Goa to Kerala Cycle

Welcome to Goa! Our representatives will meet your flight today and transfer you to your hotel. Feel free to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing – in your comfortable hotel room, on the beach, or swimming in the shallow shore-breakers of the Arabian Sea. Overnight: O’ Hotel or similar.

Meals:  D

After breakfast we unpack our bikes and head off on a short ride. This will give everyone a chance to familiarise themselves with the region’s road conditions and an opportunity to check everything mechanical is in order, before we begin our cycling adventure in earnest. The rest of the day is then yours to enjoy at your leisure, perhaps exploring some of the city of Goa itself. It has a completely different feel to other Indian cities, due in no small measure to four centuries of Portuguese influence. Overnight: O’ Hotel or similar.

Meals:  B

To avoid the city’s more congested roads, we’ll actually drive out of Goa to Karwar -a quiet port town on the southern-side of the Kali Nadi river. The scenery here is quite picturesque, with emerald-green hills and beautiful bays welcoming us to the Indian State of Karnataka. We ride 50km today, past Ankola, with its 15th Century temple and fort ruins, and into the sleepy little village of Gorkarna. Think: Goa – without all the hype. There is a temple here dedicated to Lord Shiva that you may like to visit, but chances are – once we have checked into our accommodation - you’ll be hailing down an auto-rickshaw and making a bee-line for a well-deserved swim at Om Beach. Overnight: Om Beach Resort or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

With 40km to cycle today, we have time to stop at a school along the way to meet some of the irrepressible local students. After lunch we’ll wheel our way through an unhurried landscape with rural vistas aplenty on the one side, and sweeping ocean views on the other. Overnight: Prameela Palace or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

We have our longest ride of the trip today – 100km in total – so make sure you fuel up at breakfast, to keep those leg muscles pumping! On our way there we’ll have great views of Kodachadri Hill Looming up on our inland side. If it feels like you’ve bitten off a little more than you can chew today, rest assured, help is on the way! Our support vehicle is never too far behind to pick up the tired and the weary... Overnight: Meridian Bay Resort & Spa or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

After our long ride yesterday, you’ll no doubt appreciate our scheduled rest day here in Maravante. The beach is considered by many to be the best in all of Karnataka. And our resort affords the best of both worlds: a magnificent place to simply “drop and flop”, or for those with energy to burn - water-sports galore. Overnight: Meridian Bay Resort & Spa or similar.

Meals:  B

We have a relatively short 45km ride ahead of us today, ensuring we reach Udipi with time to eat and explore! Udipi is a popular pilgrimage site among Hindus, who come to worship at the town’s 13th Century Krishna Temple. There’s always something happening here – from musicians playing at the entrance gates to elephants bestowing blessings on the faithful. Non believers are welcome in the temple, but an unusual edict stipulates men must enter bare-chested. The other thing Udipi is famous for is its food – in particular its delicious vegetarian thalis. And it would be tantamount to sacrilege not to try a dosa here, for Udipi is (allegedly) the birth-place of the ever-popular Indian snack. Overnight: Paradise Isle Beach Resort or similar.

Meals:  B,D

With the promise of a spicy seafood dish at day’s end, our 58km ride to Mangalore will be done and dusted in no time! We’re aiming to reach this busy port city (which manages around 75% of India’s exports) by mid-afternoon, allowing plenty of time for sight-seeing. There are some lovely temples in Mangalore, including the Kadri Manjunatha Temple, with its 1,000-year-old bronze statue of Lokeshvara – India’s Saviour God. Overnight: Hotel Goldfinch or similar.

Meals:  B,D

Soon after leaving Mangalore we cross our second state boundary, this time crossing from Karnataka in to Kerala. Nielshwar, a small fishing town, gives us the opportunity to explore the serene beache and fishing villages. Overnight: Kanan Beach Resort or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

Woo hoo! We only have a short rode today, so plenty of time in the schedule for everyone to soak up the sun and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Bekal’s beautiful beach. For those itching for more exercise, Bekal Fort beckons! Built in 1660 it is the largest fortification in Kerala, dominating a rocky headland that overlooks the main beach. Overnight: Kanan Beach Resort or similar.

Meals:  B

We are nearing the end of our journey now and we’re certainly much fitter than when we began! Our 50km ride will all but fly by in a blur of coconut palms and open ocean vistas. Thalassery, our final destination today, is home to a fort built in 1708 by the British East India Company –flexing of their colonial imperialist muscle. Overnight: The Pearl Regency or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our last day on two wheels! Our final 63km ride along Highway 17 hugs the coastline for most of the way. And hopefully the sea breeze will be at our backs as we enter the city of Kozhikode. Once dubbed the “City of Spices” Kozhikode (aka Calicut) continues to trade in pepper and lemongrass but additionally markets commodities such as coconut coffee and rubber. Overnight: The Raviz Kadavu or similar.

Meals:  B

Our trip ends today with a transfer to the domestic airport.

Meals:  B