Itinerary-Part 2: TAMIL NADU

Dear Readers,

Following the Leg-1 of the All India Solo Trip, (link to other itineraries at the end of the post) that I will be going on in coming months, here, I reveal my itinerary for the next Leg, wherein I'll be covering places of the state of Tamil Nadu. I've had help from various travel bloggers, travel companies, couchsurfers and readers, to define this itinerary, to which I am very grateful. The amount of enthusiasm I've received regarding this journey from various people, provides me enough motivation and energy to execute it.

Again, this itinerary is based on various ideal situations. Thus, it may not be possible to follow it, as it is, due to reasons out of our hand. But, this is how the journey is supposed to proceed.

So, following is my itinerary for the Tamil Nadu leg of the trip:

DAY 1: Chennai. I'll be entering Chennai from Kadapa. Just some local sightseeing and chilling at the beaches is on the cards for this city, as a very busy and restless travelling period ensues.

DAY 2: Pulicat Lake. After a proper rest, I'll be visiting the second largest brackish water lake in India, the Pulicat lake. A day full of rich flora and fauna experiencing awaits.

DAY 3: Mahabalipuram. On my previous trip to Pondicherry, I skipped Mahabalipuram, and as a result got lot of sticks from various people. So, this time, I'll visit this ancient town, with temples and monuments built in the 7th-8th century, before moving on to Pondicherry, where I'll stay the night.

DAY 4: Pondicherry. As I've been here recently, I wouldn't be looking for the regular places here, and instead try some off-beat areas around this location. If time permits I'll visit the Pichavaram Mangrove Forest. At night I'll be returning to Chennai and stay the night there.

DAY 5: Vellore. Early morning from Chennai, I'll travel to Vellore to visit the city fort, Vainu Bappu observatory and the Srilakshmi Golden Temple. Staying put for the night here.

DAY 6: Yelagiri. This hill station near Vellore will be the perfect location for a day to just relax. Later I'll be returning to Vellore to stay the night there again.

DAY 7: Hogenakkal Falls. This waterfall in the Dharmapuri district, has always caught my eyes on the internet, thus, this was one of the first places that I jotted down as a must visit place while planning the trip. After having visited this falls, I'll catch a night train from Dharmapuri to Mysore (which is in the state of Karnataka).

DAY 8: Mysore. This will be slight diversion to another state, Karnataka, a day for local sightseeing and relaxing.

DAY 9: Shivanasamudra Falls. Another waterfall which has caught my eyes numerous amount of time, this falls on the Kaveri river, is on my must visit list from a long time. Night stay at Mysore.

DAY 10: Ooty. Early morning, I'll be travelling to Ooty, making a pit stop at the Theppakadu Elephant Camp on the way. Then, the numerous sights of this serene Hill Station will be covered before staying put for the night.

DAY 11: Ketti Valley, Wellington, Coonor. Starting early morning, I'll be travelling first to Ketti, the small town nestled in a large valley. Then I'll be moving on to Wellington, another small town in the Nilgiris and finally to Coonoor, a slightly bigger town of these set of Nilgiris town, where I'll stay the night.

DAY 12: Kotagiri. Early morning, I'll be travelling to Kotagiri for the trek to Catherine falls and Kodanad , both treks through the Tea Plantion, before returning to Coonoor to stay the night again.

DAY 13: Droog Fort. Another short trek to the fort which was used as an outpost by the Tipu Sultan army, the Droog Fort, though presently in ruins is a good little trek experience. Later I'll be travelling to Coimbatore.

DAY 14: Siruvani Waterfall. This fall on the Noyyal river, is around 4 Kms away from the Siruvani Dam, accessible only by trekking to the falls. Later I'll be travelling at night to Madurai from Coimbatore.

DAY 15: Samanar Hills. Having spent past 5 days trekking mostly around hill stations, the visit to Samanar Hills, the hill rock complex, where Tamil Jain monks used to live, will provide the perfect clam and tranquil condition for me. Later I'll be travelling to Kodaikanal.

DAY 16: Kodaikanal. A day to rest. After a whole week of trekking and moving around Hills, kodaikanal will be my stop location for a day's rest. There are numerous local sightseeing places, which would provide the perfect relaxing media for the day.

DAY 17: Berijam Lake. To visit this lake, I would have to take permission from the forest department and would also need a ride to the place. Since, only 20 vehicles per day get the permission, I might have to skip this place. Later I'll be returning to Madurai from kodaikanal.

DAY 18: Rameshwaram. Early morning from Madurai, I'll be travelling to Rameshwaram, the part of the Char Dham pilgrimage. Later at night I'll be travelling to Kanyakumari.

DAY 19: Kanyakumari. The final stop of this leg of the trip has to be the southernmost tip of peninsular India, Kanyakumari, where I'll spend the day sightseeing and enjoying the sunset, which I experienced when I was just 9 years old, and interestingly, I still have a clear memory of this experience. Next day morning, I'll be travelling to Trivandrum, Kerala as the next leg of my trip commence.

So readers, if you feel that I should change the itinerary in some way or other for me to move much better between places, please specify them on the comment section. And ,as I've mentioned in earlier post, if any of you reader wants to join me in any juncture of this journey, I would love to share the journey with you.

You can also write to me at muditacharya28@gmail.com with your valuable suggestions and questions about this trip.

And keep following the blog as I release further details and further itineraries of the trip.

Cheers!


Links to other Itineraries:

ANDHARA PRDESH AND TELANGANA
KERALA
KARNATAKA
MAHARASHTRA
GUJARAT
RAJASTHAN
PUNJAB, HARYANA, CENTRAL INDIA
ODISHA & WEST BENGAL
SIKKIM
MEGHALAYA AND TRIPURA
MIZORAM, MANIPUR AND NAGALAND
ARUNACHAL PRADESH AND ASSAM
BIHAR AND JHARKHAND
UTTARAKHAND
HIMACHAL PRADESH
JAMMU & KASHMIR