Self-Launched Cycle Kerala & Tropical India

Arrive in Mysore (fly into Bangalore then take a KSRTC bus or train to Mysore, ~£3-6, 2.5-3.5 hrs). Check into a budget hotel or hostel in the city centre. Afternoon wander through Devaraja Market — the smell of jasmine, kumkum and sandalwood is a great introduction to southern India. In the evening, collect or hire your bike (see Day 2 notes on bike hire) and do your own safety checks and fit. Grab dinner at a local veg joint — try a thali or a masala dosa for under £2. If you want more time here, book extra nights directly.

🚌Fly to Bangalore (BLR), then KSRTC bus or train to Mysore (~£3-6). Auto-rickshaw to hotel (~£2).

🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Mysore city centre (e.g. Zostel Mysore or a guesthouse near Sayyaji Rao Rd) — approx £12-18

• →Devaraja Market walk
• →Own bike fitting & safety check
• →Mysore street food dinner

Leisurely morning ride (approx 38 km return) to Srirangapatna, Tipu Sultan's former capital on an island in the Cauvery River. Cycle the old ramparts, visit Tipu Sultan's Mosque and Ranganathaswamy Temple, then ride back for lunch. In the afternoon do a self-guided or audio tour of Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas) — buy tickets on arrival (~£5, closed to foreign tourists on Sundays for the palace interior; check times). If you still need a bike, hire from a local Mysore cycle shop or a cycle touring outfit; daily hire is roughly £8-15/day for a hybrid/touring bike.

🚌Own/hired bike for the ride; auto-rickshaw around town (~£1-2)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel, Mysore — approx £12-18

• →Srirangapatna ruins cycle loop
• →Tipu Sultan's Mosque & Ranganathaswamy Temple
• →Mysore Palace self-guided visit

Long, flat-ish riding day (approx 86 km) out of Mysore, up Chamundi Hill to the 5m Nandi rock carving and viewpoint, then onto quiet backroads shared with schoolchildren, white oxen herds and women carrying waterpots. Stop for a village picnic lunch (pack your own or grab a local meals hotel). Continue to Chamarajanagar — arrive late afternoon and relax. Book a mid-range resort or guesthouse in advance; smaller towns have fewer options.

🚌Own/hired bike (86 km). Backup option: local bus for tired legs (~£2).

🛏Guesthouse/resort, Chamarajanagar (e.g. a local resort near the highway) — approx £18-25

• →Chamundi Hill & Nandi carving
• →Mysore Plateau backroad cycling
• →Village lunch stop

Cycle approx 58 km along village backroads to the outskirts of Bandipur National Park, arriving in time for lunch. In the late afternoon take a shared jeep/4x4 safari in the park (book direct with the Bandipur forest safari counter or through your lodge, ~£8-15). Look for peacocks, spotted deer, monkeys, wild elephants, Indian bison — and with luck the elusive tiger.

🚌Own/hired bike (58 km); park safari jeep shared, ~£8-15

🛏Jungle lodge near Bandipur (e.g. Bandipur Safari Lodge equivalent) — approx £25-35

• →Backroad cycling to Bandipur
• →Bandipur National Park 4x4 safari

The big one: ascend the fabled 36 hairpin bends to Ooty (Ootacamund), 1,251m up in the Nilgiri Hills. Take a local bus to Kalhatty (cycling on the forest stretch is restricted), then start the ride from the lower hairpins. It's steep but the vistas are worth every switchback. If you'd rather take it easy, ride the bus/taxi all the way up and spend the afternoon exploring. Visit the Botanical Gardens, Rose Gardens or just sample cardamom tea and Ooty chocolate in town.

🚌Local bus to Kalhatty (~£1-2), then bike; bus up to Ooty as backup (~£1-2)

🛏Mid-range hotel in Ooty (Fortune Resort Sullivan Court equivalent) — approx £25-40

• →Ooty hairpin bends climb (17 km from base)
• →Ooty Botanical & Rose Gardens
• →Cardamom tea & local chocolate shops

Stunning ride across the rolling Nilgiri Hills, then a dramatic 2,000m descent through tea-covered Western Ghats slopes (approx 82 km total). Grab chai in Gadalur, a classic one-street Indian town, then continue the descent through rainforest and bamboo to a Keralan roadside restaurant for lunch. Load the bikes and take a bus transfer to Guruvayoor (3.5 hrs) to skip the busy roads — book a KSRTC bus seat (~£3-5). Note the road surface is rough and potholed today; ride with care. Evening stroll around the Guruvayoor Temple exterior — one of Kerala's most important Hindu temples.

🚌Own/hired bike (82 km) + KSRTC bus transfer to Guruvayoor (~£3-5)

🛏Heritage guesthouse/hotel, Guruvayoor (Sopanam Heritage equivalent) — approx £18-28

• →Western Ghats tea plantation descent
• →Gadalur town tea stop
• →Guruvayoor Temple evening walk

Cycle past Shree Krishna Temple, then on to Palayur Church — one of India's oldest churches, founded by St Thomas the Apostle in 52 CE. Head toward the coast on country roads lined with mango and coconut trees, cross the bridges onto Vypin Island, and arrive at Cherai Beach early afternoon (approx 60 km). Swim in the Indian Ocean and eat your fill of fresh seafood — try jhinga kachcia aam kari (prawns in green mango and coconut milk).

