12 Day Guided Luxury Motorcycle Tour on The Spice Coast of Kerala
Jungles, Beaches, Hair Pin Bends, and Tea Motorcycle Tour India
Come and experience this once-in-a-lifetime motorcycle adventure exploring the famous Spice Coast of Kerala, India! Combining their love of India, her people, scenic beauty, and culture with a strong passion for motorcycling, the corners, and the character and longevity of the timeless Enfield Bullet to give you, Kerala Bike Tours aims to share this all with you in the most memorable and unique way, and they will go the extra mile to ensure that happens. They have been operating exclusively in South India since 1999 and only use their own lovingly maintained bikes, so no dodgy rental bikes or fly by night operation taking place here. With their unrivalled understanding of the most amazing routes, you know that it is time for you to pack your bags and embark on this adventure with them!
Key information
- Terrain: asphalt
- Bike: rental bike (Royal Enfield 500 (new, left foot gear change) or 350 Bullet)
- Mileage: 935 kilometers / 581 miles
- Daily rides: 61 - 250 kilometers / 37 - 156 miles
- Meals: all breakfasts, some dinners
Meet the instructors
Read more
Highlights
- Starts and ends in Cochin
- Enjoy rides through exhilarating and yet scenic hairpin bends
- Explore Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, and Bandipur
- Look for wildlife around the tea estates and forests in Valparai on a 4-wheel drive
- Enjoy a splash of the Arabian Sea during your stay at a secret beach resort
- Go on quad bikes race on a specially designed track in Masinagudi
- Airport transfers, and parks or reserves entrance fees included
- 11 nights accommodation
Skill level
- Intermediate
Accommodation
During this tour, you will stay at the following accommodations:
- Night 1: Indriya Sands
- Night 2: Windermere River House or 7th Heaven
- Night 3 and 4: Sinna Dorai Bungalow
- Night 5: Holiday Inn Gem Park
- Night 6 and 7: Bamboo Banks
- Night 8: Sterling Resorts Annakatti
- Night 9 and 10: Yantra Ayurvedic Resort Nattika or Cherai Beach Resort
- Night 11: Thora's Secret Garden or similar
Kerala Bike Tours uses an eclectic range of high end accommodation ranging from boutique and luxury hotels to jungle and rainforest resorts, beautiful beach hideaways to eco lodges, and they are sure that each one will be an enjoyable and unique experience.
Program
Day 1: Arrival in Cochin
After your flight, Kerala Bike Tours will greet you personally on arrival in Cochin and transfer you to your beach hotel in Cherai, nestled among acres of palm trees with uninterrupted views across the Indian Ocean into the sunset. There, you can unwind after the long flight and enjoy some rest by the pool. Then, you will have an introductory meeting to get to know each other and your bikes, hopefully with time for a short ride. You will finish off with a welcome dinner and free beers! Overnight stay at Indriya Sands Kuzupilly beach.
Day 2: Cherai - Thattekad (120 kilometers / 75 miles)
After breakfast, you are ready to roll! It is a relaxing first day’s ride past the airport and into the forest. Your first stop is Thattekad Bird Sanctuary where you can take a leisurely afternoon row on the river or relax by the pool on the banks and marvel at the beautiful array of birds flying past. Overnight stay at Windermere River House or 7th Heaven.
Day 3: Thattekad - Valparai (150 kilometers / 94 miles)
It is a beautiful ride today as you head up into the Western Ghats, through the Sholayar forest road, and ride through tea plantations to Valparai and your lovely accommodation for the night. Built around the old tea managers house, bison and wild boar can be seen roaming through the surrounding organic tea plantation, and the views are splendid over the valleys. At midnight, you can take the four-wheel drive support jeep around the tea estates and forests of the area looking for wildlife. Panthers, lion tailed macaques, elephants, Nilgiri tahr, and civet cats to name a few. Overnight will be at Sinna Dorai Bungalow.
Day 4: Valparai - rest day
After a lie in, you will awake to the smell of tea all around, and can go for a cycle through the plantation or visit one of the two tea factories on the 1,700-acre estate. Trekking through the hills, bird watching, or just chilling with a book and admiring the views are all options this day.
Day 5: Valparai - Ooty (250 kilometers / 156 miles)
It will be another amazing day as you ride down into the plains of Tamil Nadu round 40 hairpin bends (all numbered so you can count down to the bottom!). Head off across the plains of Tamil Nadu, around the city of Coimbatore all on good roads, before you start climbing up into the Nilgiri Hills, hairpin bends aplenty, to a height of 2,000 meters and your overnight stop in Ooty, 'Queen of the Hill Stations'. You will stay the night at Holiday Inn Gem Park.
Day 6: Ooty - Masinagudi (80 kilometers / 50 miles)
See Ooty by motorcycle or on foot. Ride up to the Dodabetta Peak for fantastic views of the surrounding plains, or Avalanche Point, where there was snow and an avalanche many years ago! Visit the botanical gardens, English-style public (i.e. private) schools and churches, tea gardens, and shops (or sleep in!).
You will then take a mountain ride down a steep ghat road before reaching Masinagudi and the tiger reserve of Mudumalai. You will stay with an eccentric family in a fantastic resort in the jungle. Spotted are dear and wild boar abound, and also the odd wild elephant takes a stroll through the property. In the evening, there is the option of a Jeep safari in the jungle, or just relax by the pool viewing all the wildlife wandering through the reserve forest. Overnight stay will be at Bamboo Banks.
