Experience Top 5 Stunning Scenic Drives Near Chennai This Rainy Season
1. Mahabalipuram
The 50-kilometers drive south from Chennai brings you to Mahabalipuram where you can admire World Heritage Site temples carved into rocks and beautiful beach scenery. The rain-strengthened waves from the Bay of Bengal produce an enchanting spectacle when they strike against the shoreline. All travelers must see the Shore Temple and Arjuna's Penance and the Five Rathas in this destination. Visit Elliot's Beach or Mamallapuram Beach after visiting historical wonders since these beaches offer relaxed time enjoying misty elements and ocean air.
2. Pondicherry
Pondicherry (mainly referred to as Puducherry) exists as a fascinating union territory where French elegance and Indian heritage live in harmony about 160 kilometers due south of Chennai. During the monsoon season Pondicherry shows its true beauty through sweetened streets decorated by red bougainvillea flowers while it's quiet backwaters create a peaceful setting. All tourists should explore all three sites which include Promenade Beach and Auroville together with Sri Aurobindo Ashram. During monsoon season the country landscape surrounding Pondicherry transforms into lush vegetation suitable for bicycle tours combined with relaxed paddy field drives.
3. Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram situated 75 kilometers west of Chennai holds a status as one of the seven sacred Indian cities along with serving as a spiritual center. During monsoon the city reveals itself to travelers as 'The City of Thousand Temples' where they can experience serene peacefulness. Three architectural marvels within the lush surroundings of the rainy season are the Ekambareswarar Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple and Kailasanathar Temple. Under the monsoon months Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary turns into a sanctuary for migratory birds which offers nature enthusiasts an enjoyable experience.
4. Yelagiri Hills
Anyone who wants to experience cooler weather alongside breathtaking landscape views will find Yelagiri Hills near Chennai at 220 kilometers to be an outstanding hill station. The poorly known hill station showcases picturesque landscapes which flourish with waterfalls and blooming flower gardens throughout the monsoon period. The trekking paths at Swamimalai Hill alongside Punganoor Lake allow visitors to experience the splendor of nature. The gentle rainfall during this time creates an enchanting atmosphere which makes the location excellent for photographers.
5. Vellore
Vellore lies approximately 140 kilometers from Chennai as it unites ancient landmarks with picturesque natural vistas seamlessly. Since the 16th century the impressive Vellore Fort has existed as a powerful stone formation during the monsoon season. Visitors can see animals in their wilderness at the Amirthi Zoological Park combined with the Jungle Trail located nearby. Adventurers should explore the Jalagamparai Falls which rests in the forested region of Eastern Ghats. The flowing water creates peaceful music which draws people toward nature.
Conclusion
Chennai serves as an outstanding starting point for road trips because it surrounds various terrain options such as beaches together with mountain areas and traditional cities. These destinations reach maximum beauty during the monsoon period which transforms typical drives into unforgettable travel experiences. You can experience incredible scenes by driving through rainforest locations due to which you should instantly begin your adventure with packed luggage.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
a minute ago
- Business Standard
MakeMyTrip adds UK's largest hotel chain to strengthen hotel portfolio
NASDAQ-listed travel aggregator MakeMyTrip on Monday announced a partnership with Premier Inn, the UK's largest hotel chain. Premier Inn operates over 800 hotels comprising around 77,000 keys. 'The addition of Premier Inn further strengthens MakeMyTrip's international hotel portfolio with a brand known for its scale, reliability and value, offering Indian travellers more relevant choices across key cities in the United Kingdom,' the company said in a release. The platform has been expanding its international hotel supply through a direct contracting strategy focused on high-demand outbound destinations. 'In the past year, the platform has added over 2,000 directly contracted hotels across 50 cities in 20 countries. These 50 cities collectively account for more than half of India's outbound travel,' the release added. 'Over the past 12 months, we have pursued a focused strategy to deepen our international accommodation offerings across key hubs, particularly in long-haul markets such as the UK, Europe, and the USA. These initiatives are beginning to show results, with a steady uptick in the value contribution of international stays on our platform,' said Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group chief executive officer, MakeMyTrip. Premier Inn aims to grow visibility in India According to the company, the online travel market is expected to grow to $60 billion by 2030 from the current $12 billion. 'Connecting with MakeMyTrip is an exciting addition to our OTA partnerships and growth. It will drive increased awareness across India and surrounding markets for us, giving travellers even more opportunity to benefit from our unrivalled number of hotels across the UK, Germany and Ireland,' said Tim Sleep, director of sales and distribution at Premier Inn. The OTA player recently reported its results for the first quarter of the financial year 2026 (Q1FY26), with an 11 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) increase in net profit to $49,429 from $44,523. Revenue from operations grew 5.6 per cent Y-o-Y to $268,846.


