Hello!

Thanks for your interest.

My name is Chandan. I am born and raised in Chennai. This is where my ancestors lie, in (hopefully) peaceful eternal slumber and I am as local as local can get! Growing up in a family of academicians and historians, I was drawn to the history and the culture of my land from very early on and have explored most of India with world renowned authorities on Art, Culture and History. I always had a wander lust in me and have spent many a month on the road exploring obscure and not so obscure places.

I have led special interest trips for many groups for international travel companies such as Elder hostel and Road Scholar, Intrepid travel. I am currently a free-lance travel consultant and trip lead. The people I have led have found me to be a good travel companion; well versed and knowledgeable, professional, easy going and friendly.

I offer real life experiences, where you will get a chance to interact with locals, haggle with merchants the way my mum does when she is out on shopping bouts and so on. My itineraries give space for a lot of serendipity, for chance encounters prove to be most memorable. Indeed, I aim to offer you an experience that you will cherish for a lifetime.

I hope to get you intimate and personal with the area visited with lively and fun conversations of the history of the place during site visits. We will travel in comfortable, modern air conditioned vehicles and will discuss how the area came about to its present state, explore its myth, mythology and folklore and understand its importance and role in contemporary local life.

I am available 7 days a week including public holidays and you can usually book me at short notice. In addition to the travel programs mentioned, I can customize a program to fit any specific need.

I donate 10 percent of what I make directly to a needy family, for I believe that tourism must benefit India's poor.

I have a strong command over English, it being the spoken language at my home. In my free time, you'll catch me reading, or listening to rock; bands such as Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, the Pixes, Whitesnake, Dire Straits, Megadeth and a whole lot more.

Certified Tourist Guide by the Ministry of Tourism, India. Has basic first aid knowledge. Has a valid driving license.

Kanchipuram is the land of a 1000 intricately designed temples. The capital of the ancient Pallava dynasty, its temples will hold you in awe inspiring sway, where you can have a veritable dialogue with history in intricate stone carvings. Kanchipuram is also the birth place of Bodhidharma, the monk who took Zen Buddhism to China and consequently to the Far East.

We will delve into South Indian History and art by visiting some of the most ancient and magnificent temples in South India. We will be stunned by some of the most intricate stone carvings in the world. We will explore many interesting myth and folklore tales and be amazed by the knowledge of the ancients.

This one day tour will immerse you into ancient Indian culture and will definitely be an experience that you cherish for a lifetime!

Kanchipuram: Silk, Shrines and Saints - A Private Tour From Chennai

Welcome to Chennai! This trip is specially designed as a one day shore excursion and will aim to give you a few insights on Chennai, a mix of the old and new, and will take you to some of the best shopping spots in Chennai where you can haggle for local ware.

As your private tour guide, I can adjust the schedule, duration and activities to meet your needs. Please let me know of any special requests you have.

Chennai Shore Excursion

This day tour aims to get you up close and personal with the pulse of South India. We will explore Mahabalipuram, an UNESCO World Heritage site, an area 'considered to be of 'outstanding value to humanity. '

Mahabalipuram was an important ancient port which was well known to the ancient Romans and Greeks. Mahabalipuram is today renowned the world over for its exquisite 6th century rock cut temples and intricate statues of stone.

On the way, we visit a very interesting"living museum" of South India, Dakshin Chitra to enable an understanding of South Indian way of life through the centuries.

This day tour with me has been described by many, many discerning travellers and historians as one of the most fascinating day tours in India, if not in the entire world!

I bring the area to life - instead of rambling on about mundane details -I associate the ancient past with the present and leave you with many interesting stories that you can relate with - an experience of a lifetime indeed!

Tour guide in Chennai Chandan S.

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