A cycling holiday in India is rife with thrills, uncertainties, unexpected discoveries, chance encounters, cultural revelations, stunning landscapes, edge-of-the-saddle adventures, physical challenges and spiritual highs that no other road trip in the world can offer.
Just what exactly does one look for in a cycling trip? Travel, adventure, loads of fun, adrenaline rush and a joyful biking stint, of course. No doubt none of the above can be dismissed frivolously, but here’s the thing: these experiences can be had from any middling biking tour that puts you on a fairly interesting route to test your cycling mettle and treat you to some gorgeous sights in the bargain. No great shakes!
WHAT INDIA CYCLING TOURS GIVE YOU IS A BOUQUET FULL OF RICH EXPERIENCES THAT YOU WON’T FORGET IN A HURRY.
For instance, imagine that you are biking in rural Rajasthan in the western part of India, and all looks hunky dory until, out of the blue, you are waylaid by a herd of sheep. And even before you are done clicking selfies with the bleating animals, an oxcart bears down on you from behind. Now, instead of scampering into the bushes for your dear life, you have this strange strong urge to hop on the oxcart and steer the bulls. Well, anywhere else in the world, you may get snubbed for the crazy thought, but not in Rajasthan where the locals live by the long cherished custom of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (the guest is like god) and gaily sing ‘Padharo Maare Desh’ (Welcome to my country). So in all likelihood, the cart driver will slide over and make room for you to fulfil your little cowboy fantasy of cluck-clucking the mighty bulls. That is what a Rajasthan cycling trip brings.
Or just picture yourself on a cycling tour of the Himalayas in north India. You travel through the most extraordinary landscape on the earth, you battle altitude sickness, you break a sweat, you often run out of breath, you cross some of the highest motorable passes in the world and you land at an ancient Buddhist monastery bedecked with colorful religious paintings whose meaning (for they all have some kind of esoteric meaning) is explained to you by a Buddhist monk who gives you a primer on the Buddhist philosophy of human desires, sufferings, detachments, renunciation, and nirvana, the ultimate spiritual liberation. That is a part of the Himalayan biking tour for you.
Our cycling expedition takes a route of moderate difficulty through the mountainous terrain of India’s northeastern state of Sikkim and passes through all the important cultural and natural hotspots to give you a wholesome experience of the flora and fauna and the age-old Buddhist tradition of this unique but rarely explored land. Starting out in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, our smartly planned Sikkim Cycling Tour weaves its way in the westerly direction through the lush forests of oak, elm and rhododendron and hillsides covered with terraced paddy fields to arrive at villages, small towns, tea gardens, and hill stations over the course of 10 days. Each place has something interesting to offer. Moreover, the high altitude regions in Sikkim require special government permission to trek due to the fragile ecosystems, and with a special permit, trekkers get a chance to go for expeditions in the Northern High altitude region of Sikkim. Trekking in Mountain can’t be conducted on an individual basis.
But if the idea of material renunciation puts you off and you’d rather indulge your senses, just think of yourself on a South Indian cycling trip in Tamil Nadu or Kerala. You pedal past the plantations of the ‘Cardamom Hills’ where the air smells of exotic spices, tea and coffee. You pamper your taste buds on local cuisine and you lounge around in a luxury houseboat while touring the famed backwaters of Kerala. You get the sun tan on the silvery sands of the Kovalam beach that used to be an important port of call in the Hippie Trail back in the 1970s. On the side, you pick up a few tricks of coir weaving and sea fishing in the coastal villages. That’s the sensual pleasure biking tours in South India treat you to.
Or imagine an encounter with the wildlife at Ranthambore National Park where you tread the hunting grounds once walked by the great maharajas of yore. You spend the hours in the jeep for a glimpse of the tiger. And just when you give up and call it a day, out comes the big cat from the underbrush, stunning you with its steely stare and feline ferocity. Grace and beauty in motion. And within a day of this encounter you tour the Taj Mahal and witness grace and beauty set in stone. You marvel at the sublime architecture and subtle art of this marble wonder. That’s the tryst with different kinds of beauty that a Taj Mahal holiday trip gives you.
So whether you are an aesthete or adventurer, a sport freak or art aficionado, an outright hedonist or spiritual seeker, the best cycling trips of India will tick off many items in your bucket list.
You are a sucker for adventure? No problem. The Himalayan holiday tours in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and the Northeast India will literally put you on the roof of the world, take you through the most treacherous routes with sharp hairpin bends and high passes, and give you the most trippy adrenaline kick of your life.
You are a culture vulture with a taste for history and fine arts? Hola! The Rajasthan holiday trip will tickle your intellect with tours to many palaces, lakes, forts, and performances of folk music and dances and up-close glimpses of its vivacious people, their customs, rituals, colourful art and craft on display in rural areas and cities like Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur.
Do religion and spirituality turn you on? Om shanti Om! The temple run in the South India holiday trip is what the guru ordered. You’ll be spoilt for choice exploring Mahabalipuram – a UNESCO World Heritage site boasting about 400 ancient religious monuments including chariot temples carved out of diorite or granite rock – and the temple towns of Thanjavur, Trichy and Madurai where you get to see the largest Shiva Lingas in India and visit many sites of pilgrimage.
THE VARIETY ONE GETS OUT OF INDIA HOLIDAY TRAVEL IS SIMPLY BEYOND COMPARE.
It is here you get to see pristine natural landscapes and ruins of kingdoms past. In India, the modern and the old, the rich and the poor, the urban and the rural mingle together in curious ways. Religion, spirituality and shared culture is the glue that binds them together. Languages differ from region to region, so do customs, rituals, cuisines, music and dances. Yet the celebratory zest for life is common to all.
An Indian biking trip is a whirlwind ride through these encounters and experiences. It gives you the thrills and spills of the road, but more than anything, it changes the way you think about travel, life and even yourself.
An Indian biking trip is a whirlwind ride through these encounters and experiences. It gives you the thrills and spills of the road, but more than anything, it changes the way you think about travel, life and even yourself.
