Eastern Coast And Temple Retreat

• Travel documents required to visit South India are – Adhar card/driving license/voter’s id, itinerary, flight ticket, hotel confirmation vouchers & now vaccination certificate. 
• It is advisable to reach 2 hrs prior to the departure time of the flight for smooth & easy check-in 
• Pls do not pack any valuables or currency in your check-in baggage.

• well connected with airports and national highways, it can be reached by air, by train, by road. 
• One can explore Pondicherry either by walk or by Rickshaw ride.
• Good quality vehicles from sedan car & SUV cars, Tempo travelers and Coaches are available for private taxis. 
• Local transports are available in entire Local buses, taxis, auto rickshaw, bikes. 
• The transport vehicle will generally follow pre-approved itinerary by the agent.  So if you wish to have the car for yourself to places other than itinerary - Pre approval is required, it can be done at an additional costs.
• Night travelling or driving is not allowed 
• Please note: Please be patient because sometimes transportation can be late, and even be ready for some changes.
• The drivers will not be able to guide you & give the detailed information about any place, His role is to follow the tour itinerary & take the clients to the places or sightseeing mentioned in the tour. 
• There is a common tendency of the drivers that they recommend you some specific places or shops for the shopping. If you feel that the recommended shop is good only than you should do shopping from that place otherwise you can ask him to take to some other place which you have searched. 
• Airport : Pondicherry Airport is a regional airport located at Lawspet in Pondicherry, Union territory of India. 

• Railway : The Puducherry railway line is one of the oldest rail link in India and it was constructed in the year 1879 by the Puducherry railway company during the period of French and British rule in India. It has daily trains connecting the city with chennai apart from non –Daily trains towards prime cities including Mangalore, Trichy, Bangalore, Kolkata, New Delhi, Bhubaneshwar and Mumbai via Villupuram
• Roadway : Its well connected to all the near by cities. 
• Chennai – Pondicherry 160 km driving time will be 04 hrs – Chennai – Mahapalipuram – Pondicherry 
• Trichy – Pondicherry 200 km driving time will be 04 hrs – Trichy - Villupuram – Pondicherry 
• Tanjore – Pondicherry - 210 Km driving time will be 04:30 – Tanjore – Chidambaram – Pondicherry 
• Bangalore – Pondicherry - 430 km diving time will be 07:30 – Bangalore – Vellore – Pondicherry 

• Best time to visit Pondicherry / Mahabalipuram is between October and March.

• French Quarter 
• Aurobindo Ashram, 
• Manakula Ganesh Temple, 
• Pondicherry Museum, Park, 
• Raj Niwas, 
• Gandhi Statue, 
• Beach, 
• Our Lady of Angel Church and Paper Factory (Sunday closed).
• Auroville (Prior booking required to be done online)
• Matri Mandir Auroville: (Closed on Tuesday) - The shape looks like Earth. The viewpoint of Matri Mandir can be visited from the outside on all days. The visit to the Inner Chamber of Matrimandir needs passes. These passes have to be collected in person from the Visitor's Centre between 10-11 am or 2-3 pm

• Tamil Nadu has a language problem of hindi and English, majority of the people speaks Tamil and Malayalam. Guide is advisable here. 
• In Chennai and Tamil nadu the driver majority speaks tamil. They don’t even understand or speak hindi/English.

• All kinds of drugs and narcotic substances, activities such as smuggling and prostitution are illegal in Karnataka and will attract prosecution. Trespassing restricted areas, operating drones without permission and violation of any local rules and restriction should be avoided at all times.
• Smoking is prohibited in public areas. Few facilities like airports may provide designated areas for smoking.
• Nudity is not permitted in any beaches, waterfalls, pools or other public/tourist areas. PDA is discouraged.