India Today
41 minutes ago
- India Today
UNESCO recognises Maratha Military landscapes as a world heritage site
UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the Maratha Military Landscapes twelve forts arching from the Sahyadri peaks to Konkan's sea bastions and the granite outpost of between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, they knit together hill-hugging ramparts, rain-harvesting reservoirs and coastal redoubts that powered Maratha resurgence against much larger empires. India's forty-fourth inscription is therefore not merely an architectural victory; it reminds us that strategic imagination can be as deserving of recognition as palatial splendour. advertisementBeyond the New Laureates The Maratha listing opens the door to a wider mosaic of sites equally poised for global recognition. In the Chambal ravines near Gwalior, the circular Chausath Yogini temple at Mitawali often hailed as a proto-Parliament design and the delicately carved Padawali fortress, dubbed a "mini Khajuraho," illustrate the fusion of tantric ritual, military defence and fine sculpture. Far north-east, Tripura's Unakoti hill bears seventh-century bas-reliefs so monumental they have been called an "Angkor in the clouds." Karnataka's megalithic Hire Benakal plateau preserves a prehistoric field of stone dolmens. Together they show how India's geography, from the Chambal badlands to the lush hills of Tripura, offers a time-capsule of civilisations waiting to be inscribed. Tapping India's Intangible Wealth UNESCO's brief extends beyond masonry. Its Intangible Cultural Heritage list already celebrates Indian practices from Vedic chanting to Yoga and Kolkata's Durga Puja carnival, but many living traditions remain offstage. The Nashik dhol war rhythms that still thunder across Raigad, the Koli sea songs mapping Konkan currents, or the oral ballads of Sahyadri hillmen each breathe life into the stones. Gond bana storytelling, Himachali pahari weaving and Khasi monolith rituals are further candidates for global acknowledgment, illustrating that India's heritage beats as much in drum-skins and looms as in brick and basalt. Lessons in Civic Stewardship from the West Western countries show how broad-based public engagement can turbo-charge preservation. In the United Kingdom, the National Trust's recent "Deep Time" citizen-science project enlisted more than 1,000 volunteers dubbed "Pastronauts"-to analyse LiDAR data across 512 km, discovering 12,802 previously unknown archaeological sites in just three months. Finland's Adopt a Monument scheme lets neighbourhood groups "adopt" historic structures; over 70 sites are already under volunteer care, their upkeep guided by museum professionals. Across the Atlantic, the U.S. National Park Service channels nearly 300,000 volunteers who donate more than 6.5 million hours each year through its Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) programme, a contribution valued at over $185 million. These models prove that when citizens become custodians, heritage management gains both manpower and emotional investment. From Conservation to Celebration India already channels similar enthusiasm. INTACH's 230 chapters and thousands of school Heritage Clubs equip students to document neighbourhood shrines and step-wells. advertisementThe Aga Khan Trust's craft-centred renewal of Humayun's Tomb wove 200,000 artisan work-days into a single restoration campaign, reviving skills and livelihoods alongside stone. Corporate-community partnerships forged under the Adopt-a-Heritage/Monument Mitra banner have upgraded visitor facilities from Red Fort to the hidden gem of Chandragiri. What links these successes is a three-way handshake: public bodies set standards, private sponsors underwrite logistics, and citizen groups provide passion and vigilance. When trekkers sweep litter from Lohagad, when villagers stage a Koli Folk-Fest beside Suvarnadurg, or when architecture students create QR-coded trails around Unakoti, preservation shifts from being a duty to becoming a celebration. Small local grants-crowdfunded or CSR-backed often spark the most inventive outcomes: poetry recitals beneath Padawali's torana, drone-camera surveys of Hire Benakal, or travelling exhibitions that pair Chausath Yogini's iconography with contemporary art. Each micro-project multiplies public pride in ways that no centrally run campaign could script. A Call to Co-Stewardship The Maratha forts' UNESCO medal is a milestone; the greater triumph will be an ethos in which every Indian-archivist or influencer, mason or manager-owns a thread of the national tapestry. Imagine schoolchildren charting Raigad's rain-water tanks for a science fair, Koli fishermen guiding tourists through Suvarnadurg's tidal moat, or marathon runners raising conservation funds along the ramparts of Rajgad. In such moments heritage is not merely safeguarded; it is performed. Partnership, not prescription, will carry the day. Institutions can safeguard bylaws and lab protocols, but the songs, stories and entrepreneurial sparks that make a monument sing come from the ground up. By shifting focus from conservation alone to celebration-from guarding the past to animating it-India can ensure that its forts, temples, looms and legends remain both anchors of identity and springboards for collective inputs from Maitridevi Sisodia is a Deputy Collector posted in Ahmedabad, an award-winning author, and women's rights advocate. She is also passionate about rural development, youth empowerment and social equality. Her writings are widely published and acclaimed. She's a speaker at national and global forums. - EndsTune InMust Watch


Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor's ancestral homes to become museums; Two-year renovation underway
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) As part of preserving South Asia's cinematic heritage, the ancestral homes of Indian film legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar are now undergoing official reconstruction and renovation. As reported by PTI, the long-awaited project commenced on Monday (July 28), as confirmed by officials from Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. These historic structures, located in the heart of Peshawar, are set to be transformed into museums that will pay tribute to the life and legacy of the two towering figures of Indian cinema. Preserving heritage, promoting tourism According to Dr Abdus Samad, Director of Archaeology, the initiative will span two years with an estimated budget of Rs 70 million. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has released funds for this ambitious restoration effort. This will include both structural and aesthetic upgrades. The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums is overseeing the project. It aims to return the residences to their original state. Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu's unmissable pictures The plan to convert the homes into dedicated museums is rooted in a vision to not only honor the personal histories of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor but also to enhance tourism potential in the province. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like $30K Goes a Long Way in This Clementi Condo squarerooms Read More Undo Meanwhile, these were declared national heritage sites in 2014 by then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A cultural investment for the future Reportedly, the advisor for Tourism Zahid Khan Shinwari emphasized the broader vision behind the project, noting that with the support of the World Bank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa aims to make its cultural landmarks central to its tourism economy. 'These projects will revolutionise the tourism sector in the province,' he said to PTI. 'Our aim is to make Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's beautiful cultural landmarks a focal point for tourists worldwide. ' The renovation of these heritage homes is expected to create jobs and revive interest in the shared cultural history of the Indian subcontinent, giving both locals and international visitors a chance to walk through the early and legendary chapters of cinema.