Day 1: Kochi - Nariamangalam, 55 kilometers / 34 miles
After being met at Kochi airport, you will be whisked away by air-conditioned minibus to Nariamangalam (55 kilometers, one hour 30 minutes). Here, you'll meet up with Daniel and the team and get acquainted with the bikes and fellow riders on the tour. Depending on your arrival time, you will take a short ride to Thattekad Bird Sanctuary on quiet back roads to get accustomed to the bikes.
Later in the afternoon, you can take a dip in the pool and enjoy a restful evening at the enchanting Windermere River House.
Day 2: Nariamangalam - Munnar, 150 kilometers / 93 miles
After a relaxed breakfast, it's time to press the starter, rev the engine, and power off on the adventure. You will start your climb into the Western Ghats through Kerala Bike Tours' specially designed route taking you off the beaten track on roads passing dams and forests, and through some great scenic spots before reaching your final stop for the night nestled in tea estates.
Expect to be on the road for nine hours with regular tea breaks, lunch stop, and an exploration. The actual distance is 150 kilometers and the riding time is six hours.30 minutes.
Arrive at Windermere Estates Plantation and Retreat, a hot cup of tea and local snack await you at the garden gazebo. Catch the sunset at their private viewpoint looking over acres of tea plantations, forests, and mountains. Have a super relaxed evening chatting with your fellow riding companions about the day's adventures.
Day 3: Munnar, 80 kilometers / 49.5 miles
Today, you can explore the delights of Munnar visiting the tea factory, riding to Top Station (the highest motorable route in the region) passing the scenic Mettupatti Dam with the chance of encountering a family of wild elephants who roam the area.
A visit to the national park to spot the rare and endangered goat, the Nilgiri tahr, is also an option. Expect to be on the move for four hours, a maximum riding distance of 80 kilometers, with no more than two hours 30 minutes in the saddle.
Arrive back at Windermere Estate by midday for a relaxed afternoon by the pool, interrupted only by lunch and afternoon tea in their sprawling gardens. The more energetic of you can try a trek through their private cardamom estate with a naturalist for two hours.
Day 4: Munnar - Annamalai Hills, 160 kilometers / 99.5 miles
You will leave Munnar and head down through Eravikulam National Park and the Sandalwood forests of Marayoor, traversing the world's largest tea plantation and into Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary where wild elephants, peacocks, deer, and bison can stroll across the road.
You will ride into the state of Tamil Nadu and cut through an area known as "The Coconut Belt" for the mass of coconut plantations, before climbing through 40 Hair Pin Bends to the Tea Planters' Bungalow resort set amidst an organic tea estate, at more than 1400 meters altitude in the Annamalai Hills. The air is clean and bison roam free.
Expect to be on the road for six hours 30 minutes, covering a distance of 160 kilometers with five hours 30 minutes in the saddle. You'll aim to arrive here by late lunch and the rest of the afternoon is at your leisure. The nature enthusiasts amongst you can opt for a midnight jeep safari in search of panthers, lion-tailed macaques, wild boar, wild elephants, and Malabar squirrels.
Day 5: Valparai - Athirapally Falls, 150 kilometers / 93 miles
You will leave Valparai to ride through one of the thickest evergreen forests in India. Like venturing through the Amazon or canopied rainforests of Central Africa, this is a motorcycling experience not to be missed.
After this sensational ride through the jungle, you'll reach Athirapally Falls, known as "The Indian Niagara", where you'll stop for lunch and an exploration. From here, you'll ride on to civilization passing through small towns and over backwater rivers with the traditional Chinese fishing nets lining the banks. Reaching the lovely secluded boutique beach resort on the shores of the Arabian Sea, in time to see the sun setting over the ocean.
Expect to be on the road for eight hours with tea breaks, lunch, and an exploration. An actual riding distance of 150 kilometers spending five hours 30 minutes on the bikes. The evening is left to spend reminiscing on the past days' adventures and enjoying the farewell dinner.
Day 6: Departure to Kochi, 26 kilometers / 16 miles
You will bid farewell to your bikes and fellow traveling companions and head off to the airport or on other tour extensions as planned. Kochi Airport is 26 kilometers away and you'll reach it in less than an hour.
Skill level
Intermediate
- can ride for 3-4 hours
- average riding experience
- little assistance required
- comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- average experience with unsurfaced roads
- steep ascents and descents