Rural cycling tours in South India
| country: | India |
| location: | Karnataka, Kerala |
| trip type: | Moderate cycling holidays |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor made throughout the year, based on a minimum of 2 people |
| price: | From £620 (8 days) excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A cycling holiday that offers you the perfect escape to the diverse landscapes of South India. The trip combines many exciting possibilities - exploring the magnificent Mysore Palace, cycling through a settlement of Tibetans far away from their homeland or even spending a day with elephants.
This cycling tour takes us through places known for their natural beauty and wilderness abundant in wildlife and birds. The cycling trails bordering Nagarhole and Wayand wildlife areas are perfect getaways for exploring the hill country on less travelled roads. The sprawling coffee estates of Coorg and the legendary Eddakkal caves with prehistoric rock art are some of the highlights of the trip. The opportunity to intimately interact with very hospitable locals adds to the uniqueness of this trip.
Special emphasis has been laid on providing top of the line accommodation in eco-lodges, plantation bungalows and homestays, ideal for taking in the local ambience. Ethnic food served at these places heighten the quality of the experience.
Highlights include:
This cycling tour takes us through places known for their natural beauty and wilderness abundant in wildlife and birds. The cycling trails bordering Nagarhole and Wayand wildlife areas are perfect getaways for exploring the hill country on less travelled roads. The sprawling coffee estates of Coorg and the legendary Eddakkal caves with prehistoric rock art are some of the highlights of the trip. The opportunity to intimately interact with very hospitable locals adds to the uniqueness of this trip.
Special emphasis has been laid on providing top of the line accommodation in eco-lodges, plantation bungalows and homestays, ideal for taking in the local ambience. Ethnic food served at these places heighten the quality of the experience.
Highlights include:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Mysore. Sightseeing around the city including the palace with its durbar hall, golden royal elephant throne and the Jayachamarajendra art gallery. Also in store is trip to the Chamundi Hills to see the ancient temple before retiring for the night in royal splendour at the Green Hotel. |
| Day 2: | Bylakuppe. We make a short transfer to avoid the traffic and cycle to Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India. Visit the Namdroling monastery and wander through the settlement. After lunch, cycle to Coorg - a fertile forested expanse. Stay at the Elephant Rescue Camp at Dubare. |
| Day 3: | Elephants. Today we get to spend time interacting with the elephants and their mahouts, maybe also bathe the elephants. An elephant safari into the dense forests is a novel way of spotting birds and animals. |
| Day 4: | Pollibetta coffee estate. We have a good day of cycling ahead of us, passing through coffee estates and lush countryside. With some luck on our side, we might just spot an elephant or other wildlife. The cycling for the day ends at the Pollibetta coffee estate where we will be accommodated in luxurious colonial Coffee Estate bungalow. |
| Day 5: | Kerala. An early morning drive will take us to Kerala to continue our cycling there. This is the hill district of Wayanad – forming a part of the 34 bio-diversity regions of the world. At the river Kabini we transfer the cycles across on board bamboo rafts. Passing through rich forested areas and spice farms that dot the landscape, we arrive at the Aranyagam home stay – an eco lodge within the forests where we will spend the night. |
| Day 6: | Edakkal caves. We will be up early and cycle to the Edakkal caves, made famous for its megalithic art on the walls. These fascinating prehistoric rock etchings found on the walls of these caves have drawn the serious attention of archaeologists and historians worldwide. After a picnic lunch we head back to the homestay. |
| Day 7: | Deccan plateau. Cycling through the sprawling tea estates, we move to the plains. The view is phenomenal, the ride sublime - where the Deccan plateau end and the plains start. From here we transfer you to Thalassery to a beautiful beach villa perched on a cliff overlooking the Arabian sea. |
| Day 8: | Depart as convenient. (Trains or by flights from Kozhikode) |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment:
Cycling is the greenest form of travel causing zero damage to the environment. Transfers in motor vehicles are minimized as far as possible. The Green Hotel, Mysore building includes solar panels. We encourage our clients to follow environmental and friendly practices of water conservation, waste disposal and recycling. All our holidays have a maximum group size of 6 people minimizing both the social and environmental impact. Community: Cycling also makes it possible to interact with the locals and understand their culture and lifestyle. Accommodation is arranged in hotels, eco-lodges and homestays owned and run by local entrepreneurs thereby directly contributing to the local economy. The Green Hotel, Mysore has been set up as a model of sustainable tourism. All profits are channelled towards charity and environmental issues. There is a strong policy of employing women. Food is locally sourced. Our guides and drivers are all from the local community and tourism is in most cases their sole means of livelihood. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |