Tour Price: £1,959      Fuel Supp: £75       Single Supp.: £15/night


• Kerala is a beautiful state, set in a narrow strip down the South West Coast of India, with mountains on the eastern side and beach and backwaters all down the western side. It is known as the Spice State.

Unique in India, Kerala is also a communist state and a state with absolutely no heavy industry and a very high literacy rate. This makes it very clean, green and picturesque and Keralans are fiercely proud of what they call “God’s own country”. The one drawback of the communism is that there are frequent strikes called “Hartal” and no one is allowed to travel on the road. For this reason we have laid out the trip with quite a few two day stops, in order to have a day in hand.

Laundry facilities will be available at every two-night stop, so don’t overpack and do remember that you may well want to pick up local fabrics and clothes. The food at our accommodations is, without exception, excellent – as it is all over Kerala. As with our tours in Goa we will be using 350cc Enfield Bullets. Start getting used to the idea now – it’s brakes on the left, gears on the right and they are one up, three down!

We ride in convoy with experienced staff at the front and back of the group, so you can relax and enjoy the view and let us worry about when to fuel up and which road to take! There is a great deal of hill riding on this tour, so we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like cornering! The climate is generally tropical and even up in the hills it is very hot during the day time although the temperature can drop dramatically after dark in Kodaikanal and to a lesser degree in the other hill stations. For riding we recommend jeans or combats with a decent pair of ankle covering boots and on top a T-shirt with a light jacket, which you can remove easily at stops.

Day 1: Quilon.

We arrive early morning at Trivandrum and jump on a bus for a couple of hours up the coast to Quilon (now called Kollam). First off you’re introduced to your Enfield and it’s particular quirks before being let loose on the road. In the afternoon you’re left to collapse and re charge your batteries in the beautiful backwater resort. Here you can chill by the pool, or jump into the hotel boat and take a cruise over to one of the local quiet beaches.

Day 2: Allepey.

Setting off from Quilon we head a short distance up the coast to Alleppey where we will be staying in another beautiful backwater resort. The ride is about 120km and should take three or four hours as we take the inland route rather than the highway: firstly it’s a much more scenic route and secondly it lets everyone get accustomed to the bikes on fairly quiet roads. The accommodation is very quiet and peaceful, despite being set on a National Waterway, and is great place to relax with a beer and watch the famous Keralan backwater barges floating by.

Days 3 & 4: Cochin.

Heading north, again by the inland route, the 110km ride takes you to Cochin. You have a free day to wander around this fascinating city, home to the famous Kathakali dance, an impressive fort, the oldest chuch in India, a large Jewish community and a 16th Century Synagogue. The Palace is another sight worth taking in. Built by the Portuguese, it was given to the Raj of Cochin and contains many beautiful murals. Another highlight is a boat cruise round the harbour and a chance to view the old Chinese fishing nets that have become a Cochin trademark and, if you’re lucky, dolphins will accompany you. Accommodation will be in the old fort area, which is very comfortable.

Day 5: Munnar.

Today we will head inland and up into the hills, covering about 150km in about four or five hours. The ride is fantastic; one second you're passing through shady tropical forest, the next you’re crossing huge verdant valleys before reaching the stunning tea plantations high up in the Western Ghats. It’s a great road, taking in long straights, fast sweeping bends and, higher up, some hair pins.

Days 6 & 7: Jungle Retreat.

Another stunning ride today, heading even further up into the hills, across the backbone of Kerala and into the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. We cross the plains and then start curving up again into the Nilgiri mountain range through Kunoor, Ketty and Ooty. From Ooty brace yourself for a 36 hair pin bend short cut down to the wildlife sanctuary. The journey is roughly 300km and will take around eight hours. Our final destaination is the Jungle Retreat in Masinagudi.Here we stay for two nights.

Days 8 & 9: Kodaikanal.

Heading down and out of the Nilgiri range, we cross the plains and then take the spectacular switchback road up into the Palani hills. It’s another 300km ride and with should be dispatched in around eight hours. The drive is amazing and the views equally so. It can get pretty nippy at this altitude so make sure you pack a light fleece. It’s a fairly tiring ride, but we will be staying two nights in Kodaikanal in order to recharge the batteries and give you a chance to explore this interesting and compact hill station. A great feature of Kodai, as it’s generally known, is the lake and surrounding area and you can hire a boat out or go shopping for oils and spices.

Day 10: Vandanmedu.

Another switchback route takes us down the Palani hills and back across the Keralan border where we descend into lush cardamom plantation and forest. The route is only about 175km but with most of it consisting of twisty hill roads it will still take around 6 hours in the saddle. Our stop for the night is at Vandanmedu in a very luxurious hotel with a pool.

Days 11 & 12: Thekkady.

Descending through the cardamom plantation and forest today’s ride takes us to the edge of the famous Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and into Thekkady. We only cover about 50km so you might want to take advantage of the spare time with a tour round a spice plantation in the morning. We spend two nights in Thekkady staying at a luxurious hotel with a swimming pool and in easy distance of the famous Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. This is a bit of a must see, and the hotel can organise trips round the sanctuary by boat where sometimes elephants swim alongside you, bison lounge in the sun and otters slip in and out of the water.

Days 13 & 14: Quilon.

Today’s 5 hour, 180km ride takes us back down to Quilon, out of the hills and on to the coast where you can relax in style at the luxurious backwater resort from where we started. Time here is spent reflecting on the adventure just completed, stories are honed, drinks are sunk.

Day 15: Depart Trivandrum

A very early start back to Trivandrum and your flight back home.