Bikers greedy for adventure and cultural probing will find little to complain about on the extensive South India cycling tour covering the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
South India is a fascinating smorgasbord of various geographies and cultures. The Deccan Plateau, a triangular high flatland, makes for the geographical gut of Peninsular India. It’s bounded by the Vindhya mountain range to the north, and the Western and Eastern Ghats in the south. While the plateau is mostly flat tableland rising diagonally from 100 meters in the north to as high at 1000 meters in the south, the Western Ghats is a mountain range which – for someone coming from the central plateau – leads to the backwaters of coastal south India. This range of topography – plateau, hills, and backwaters – creates an excellent landscape for biking adventures in South India.
But that’s only half the reason to hit the South India biking trails. The other half is the cultural richness of this region. The Deccan has spawned many royal dynasties and kingdoms over the centuries and millennia. These dynasties, dating from 2nd century BCE to 20th century CE, have left prodigious heritage in the form of palaces, forts, temples, churches, mosques, rock carvings, sculptures, paintings, apart from lots of regalia. A smartly planned cycling tour of South India should easily touch upon many of these cultural hotspots to give you a taste of the proverbial Indian exotica that many India vacationers look out for.
Bengaluru (Bangalore), the capital of Karnataka, is a good place to start your South India cycling holiday. It’s a sprawling metropolis where you can do all the necessary shopping for the long tour ahead. Bikers flying in from abroad can find budget hotels to sleep over for a night or two. The city itself is the IT hub of India and has several interesting landmarks, but it’s best to hit the road to Mysuru (Mysore), the cultural capital of Karnataka, at the earliest.
Located about 144km southwest of Bengaluru, Mysuru is famous for its magnificent Mysore Palace, which was originally built in the 14th century, but was gutted in a fire at the end of the 19th century and then rebuilt back to its present glory over a period of two subsequent decades. The palace has unique architectural motifs that blend Hindu, Mughal, Rajput and Gothic influences, pretty much a reflection of the cultural plurality of the early 20th century Mysore. One must also take out time for the local bazaars, which teem with curio shops.
Mysuru is a vital pit-stop in the cycling tour of Karnataka. The city’s vicinity merits a bit of probing. Just 15 km of bike ride away is the island of Srirangapatna, surrounded by the Cauvery river. It is accessible by a bridge that leads you to the ruins of what used to be the old capital of Mysuru’s famous former ruler, Tipu Sultan. Not far off is the 10th century Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple. Likewise, on the eastern side of Mysuru is a 200m ride up into the Chamundi Hills where many tourists flock to see a huge rock carving of Lord Shiva’s celestial bull, Nandi.
These small excursions around Mysuru help prep you up for the longer stretches ahead on the South India biking trip.
The first such long haul is the 70-km ride to Bandipur National Park, a popular tiger reserve, besides being home to a wide variety of wildlife. The park is located at the intersection of the Deccan Plateau and Western Ghats and is close to the border of both Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Bikers usually crash out for a night at a lodge or resort within the park and go on a wildlife safari early next morning. The reason for an early start is that it leaves time for another safari in the evening to the nearby Mudumalai National Park, which is in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu.
A day’s break from cycling should prime you for what should be the biggest challenge on the Tamil Nadu biking tour: the ascent of 1251 meters to the hill station of Ooty. It’s a steep ride up through 36 hairpin bends and guarantees a good workout for your legs. Besides, the biking trail to Ooty throws up a lot of gorgeous views.
Ooty is one of the most popular tourist hotspots of Tamil Nadu and there’s much to explore here to keep you occupied for a day or two. It is also perfectly placed for one to enter Kerala. A 54km long breezy descent takes you from the heights of Nilgiri Hills into the tropical rain forests of the Western Ghats as you head to the town of Guruvayur, famous for a temple that draws thousands of devotees of Lord Krishna every day.
Biking in Kerala unveils a fascinating world. Leaving Guruvayur for Fort Kochi on an 80-km ride, you come upon the Palayur Church which is said to have been established by none other than St. Thomas, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ in 54 CE. Fort Kochi itself is a town steeped in history.
A cycle tour of Fort Kochi reveals a heady mix of several cultures and influences – Dutch, Portuguese, British, Jewish, Chinese, and, of course Indian. Not many places in India – or for that matter, the world – boast such a multi-cultural splicing. There are ancient churches, synagogues, temples, cemeteries, and Chinese fishing nets to keep you hooked for a whole day.
Hereon, the South India biking adventure becomes a leisurely, laidback holiday ride. A road running south along the coast takes you through quiet fishing villages and coconut groves to Kerala’s famed backwaters in Alleppey. These backwaters are formed by lakes and lagoons spread out in a labyrinthine network along Kerala’s coast and they are best explored on a houseboat. You have the option of choosing from several houseboat packages depending upon your budget and time.
The sensual self-indulgence may continue right to the end of your cycling tour in Kerala. A short 15km bike ride takes you to Marari beach, which was rated by National Geographic as one of the world’s top five hammock beaches.
Quiet, sparsely crowded, clean and offering a great view of the Arabian Sea, the Marari beach is a fine place to hang your biking boots until the next cycling adventure in India.
