Excellent tour thank you Had a fantastic time on this tour with myself and my parents. Our tour guide, Meenakshi, was not only highly knowledgeable but went above and beyond to help us and keep us comfortable all day when we were struggling in the heat. For example he helped us shopping for a sarong, kept us hydrated with lots of chilled water and could answer all our many questions. He even took pictures of the 3 of us all day so now we have lovely memories all together which is priceless to us. Will encourage friends to visit Madurai on their travels from the UK and recommend Meenakshi and the 5 senses tours.

Great time in Madurai This visit was part of our third private tour with 5 Senses (first tour, So. India for a month; second No. India for 5.5 weeks; third East and South India, one month). You might have guessed that we are very happy with the company. All three tours were fantastic, this one no exception. This was our second visit to Madurai--we love the Meenakshi temple! The frustration is that no phones or cameras are allowed inside, but at least we have the memories (and images from the web.) The market and street food walks also were fun.The primary strength of 5 Senses is its people. The owner, Mr. Narayanan, is a great travel planning partner (he’ll work with you to craft exactly the trip you want) and he is super-responsive during trips if any problems arise. I am confident that Narayanan will fix it if it needs fixing—he has helped us several times in that way, and he has done it quickly. The state-based “cultural ambassadors” he has recruited (the guides who accompany you for days, across multiple sites) are excellent and soon become friends. For this month-long tour, I’d particularly like to call out Kannan (Tamil Nadu) and Mohan, and Chandra Shekar (Karnataka). If you are touring other parts of the country, we highly recommend Balwinder (Punjab and Rajasthan) and Vivek and Ram Sewak (Varanasi, Khajuraho and environs). It is basically a fool’s errand to try to price shop local tour operators—there are too many variables, including the type of accommodation, the quality of guides and the quality of transport (both of which can’t be assessed ahead of time). That said, over the course of the three tours, we feel that 5 Senses has been very good value for money. And I can say for certain that you would pay three times as much for the same Smithsonian or Nat Geo or other corporate tour, plus you’d be on a bus with many other folks and stuck with the group schedule. With 5 Senses you’re in your own car deciding where and when you want to go, where you want to eat, and when you want to take it easy.My advice to friends looking for a private tour in India is “don’t bother contacting other companies, just talk to 5 Senses. You won’t regret it.”

The only way fully experience Madurai Spent a weekend in the southern city of Madurai. Much like Miami - there are three types of weather: hot, hotter and hottest however the main reason for my journey was to visit of an incredible Meenakshi temple complex and explore the vibrant Tamil Nadu culture. All of my time spent with my wonderful guide Meenakshi and our driver made this experience unforgettable. We covered absolutely everything what is there to see in one day with detailed explanations and insights into the daily lives Tamil people.

Madurai tour Had an amazing guided tour in Madurai with Muthu. Easygoing, informal, and paced perfectly to suit me. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, great company, and made the whole day enjoyable. This was my first solo trip, after a bit of a struggle in Thanjavur), meeting Muthu was exactly what I needed. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Madurai.

A quality guided tour Thanks to this tour, not cheap it is understood, one can visit many (essential?) different places of Madurai: the Meenakshi temple (in partial restoration during the period I was there) , the Gandhi Museum, the basin of the Mariammam temple, a typical craft village and some other points of interest. I was lucky enough to benefit from a guide who speaks Meenakshi French well and who really made visiting the temple interesting and affordable. There is so much to see that without it I would not have known or looked at it, especially the painting of the Shiva lingam on the ceiling with a confusing optical effect... to discover but especially to find! It also allowed me to put in order the many gods of the Hindu pantheon. The east temple is dedicated to Shiva and his wife Parvati &, &, & such and such avatars, vehicle, guardians, son (Ganesh), daughter (Skanda). His explanations seem to have brought much even if I thought I knew this mythology; indeed alive and active here. Madurai is not an easy city first, the center is everywhere and nowhere. I'm finally adding the vegetable market with bananas... Very nice experience.

“Fascinating and educational tour of Madurai – an unforgettable experience!” Here is a revised version with a more interesting and educational tone:The tour of Madurai was just great! Our guide was not only incredibly competent, but also very personable and full of exciting stories. We explored impressive sights and gained deeper insights into the fascinating history and culture of the city. I've learned so much that I'll think about it for a long time.

Lovely and comprehensive experience Me and my friend had a really good experience with this tour and our guide: the driver came pick us up at the hotel on time, water was available and he was very welcoming and helpful when we asked questions about the city. Our tour guide was extremely prepared and gave us a lot of information both from the mythology and religion and from the historical and anthropological perspective which we really appreciated. He was also available to guide us to gift shopping when we asked.The tour comprised two main temple sights in Madurai, the raja palace and Gandhi museum, but also few quick stops at the fruit and banana market and the terra cotta artigianal shops in the outskirts of the city.Lovely experience!

A nice day in Madurai My guide, Muthu was a very kind man with a deep knowledge about the history of Madurai. We started by the visit of the main temple, the Meenakshi Amman temple, later we were in the Nayakar Mahal palace, water tank, etc. We tasted local specialities like jugarthanda, ref bananas in the local banana market, and had a good vegetarian thali for lunch. It was a highly interesting visit, thank you!

Enjoyable tour, some reservations This enjoyable, informative tour introduced us to many facets of Madurai, ranging from its ancient temples to its vibrant banana markets. Our guide - Meenakshi - was kind, knowledgeable and tuned into our needs. I did have a couple of reservations, however. Meenakshi’s storytelling style wasn’t always the clearest, and the Gandhi memorial museum was closed for renovations, weakening the second half of the tour. That said, it was still a very positive experience!