India may not seem to be the most perfect cycling country based on the images of crowded chaos you usually see, but as with everything else, it depends on where you are going. Kerala is the southernmost province of India and it has a sturdy economy. So you do not see anything similar to Dehli or Mumbai’s poverty and chaos. There is no dense population and the roads are not crowded. Especially if you choose the right roads. To make it easy for ourselves, we booked a package bike ride with the Indian company Kalypso Adventures. There are many tour operators, but we purposely chose an Indian so the money ends up there. Kalypso also provides bicycles, excellent hybrids and mountain bikes. I would recommend a mountain bike if going up in the mountains because of the lower gearing.
The tour started in Kochi, Kerala’s capital, located by the sea, near the famous backwaters. Kochi has an international airport, so it was easy to find a flight.
Since we had never been to India we left 5 days before the tour started to have some time for acclimatization and to soak in the impression. As mentioned, Kerala is not exactly Mumbai, so there was no culture shock. Kochi can be compared to a Thai city.
We had booked reasonable accommodation on Booking.com and were very satisfied with the price / standard. And they had fantastic good curry. Throughout our stay we got very good food and nobody had stomach problems. So don’t be afraid to throw yourself into the culinary offers. But of course, it is advisable to take a drinking-vaccine against tourist diarrhea before leaving.
Western tourists are usually given a knife and fork, but in the countryside you eat with your fingers, also in restaurants. It works fine.
Kalypso Adventures have several biking tours to chose from. Initially, we were going to take an 8 day “Along the Spice Trails” which runs in the lowlands. But this did not have enough participants so there were 12 days of “Plains, Hills & the Backwaters” instead. This was probably wise because it was a very varied tour. Admittedly, we feared the combination of hot and humid climate and a lot of climbing at first. The trip went from Kochi up to Munnar, a mountain station and famous tea district in India. Munnar is at 1600 meters, so there was some sweating uphill. But it was over two days and the reward were a lovely, cool climate as we got higher.
Should your stamina fail, it was reassuring to have a companion car (minibus). It also carried all the luggage.
Towards Munnar we cycled a narrow country road with very little traffic. We cycled through tropical forest areas, rubber plantations, spice plantations and eventually tea plantations as we got higher. Everywhere people was working on the plantations.
After the first day’s leg, we spent the night in a beautifully situated farm with stunning views of the Western Ghats, a famous mountain area. The accommodation and food were on the verge of being luxurious, but after a day of climbing we endured it.
When you are cycling it is not exactly the plan to guzzle beer, but it is worth noting that Kerala has very strict alcohol regulations. In Kochi we found only one place that served beer. The places we spent the night were used to tourists, so it was possible to get a beer in most places. As well known, it tastes pretty good after a few miles in the saddle.
Once up the hills it is a delight to cycle through the green tea plantations in Munnar. The road winds between slender slopes with tea plants, and traffic is minimal. There is of course a guided tour on a tea plantation.
After a couple of days in the Munnar area it goes downhill again. Partly steep and with serpentine roads, but without significant traffic. Along the way there are visits to an elephant farm where we could wash a couple of tourist elephants if we wanted to. These are just pocket elephants. We understood this when we suddenly around a bend down a steep hill faced a work-elephant in the middle of the road. They are giants!
At the bottom of the slopes we spend the night in a villa in a huge garden where they grew all kinds of spice. We where properly guided around. Then we head out into the backwater area, a network of canals and lakes with brackish water, and small villages. Finally, we boarded one of the countless backwater boats that carry tourists around, sailed through canals and lakes, and spend one last night on one of the islands in the water system.
In the lowlands, the temperature is around 30 degrees and the humidity is quite high. But cycling is fine. In fact, cycling is better than walking because the speed wind cools you down.
Summary
Kerala offers great scenery, tropical forests, mountains, spices and boat trips. With an arranged tour you do not have the hassle of finding good accommodation, you have travel company, bicycles and a companion car. All accommodations Kalypso Adventures had found were of high quality with excellent food. It varied between luxury camping, private farms and hotels. The guide was excellent.
On the other hand, it is cheaper and arrange something yourself, and it is also filled with more experience when you have to find accommodation and places to eat yourself.
https://www.kalypsoadventures.com/
Advertised all over Kerala.
