Kerala and Tropical India Cycling

by Stephanie Holdenried

A couple of times a year, we at Adventure Center get visits from our various operators who update us on trips, destinations, and general what-not. Every time the Exodus sales manager comes through, he raves about the Kerala and Tropical India cycling trip. He goes on and on about the scenery, the accommodation, the local people, the cycling and finally, and most importantly for a cyclist, the food.

I wanted to go away for the Christmas and New Year holiday period and decided to check out just how fabulous this Kerala and Tropical India cycling trip might be.

All I can say is: the raving was well justified!

It was a brilliant trip from start to end. None of us in our group wanted it to be over. The tour starts in Mysore (fly into Bangalore) and about 350 cycling miles later we ended in Varkala (fly out of Trivandrum) situated along the Kerala coast.

Each day was a different experience from the terrain we cycled through to the food we ate. Some days we were sharing back country roads with ox-carts and racing children on their bikes and others we hugged the coastline along narrow paths shaded by coconut trees. A cycling highlight was learning to navigate the many roundabouts on a bicycle while buses, trucks, and tuk tuks careened towards us. We did find that there was a method to the madness and by the end of the trip we were nonchalantly holding our own in seemingly chaotic traffic.

We also had days cycling through wildlife preserves in the foothills of the Western Ghats mountain range (we were dutifully trained on what to do if an elephant charged but fortunately none of us had to put the plan into action!) including one painful but rewarding day of ascending from the valley floor up to the hill station town of Ooty. The 80 km descent the following day through lush tea plantations and spectacular palm laden vistas into Kerala made it all worthwhile!

One of our group's favorite stops was in Guruvayoor with its Sree Krishna Temple. Every night there were different processions (including elephants) and performances, and everyone was dressed in their best lungi and saris. It was around this point in the tour that we realized that we hadn't seen another Western tourist in a week.

Our accommodation was a mix of city hotels and atmospheric lodges and we also had nights in an ayurvedic resort as well as a houseboat as we cruised the backwaters of Kerala. All hotels were clean and comfortable and well-located.

The food in South India is delicious, and vegetarian meals are predominant there. I'm a vegetarian so I was agreeable to every offering, but even the traditional meat eaters didn't complain. Dosas (rice and lentil crepes stuffed with savory fillings) reign supreme as do thalis, fragrant biryani dishes, and the to-die-for prata (bread). Once we got to the coast, seafood was plentiful and prawns were on the menu every night. On our rest stops during the day, we filled up on freshly picked pineapples and watermelons and coconut juice.

We cycled an average of 50 miles per day and had some rest days or free afternoons where we could explore an area further or simply get a massage and relax. It was a great mix of exercise, downtime, cultural exploration and culinary delight.

There are departures set for this fall and some of them are already guaranteed at this point. Book it! Need I say more?

To learn more about this trip and to see current dates and prices click here.

Stephanie Holenried is an Adventure Specialist at Adventure Center. If you have questions about travel to India, her toll free direct number is 1-877-285-0655.