• Site seeing prices to be paid at entrance by self.
• Optional activities to be booked and paid directly. Eg. Safari in national park, rafting, boat ride. 
• Chunnambar Boat Ride in Pondicherry
• Visit to Fisherman’s village
• Guided Cycling Tour along Pondicherry
• Scuba Diving
• The South Indian Coffee Program: An exclusive Coffee program for the Coffee lovers:  
• Cycle Rickshaw Ride at Pondicherry
• Pondicherry Food Trail

• Popular dishes include idli, dosa, sambar, rasam, pongal, biryani, and filter coffee.
• Non-vegetarian hotels are also called 'military restaurants'.
• Dosas and badas are delicious yet exclusive food of the state. A mix of cooked potatoes, mutter, beans, onions with salt, chilly and masala stuffed inside crispy and fried dosas are called 'masala dosas'. It is served with Uzhunnu vadas and sambar and is a very appetizing item.
• Tamilian's favourite fish curries are 'meen ashege' and Rah curry (prawn curry). 
• Among the sweets; Laddu, Jangiri (Jileby) and Halvahs are native to Tamil Nadu. 
• Tirunelveli Halva is famous for its sweetness. 
• Served in traditional style either in banana leaves or in stainless steel plates, Tamilian food is eaten sitting cross-legged on the floor.
• Chettinad cuisine is known for its spicy and aromatic flavors, especially dishes like Chettinad chicken curry.

• People are generally good clean & service oriented. Hospitality is at is best in Kerala compared to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 
• The places have all types of accommodations from guest house, home stay to high end luxury hotels.
• While staying in houseboats in Kerala, very basic food and limited cutlery and things gets available. It has a problem of bad smell of water, mosquito and insects. We recommend to take luxury houseboats which are fully covered with glass windows with 20 hrs AC. 
• Sea sickness is very common on these trips as majority of the places are near coastal areas in south. 
• Hotels have their in-house policy of providing heater on complimentary / chargeable basis. For hotels used in budget, hotels provide room heater on extra payment. This amount needs to be settled, directly by the guest, with the hotels, before check-out. 
• Majority of the hotels provides, Mattress & Roll Over / Fixed day-bed / Dewan as a supplement to Extra Bed for Adult / Child, sharing the room. This is irrespective of being mentioned as, adult with extra Bed / Child with Extra Bed.
• The Standard check in & Checkout time
• Check in time at Hotel: 1400 Hrs / Check out time: 1100 Hrs. 
• Tipping Its Advisable

Travel Documents

• Travel documents required to visit South India are – Adhar card/driving license/voter’s id, itinerary, flight ticket, hotel confirmation vouchers & now vaccination certificate. 
• It is advisable to reach 2 hrs prior to the departure time of the flight for smooth & easy check-in 
• Pls do not pack any valuables or currency in your check-in baggage.

• South India – Kerala / Karnataka / Tamil Nadu /Hyderabad / Andhra Pradesh – are well connected with airports and national highways, it can be reached by air, by train, by road. 
• Good quality vehicles from sedan car & SUV cars, Tempo travelers and Coaches are available for private taxis. 
• Local transports are available in entire Local buses, taxis, auto rickshaw, bikes. 
• The transport vehicle will generally follow pre-approved itinerary by the agent.  So if you wish to have the car for yourself to places other than itinerary - Pre approval is required, it can be done at an additional costs.
• Night travelling or driving is not allowed 
• Please note: Please be patient because sometimes transportation can be late, and even be ready for some changes.
• The drivers will not be able to guide you & give the detailed information about any place, His role is to follow the tour itinerary & take the clients to the places or sightseeing mentioned in the tour. 
• There is a common tendency of the drivers that they recommend you some specific places or shops for the shopping. If you feel that the recommended shop is good only than you should do shopping from that place otherwise you can ask him to take to some other place which you have searched.

Best time to visit Tamilnadu  is between October and March.

• Tamil Nadu offers a mix of cultural, spiritual, and natural attractions:
• Temples: Meenakshi Temple (Madurai), Brihadeeswarar Temple (Thanjavur), and Shore Temple (Mahabalipuram).
• Hill Stations: Ooty, Kodaikanal, and Yercaud.
• Beaches: Marina Beach (Chennai), Mahabalipuram Beach, and Rameswaram.
• Wildlife: Mudumalai National Park, Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
• Cultural Sites: Chettinad mansions, UNESCO World Heritage sites in Mahabalipuram.
• Spiritual Places: Rameswaram, Chidambaram, and Kanchipuram.

