Some 36 km from Chennai, on the ECR, is this idyllic backwater retreat. You can try your hand at oarsmanship here.

A 44-km drive from Chennai, the croc bank has over 3,000 gharials, crocodiles and lizards.

Avid birdwatchers! Vedathangal, just 85 km away, is waiting for you. This is haven for a large number of egrets, herons, cormorants, spoonbills, grebes, pelicans, storks, ibises and many more. The best season to visit is after the monsoon. For details contact Chennai Wildlife Warden's Office at DMS Compound, Anna Salai, Teynampet, Ph.24321471.

Breathtaking rock-cut temples, sculptures, and a roaring sea, Mahabs, as Chennaiites call it, is 58 km from Chennai. It is an ancient seaport on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, built by the Pallava King Narasimhavarman 1, way back in the 7th Century AD. Do look out for: - Arjuna's Penance - relief sculpture on a massive scale extolling stories from Hindu mythology. - The pancha rathas (five chariots) - The Shore Temple - a structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the Western side away from the sea. Mahabalipuram is a favourite shopping haunt for South Indian artifacts, both wooden and granite based. If you are visiting Mahabs make sure to set out early in the morning so that you reach there by 7 am. The scorching sun would otherwise leave you too tired to see around.

Some 170 km from Chennai is the former French colony of Pondicherry. Temples, churches, Aurobindo's Ashram, Auroville, and the rocky beach, there is plenty to see and do in Pondicherry. Visit www.auroville.org for more on Auroville in Pondy, which is a main attraction for tourists here.