South India covers the whole peninsula below the Deccan: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the union territory of Puducherry. In one trip you could move from backwaters to tea hills, temple cities, ruined capitals and two long coasts. The secret to planning it well is to choose one or two regions and travel slowly, rather than trying to see everything.
The regions at a glance
- The south-west coast and Western Ghats: Kerala and coastal and hill Karnataka: backwaters, beaches, spice and coffee hills.
- The temple plains: Tamil Nadu, from Chennai and Mahabalipuram to Thanjavur and Madurai, with the Nilgiri hills to the west.
- The Deccan plateau: Hampi and Mysuru in Karnataka, and Hyderabad and Warangal in Telangana.
- The east coast: Andhra Pradesh, from Visakhapatnam and the Araku Valley to Tirupati, and Puducherry, a union territory of four separate districts.
Choose your gateway
- Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram for Kerala.
- Chennai for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry; Madurai for the far south.
- Bengaluru for Mysuru, coffee country and Hampi.
- Hyderabad for Telangana and onward travel across the Deccan.
- Visakhapatnam for the Andhra coast and the Araku Valley.
Flying into one city and out of another (an ‘open-jaw’ trip) saves a long backtrack, for example in at Chennai and out from Kochi.
Places that pair well
- Mahabalipuram and Puducherry, a few hours apart along the East Coast Road.
- Madurai and Munnar, linking Tamil Nadu’s temples with Kerala’s tea hills.
- Fort Kochi, the backwaters and Varkala, all on one coastal line.
- Mysuru and Kodagu, two to three hours apart.
- Hyderabad and Warangal, an easy road or rail trip.
How much to fit in
- One week: one region, three or four bases at most.
- Ten days: two neighbouring regions, such as Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu.
- Two weeks or more: a loop across two or three states with a few slow days built in.
- Allow two nights in each place; distances on the map look short, but ghat roads and city traffic are slow.
Before you book
- Season: November to February suits most of the region, but the two monsoons arrive at different times on each coast. See our Before you go notes.
- Festivals: Onam in Kerala, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Dasara in Mysuru and Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh are wonderful but busy; book early.
- Pilgrim sites: Tirumala darshan and Auroville’s Matrimandir inner chamber need advance booking through official sites.
- Dress and etiquette: carry something that covers shoulders and knees for temples, mosques and churches.
Start with the South India overview, then open the destination guides for each state.
Sources and image credits
Facts that can change were checked on 30 October 2026:
- Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (official booking)
- Auroville (official): Matrimandir inner chamber booking
- India Meteorological Department
- Incredible India (Government of India tourism)
Photography: P Mantha via Unsplash (Unsplash License). A stock image of Hampi, not the author’s own.
Transport, booking rules and festival dates change. Check official sources before you travel.
