Description
Ride through the God’s Own Route and leisurely float across the backwaters of Kerala on this timeless Kerala safari. With its evergreen mountains, dense forests, swift flowing rivers, abundant wildlife, extensive backwaters and blue lagoons, Kerala looks like a fairyland.
Overview
This safari offers rich mix of diverse terrains from tall mountains and deep valleys to endless backwaters and wide sandy beaches. You will be cycling through roads flanked by thick forests, breezy seashores, tea & coffee carpeted hills and by a long canal. Apart from the diverse topography, this cycling trip will be a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Keralan life.
- Ride through the God’s own scenic backroads
- Get to see the very best of Kerala – sandy beaches, meandering backwater canals, the lush green hills and thick wilderness
Terrain
The tour covers mainly two landscapes of central Kerala, the lowlands and highlands. The lowlands stretches are flat and are very close to the coastal line and backwaters. Highlands includes hills and mountain with moderate to challenging climbs for a beginner, followed by refreshing downhills.
Altitude range: From below sea level in backwaters to 2000m in western ghats
Overall ride distribution:
25% through low land areas with 0% slope gradient
50% through hills with 1-4% slope gradient
25% through the mountains with 5-8% slope gradient
See
Fauna:
Egrets(little, moderate, large), Cattle Egrets, Cormorants, Brahminy kites, Pond Heron, Kingfisher, Mynah, Ducks, House crow, Goats, Cows, Water buffaloes, Bonet macaque(common monkey), Wild boar, Asian Elephant and a Great Hornbill(if lucky!)
Flora:
Plantations – Coconut, Banana, Rubber, Pineapple, Tea, Eucalyptus, Cardamom
Forests – Bamboo, Figs, Lantana, Trumpet, Flame tree Farms – Paddy farms, Fish farms, Spice farms(pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric)
Experience
Food: Keralan spicy fish curry along with boiled tapioca sauteed with little turmeric and mustard Kerala vegetarian meal on banana leaf, variety of spiced-up local side dishes and curries prepared with beef, chicken, mutton, clams or prawns
Drink: Chaaya(milk tea), Sulaimani (a black tea), toddy(naturally fermented sap brewed from coconut flower bud)
Art: Cultural show with traditional dance forms like Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Theyyam, Ottanthullal and Kalaripayattu, Kerala’s own martial art
Culture: Hinduism, Fort Kochi with its fusion of 7+ communities, profuse influence of Christianity along the coast, backwater village life, tea plantation culture.
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Duration
6 days / 5 nights
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Start
Thattekad | 13:00hrs
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Finish
Kochi | 12 noon
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Hotels
Country Inns
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Riding Style
Moderate
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Average Distance Cycled
50km or 30mi
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Total Distance Cycled
~ 300km or 180mi
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Bicycle Hire
INR 750 per day
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Support Vehicle
Included
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Group Size
Min 6, Max 12
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
Our guide meets at 13:00hrs at your hotel.
We start cycling along the canal route around Thattekad. This first tryst with Kerala on the wheels will enthrall you. A scenic route, this smooth road along a canal is perfect to see birdlife and the verdant environs of real Kerala. We loop back to our outdoors camping facility- The Hornbill Camp.
Hornbill Camp offers Kayaking in the Periyar River, bird watching, and plantation walk around the property. The stay gives you a taste of the wilderness of Kerala along with all the comforts. The camp is situated in the environs of a tropical forest where you have nothing but birdsong for company!
We later convene over dinner tonight.
Meals: Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 20km / 12mi*
Our guide meets at your hotel in the early morning. The first 15kms we ride through rubber plantations. The road is smooth with occasional climbs to get you warmed up for the rest of the day. You also get to see a lot of pineapple farms and cocoa plantations along the route. The ride is a scenic one with short stretches of canal and varying terrain. We ride for another 20km before we stop for a lunch break. The next part of the ride has gradual climbs as we head towards Munnar. We ride through wild plantations and get glimpses of the Periyar river along the way. All you can see here is a ridiculous amount of green – refreshing after a day of cycling.
We head straight to your hotel in Munnar. Enjoy a goodnight’s rest here so you are ready to explore Munnar the next day.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 60km / 36mi*
Munnar is a pleasant contrast to the beach lined destinations or backwaters of Kerala. A hill station, which has been immortalized by movies, Munnar is great to cycle in. The routes are undulating and sometimes challenging, but you will find equal amount of downhill slopes to bring relief steep climbs.
Enjoy a morning of Yoga if you please and head out to Top Station, a viewpoint of great touristic eminence. The riding stretch to Top station is one of our favourite cycling route in Kerala. As we ride all the way upto Top Station, you will be stunned with brilliant view of the stacked mountains and deep valleys below. After this ride, you would have certainly earned yourself a hot crisp cup of tea.
Roll down the hills to visit a Tea Factory. If time permits, you can also visit the Tea museum in Munnar town, which takes you through the journey of Munnar’s metamorphosis as a tea destination, when A.H. Sharp planted the first sapling in late 1800s . You can also pick up handmade jam, tea leaves and recycled paper products as souvenirs.
Meals: Breakfast
Distance cycled: ~ 40km/25mi*
We bid adieu to Munnar and head towards the cardamom hills of Kerala, a small town of Kumily. We take in the spectacular views of tea clad western ghat mountains, near Lockhart Gap. As you are riding, the 360 degrees view of the lush tea plantations will be forever etched in your minds. The smell of cardamom draws you quickly from the tea-lined mountains to the unmanicured mish-mash of cardamom plantations, interjected by pepper vines clinging to Tall trees.
After cycling, the last stretch is covered in the shuttle.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 60km / 37mi*
This is going to be a beautiful ride – from the Cardamom Hills of Thekkady to the tea gardens of Vagamon, and that too, through the rubber plantations. A hilly ride, with both dips and steep climbs, but the cool weather helps you grapple with this challenging ride better.
Vagamon is an enchanting hill station where you can either relax or indulge in the outdoor activities like paragliding, easy hikes or explore nature trails.
We later take a transfer to Alleppey. Experience a fabulous bird life here.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Distance cycled: ~ 50km/30mi
On the last biking day, we ride along the beach road to Fort Kochi. The tour ends in Fort Kochi
Meals: Breakfast
Distance cycled: ~ 50km / 31miles*
*with shuttle – short transfers
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.
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