[envyravi]

I have to attend a marriage in Chennai on 27th November 2014. I want to take this opportunity to visit Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari and other nearby places. I can spare 5 days. I will be travelling in my Figo with my wife and I am the only driver and so no night driving. I have 2 options.

1. Go to Chennai directly from Hyderabad, visit the above places and return via Bangalaore

2. First visit the places and return via Chennai.

I request my fellow members to suggest a good tour plan.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by envyravi

I request my fellow members to suggest a good tour plan.

Either options are good. However I would prefer you finish the events that you want to attend before you head out for your vacation.

Chennai-Trichy-Rameshwaram-KK-Madurai-Bangalore-Hyd

Thats the sequence. I think 5 nights would be too much all the places.

N1/N2/N3 : Rameshwaram/KK (Forgo Trichy)
N4 : Madurai
N5 : Bangalore

All good quality roads. First fix journey legs. Then we look at roads and stay.

[envyravi]

Thank you Ampere.

1. What is the distance between Chennai and Trichy and Rameswaram.
2. Is Chennai to Rameswaram doable in a day if I leave Chennai around 1300 hrs.
3.What is the distance from Rameswaram to KK
4. Distance between KK and Madurai
5. Distance between Madurai and Bangalaore

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by envyravi

4. Distance between KK and Madurai
5. Distance between Madurai and Bangalaore

KK - Madurai is around 240 Kms and can be done in around 3-4hours based on number of breaks.
Madurai - Bangalore is around 430-440Kms, can be done in 6-7hours. Both are 4L roads all the way.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by envyravi

1. What is the distance between Chennai and Trichy and Rameswaram.
2. Is Chennai to Rameswaram doable in a day if I leave Chennai around 1300 hrs.
3.What is the distance from Rameswaram to KK
4. Distance between KK and Madurai
5. Distance between Madurai and Bangalaore

Arun has answered all questions for you.

Look at it this way:

- Chennai-Rameshwaram: 550km. (As per google.)Chennai-Trichy-Pudukottai-Karaikudi-Ramnad-Ramehswarm If you start by 1PM, we are talking about 10-12 hour drive.
- Rameshwaram-KK is another 6-7 hours of 2-lane road
- KK-Madurai is about 5 hours (300km)

So my take, if you are starting by 1PM from Chennai:

N1 : Trichy
D2 : Temples around Trichy and drive to Madurai
N2 : Madurai
D3: Temples around Madurai and drive to KK by evening
N3: KK
D4: Temples around KK
N4: KK
D5: KK-Bangalore Drive
N5: Bangalore
D6 : Drive to Hyd from Bangalore

[sswaroop]

I would suggest the following:

D1: Start from Chennai at 1pm.
N1: Halt at Trichy.
D2: Look around Trichy and drive towards Rameshwaram. Check out beach and temple. And Halt there.
D3: Early morning sunrise in Dhanushkodi and drive towards KK. Halt at KK
D4. Sight seeing in KK. Drive towards Madurai. Visit temples in and around Madurai. Halt at Madurai.
D5. Drive to Bangalore. As mentioned, the drive is only 6-7 hrs long. Do you can start around noon or post an early lunch and reach Bangalore for dinner. Halt
D6. Blr- Hyd

[ampere]

Originally Posted by sswaroop

D2: Look around Trichy and drive towards Rameshwaram. Check out beach and temple. And Halt there.
D3: Early morning sunrise in Dhanushkodi and drive towards KK. Halt at KK

By the time he finishes the temples in Trichy it would easily evening. Rockfort: he needs to climb. Srirangam is unpredictable and also huge. Samayapuram is crowded. Thiruvanaikaval should take an hour. I am not very sure if one can complete darshans and also end up driving to Rameshwaram by evening.

D4. Sight seeing in KK. Drive towards Madurai. Visit temples in and around Madurai. Halt at Madurai.
D5. Drive to Bangalore. As mentioned, the drive is only 6-7 hrs long. Do you can start around noon or post an early lunch and reach Bangalore for dinner. Halt
D6. Blr- Hyd

We also need to account for at least 5-6 hours of drive during day and add to it the temple timings. That is the reason I reason, all these places may not be possible in the given timeline.

[sswaroop]

Originally Posted by ampere

By the time he finishes the temples in Trichy it would easily evening. Rockfort: he needs to climb. Srirangam is unpredictable and also huge. Samayapuram is crowded. Thiruvanaikaval should take an hour. I am not very sure if one can complete darshans and also end up driving to Rameshwaram by evening.

I only accounted for the Rockfort temple in Trichy in the plan I mentioned, since the OP wanted to visit Rameshwaram as well. Trichy - Rameshwaram is about a 4-5 hour drive and can be completed in the day time itself without too much trouble even after visiting the temple in Rockfort temple in Trichy.