Day 7: Masinagudi - rest day
By popular demand, you will stay an extra day in Masinagudi, allowing the option of early morning safaris in the wildlife sanctuaries of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Bandipur. For those who want something completely different, there is also the option of putting the bike gear back on and racing quad bikes on a specially designed track within the property. This is included in the price, and is a rare opportunity for some motorsport Indian jungle style.
Day 8: Masinagudi - Silent Valley (108 kilometers / 68 miles)
Today is hair pin bend day. In a little more than five hours, you will climb and then descend 2,000 meters. Passing through 117 hair pin bends (all numbered) in three different stretches, you climb to Ooty and above, on different roads from day six. Then, you will slowly descend on a deserted forest road where wild elephants are known to sit on the road and not want to move, passing dams and hydro projects before reaching our riverside resort for a relaxed evening back in Kerala. Sterling Resorts Annakatti will be your post tonight.
Day 9: Silent Valley - secret beach resort (166 kilometers / 104 miles)
After breakfast, you will head for the beach. Climbing down from the beautiful hills of Silent Valley and passing through plantation country, you will meander through a few small towns and villages before reaching your only proper six-lane highway to have a final whizz before turning off through rice paddies and crossing rivers to reach your secret beach hideaway for a splash in the Arabian Sea before sunset. You will stay at Yantra Ayurvedic Resort Nattika or Cherai Beach Resort tonight.
Day 10: Beach day at the secret beach resort
Again by popular demand, you will have a proper beach day. The pristine deserted beach is where you can chill for the day after completing nearly 1,000 kilometers on some of India's most exhilarating roads. What better time than to book an Ayurvedic massage, or try your hand at a bit of yoga, or just chill on the beach with a few beers.
Day 11: Secret beach resort - Fort Cochin (61 kilometers / 38 miles)
A leisurely two-hour ride takes you to the ferry ride over the estuary to your final stop and the historic town of Fort Cochin. After saying your farewells to your bikes, in the afternoon, there is time for sightseeing and shopping in the old town. The atmosphere there is somehow different, and unlike any other Indian city - more relaxed, more open. Famous churches, cathedrals, synagogues, and palaces are all within walking distance, and the sights and smells of the famous Chinese fishing nets and the market, with its teas, spices, nuts, fabrics, rosewood, Kathakali masks, and cigars make this an enjoyable wander.
Take an early evening stroll around the fort, with the sun setting against the Chinese nets and giant container ships offering defining images of Cochin. You will bring the tour to a close with a farewell dinner overlooking the harbor - and beer is once more on the house! Stay at Thora's Secret Garden or similar.
Day 12: Depart Cochin
Kerala Bike Tours will take you back to the airport for your morning flight home, and say your goodbyes - until the next time!
Skill level(s) required for this tour:
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
Instructors
Daniel Benster
Daniel Benster was born and brought up in Yorkshire, UK. He’s 48 years old. He first came to India in 1992, when he bought his first bike in Delhi, a 350cc Enfield Bullet. That’s where his love affair with India, the bike (which he still owns), and the experience began. Born out of the desire to share this fantastic experience of motorcycling around the Indian subcontinent, Kerala Bike Tours was founded in 1999. Now 26 years and more than 200,000 kilometers on from the first riding with his beloved bike, and 19 years since running his 1st tour, Mr. Benster wants to share his passion with you.
Niaz VA
Kerala Bike Tours' operations manager and support vehicle driver is the man who makes everything tick on tour and at the base in Kochi. Born and bred in Kochi, he has a vast network of contacts (everybody knows Niaz in Kochi) and a huge wealth of local knowledge. On tour, he’s always on hand to offer a cold drink, sort out permits, red tape, and any other local ‘difficulties’ with a smile and the right words. And he somehow manages to get Kerala Bike Tours' support vehicle through gaps that you'd think only a motorbike could get through. He's also an expert rider and has led many tours.
Location
Food
Massive variety of food will be available throughout this tour, from the famed traditional Kerala cuisine to Western continental options and homemade preparations using locally sourced fresh and seasonal ingredients.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
- Soda
- Alcoholic beverages
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Other dietary requirements on request
What's included
- Royal Enfield 500 (new, left foot gear change) or 350 Bullet for 10 days
- Oil and maintenance / spares
- 4WD air-conditioned jeep support vehicle
- Group leader with medical kit / training
- Enfield mechanic
- Tours / guides listed
- Airport transfers
- All entrance fees to monuments / parks / reserves
- 11 nights accommodation
- All breakfasts and some dinners
- Soft drinks / bottled mineral water on tour
- Road maps / information packets
What's not included
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Refundable security / damage deposit of 500 USD to pay locally in cash
- Visa
- Fuel
- Alcoholic beverages
- Laundry service
- Tips / gratuities
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Cochin International Airport
22 km
Transfer included
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Cochin International Airport, Cochin (COK). Transfer from and to this airport is included. Kerala Bike Tours will pick you up from the airport.
The Cochin International Airport is well connected to all the major cities of India and the world. It is the largest airport of the state of Kerala, the fourth largest airport in India and the world’s first fully solar-powered airport. Please contact Kerala Bike Tours if you need to consult which airline is best to book to reach Cochin.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 25% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.