Famous For

• Temples and Dravidian Architecture: Known for intricate carvings and towering gopurams.
• Classical Arts: Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic music.
• Cuisine: South Indian dishes like dosa, idli, sambar, and Chettinad cuisine.
• Textiles: Kanchipuram silk sarees.

• Tamil Nadu has a language problem of Hindi and English, majority of the people speaks Tamil and Malayalam. Guide is advisable here. 
• In Chennai and Tamil nadu the driver majority speaks tamil. They don’t even understand or speak hindi/English.

Prohibition

• All kinds of drugs and narcotic substances, activities such as smuggling and prostitution are illegal in Karnataka and will attract prosecution. Trespassing restricted areas, operating drones without permission and violation of any local rules and restriction should be avoided at all times.
• Smoking is prohibited in public areas. Few facilities like airports may provide designated areas for smoking.
• Nudity is not permitted in any beaches, waterfalls, pools or other public/tourist areas. PDA is discouraged.

• Site seeing prices to be paid at entrance by self.
• Optional activities to be booked and paid directly. Eg. Safari in national park, rafting, boat ride. 
• Safari at Bandipur National Park or Mudumalai National Park in Ooty has to be booked by guest themselves either online or after reaching there, one day prior to visit. 

Food

• The traditional dishes of Tamilnadu are almost exclusively vegetarian.
• Excellent Brahman food is available in restaurants, both local and star. 
• A wide option of delicious hot 'thali' meals with boiled rice, lentil curries and curd are available here. 
• Steamed 'idlis' and a variety of crisp and fried dosas with sambar, are the exclusive food items of Tamil Nadu. Chilly powder and turmeric are integral ingredients of Tamil food. 
• Non-vegetarian hotels are also called 'military restaurants'.
• Dosas and badas are delicious yet exclusive food of the state. A mix of cooked potatoes, mutter, beans, onions with salt, chilly and masala stuffed inside crispy and fried dosas are called 'masala dosas'. It is served with Uzhunnu vadas and sambar and is a very appetizing item.
• Tamilian's favourite fish curries are 'meen ashege' and Rah curry (prawn curry). 
• Among the sweets; Laddu, Jangiri (Jileby) and Halvahs are native to Tamil Nadu. 
• Tirunelveli Halva is famous for its sweetness. 
• Served in traditional style either in banana leaves or in stainless steel plates, Tamilian food is eaten sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Dressing

• Decent dressing covering the full body (sleeveless & shorts to be avoided) while visiting temples or worship places. 
• Tamil nadu  has many temple sights, so it’s advisable to carry at least one set of ethnic clothes.

Hospitality & Services

• People are generally good clean & service oriented. Hospitality is at is best in Kerala compared to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 
• The places have all types of accommodations from guest house, home stay to high end luxury hotels.
• While staying in houseboats in Kerala, very basic food and limited cutlery and things gets available. It has a problem of bad smell of water, mosquito and insects. We recommend to take luxury houseboats which are fully covered with glass windows with 20 hrs AC. 
• Sea sickness is very common on these trips as majority of the places are near coastal areas in south. 
• Hotels have their in-house policy of providing heater on complimentary / chargeable basis. For hotels used in budget, hotels provide room heater on extra payment. This amount needs to be settled, directly by the guest, with the hotels, before check-out. 
• Majority of the hotels provides, Mattress & Roll Over / Fixed day-bed / Dewan as a supplement to Extra Bed for Adult / Child, sharing the room. This is irrespective of being mentioned as, adult with extra Bed / Child with Extra Bed.
• The Standard check in & Checkout time
• Check in time at Hotel: 1400 Hrs / Check out time: 1100 Hrs. 
• Tipping Its Advisable