The 8-day South India tour package runs from Chennai to Kanyakumari over 7 nights: Mamallapuram, Puducherry, Thanjavur, Madurai and Rameswaram, then the southern tip, ending at Thiruvananthapuram. One chauffeur and one car stay with you for all eight days; RutzIndia.com prices the car per kilometre, with a 250 km minimum per day.
Why drive all the way to the tip
The six-day version of this trip stops at Madurai, and it is a fine trip. The extra two days change its character. Rameswaram is an island reached across the sea, one of the holiest pilgrimage places in India and a very different town from the delta cities. Kanyakumari, at the tip of the peninsula, gives you sunrise and sunset over water from the same beach. And because the trip ends in Thiruvananthapuram, it hands you neatly into Kerala: the Kerala 7-day package or a few days at Kovalam or Varkala follow on without a flight.
Pick eight days if you want the full sweep of Tamil Nadu and do not mind one long driving day. Pick the 6-day South India package if temple towns are the main interest and a flight home from Madurai suits you. Both appear on the tour packages page with their distances side by side.
Day seven explained: the longest drive
Rameswaram to Kanyakumari is about 300 km and takes around six hours with a meal stop. It is the only leg on this route over four hours, and it is worth understanding before you book. The chauffeur will usually take the inland highway through Tirunelveli, which is faster; the coastal road via Thoothukudi is prettier in places but slower through its towns. Either way, he aims to leave after breakfast and arrive by mid-afternoon, before the evening crowd gathers for sunset.
If a six-hour day does not suit, there are two fixes. You can break the journey with a night in Madurai or Tirunelveli, which adds a day to the car. Or you can skip the Dhanushkodi excursion on day six and start earlier from Rameswaram, which makes day seven feel shorter. Tell the travel desk which you prefer and the plan is adjusted before you pay.
Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi, practically
- The bridge. The road bridge over the Pamban channel is about 2 km long and is one of the most striking drives in the south. Stopping on it is not allowed, but there are viewpoints at both ends. The Wikipedia page on the Pamban Bridge explains how the old rail bridge and its replacement relate to the road.
- The temple. Pilgrims at the Ramanathaswamy temple bathe at a series of wells inside the complex before worship; visitors who only want to see the corridors can skip this. The same dress and phone rules as other big Tamil temples apply.
- Dhanushkodi. A paved road now runs to the tip of the island at Arichal Munai, past the ruins of the old town. It is exposed and very windy, and visitors are expected to head back before dark, so the chauffeur plans the trip for the afternoon.
- Pilgrim dates. Amavasai (new moon) days and festivals such as Mahashivratri bring huge crowds, and hotel rooms fill well ahead.
Stays from the Bay of Bengal to the three seas
The first four nights follow the pattern of the shorter tour: a beach resort at Mamallapuram, a heritage house inside Puducherry's French quarter, a business hotel near Thanjavur's great temple, and a hotel within walking distance of Meenakshi in Madurai. Rameswaram's hotels are simpler, mostly mid-range places built for pilgrims, with a few more comfortable options on the edge of town; book this night first, because it is the one most likely to sell out. At Kanyakumari, choose a room with a sea view facing south-east if you want to watch sunrise from bed.
The RutzIndia.com travel desk can hold all seven nights and quote car, hotels and breakfasts as one price, in writing.
Season by season along the east coast
The cool, dry months from November to February are the best time. Be aware that the northeast monsoon reaches this coast in October and November, and Rameswaram and Kanyakumari can see strong winds and heavy showers in those weeks; ferries to the Vivekananda Rock stop when the sea is rough. By March the inland temple towns are hot, and April to June is best avoided unless you are comfortable in real heat.
Mid-January brings Pongal across Tamil Nadu. Kanyakumari is especially busy in the Sabarimala pilgrim season from mid-November to mid-January, when many pilgrims visit the tip on the way home. Christmas week fills Puducherry. The state's official Incredible India portal is a reliable place to check festival calendars before you fix dates.
Group size and car class
A sedan is right for two travellers with moderate luggage. Families of four to six, or couples with large cases, travel better in an Ertiga or an Innova Crysta, and a Fortuner is available if you want a higher, firmer ride. For groups of eight or more, a Tempo Traveller on rent or a Force Urbania keeps everyone together, with room for luggage in the back.
The fare method is simple. Billable kilometres are the greater of the distance actually driven or 250 km per calendar day; over eight days that minimum is 2,000 km, and this route covers about 1,270 km including the airport runs and sightseeing loops, so the minimum applies. Per-km rates are Rs 72 for a sedan, Rs 84 for an Ertiga, Rs 114 for an Innova Crysta, Rs 170 for a Fortuner, Rs 160 for a Tempo Traveller and Rs 200 for an Urbania. Add a driver night allowance of Rs 3,000 a night, tolls, parking and the Kerala entry permit at actual cost, and 5% GST. The fare table above works out each class for you.
Carrying on or flying home
The trip ends at Thiruvananthapuram, whose airport has flights across India and to the Gulf. If Kerala is next, the same chauffeur can continue north to Varkala, the backwaters or Munnar; ask for the days to be added to one booking so the car does not have to return empty. Starting from Bengaluru rather than Chennai? The Bengaluru to Chennai taxi route joins this tour neatly on day one, or take a Chennai airport taxi if you arrive the night before.
Reserve in two steps
First, book the car in the online booker: choose the class, pay by card or UPI and receive a GST invoice. Second, if you want hotels and entries handled, ask the travel desk for an all-inclusive quote. Cancelling is free more than 72 hours before pickup; after that the charge is 10% within 72 hours, 50% within 48 hours and the full fare within 24 hours or for a no-show, as set out in our cancellation policy. All cars are no more than four model years old.