🚌Own/hired bike (60 km); roads are quiet until the edge of town

🛏Beach guesthouse/backpacker stay, Cherai (Blue Waters Cherai equivalent) — approx £18-30

• →Palayur Church visit
• →Coastal cycling on Vypin Island
• →Cherai Beach swim & seafood dinner

Ride from Cherai south through small fishing communities with colourful boats hauled up on the sands, past grand Gulf-remittance houses and old colonial-era buildings (approx 41 km). Traffic picks up for the last 8 km as you reach the main road, then take the local ferry across to Fort Kochi (~£0.20-0.50) — a fantastic way to enter the old port neighbourhood. Check in and wander down to the old harbour restaurants for lunch. Visit the Indo-Portuguese Museum today if open (closed Mondays).

🚌Own/hired bike (41 km) + local ferry to Fort Kochi (~£0.50)

🛏Boutique budget guesthouse, Fort Kochi (The Dutch Bungalow equivalent) — approx £20-35

• →Coastal & fishing village ride
• →Local ferry to Fort Kochi
• →Indo-Portuguese Museum
• →Fort Kochi harbour walk

A full free day to explore Kochi's bazaars and old harbour. Fort Kochi and Mattancherry hold most of the big sights within walking distance: St Francis Church (built 1503, burial place of Vasco da Gama), the Chinese fishing nets, the Dutch Palace (Mattancherry Palace) and the spice warehouses of Jew Town. Lime-washed buildings in bright green, yellow and blue, hand-painted trucks and food stalls on every corner. Do a self-guided walking loop or join a cheap walking tour on GetYourGuide/Klook (~£8-15). Don't miss a Kathakali performance in the evening (~£5-8).

🚌On foot / local ferry between islands (~£0.50) / auto-rickshaw (~£1-2)

🛏Boutique budget guesthouse, Fort Kochi — approx £20-35

• →Fort Kochi self-guided walking tour
• →St Francis Church & Chinese fishing nets
• →Mattancherry Palace & Jew Town spice bazaar
• →Optional Kathakali performance

Ride past old Portuguese-influenced houses and continue to Muhamma on the edge of Vembanad Lake (approx 52 km). The backwater scenery starts to open up here. Check into a backwater resort/homestay, where you'll base for the houseboat departure tomorrow. Relax in the evening — this is the heart of Kerala's backwater country.

🚌Own/hired bike (52 km)

🛏Backwater resort/guesthouse, Muhamma (Deshadan Backwater Resort equivalent) — approx £25-40

• →Portuguese heritage cycling route
• →Backwater village arrival
• →Vembanad Lake sunset

Morning cycle (approx 20 km) and explore Muhamma town, then board a traditional Keralan houseboat (rice barge) for an overnight backwater cruise. Book direct with a local Alleppey/Kumarakom houseboat operator — day cruises and overnight stays range roughly £60-120 per person depending on boat size and season, and typically include meals (fresh Keralan cooking on board). Drift past paddy fields, coconut groves and village life, mooring overnight on the lake. This is a classic South India experience.

🚌Own/hired bike (20 km) then houseboat

🛏Overnight on a traditional Keralan houseboat — approx £60-100

• →Muhamma town ride & exploration
• →Overnight traditional Kerala houseboat cruise
• →Onboard Keralan meals

Long final riding day (approx 90 km) south to Varkala, the old hippie trail beach town perched on red cliffs above the Arabian Sea. Arrive and settle into a guesthouse near North Cliff. Celebrate the ride with a cold drink at a clifftop cafe.

🚌Own/hired bike (90 km); alternative: train from Alleppey/Quilon to Varkala (~£2-4)

🛏Cliffside guesthouse/budget hotel, Varkala (Sajjoys equivalent) — approx £20-35

• →Long coastal ride to Varkala
• →North Cliff sunset walk

A full day to relax on the beach and eat your fill of fresh seafood. Swim at Papanasam Beach, do a bit of yoga on the cliff (drop-in classes ~£5-8), shop the clifftop boutiques, or just watch the fishermen. Ayurvedic massage is a Varkala speciality (~£15-25).

🚌On foot / auto-rickshaw in town (~£1-2)

🛏Cliffside guesthouse/budget hotel, Varkala — approx £20-35

• →Papanasam Beach swim
• →Cliffside yoga class
• →Seafood dinner & clifftop shopping
• →Optional ayurvedic massage

Trip ends after breakfast. Nearest airports are Trivandrum (TRV, ~1 hr) and Kochi (COK, ~4 hrs). Take a taxi or train to Trivandrum for onward flights. Return your hired bike before departure if you hired one for the full trip.

🚌Taxi or train to Trivandrum/ Kochi airport (~£5-15)

🛏N/A (checkout)

• →Departure