EAST COAST EXPLORER
Pondicherry | Tranquebar | VelankaNni | Rameswaram
Trip price
Adventure ₹ 20,000 per person | Group size 4 to 8 travellers | 7 Days
Pamban Bridge, Rameshwaram Island
Pondicherry
Diving Adventure
Pondicherry French town
Vellankani Churches
Dhanushkodi Ghost Town
East Coast Explored - Route Map
Tranquebar, Dansborg Fort
Auroville
Tour itinerary
Day 1 Chennai
We start our exploratory journey from the city of Chennai
Day 2 Pondicherry
Early morning arrival in Pondicherry we meet our adventure vehicles & transfer to our accommodation for 2 nights. We explore the old French town of Pondicherry visiting points of interest & lounge at a lovely cafe. Post lunch we visit Auroville- a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity. We visit the Matrimandir which is a meditation hall set within the beautiful gardens of Auroville.
Auroville (City of Dawn) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, India with some parts in the Union Territory of Puducherry in South India. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mother") and designed by architect Roger Anger. As stated in Alfassa's first public message in 1965, she states, that Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.
Pondicherry is the largest French colony in India. The city has a long and interesting history of trade and war. There is a strong French influence in the city, especially in the old quarters, with Rues and Boulevards lined with Mediterranean style houses and bakeries, although the city remains very much Indian. French is still understood, and the whole city makes for rather pleasant mix of East and West. It is also known as The French Riviera of the East (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est). If you've spent some time in Tamil Nadu and approached Pondicherry by land, you'll very likely experience mild culture shock on discovering French architecture and restaurants serving steak and good wine. Pondicherry is very much a city with a dual personality: crossing from East to West of the central canal reveals two cities with very different characters.
Day 3 Pondicherry
We have a free day to explore Pondicherry or indulge in two optional activities; Scuba Diving & Surfing.
Discover SCUBA Diving (Optional)
The student will experience the undersea world on scuba equipment, and dive to a depth of 12m! Dive into the Bay of Bengal and your Indian Seas! Find some spectacular fish and swaying plants. Explore beautiful corals and fantastic marine life. Get some underwater photos of yourself, your family, and your friends scuba diving! A certificate of recognition is issued following completion of the course. Get your own personal underwater scuba diving photos!
Discover Surfing (Optional)
Basic security measures, how to get around in the surf, how to catch a foam wave on your own (bodysurfing and with the surf board) and the right pop up technique. The better you swim the easier you will learn. We love surfing and guess what?! We also love sharing all we know about surfing we are students. Our spot is perfect for beginners and advance levels, don't miss this opportunity.
Day 4 East coast tour Tranquebar-Velankanni-Rameshwaram
A spectacular day of cruising down the east coast road exploring the heritage grandeurs of this coastline. We visit the dutch fort in TRANQUEBAR & the next stop the famous churches of Velankanni. Our exploratory drive ends by a campfire in the lovely property Kathadi North based in Rameswaram with pristine blue waters & lovely cottages.
TRANQUEBAR was a part of Chola & Pandya kingdoms. It has been an active international trading port attracting Muslim traders, German theologians and Moravian entrepreneurs. At the time of the arrival of the Danes Tranquebar had already seen an influx of foreigners. Arabs and later Portuguese traders had plied the coasts, and when the Danish East India Company was established with the construction of the Dansborg Fort.
Velankanni the Roman Catholic Latin Rite Basilica is devoted to Our Lady of Good Health. Devotion to Our Lady of Good Health of Velankanni can be traced to the mid-16th century and is attributed to three miracles at sites around where the Basilica stands: the apparition of Mary and the Christ Child to a slumbering shepherd boy, the curing of a lame buttermilk vendor, and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a violent sea storm.
Day 5 Rameshwaram
We paddle along the coastline of Rameswaram harbouring islands creating opportunities to interact with wildlife & nature. We explore two islets & paddle near the iconic Pamban bridge crossing over to the North side of our Island. There is an opportunity to snorkel since we navigate through the shallow coral reefs of Mandapam town. Located on the southeastern tip of the subcontinent, the Gulf of Mannar is known to harbour over 3,600 species of flora and fauna, making it one of the richest coastal regions in Asia. 117 hard coral species have been recorded in the Gulf of Mannar. Sea turtles are frequent visitors to the gulf as are sharks, dugongs, and dolphins. However, the combined effects of 47 villages, with a total population of around 50,000 has meant that overharvesting of marine species has become a problem. Fish catches have declined, as have pearl oyster, gorgonian coral, and acorn worm populations. Local fishermen rely on the reef to feed their families, but destructive fishing methods combined with the stress of pollution and coral mining have meant both nearshore and offshore catches have decreased. Endangered species include dolphins, dugongs, whales and sea cucumbers. In 1986, a group of 21 islets lying off the Tamil Nadu coast between Thoothukudi and Dhanushkodi were declared the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. The park and its 10 km buffer zone were declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1989.
Rest of the day at leisure.
Day 6 Rameshwaram
Morning tour of Rameswaram Island, we visit the famous Pamban bridge, Dr Abdul Kalam memorial, the famous Ramanathaswamy Temple & ghost town of Dhanushkodi.
The temple and the island of Rameswaram have acquired this name because, Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, the God of Gods here on return from Sri Lanka. According to legend, after killing Ravana Lord Rama returned with his consort Goddess Seetha to India first stepping on the shores of Rameswaram. To expiate the punishment of killing a brahmin, Lord Rama wanted to offer worship to Lord Shiva. Since there was no shrine in the island had despatched Sri Hanuman to Kailash to bring an idol of Lord Shiva.
The Pamban Bridge is a railway bridge on the Palk Strait which connects the town of Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India. The bridge refers to both the road bridge and the cantilever railway bridge, though primarily it means the latter. Opened on 24 February 1914, it was India's first sea bridge, and was the longest sea bridge in India until the opening of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in 2010. The rail bridge is, for the most part, a conventional bridge resting on concrete piers, but has a double leaf bascule section midway, which can be raised to let ships and barges pass through.
Adam's Bridge, also known as Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu is a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka. Geological evidence suggests that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka.
Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island. Following this disaster, the Government of Madras declared Dhanushkodi as Ghost town and unfit for living. Only a few fisherfolk now live there. There are several temples associated with Lord Rama around Rameswaram. An average of about 500 pilgrims visit Dhanushkodi daily, with the number in the thousands during festival days, such as new and full moon days.
We hop the overnight luxury bus from Rameswaram to Bangalore
Day 7 Bangalore
Tour ends on arrival in Bangalore