In my plan I assumed the OP doesn't have a problem with the drive times getting into the late evenings (730-8pm ish). And since a lot of people here on the forums have completed a BLR-Madurai-Rameshwaram-KK-BLR trip in 5 days, I think the same can be completed starting from Chennai and ending in Bangalore as well.

[envyravi]

I am sorry for being silent all these days, but there is a change of plan. We have decided to postpone the trip to Rameswaram and Kanyakumari to some other time as my daughter is interested in it. Instead we have decided to visit Tamilnadu temples now and the plan is to travel from Chennai and visit the temples in Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Trichy and Madurai and return to Hyderabad via Bangalore. Since this is not the right thread, I will post my queries in the appropriate thread.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by envyravi

I am sorry for being silent all these days, but there is a change of plan. We have decided to postpone the trip to Rameswaram and Kanyakumari to some other time as my daughter is interested in it. Instead we have decided to visit Tamilnadu temples now and the plan is to travel from Chennai and visit the temples in Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Trichy and Madurai and return to Hyderabad via Bangalore. Since this is not the right thread, I will post my queries in the appropriate thread.

There are too many temples to visit in this circuit.

- Trichy : Srirangam, Rockfort, Thiruanaikaval, Samayapuram
- Tanjore : Big Temple
- Kumbakonam : Swamimalai, Darasuram, Uppiliappan, Saaragaapani etc
Besides the above in KMU, you have the huge Navagraha temple circuit which would span easily a 300km radius around Tanjore-Kumbakonam-Karaikai-Mayavaram.
- Not to mention Madurai, which has its own set of temples apart from Meenakshi temple. (Pilliarpatti, Pazhamudircholia, Azhgar Kovil etc being some of them)

[envyravi]

Thank you Ampere. I dont think i will have time to do the Navagraha temple crcuit. My Plan is as follows:


D1 (26-11-2014)- Hyderabad to Chennai via Miryalguda, Addanki, Medarmetla, Nellore.

D2 (27-11-2014)- Visit Mahabalipuram in the evening

D3 (28-11-2014): Chennai to Chidamabaram, see the temple, drive to Kumbakonam. Enroute visit Airawateeswara temple. Night halt at Kumbakonam.

D4 (29-11-2014)- visit temples-Kumbheswra, Sarangapani and Ramaswamy and drive to Trichy. Enroute visit big temple at Tanjore. Night halt in Trichy.

D5 (30-11-2014) Visit Rockfort, Srirangam and Thiruvanaikoil and drive to Madurai. Night halt in Madurai.

D6 (01-12-2014) After seeing Meenakshi temple drive to Bangalore. Night halt in Bangalore.

D7 (02-12-2014) Drive to Hyderabad, enroute visit Lepakshi temple and if time permits Alampur temples at Kurnool.

Is my plan feasible?
Also suggest best routes, good hotels (pure veg) with parking place as I intend to take local transport to visit places within the city.
How is the weather at this time in Tamil Nadu-any storms, cyclones..
Any other important things to consider

[ampere]

Originally Posted by envyravi

Is my plan feasible?

Perfect plan. You just need to execute well, in sync with the temple timings. Especially Srirangam can be time taking. If possible do visit Darasuram and Swamimalai as well in Kumbakonam.

Also suggest best routes, good hotels (pure veg) with parking place as I intend to take local transport to visit places within the city.
How is the weather at this time in Tamil Nadu-any storms, cyclones..
Any other important things to consider

Weather should be good.

Hotels: Kumbakonam: PLA Residency, Rayas, Sara Regency (the stay is good but hotel not be pure veg. I have stayed there. Nice place)

Trichy: PLA Residency again. If you splurge a bit more then: Grand Gardenia.

Madurai: Park Plaza, Metropole and if you splurge GRT.

[envyravi]

Originally Posted by ampere

If possible do visit Darasuram and Swamimalai as well in Kumbakonam.

I thought Airavateshwarar temple is in Darasuram. Is there any other temple there?

On my return from Madurai can i avoid getting into Bangalore city. Is there any bye pass road to Hyderabad National Highway and also a good and safe Hotel for night stay.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by envyravi

I thought Airavateshwarar temple is in Darasuram. Is there any other temple there?

Sorry my mistake. Its the same.

On my return from Madurai can i avoid getting into Bangalore city. Is there any bye pass road to Hyderabad National Highway and also a good and safe Hotel for night stay.

You can take the Nh207 all the way from Hosur to Devanahalli. (Hosur-Baglur-Sarjapur-Hoskote-Devanahall)

But then the problem is, there are no hotels in Devanahalli. You will have to drive back towards Bangalore side. There are couple of them on the 4-lane.

Here is one: http://www.hotelpresidencyblr.com

[deepv]

Originally Posted by envyravi

...
Is my plan feasible?
...

I was looking for info on Rameshwaram/KK travel from Hyd and came across this thread, got some great details here!

Envyravi .. would like to know how your plan went, the places covered, stay options taken, etc?