Chennai · Tirupati · Pondicherry · 4 nights / 5 days · pilgrimage
Tirupati & Pondicherry — 4 Nights
Darshan at Tirumala and then four days of French colonial streets and sea air at Pondicherry, with Chennai and the Mahabalipuram shore temples in between. Five days, your own car and driver, and no train queues.
Photos
Highlights
- Darshan at the Venkateswara temple at Tirumala
- Chennai — Marina beach, Kapaleeshwarar temple, San Thome and Fort St George
- The shore temples and rock carvings at Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Two nights in Pondicherry: the French quarter, the promenade, Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Auroville and the Matrimandir
- Private air-conditioned car and driver for all five days
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Arrive Chennai
Land and check in. Afternoon for Kapaleeshwarar temple at Mylapore, San Thome basilica, Fort St George, and the Marina at sunset — the second-longest urban beach in the world, and best walked rather than swum.
Day 2 — Chennai to Tirupati
Three and a half hours north into Andhra Pradesh, then up the ghat road to Tirumala. Darshan in the afternoon or evening depending on the slot, and the night in Tirupati.
Day 3 — Tirupati to Pondicherry
A long drive south, six or seven hours, with Mahabalipuram broken into the middle of it — the shore temple, Arjuna's Penance and the five rathas, carved out of the rock in the seventh century. At Pondicherry by evening.
Day 4 — Pondicherry
The French quarter in the morning while it's cool: yellow walls, bougainvillea, and the promenade before the traffic. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, then Auroville in the afternoon — the Matrimandir viewing point needs booking, and we'll tell you how. Paradise Beach by boat if you want the sand.
Day 5 — Home
Back to Chennai airport, about three and a half hours.
Included
- Hotels for every night of the trip, on twin sharing, with breakfast each morning
- A private air-conditioned car with a driver for the whole trip — every transfer and every sightseeing stop
- Your driver is with you 8am to 8pm each day
- All toll charges, interstate permits, parking fees and driver allowance
- All applicable taxes on the above
- A single point of contact in Delhi before, during and after the trip
Not included
- Flights or trains to and from the start and end points
- Lunches, dinners and snacks, unless a meal is listed in the inclusions
- Entrance fees at monuments, parks, boat jetties and viewpoints — these are paid at the gate
- Personal expenses: tips, laundry, phone calls, room service, porterage
- Optional activities, and any upgrade you decide to take on the day
- Travel insurance
- Anything not written into the inclusions list above
Best time to go: November to February. Tirupati is busiest around Brahmotsavam and the Tamil new year
Things to carry
- · Photo ID for every traveller, including children — hotels and some temples ask for it
- · Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for temple visits; men are asked to remove shirts at a few shrines in Tamil Nadu
- · A pair of socks — temple floors get very hot by midday and shoes come off at the entrance
- · A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- · Any regular medication
- · A small bag you don't mind leaving at the shoe counter
Cancellation policy
More than 30 days before departure: we retain ₹3,000 per person and refund the rest. 30 to 15 days before departure: 25% of the package cost. 14 to 8 days before departure: 50% of the package cost. 7 days or less, or no show: 100%.
Festival dates and a few resorts carry stricter terms of their own. If any part of your booking is on non-refundable terms, we tell you in writing before you pay anything — it will never be a surprise at the cancellation stage.
Refunds go back to the account you paid from, within 7 to 10 working days of the cancellation being confirmed.
Flight tickets, once issued, follow the airline's own rules and are refunded only to the extent the airline refunds us.
More questions, answered
- Are flights included?
- No. The price covers everything on the ground from the moment you land to the moment we drop you back. We can book your flights alongside the package if you'd rather have one invoice — just say so when you enquire.
- Is the car ours for the whole trip?
- Yes. Same car, same driver, from arrival to departure. It isn't a shared coach and it isn't a series of separate transfers. Your driver is with you 8am to 8pm each day.
- What if there are four or six of us?
- The price drops per head, and not by a little. The car and the driver cost the same whether two people are in it or six, so a group of six pays roughly a third less each than a couple does for exactly the same trip. Tell us your group size and we'll send the real number.
- Can we change the hotels?
- Yes, within reason. Tell us what you want and we'll price it. The categories on this page are the ones we hold rates in, but we're not locked to a fixed list.
- How do we pay?
- Part now to confirm the booking, the balance before you travel. You get a proper GST invoice, not a WhatsApp message with a UPI ID.
- Is darshan booked for us?
- Slots at Tirumala are issued by the temple trust and cannot be guaranteed by any agency, ours included. We tell you exactly how and when to book online — the free-darshan and special-entry windows open on different schedules — and we plan the day around whatever slot you get. Anyone promising you a confirmed time is selling you something they don't control.
- How long does darshan actually take?
- Anywhere from two hours to eight, depending on the day and the queue you're in. Weekdays outside festival season are far better than weekends. Your driver waits regardless.
- Can we skip Tirupati?
- Yes — Chennai, Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry make a good four-night trip on their own and it's cheaper. Ask us.