Southern India Coast to Coast Ride

A perfect mix of scenic backroads and vibrant town streets, offering an authentic glimpse into India’s culture. The locals were incredibly friendly, always greeting us with smiles and curiosity as we passed through their villages. Kerala’s relaxed vibe, combined with its stunning landscapes, made every ride a joy. Our tour leader was outstanding—knowledgeable, approachable, and always ready with helpful tips or an encouraging word during the challenging climbs. From the breathtaking tea plantations to the tranquil backwaters, every moment was memorable. Highly recommend this trip for those seeking adventure, cultural immersion, and great camaraderie!

Fully immersive into the local culture, the trip takes in the ways of life across a hugely populated and relatively underdeveloped state of Tamil Nadu and the more prosperous and relatively developed state of Kerala. It is not for the faint heated as long cycling days end with relatively modest accommodation and throughout the local food is the only option, and toilet stops basic.

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 trip was pretty much exactly what it said on the label. A varied ride through contrasting states. Well organised and well run. No problems and a lot of fun. A good balance of riding and relaxation.

This was our third cycling trip in India and lived up to all expectations. There is a great sense of achievement in cycling Coast to Coast from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea. It is wonderful cycling through the countryside, villages and towns and seeing and meeting people going about their daily lives.

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.

Wow, what a great trip. I had a fantastic time and I am so glad that I did it. There were so many highlights. To start with the cycling was varied and interesting combining flat, uphill and undulating sections along the way as well as cycling by rivers, along country lanes, a bit of city cycling, cycling through tea plantations and many more. The food was delicious throughout and there was lots of choice. I particularly enjoyed the fresh fish and jumbo prawns in Cochin but there was also a wide variety of tasty curries to choose from along the way. All of the accommodation was relaxing, comfortable and air conditioned/had fans. The amount of different places visited was great too ranging from Hindu temples, Christian churches, tea plantation, spice plantation, bird sanctuary etc. The guides on the trip were exceptional. Abhi, the tour leader, always had a smile on his face and always had an answer for any question that you asked him. He was also very encouraging on the cycling side of things as well as pointing out lots of interesting things along the way. He also made you feel welcome and was very organised. He was great. Franklin, the driver, was also great. He was always there to help with your luggage, fill up your water bottle or offer some food for your trip. He was also encouraging too. I would just like to say a quick thank you to Virginia, Alan and Scott who were my travel companions. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to travel with. They were fun, good to talk to and helped make me feel comfortable while cycling. Thanks. Finally, I would like to say that if you are thinking about doing this trip then just do it as you will have a great time.

Just back from a wonderfully exciting ,fulfilling and enjoyable trip across India with a lovely group of people. Accommodation and food of an exceptionally high standard.

When my husband suggested cycling in India, I was to say more than a bit apprehensive but having returned from this 2 week trip I have to say that I have had one of the best experiences of my life that I could possible ever have. The contrasts when cycling were incredible - from the quiet undulating roads through stunningly beautiful tea plantations in the Western Ghats to super busy streets with buses, tuk-tuks, motor cycles, bicycles and cows to navigate around! The cycling itself was of a reasonable challenge with a few ascents but the bikes provided were of a high standard with good gearing and suspension so absorbing some of the "bumpy roads" making the ride enjoyable and rewarding at the same time. The distances cycled on a daily basis varied and even on the longer days (100 km) these were broken up with food stops/rests so nothing felt overly difficult. The food was another highlight and stopping at local "cafes" which were most definitely not on the usual tourist route a great experience and we tried so many new and delicious delicacies cooked at times on open fires by the most friendly of cooks. The accommodation on the whole was a very pleasant surprise with the standard a lot higher than we expected. All the places provided excellent breakfasts and dinners so the main issue was of NOT putting on weight! Finally, whilst the main focus was to cycle from coast to coast, on each and every day there were different cultural sights / experiences to partake of and so allowed us to see and appreciate this beautiful part of India. If you are thinking of doing a cycle trip that allows you a wealth of new experiences and adventures then do NOT hesitate to do this trip as you will not be disappointed.

From dipping our rear wheels in the Bay of Bengal, travelling through the largely tourist free Tamil Nadu, over the mountains of tea plantations, through fabulous scenery, down into Kerala, and dipping our from wheels into the Arabian Sea, Abi our guide and his team looked after us with cheerfulness and a sense of humour. We ate amazing food often off banana leaves in places you would never venture into as an unaccompanied tourist, and experienced true Indian live at very close quarters. Some demanding cycling, especially on the roads of the crazily busy towns, and some extraordinary sights made an exciting experience. The Indian cookery class and the heritage home stays made the trip even more special.

This is a great holiday covering 2 distinct regions of Southern India, Tamil Nadu and Kerala The cycling was excellent, flat rides for the first week in Tamil Nadu and hilly the second week in Kerala The accommodation was generally very good. The food was excellent, enjoyed by all on the trip. There were only 6 of us on the trip(all friends), on previous tips there were 16. However it worked out really well. We all enjoyed the cycling, potholes and all. Some busy towns but enjoyable to cycle through.

Myself and my wife (Chris) are both keen cyclists and were keen to have a bit of an adventure. This ride looked like the perfect first trip for us as it meet a number of our requirements. It needed to have enough miles to satisfy my cycling needs but not too difficult for Chris. It had to be somewhere a bit different and it had to go from A to B. Also since retiring 4 years ago I have been blogging about the best cafes/tea shops to go to on a cycle ride and this would give me the chance to blog about tea rooms in the capital of tea. The trip surpassed my expectations as we cycled through a variety of landscapes, learned about temples and tea plants whilst I was able to update my blog with news of the tea shop culture. A day to day review with photos is on my blog http://www.cake-crusader.co.uk/special-rides-and-trips.html The second week could have done with a few more miles cycling as there were a couple of rather short days. Although the overnight ride on the houseboat maybe a highlight for some I found it a bit dull (after many trips on the Norfolk broads) and would have rather spent it on the bike. I was particularly impressed with the organisation of the team once throughout the trip making the whole experienced very relaxing.

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.

India Coast to Coast on a bike is the way to go. The people in the countryside were so lovely, friendly and their big smiles really made my day. This is a great way to see a country and meet the people. The best food was always the little hole in the wall places along the bike route. We stayed at some incredible places, especially in the countryside.