-
Madurai, Tanjore & beyond
Brimming with heritage and history!
TOUR OVERVIEW
Try authentic local food and revel in the sweet fragrance of Jasmine flowers of Madurai. Experience what living in a mammoth luxurious mansion of the Chettinad region feels like. Interact with artisans making Chola style bronze idols and Tanjore paintings. Allow the longest temple corridor in the world and the seaside ghost town blow your mind. Unearth the secrets of an ancient civilization.
Madurai or ‘Thoonga Nagaram’ (The city that never sleeps) is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu with a strong Tamil history and is one of the seats of the Tamil Sangam literature. Tanjore, the erstwhile capital of Chola dynasty, brims with culture, history, art and heritage.
Come, explore this enchanting part of Tamil Nadu with F5.
Dates: 21st to 25th October
Price: INR 37,000 + 5% GST
Duration – 4N/5D
Single occupancy surcharge – INR 11,000 + 5% GST
GALLERY
Day 1 - 21 Oct 2023
Arrive and settle in Madurai. Set out to explore the city after lunch. Understand the city’s history and explore the attractions here including the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal, Meenakshi Amman Temple and the shopping complexes around. Witness the grand Navratri doll display at the temple. A plethora of sensory experiences await you. Overnight at Madurai.
Day 2 - 22 Oct 2023
After breakfast, set out for Tanjore. On the way, visit the pride of Tamilnadu – the recently unearthed Keeladi excavation site and museum, which bears testimony to the thriving Sangam civilization from 500 BC! Today you will experience one of the most inspiring and imposing pieces of architecture – The 11th century Brihadisvara Temple complex in Tanjore. We will also visit the Tanjore palace complex, which presents the region’s rich Maratha and Tamil history. Also get an opportunity to understand some of the famed local arts and crafts. Overnight at Tanjore.
Day 3 - 23 Oct 2023
We will proceed to Rameshwaram after an early breakfast. We will visit Pamban bridge on the way. Check in and proceed to visit Dhanushkodi. Dhanushkodi is a ghost town which was declared unfit for living by the government post the disastrous 1964 cyclone. Did you know the story behind the train that disappeared into the sea? Know it all today. We will also visit the Rameswaram temple. Overnight at Rameshwaram.
Day 4 - 24 Oct 2023
After an early breakfast, visit the wonderful Memorial built for our great missile man, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. If time permits, we may visit Devipattinam. Continue the journey onward to the Chettinad region. Have the local tour of the region with experiences of saree weaving and tile making added in. Also explore the huge mansions of Chettinad, stay in a mansion and enjoy your grand dinner. Stay in Chettinaad.
Day 5 - 25 Oct 2023
After breakfast, leave for Madurai, take a bus/train/flight to your respective destinations. Tour ends.
Inclusions
- All meals from day 1 lunch to day 5 breakfast. Total 12 meals included.
- Two cups of tea/coffee per day
- Transport in an AC vehicle throughout the trip
- All stay on twin sharing basis
- All entry, parking and permit charges
- Guide charges at Madurai, Tanjore and Rameswaram temple
- Temple special entry tickets
- Guidance of an F5 tour lead all through the trip.
Exclusions
- Flight/bus/train tickets to Madurai from your city of residence and back.
- Tips, Shopping, Camera charges, Any Personal Expenses.
- Packaged drinking water.
- Food other than inclusions.
- Insurance
- Anything not included in inclusions.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities, personal flight delays and aspects beyond our control. We will definitely facilitate an alternative and handle the contingency, the cost being yours.
- 5% GST
Terms & Conditions
REFUNDS/CANCELLATION
- 15% of the trip cost if cancelled 90 days or more in advance.
- 25% of the trip cost if cancelled 89 – 60 days in advance.
- 50% of the trip cost if it is cancelled 59 to 16 days in advance.
- Last 15 days – no show – the entire amount will be forfeited.
- If you use our services to book flights, cancellation charges will apply
Disclaimer
- All the temple complexes are huge, so please be prepared for quite a bit of walking.
- F5 Escapes is in no way responsible for any untoward incident happening due to the ignorance/negligence of the guests, natural/man-made calamities, accidents or any other events that are out of human control during the trip.
- All our trips are well-researched, including identifying access to medical facilities. In case of a medical emergency, F5 will assist the traveller in getting medical attention.
- The trip is NON-SMOKING and NON-ALCOHOLIC.
- F5 reserves the right to cancel the trip under certain conditions – in such a case, the amount will be refunded in full.
Arrival and Departure
This trip is to Ex-Madurai. Joining us from a different city?
Madurai is very well connected by air, train and road. Arrive no later than 1 PM on 21st October 2023 and plan your return after 2 PM on 25th October 2023.
Fooood!
We will arrange for authentic Chettinaad food and Madurai food, which will include non-vegetarian options. However, we cannot guarantee availability of non-vegetarian food in Rameshwaram. If you have any specific meal preferences / dietary requirements, please let us know beforehand.
Stay
We will be staying in well-appointed hotels in Madurai, Tanjore and Rameshwaram and in a luxurious Chettinad style mansion in Karaikudi.
Weather
October is the season of mild weather (About 30 degree Celsius) in Madurai, but given that Madurai weather is ‘hot, hotter, hottest’ all through the year, brace yourself for some heat and humidity in the coastal region, with occasional showers.
*Please note that now a days, climate/ weather is dependent on many factors and unpredictable hence above information might be subject to change during your actual travel days
Note on Alcohol and Smoking
Everyone joining is an adult and we realise that we cannot dictate the behaviour on how you should enjoy the trip.
Alcohol is no readily available in shops in the region we are visiting and is usually frowned upon in the temple towns.
If you smoke, please do so outside the room, even if the rooms have ashtray, as you would be sharing the room.
Note > Prepare > Accept > Embrace:
- Madurai and surrounding areas are steeped in Tamil culture and rich history. If you are not that interested in culture and heritage, you can consider some other trips of ours. If you love stories, history and experiencing local culture through their temples and food, then this trip is for you.
- This trip will have a lot of temple visits. We will try keeping it as non-religious, and as story-oriented and culture oriented, as possible.
- Interior TamilNadu has a very scant number of people who can understand or communicate in Hindi. Our tour lead would be someone who can converse in Tamil, Hindi and English well.
- This trip will require a fair bit of walking as all temple complexes are huge.
‘F5 Escapes’ is a Bangalore-based, experiential travel company, with a focus on redefining the way women travel in India. The premise of F5 is an ambitious dream – to put India on the global travel map as a preferred destination for women from across the globe.
F5 Escapes offers fixed departure all-women group tours, customized itineraries for families, groups and solo travellers. We also do in-city engagements which include #JustGo travel meetups, workshops to educate women on travel safety, sustainable menstruation, motorbiking etc.