Cycling holidays in Kerala. Helping Dreamers Do

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14 Days excluding flights

More info:Includes airport transfers, guide, accommodation, most meals, accompanying vehicle, other travel costs and cycles (Cannondale / Trek/Merida MBTs). *10% off on tours between 1st May to 30th September.

Tailor made

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.

01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.com

Departure information

This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements

Vouchers

Accepted

Responsible tourism

As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.

Cycling is the best way to explore the countryside of Kerala, meeting the local people, enjoying their hospitality and trying to understand their culture and lifestyles – an important aspect of any eco-traveler. Those who undertake this journey will be staying at Homestays, guest houses and camps owned by local entrepreneurs, thus contributing directly to the local economy. As the travelling is on cycles most of the way, it enables you to take in the surroundings without damaging the environment.

Environment

Community

Climate

6 Reviews of Cycling holidays in Kerala

4.5 out of 5 stars

SHOW

Reviewed on 07 Dec 2019 by Carol Boothby

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The cycling around Munnar , which was very challenging on terms of hill and road conditions, but so exciting and interesting.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Take plenty changes of cycling clothes as it is quite hard to get things washed and dried. You can buy an indian SIM card for your phone for £5 at the airport, and save on phone bills. Try to avoid using plastic water bottles as these end up littering the roadside and backwaters - most places offer clean filtered water if you ask for it. I took my own saddle .

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

The home stays were run by locals , and they really need tourist support. Many were making efforts to reduce environmental impact by cutting down on plastic waste etc. Our local guide company, also tries to avoid plastic waste by providing metal drinking bottles and refilling from a large water store.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Absolutely brilliant! Our guides were fantastic, especially Roger who led the cycling. Nothing was too much trouble, we were treated like royalty. The guides thought of everything, and were so accommodating.

Reviewed on 15 Dec 2015 by lindsay innes

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

From start to finish, we had a ball! Vipin and Rodger were great guides, full of encouragement and knowledge about all things Indian. Deepu was a very safe driver and all 3 had a great rapport with each other. Cycling was challenging at times, but very enjoyable and we were able to go at our own pace. Food and accomodation were first class and no ' delhi belly' for either of us throughout the whole trip.

The holiday company are a company I will definitely use again and recommend to others. Please pass on my thanks to the company

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Dont hesitate, book it!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

All hotels/camps seemed locally owned and I am happy to support that.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Excellent, first class! This is up there in our top 1 or 2 trips of our life and we have travelled a fair bit over the years.

Reviewed on 28 Nov 2012 by Stevan Johl

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The organisation of our two week cycling holiday in Kerala with the operator was excellent. Additional activities, our accommodation, our driver support, bike guide and equipment were all well chosen and provided an excellent introduction to Keralan life.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Don't hesitate. You will get an excellent combination of a varied and carefully considered bike route, decent bikes (all of the spare bikes were being used in a bike event in North India so, unusually, there wasn't a spare bike or wheel
available which would have been helpful), faultless driver and bike support and very good quality accommodation in a variety of luxury camps, homestays and hotels. The country is fascinating and takes in tea plantations, jungle, small
villages and short stretches of busy towns.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

We had the chance to speak with a number of homestay owners which gave far more insight into Keralan life than just staying in hotels. Kerala is perfect for travelling by bike because the distances are not too vast and the roads are
generally quiet and reasonable quality.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Wonderful memories.

Reviewed on 15 Feb 2012 by Niels Revsgaard

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

To join a Hindu marriage, included to experience the hospitality and kindness towards us. Thanks Jerry!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

That they can expect to join a tour, which is even better than they could expect from reading the introduction to the tour.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes, in relation to local economy, and in relation to human relations.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Reviewed on 01 Mar 2011 by Susan Reid

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The cycling was great, having a bike guide and a backup van worked really well for our style of cycling as it meant we didn't have to worry about each other. Francis and Shibu were great fun and we all enjoyed a beer together after finishing a ride. Dewalokam Farm Stay was fabulous we loved it. The riceboat trip wonderful

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Stay 2 nights at Dewalokam if possible. Take minimal clothes, shop at the market at Fort Cochin for long trousers and shirts to wear when not cycling. Don't worry about anything – the operator is absolutely brilliant at organisation. Make sure you take enough photos! Buy tea to take home at the Munnar tea museum. Buy presents before you get to the airport! Eat lots of parotta it’s yummy. Cash all your rupees back at the exchange at the airport just keep enough for that final cup of massala tea. Enjoy it all and don't fuss about hot milk in tea!!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes as we were staying in locally run hotels and using local tea stands etc.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Brilliant we will be coming again asap.

Reviewed on 15 Mar 2010 by James Strachan

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

There were so many! The warm welcome at the airport and excellent rapport with the guys who did everything possible to make the holiday as interesting and relaxed as possible. The wonderful days of high level trekking on the Kerala -Tamil Nadu border. The exciting cycling on the country tracks, forest trails, and town roads on top quality machines. Meeting some very interesting people of Kerala, Indian holiday makers and European travellers on the home-stays and enjoying superb home-cooking on the various plantations and farms. Joining in on some of the many processions/pilgrimages on the holiday festival days and seeing & hearing the colourful costumes and amazing drumming. The friendly greetings everywhere from adults and children and the welcomes into tribal villages and schools. The visit to the highest tea plantation and factory and sampling the delightful organic teas; a Kathakali make-up, preparation, rehearsal and performance; the wonderful nature reserves; the kayaking at Thekaddi; and the relaxing days on the rice-boat on the backwaters - all were memorable.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Bring a gel-foam saddle. A simple face mask might also be a useful stand-by on dusty roads/tracks if heavy lorries are around. Cycling gloves were good. Top quality quick-wash/quick-dry gear is a really good investment. Try to change currency soonish (difficult at week-ends but ATMs could be useful). Try to suss out the tipping culture - quite complicated and sensitive on the social barometer and almost bound to go either too low or too high until the niceties are divined - but don't get fazed. Torches were useful and as advised a fleece is very good at altitude. Don't expect to see much wild-life when approaching in a convoy of jeeps packed with excited humans. A small, quiet, walking safari is well worth the extra fee (built into the overall plan) and much more likely to produce a surprize sighting - we were enthralled to see the relatively rare great hornbill glide by gracefully, serenely and majestically up a long secluded valley in the forest. The distance and timing of a kilometre in Kerala varies +++ with spatio-temporal perceptions of the teller!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes - to both of these. This is attributed to the well thought out planning by the team at the tour company with years of experience and excellent local contacts to draw on.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Not quite the Annapurna Circuit, Patagonia or the GR20 but certainly right up there in the top five - and for human interest, variety of activities and expert organisation one of the very best. And finally… the personal qualities of the guides were absolutely first class: they were friendly, courteous, patient, very well informed and informative, punctual, good-humoured and very helpful throughout our trip.