Description
Dotted with ancient architectural wonders, thick green coffee plantations and golden sands, the Bangalore to Goa bike tour is topographically scintillating as well as a fulfilling cycling route. It’s a trip into the past with thousands of years old temples, local flavours in food, and a great insight into South India’s magnificent mountain scape, the Western Ghats.
Overview
The journey starts in Bengaluru, and traverses through dramatic landscapes to finish at Goa. With contrast of a modern Bengaluru city, to the countryside villages, plush estates and finally the easygoing beaches, the variety of experiences each day will keep the intrigue levels high!
- Ride past the small rural hamlets, vast agricultural lands, mountains, plantations and a surreal other worldly landscape of mighty boulders and granite hills
- Learn about the fascinating history of the beautiful ruins of Hampi
- Witness the intricate architecture of Halebidu and Belur temples
- Enjoy the plantation life at India’s best coffee destination, Chikmagalur
- Bask in the sunny beaches of India’s sprawling coastline at Goa
GROUP KITTY
- A group kitty is an amount of money collected at the start of the trip from each client, which is used to buy refreshments and sometimes meals for guests and crew.
- Trip Leaders will offer to administer the tipping kitty, but will always ask first to see if any member would like to do it on behalf of the group.
- A group kitty will be fully accounted for. All amounts will be written down and be available to be viewed by the group at any point.
- Leaders may suggest to the group to use the group kitty for additional purposes such as purchasing snacks and tea and tipping.
-
Duration
7 days / 6 nights
-
Start
Bangalore
-
Finish
Goa
-
Hotels
Country Inns
-
Riding Style
Easy Rider
-
Average Distance Cycled
55km or 33mi
-
Total Distance Cycled
~ 450km
-
Bicycle Hire
INR 500 per day
-
Support Vehicle
Included
-
Group Size
Min 6, Max 14
Inclusion
- Small boutique hotels/home-stays, as mentioned in the tour details (subject to availability)
- True to their heritage and character, small luxury and boutique hotels that reflect local ethos. They hold within them, an unassuming charm and regional character that is an extension of the destination itself. Most of them fall under 3 star category with a possible mix of homestay and 4 star.
- Meals as per itinerary
- On each trip, guests are given the opportunity to dine on their own so that they discover a location independently. Your guides are happy to make recommendations should you so desire.
- A Van support that follows throughout the trip and carries all belongings. If at any point riding seems a little hard, the van takes you for as long or as little as you wish it to. It also provides you refreshments along the way and sometimes a chilled beer.
- Expert Trip Leader(s) who look after your every need
- Small boutique hotels/home-stays, as mentioned in the tour details (subject to availability)
Exclusion
- Bring your own bicycle or hire from us.
- Refreshments & mineral water while cycling
- Transportation to and from the trip including train
- Personal items purchased during the trip
- Some meals are not included (check your itinerary)
- Beverages
- Gratuities for your Trip Leader(s) are not included in your trip price. Industry-standard is 5-7.5% of your trip price for the guide team. Please tip your guides at your discretion, based on their level of professionalism, guest care, and service.
Itinerary
Take a transfer to surroundings and get on the bikes for a ride towards Shravanbelagola, en-route Hassan. Shravanbelagola is a Jain pilgrimage with a mammoth statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali atop a hill, overlooking the town. The statue was constructed in 993 AD and is the subject of intrigue and reverence for many travelers. We make a short stop here and later head towards Hassan. The ride today is going to be nothing short of a roller coaster.
Meals: Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 60km/36mi*
We start riding from Hassan through the sparsely populated roads, through thick foliage, vast coffee plantations, and green paddy fields into Belur and then Halebidu, the two essential temple towns on this route. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Belur temple is also known as the Chennakesava Temple. 103 years of hard work resulted in 4000 exquisite carvings in slate stone. You can see the Hoysala emblems, statues of dancing ladies and portions of the Indian epics unfold in the black stone. In Halebidu, the Shiva temple is similar in aesthetics but also has some distinct intricate features. The depiction of the mythological ‘seven in one animal’, Makara, and tales from Ramayana and Mahabharata are more explicit here. All this is better understood with a guide.
Time-dependent, we take a ride up or take the shuttle to Chikamagalur. Once you are past the town, the sprawling coffee estates start emerging, with a promise of copious cups of coffee and great weather.
Meals: Breakfast
Distance cycled: ~ 60km/36mi
We depart from the coffee-scaped hills of Chikamagalur and pedal along to Shimoga. The route to Shimoga is one the most scenic on this trip – the roads are largely devoid of heavy traffic and the richly green Western Ghats keep you company for the most part of the trip.
Meals: Breakfast
Distance cycled: ~ 60km/36mi*
The ride to Nittur the next day keeps you close to the Kodachadri Mountains! We cycle past more coffee plantations and with slushy paddy fields along the road. The route skirts the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary and is breathtaking – you are likely to spot an Indian gaur or elephants here.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 60km/36mi
Today is an awesome ride skirting the Sharavati Wildlife Sanctuary to Matthuga, which serves as a base to visit nearby astounding Jog Falls.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 60km/36mi
It’s a long day ahead of us as we are headed towards Dandeli today, passing through Hubbali, one of the largest cities in Karnataka. We plan to start early today with a transfer in the van, followed by cycling to Dandeli.
Here, we arrive at Dandeli and settle into our simple accommodation, surrounded by views and sounds of nature.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 70km/42mi*
With a few uphills and a constantly green-forested region for the company, we enter Goa. The countryside area is brilliant to cycle around with rich green thickets and nothing but birdsong filling the air around. Our next stop is Mollem, where you can get a feel of rural Goa.
Post-lunch, we make our way to Goan beaches. Ride past a road flanked by beautiful forests with a robust wildlife population. Continue riding to Cabo de Rama Fort for stunning views of the Ocean. It’s a classic coastal route today with gradual climbs along the way.
Our trip ends the late evening. Extend here or take a flight from Goa back to Bangalore.
Meals: Breakfast
Distance cycled: ~ 80km/48mi*
Cancellation Policy
Life is unpredictable and we understand that sometimes you have to cancel or change your trip dates and it is our endeavor to make it as easy as possible for you. However, please understand that we plan everything including guide fees, permits, accommodation, and ration in advance. Therefore, any cancellation means inconvenience and certain losses to the people involved in various stages of the program. Keeping that in mind, our cancellation charges are as below,
- Cancellations prior to 30 days from the start of the event: Full refund as cash.
- Cancellations between 30 days and 15 days to the start of the event: 50 % refund as cash.
- Cancellations less than 15 days to the start of the event: No refund.
- Cancellations will be accepted only by email.
Note: We reserve the right to cancel a program before departure in the event of logistical problems arising due to natural calamities, strikes, wars or any other circumstances that make the event inadvisable. In this case, we will refund 50% of the event fees.
Gallery
