Top Destinations to Explore in South India

A destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things so as a South India which is blessed with exotic greenery, beaches and spice plantations. South India is a melting pot of cultures, cuisines, traditions and languages. South India is a place where everyone has something to do such as – water sports for the adventurous, backwaters for the romantics, trekking trails for hikers and panoramic vistas for the nature lovers.

Here are some of the most gorgeous tourist places to visit in South India –

Ooty, Tamil Nadu

Ooty is undoubtedly one of the best tourist place in South India. Nestled amidst the Nilgiris, Ooty houses a plethora of picturesque hilly tracks, gardens, tea plantations and lakes which makes it one of the beautiful place in South India that people want to visit from all over the world. Ooty is also said as the Queen of Hill Stations, balances the hustle and bustle of the city life with expansive tea gardens. The charming bungalows from the British-Raj era add a romantic flavour to Ooty, making it one of the most popular honeymoon destination place in South India. Ooty has famous museums, churches and a tea factories.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Government Botanical Garden, Government Rose Garden, The Tea Factory and Tea Museum, St. Stephen’s Church, Thread Garden, Nilgiri Mountain Railway Line, Government Museum, Ooty Lake, Kamaraj Sagar Dam, Catherine Falls, Dolphin’s Nose, Ooty Rose Gardens, Kalhatti Falls, Emerald Lake, Tiger Hills, Doddabetta Peak and Deer Park.
• Best Things to Do: Trekking, Toy Train Ride
• Best Visiting Time: October to June
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Coimbatore, Nearest Railway Station – Coimbatore Railway Station and Tiruppur Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Gateway Coonoor, The Clive and Curzon, Le Meridien Coimbatore, Orchid Square Boutique Hotel, Misty Meadows Coonoor.

Hampi, Karnataka

Hampi is an ancient destination tourist place that is amongst the best places to visit in South India. This destination place has its floors covered in timeless ruins, rusty hues and enigmatic landscapes the combination that you cannot find anywhere else on this planet. The valleys and hills, the remains of the Vijay Empire and the lush greens makes it a point to offer an absolute experience.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Virupaksha Temple, Matanga Hill, Hemakuta Hill Temple, Vijaya Vitthala Temple, Hampi Architectural Ruins, Achyutaraya Temple, Sasivekalu Ganesha, Lotus Mahal, Hazara Rama Temple, Anjaneya Hill, Tungabhadra River and Stone Chariot.
• Best Things to Do: Climb Hampi’s Giant Boulders
• Best Visiting Time: October to February
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Hubli, Nearest Railway Station – Hospet Railway Junction
• Places to Stay: Shanti Guest House and Restaurant, Waterfall Guesthouse, Murali Homestay.

Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu

Another stunning hill station among the best tourist places in South India is Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu which is blessed with lush green forests, a huge variety of rock formations and a charming waterfall. Nestled amidst the misty clouds and lush green forests, this hill station is rightly called as the Princess of Hill Station. Kodaikanal is also famous for its exotic flora, gorgeous lakes, museums and temples which makes this as one of the best tourist place in the South India.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Kodaikanal Lake, Bryant Park, Silver Cascade Falls, Pillar Rocks, Bear Shola Falls, Guna Cave, Thalaiyar Falls, Kurinji Andavar Temple, Coaker’s Walk and Berijam Lake.
• Best Things to Do: Trekking, Boating
• Best Visiting Time: October to June
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Madurai Airport, Nearest Railway Station – Kodai Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Vivera Grande Hotel, Parsons Court, Theni International Hotel, Coco Lagoon by Great Mount, Fortune Pandiyan.

Suggested Tour: Kodaikanal Tour Packages

 Pondicherry

Pondicherry is one of the few places in India that reflects the contribution of French culture made to our heritage. Pondicherry is the town of the French vibes, architecture and styles. Pondicherry offers the finest amalgamation of the French architecture and the Indian sensibilities. It has number of beaches where you can easily watch the day go by.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Vinayagar Temple, Promenade Beach, Rock Beach, French War Memorial, Bharathi Park, Aayi Mandapam, Paradise Beach and Varadharaja Perumal Temple.
• Best Things to Do: Scuba Diving, Exploring Various Cafes, Head to the Beaches
• Best Visiting Time: October to March
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Pondicherry Airport, Nearest Railway Station – Villupuram Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: La Villa, Gratitude Heritage, Anandha Inn Convention Centre and Suites.

Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh

Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh is a paradise for all the coffee lovers and is a popular weekend destination place in South India. With the vast expanses of coffee plantations, Araku Valley remains in its pristine and untouched form. You can also take the Vista Dome train for a panoramic view of the route. The Araku Valley is known for its spectacular natural beauty, isolated tribes and organic coffee plantations.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Padmapuram Gardens, Borra Caves, Coffee Museum, Ananthagiri Water Falls, Katiki Water Falls, Rana Jilleda Water Falls, Chaparai Waterfalls, Araku Art Museum and Tribal Museum.
• Best Things to Do: Trekking, Hiking, Coffee Plantation
• Best Visiting Time: October to March
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Visakhapatnam Airport, Nearest Railway Station – Araku Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Vihar Resort, Hill Park Resort, Dhimsa Resort, SRK Resort, Haritha Hill Resort.

