CHENNAI: Most people dread guided tours, because of the strict time schedules where people are rushed through without being allowed to enjoy the beauty of a place. The new hop-on-hop–off tour to be offered by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) thus comes as welcome relief.
Flexibility is the hallmark of the tours which are going to be launched in ten days time. The tour starts from Chennai and ends at Mamallapuram and there are thirteen places, where one can hop-on- hop–off along the East Coast Road.
TTDC public relations manager Ravi said, “ The best part of this tour is if people want to spend more time at one place they do it without the fear of being left behind. They can always hop on into the next bus that comes that way. Also if the people want to skip a place which they do not find interesting, they can stay in the bus and hop off on the next destination of choice.”
TTDC will operate four luxury AC coaches every hour from Chennai and Mamallapuram. The first bus will leave Chennai at 9 am from the Tamil Nadu Tourism Complex at Wallajah Road, while the last bus will leave at 4 pm. The first bus from Mamallapuram will be at 10.40 am from Five Rathas , while the last bus will leave at 5.40 pm.
Tickets per person is Rs 250. The route map starts with Marundeeswarear Temple and goes on to VGP Golden Beach, Mayajaal, MGM, Dizzy World, Dakshinachitra, Muttukadu boat club, Thiruvidanthai temple, Crocodile Bank, Dolphin City, Tiger Caves, Beach Resort Complex, and Mamallapuram.
TTDC has also appointed guest relations executives who will travel in the bus and provide background descriptions of the places to the tourist.
The tour caters to varied tastes; there are temples for the religious, theme parks for the children , and nature too have plenty of choices. This could be an ideal choice for an family and friends.