Chennai Tours in November 2026

Had a great time in Kerala, with a fabulous bunch of fellow Explorers and a very knowledgable guide in Sam. Weather was kind, despite rain being forecast for the whole trip, only one heavy shower which was quite welcome in the very hot and humid conditions which made the cycling a little tougher. Accommodation was of mixed standards, had more cold showers than hot! Often welcome tho. A/C or fans throughout and much needed. Backwaters just as expected, lush and green, teeming with flora and fauna, binoculars useful, also enjoyed blowy coastal rides and the start of the trip in hippie vibe resorts of Kovalam and Varkala, excellent restaurants overlooking beach and lots of shops selling clothing and fabrics. Trip ended in Fort Cochin, iconic fishing nets ‘Cheena Vala’ didn’t disappoint along with architecture left by Dutch and Portuguese, nice feel to the place - an excellent trip with lots of good and cheap food, a few G and Ts too.

Loved this trip. Tamil Nadu was lush and the people very friendly. Lots of wildlife. Hindu temple in Madurai was really worth a visit. Food was fantastic. Tamil Nadu and Kerala very different places. Western Ghats forests and tea plantations stunning. Kerala was beautiful. Decent hotels. Good guide and back up team. They could not have been more patient and kind. The cycling at times was challenging. Some days the temperature was 38 with high humidity. The roads were generally very good apart from day 3 which was an awful road. There were a lot of punctures that day. It was for me the hardest day. More like mountain biking. There are some long flat days at the start and some hills in the middle which were actually ok( I did the recommended pre trip training). The days in the hills were the best. I wasn’t mad about the houseboat stay. I’d have been happy with a day boat trip and another night on dry land. I enjoyed every day though (even day 3).

This is not a trip for the faint-hearted : but if you are ok in temperatures of 30 degrees and over; you are a keen cyclist, can cycle 100km and cope with frenetic and unruly city traffic; you have an interest in foreign culture and religion ; and you have a strong tolerance of pungent smells this is the trip for you! I went prepared for this.....and thought it was great!

This was such an excellent trip from start to finish. We experienced all types of weather from baking hot sun to cyclonic rain and along the way were constantly amazed by the friendliness and generosity of the local people.

A excellent trip that samples two very distinct states. You need to be fairly fit for this trip, there are some very long days of 100km in the saddle and some very stiff climbs in the middle of the tour which scale some 1200metres in the day. Initial impressions of India were the noise of the traffic horns, the anything goes rules of the road, there aren’t any but it seems to work, but you do need to be comfortable cycling in chaotic traffic. The rubbish everywhere and the cows, goats and dogs in the road and in the towns were an eye opener. Cow dung and holes on the pavements were part of the adventure that you needed to watch when walking around. Most people seemed to smile a lot and the kids always shouted welcome to these crazy white people cycling in the heat. Kerala was clearly very much more affluent than Tamil Nadu and the contrast was clear in that there was less rubbish and the drivers were a little more aggressive to everyone. You get used to the horns blasting all the time, it’s more I’m here, be aware of me. The food is an experience, interesting, very tasty and varied but always spicy. You need to like curries.

The trip was great. The itinerary experiences were a bit underwhelming on occasions but made up for with ad hoc things we came across on our travels. Our driver Raj and Johan our guide were both brilliant.