Thekkady, Kerala

Thekkady is a hill station where you will find everything from lush green rolling hills with elephants walking by to spice plantations, ashram and paddy fields. Thekkady is also famous for Periyar National Park where you will find a large number of tigers, wild bison and many other wildlife species.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Periyar National Park, Tiger Trail, Thekkady Lake, Green Park Ayurvedic and Spice Plantation, Kadathanadan Kalari Centre, Mangla Devi Temple and Periyar Lake.
• Best Things to Do: Boating, Bamboo Rafting
• Best Visiting Time: November to March
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Madurai International Airport and Cochin International Airport, Nearest Railway Station – Kottayam Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Periyar Woods, Abad Green Forest Resort, Hotel Ambadi, Periyar Nest Resort, Hotel Pepper Vine.

Suggested Tour Thekkady Tour Packages

Kumarakom, Kerala

Kumarakom is a small village in the backwaters of Kerala on the Vembanad Lake. With its beautiful blue lake, picturesque villages, bird Sanctuary Park and Bay Island Driftwood Museum, Kumarakom is a nature lover’s delight and one of the top weekend tourist destination of South India. There are plenty of things one can do there such as an overnight stay on a houseboat, night fishing, cruising down the backwaters in a Shikara and bird watching.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary Park, Pathiramanal Lake, Bay Island Driftwood Museum, Karthyayani Devi Temple, St. Thomas Church, Sree Kumaramangalam Subramanyaswamy Temple.
• Best Things to Do: House Boating
• Best Visiting Time: November to February
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Cochin International Airport, Nearest Railway Station – Kottayam Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Green Fields Hotel, Hotel The Club, Royal Riviera Hotel and Resort, Lakshmi Hotel and Resort, Hotel Dubai.

Alleppey, Kerala

Alleppey is one of the calmest and most relaxing summer tourist destination place of South India. This is one of the most popular honeymoon destination place of South India, also known as Alappuzha that offers an idyllic setting for couples to fall deeper in love with each other. This is an ideal place to kill the summer fatigue and relax in the pristine backwaters on a cruise. Alleppey is also a bustling industry of coir.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Alappuzha Beach, Vembanad Lake, Marari Beach, Sree Krishna Swamy Temple, Punnamada Lake, Krishnapuram Palace, Basilica of St. Mary, Mullakkal Temple, International Coir Museum and Revi Karunakaran Memorial Museum.
• Best Things to Do: Kayaking, Bird Watching, Boat Cruise, Ayurvedic Spa
• Best Visiting Time: November to February. August for Boat Races
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Cochin International Airport, Nearest Railway Station – Alleppey Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Samroha Resort Athirapally, Baymaas Lake House, Sea Lagoon Health Resort, Global Backwater Resort, Taj Malabar Resort and Spa.

Munnar, Kerala

With misty clouds and rolling green hills, Munnar is another famous hill station spot of South India. Munnar is no less than a dreamland place with deep valleys, breath-taking hills and beautiful tea plantations. As this place is carpeted with tea plantation one can taste different aromas and flavours of tea. For the people who love nature, there are elephants to watch, Waterfalls to bathe in and trekking trails to walk along. This is one of the popular weekend destination in South India.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Eravikulam National Park, Mattupetty Dam, Tea Museum, Pothamedu View Point, Attukal Waterfall, Nayamakad Waterfall, Anamudi Peak, Kolukkumalai Tea Estate, Chokramudi Peak and Carmelagiri Elephant Park.
• Best Things to Do: Trekking, Camping, Bird Watching, Mountain Biking
• Best Visiting Time: October to May
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Cochin International Airport and Madurai International Airport, Nearest Railway Station – Aluva Railway Station and Ernakulam Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Talayar Valley Bungalow, Mountain Hut Resort, Veetee Midtown, Spoony Residency, Hotel Matha Regency.

Check out: Munnar Tour Packages

Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu

Mahabalipuram is a town known for its rock-cut caves and intricately carved temples. It is a destination that is perfect for the history buffs and religious travellers out there. This place has serenity and peace which can’t be experienced anywhere else in the country. Sunsets is also extra major attraction for the tourists as the soft glow of the setting sun adds to the allure of these monuments.

• Best Tourist Attractions Spots: Shore Temple, Pancha Rathas, Descent of the Ganges, Krishna’s Butterball, Mahabalipuram Beach, Ganesha Ratha, India Seashell Museum, Arjuna’s Penance, Tiger Cave and Alamparai Fort.
• Best Things to Do: Explore the Museums, Different Temples, Stroll around the Beach
• Best Visiting Time: October to May
• How to Reach: Nearest Airport – Chennai International Airport and Nearest Railway Station – Mamallapuram Railway Station.
• Places to Stay: Hotel Daphne, Radisson Blu Resort, Raja Lakshmi Guest House, Nirvana Boutique Hotel.

South India offers an incredible diversity of landscapes, activities, and cultural experiences that cater to every traveler’s tastes. Whether you’re seeking adventure, relaxation, history, or nature, you’ll find it all in this vibrant and diverse region.

• Suggested Tour: South India Tour Packages