunch in a solar powered kitchen will warm us up for some zen vibes by the breathtaking gold dome of Matrimandir.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
'Eat my Cake' visit (coffee + cake included)
Visit Auroville township includes lunch at a Solar Kitchen
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
Heritage Walking Tour
1550INR
Pondicherry
DAY 4:
Pondicherry to Kumbakonam
Pondicherry
Though our affection for charming Pondy will be sky high, our great voyage must continue. Kumbakonam – we’re coming for you.
Kumbakonam
Arriving in Kumbakonam in the bounds of two rivers, we’ll begin uncovering South India’s artisans by visiting a bronze casting & silk weaver’s home. By night you can dress to the inspiration of our Dharasuram temple visit, wearing a Saree or Dhotti to our included dinner.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Visit Silk Weavers home and Bronze casting school
Visit Dharasuram Temple
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
Dress up in a Saree (ladies) or Dhotti (men)
DAY 5:
Kumbakonam to Madurai
Kumbakonam
Devour a hearty breakfast and throw your worldly possessions back in your bag. A city of mesmerising history is waiting for us, and there’s a locally guided trip to Brihadeeswarah Temple in Tanjore en route.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Visit to Brihadeeswarah Temple
Madurai
One of the oldest cities in India, Madurai is the pride & soul of Tamil Nadu. Here we’ll see a palace of great pillars, ride a rickshaw, & witness an evening procession at the awe-inspiring Meenakshi Amman Hindu Temple.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Sightseeing tour of Madurai with local guide
Rickshaw ride
Experience a night time procession at Meenakshi Temple
DAY 6:
Madurai to Periyar
Madurai
Another state hop awaits us this morning, as we journey out of Madurai to Kerala, the West coast state that sways by the Arabian Sea.
Periyar
After our cross of the state of Tamil Nadu we’ll arrive in Kerala, ‘the land of coconuts’. We’ll pull up by the elephant & tiger reserve of Periyar National Park where we can explore a spice plantation & watch an ancient style of Martial Arts called KalaripayattuI.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Visit a spice plantation with a local guide
Kalaripayattul Martial Arts performance
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
Local family cooking demonstration and dinner
2155INR
DAY 7:
Periyar to Kumarakom
Periyar
After a wildlife boat safari along the Periyar River, we’ll take a leisurely journey to our next destination. En route we’ll frolic through a tea factory & plantation, enjoying one of Kerala’s proudest exports.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Wildlife boat Safari along the Periyar River
Visit to Connemara Tea factory and Plantation
Kumarakom
Dreamy sighs all round as we arrive in the lake region of Kumarakom. We’ll have a free evening here amidst the fresh country air, trying to contain our excitement for tomorrow’s water adventure.
DAY 8:
Kumarakom to Kerala Backwaters
Kumarakom
Waving goodbye to the agricultural lands of Kumarakom, we’ll trade one quaint setting for another. A day of boating on the beautiful backwaters are waiting on the other side of this bus ride.
Kerala Backwaters
Arriving in the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, we’ll board a traditional houseboat made of wood, bamboo & palm leaves. Drifting past slow grazing cows, we’ll see Kingfishers darting through the forests & season our sightings with many spicy fish curries.
DAY 9:
Kerala Backwaters to Cochin
Kerala Backwaters
Shed a few tears & snap your last “local climbing coconut tree” pics. Our boat will be sailing back to the shores so we can poke our way through Cochin.
Cochin
Back on solid ground we’ll soon find ourselves amidst the bustling spice markets and fort lands of Cochin. Here we can eat keralan delicacies, marvel at palaces, and watch the golden sun drop behind the Chinese fishing nets known as Cheena vala.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
Sightseeing tour of Cochin with local guide
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
Sunset Boat Cruise
850INR
DAY 10:
Cochin
Cochin
It’s our final full day on tour. Wander through saree filled markets, marvel at monuments, eat your body weight in street food, or simply sit in a bookstore or café and watch the chaos and charm of Indian life passing by.
Cochin
DAY 11:
End Cochin
Cochin
Our time on tour will end in the Southern spice lands of Cochin. Having bonded deeply in these spiritual lands, we’ll say heartfelt goodbyes before going our separate ways.
Cochin
WHAT'S INCLUDED
HOW DOES CONTIKI WORK?
Accommodation included
A-class team
Transport sorted
Authentic foodie experiences
No Regrets Inclusions
An army of new friends
find out more
ACCOMMODATION
10 nights:
10-nights: Plush hotels with twin share rooms will see our tired selves well-rested. One special night will be spent adrift in the arms of a traditional Keralan houseboat, the quintessential South Indian experience.
TEAM
A highly trained Trip Manager who brings your adventure to life. An expert driver who knows foreign roads better than Google Maps. Local Guides who make tourist traps a thing of the past. This is your team. Smart, friendly, fun, and integral to everything we do.
FOOD
16 meals:
Prepare your taste buds for a fireworks display of spices, fresh seafood, and tropical fruits, dished up in 15 included meals - 10 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners - and an array of self made food discoveries. We’ll eat off palm leaves, lap up our curries with parotta bread, and sip coconuts moments after they’ve fallen off the tree.
NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS
This trip is packed full of inclusions that will set your heart into a flutter. We’ll ride to temples in a rickshaw, roam a spice plantation and tea factory, and take a wildlife boat safari in the territory of elephants and tigers. Excited much?
FREE TIME ADD-ONS
Beef out your already incredible trip with a suite of handpicked inclusions. The local family cooking demonstration, sunset boat cruise in Cochin, and night of traditional dressing (a chance to saree up, ladies!) are just a few of our personal favourites.
TRANSPORT
Getting around Asia is half the fun, and all transport is included for the duration of your trip. Private, air conditioned mini coaches allow you soak up all that scenery in style, but it's our unique, local forms of transport that make the journey all part of the adventure.
FLEXIBLE PAYMENT
Save your space with only a 200 deposit
FREEDOM GUARANTEEChange your departure date or trip for FREE
FLEX DEPOSITNever lose your deposit even if you can’t travel
IN-DEPTH EXPLORER
travel style
Classify yourself as a full time foodie/culturally curious wanderer/lover of everything foreign and wonderful? We call that In-Depth Explorer. Spend less time travelling and more time unearthing every last little secret about a destination.
More About Travel Styles
Indien ist ein tolles Land und Contiki führt einen sicher dadurch, ohne dass man als Reisender Angst haben muss, da der Ruf von Indien ja leider nicht der Beste ist aufgrund der Sicherheit.
Best trip I've done so far. The Southern Spice tour was good value for money, with a lot of cool experiences. The tour guide and the group were awesome.
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4 independent reviews
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Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Nov 2018
Southern Spice
Indien ist ein tolles Land und Contiki führt einen sicher dadurch, ohne dass man als Reisender Angst haben muss, da der Ruf von Indien ja leider nicht der Beste ist aufgrund der Sicherheit.
READ MORE
Aurelee Marion
Booked from
Traveled Nov 2018
Beautiful Southern India
Amazing experience, that I wouldn’t have been able to have without contiki
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Anonymous
Booked from
Traveled Mar 2018
Awesome Trip
Best trip I've done so far. The Southern Spice tour was good value for money, with a lot of cool experiences. The tour guide and the group were awesome.
READ MORE
Isabella Knightley
Booked from Melbourne
Traveled Feb 2018
My perfect southern spice trip
The people that I met were lovely, friends for life.
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