Start in Mumbai and on to Goa to soak some Sun. Goa is blessed with beautiful beaches and breathtaking churches built by the Portuguese.
Churches and Convents of Goa is a UNESCO world heritage site. Then travel on to Kerala, the God's own country to relax in traditional houseboats lazyly floating on the
backwaters of Kumarakom. Next stop on the route in Kanyakumari, the southern most point in Penninsular India where the Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal meet. The next phase of the trip is into the heart of Dravidian Tamil Nadu which is beleived to be inhabitaed by the decendents of Africans who walked to South India via a land bridge. The culture, food , language and architecture is very distinct and understandably so, as this region has been continuously inhabited since stone-age. Visit the Dravidian temples of Rameshwaram and Madhurai, the chola temples of Tanjore. Before wrapping up this segment in Chennai take a trip to Ponsichery, the former french colony with calm neaches, eco-tourist resorts and cafe-crem.
| Day | Time | Place of visit | Night Halt |
| Day 1 | 5:10 AM
(8:30 PM) | Take the early morning Jan Shatabdi express to get a great view of the majestic hills enroute to Goa. If you would rather sleep on the train there are several overnight options. If continuing from Delhi trip take 8:30 PM train from Vasai Road. Arrival in Goa 7:30 AM day 2. | |
| 2:10 PM | Arrive in Goa and transfer to Hotel. Calangute is a family friendly beach and is my favourite. Anjuna is idea is you are the hippie type. | Goa/Train |
| Day 2 | 9:00 AM | Beat the heat and head to the Aguda fort. Then visit Basilica of Bom Jesus,Church of Mary Immaculate Conception and Se Cathedral. | Spend the night on the beach drinking fenny by candlelight. |
| Day 3 | 10:00 AM | Anjuna beach and more Goa. Take a sip in the Ocean, have fresh fish on the shack. Rent a scooter and drive around. | |
| 10:50 PM | Take Netravati Express to Allepy. | Train |
| Day 4 | 3:25 PM | Transfer to your houseboat and cruise the backwaters | HouseBoat |
| Day 5 | N/A in Kerala | Soak in an extra day in Kerala, in a house boat or in a resort. Try delicious Kerala cusine, an Ayurvedic massage and one of the many temples in this region which is nothing like in the North or the Dravidian temples. | Train |
| Day 6 | 00:10 AM | Take Guruvayur Express to Nagercoil (16km from Kanyakumari) | |
| Day 7 | 5:30 AM | Transfer to Kanyakumari, enjoy the sunrise, Vivekandanda rock. | |
| 1:00 PM | Proceed to Tirunelvelli by Bus. Visit Nellaiappar temple. | |
| 9:00 PM | Take Chendur Express to Chennai (Dep 8:55 PM). | |
| Day 8 | 11:00 AM | Chennai. | |
If your ATW trip would take you to the beaches of Thailand, you may want to skip Goa and spend an extra day in Tamil Nadu which is very unique evern within India. Visit the chola temple, the tallest Granite structure in the world with exquisite carvings and the Grand Anicut built in the second century. Here is the modified itinerary.
| Day | Time | Place of visit | Night Halt |
| Day 1 | 11:40 AM | Take Netravati Exp (16345) to Allepy. | Train |
| Day 2 | 3:25 PM | Transfer to your houseboat and cruise the backwaters | House Boat |
| Day 3 | N/A in Kerala | Soak in an extra day in Kerala, in a house boat or in a resort. Try delicious Kerala cusine, an Ayurvedic massage and one of the many temples in this region which is nothing like in the North or the Dravidian temples. | House boat or resort |
| Day 4 | 00:10 AM | Take Guruvayur Express to Nagercoil (16km from Kanyakumari) | Train |
| Day 5 | 5:30 AM | Transfer to Kanyakumari, enjoy the sunrise, Vivekandanda rock. | |
| 1:00 PM | Proceed to Tirunelvelli by Bus. Visit Nellaiappar temple. | Tirunelvelli |
| Day 6 | 7:50 AM | Take Guv Chennai Exp (16128) to Trichy. | |
| 2:27 PM | Arrive in Srirangam. Visit Sr.Renganathan Temple, The Rock Fort. Shop in the busy Bazars and enjoy a suth Indian Dinner. Small cities like Trichy, your accomodation $$ would get you a nice room in a hotel with a pool. | Trichy |
| Day 7 | | | |
| | Enjoy the hotel and the pool, its been a long night last-night. | |
| Noon | Take one of the many passenger trains or a bus to Tanjore (aka Thanjavur). The ride takes aproximately 2 hours. Visit the UNESCO world heritage the chola temple Bihadeeswarar temple and Fort. | |
| 10:10 PM | Take Chennai Exp (16176) to chennai/ | |
| Day 8 | 5:20 AM | Chennai. Get ready for the rest of your ATW trip , Chennai is served by British Airways, Jet Airways (to New York), Lufthansa, Emirates to Dubai, Singapore AIrlines, Malaysian, Air Asia and many more to Pacific.
Or continue on to the Coromendal coast. | |
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