Day trip to Pondicherry from Chennai

One of three tours we did with 5 Senses, all with the same guide - Kannan. All went very well, with our personal guide and driver, and an included Indian lunch. The Pondicherry trip was gfood in that it got us out of Chennai to see the countryside. Pondicherry is well worth seeing if you're in Chennai, although it is a 3+ hour drive. It's not a spectacular venue, but is interesting enough to make it worthwhile.

The sights are probably not the most impressive, but Kannan, the guide, made the day truly unforgettable. He provided excellent commentary to the sights and the daily routine of the community, was always very professional and engaging. I was by myself, and never felt bored or left alone, even though there was a great deal of driving on the tour. I appreciated Kannan’s efforts to go beyond just the standard explanation of the sights and including additional stops to the itinerary (a Jain temple, a stop at the sweets shop – before Diwali it’s quite something!). Lunch was delicious and this is not at all surprising in India, what I liked most is that I had a very interesting conversation with Kannan over lunch about food and India in general, this is much less common. I think for Tamil Nadu Kannan is your best choice. I’ve taken quite a few tours in India, and his was one of the best. My experience with the same company Five Senses walks in Kolkata was not as great.

Most interesting : the French quarter and Sri Aurobindo ashram. The trip from Madras was a bit too long but our guide Vijay has done its utmost to make it very comfortable , he has been introducing us into the Hindu way of life and helped us to make a small step into Sri Aurobindo (and Mother) spiritual world . It was the second time we met Vijay, certainly to highly recommend.