Many people who’ve explored India thoroughly advise your first trip to India include the Golden Triangle, Rajahstan or a combination of the two. They are indeed AMAZING places, but they are incredibly full-on and not everyone wants to be overwhelmed by sights, sounds and throngs of faces every minute of their holiday.

While there is no true way to ‘ease’ into India the decision to explore the South first may be one of the best you’ve ever made. The reason? Because India is so chaotic, it can literally take days (if not weeks) to get your bearings right and begin to understand the best way to explore the country. If you’ve touched down in Jaipur for 5 minutes and find yourself getting mobbed by hundreds of tour operators (including scammers), drivers and interested locals you may cower back to your resort in defeat and empty your wallets sourcing a tour guide to do everything for you.

In the South there’s probably a lower chance of that happening. Catching trains, buses and organising drivers and accommodation can still be tricky business (if you haven’t planned everything already beforehand) but there seems to be a little more space mentally to coordinate your feet.

The following are four suggested itineraries for different durations of time (one week, two weeks, three weeks and four weeks) for the South of India. I will include a couple of complete alternatives under each itinerary banner, or just minor alterations to give a variety of choices.

One Week South-India Itinerary

Some people only get a week to leave the country, and unfortunately have to deal with a hundred comments each day such as- ‘You’re only going away for a week!? How can you manage? What’s the point?’

Well it’s reality for a lot of people and you can still enjoy yourself. If you’re looking for just 6-8 days in South-India then there’s no point trying to checkpoint everything; spend your time in just one area and enjoy. I think there are 3 viable options, from best-to-worst;

  1. Kerala
    If North is Rajahstan then South is Kerala; a full week in Kerala will allow you to do a few choice things.

Day One: Fly  Kochi airport – if you’re there early spend the day easing in, potentially check out the top sights if you have time. Organise a driver or transport for the following day.

Day Two: Leave early morning for Munnar, arrive late-morning/afternoon and check out the sights.

Day Three: Full day in Munnar.

Day Four: Head to Periyar National Park. Overnight in the Park Lodging.

Day Five: Afternoon head back to Allepey. Book into one of the beautiful Homestay lodgings along the river.

Day Six: Head to the Allepey Houseboat Terminal and barter for a good deal.

Day Seven: After Houseboat returns in the morning, spend some of the day enjoying the beaches of Allepey – then head back to Kochi terminal to fly home.

      2. Goa + Hampi

Fly straight into Goa and camp up for 3-4 days. Stay North if you want to Rave, stay South if you want to chill. Both areas have great beaches. With your last 3-4 days take a morning train to Hampi and experience this unbelievable place. Spend two full days exploring each side of the river, and leave one day to do a round trip of Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami – these three places are simply unmissable. On your last day take the train back to Goa or to fly out direct overnight train to Bangalore and home.

  1. Chennai + Mahabalipuram + Puducherry (Pondicherry)

Arrive in Chennai and spend a full-day here. Next day head down to Mahabalipuram and check out the Pancha Rathas and other fantastic temples. Spend 2-3 days here before spending your last couple of days relaxing and cycling around Pondicherry.

Overall: The point of outlining a one week itinerary of India is to ensure you get as much variety and value for your limited time as possible. I suggest the first trip, as Kerala truly is the drawing point of the South. With that trip you get to experience the serene backwaters, the lush wilderness and wildlife, and finally the picturesque tea gardens. In the second itinerary you get the full beach-India experience in Goa, but also mind-bending ruins and ancient history in middle-India. The third itinerary is probably a watered-down, but far less-touristy version of the second trip. You can’t go wrong with any of them and you’ll learn loads in a short amount of time.

Two Weeks in South India

Here are a couple of options for a viable South-India Itinerary

1. Goa, Hampi and Kerala

– Arrive Goa and spend 4-5 days fully exploring/relaxing/partying;

– From here train in to Hampi where you will need at least 3 days, including Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami (must!).

– Take the train to Bangalore, and switch over to another to Kochi. You’ll have 6 full days to explore Kerala, and as you’ve already done the beach branch out to Munnar + Periyar for 3-4 days, and return to Allepey for 1-2 full days exploring the Canals.