Southern India Coast to Coast Ride

Name: Southern India Coast to Coast Ride
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.5 (41 reviews)

41 reviews

Activity

Cycling

Overview

Cycle through two distinct Indian states: Tamil Nadu and Kerala

The two southernmost states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala perfectly depict the contrasting nature of India. Seeing them on two wheels gives us an excellent opportunity to soak up rich culture and appreciate the different landscapes as we cycle. Tamil Nadu sees far fewer visitors than other Indian states, but this is part of the attraction as we follow quiet backroads from the fertile coastal plains in the east to the remarkable hills of the Western Ghats, which form the border with Kerala. Our ride takes us past some of the most impressive sites in southern India, including the former French colony of Pondicherry and the magnificent Sri Meenakshi Temple at Madurai. After cycling through the cooler highlands and tea estates of the Western Ghats, we reach the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, where a relaxing houseboat cruise offers the chance to unwind and reflect on a memorable journey.

Key Information

Trip Code: MIT
Ways to Travel: Guided Group
Countries: India
Carbon Footprint: 35kg CO2e per person per day

What's Included

All breakfasts, 11 lunches and eight dinners
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Tour leader throughout
Group arrival and departure transfers available
Local bike hire

10 days of Cycling

Pace:

Moderate: 8mph-10mph (13ph-16kph)

Terrain:

Low altitude, 100 percent paved roads

Day 1: 6 km / 3.7 miles
Day 2: 32 km / 19.9 miles
Day 3: 101 km / 62.8 miles
Day 4: 69 km / 42.9 miles
Day 5: 102 km / 63.4 miles
Day 6: 97 km / 60.3 miles
Day 7: 36 km / 22.4 miles
Day 9: 66 km / 41 miles
Day 10: 73 km / 45.4 miles
Day 11: 26 km / 16.2 miles
Day 12: 55 km / 34.2 miles

Highlights

Explore Tamil Nadu and Kerala by bike – the most immersive way to explore the laid-back states
Interact with the friendly local people as we cycle through a variety of landscapes
Ride through emerald tea estates and spice plantations
Experience authentic rural India with a stay at a family-run plantation in the Mavady Hills
Cruise the backwaters of Kerala on a traditional rice barge – a classic experience in South India!

Itinerary

First Destination: Chennai
Next Destination: Kochi (Cochin)

Meals included:Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Chennai
Next Destination: Kochi (Cochin)

Begin your adventure in Chennai this morning, meeting the group at Chennai Airport. From here it’s a 3hr 30min group transfer to Pondicherry. We normally take a break at Mahabalipuram, home to shore temples and rock carvings. Carving in stone is still a living art here and we see stonemasons chipping away along the roadside, practicing skills that have flourished for centuries.

On arrival in Pondicherry, we have a chance to freshen up and have lunch before we assemble the bikes and explore this former French colony on a 4mi (6km) ride to Promenade Beach.

Around 6pm, we gather as a group to get to learn more about the adventures ahead over a welcome meeting. Your tour leader then arranges a group dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Want more time in Chennai or Pondicherry? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative

Accommodation: Hotel Atithi (or similar)

Meals included:Lunch, Dinner

We take a circular ride to Auroville, a new-age spiritual commune. Founded in 1968 by The Mother and named after her Guru Sri Aurobindo, it promises a more balanced way of living. Revitalised by some earthly fruit juices, we ride the 9mi (15km) back into town, seeing fishing communities and cycling along the promenade, which retains some Gallic charm. Depending on time, lunch may be at Auroville or in Pondicherry, and the rest of the day is free to explore.

Accommodation: Hotel Atithi (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Starting from our hotel, we either ride out of Pondicherry through bustling traffic, or we have the option to take a transfer out of Pondicherry to miss most traffic and get on our bikes on a quieter road just outside of the city. We soon leave the city bustle for quiet backroads, experiencing rural life where simple mud huts contrast with the brightly coloured saris worn by local women. In true Indian style, we stop at a roadside restaurant for a tea break, and a little later, stop for a lakeside picnic lunch. Back on our bikes, we cycle another 41mi (66km) to Chidambaram. If we have time this evening, we may visit the ancient Thillai Nataraja Temple, in the heart of the city.

Staying in the grand mansion of the village, we sleep in the extended family villa; with its own temple, it’s almost like stepping back in time.

Accommodation: Lakshmivilas Heritage Resort (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We have a scenic morning ride following quiet roads and tracks alongside the Cauvery River to Thanjavur. A capital between the ninth and 13th centuries, it regained its status under the Nayaks in the 16th century who rebuilt the Royal Palace, Durbar Hall and libraries.

After lunch at a local couple’s home, in which we eat their home-made food, we take a vehicle transfer to the Thanjavur hotel. Late afternoon, we visit the palace, which houses one of the finest collections of bronze sculptures and stone carvings in southern India, and the vegetable market at Tanjore followed by a visit to the Brihadishwara Temple, one of the largest in India and known locally as the Big Temple.

Accommodation: Hotel Parisutham (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Leaving the city by the old road, often greeting and meeting friendly local people, we head into the Tamil Nadu heartland, visiting the oldest clay horse temple en route, to an area renowned for impressive mansions built by wealthy traders known as chettiars. Some of these palatial houses have been converted into boutique hotels, offering a glimpse of the past. The grand interiors of Burmese teak and elaborate plasterwork retain much of the traditional architecture of a bygone age.

Accommodation: Chettinadu Mansion (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We have a scenic ride to Madurai, passing rice fields, often greeting the local people, and stopping for tea at a roadside cafe. En route, we pass a rocky outcrop that’s said to be the sacred abode of Lord Murugan, the son of Shiva and also known as Skanda, the most revered god in Tamil Nadu.

If we have time, we visit Sri Meenakshi Temple, one of the largest temple complexes in India and one of the highlights of Tamil Nadu. Here, thousands of huge stone pillars, each adorned with different deities, are said to represent the gods of the Hindu cosmos. A constant flow of worshipers, offering pujas (rituals performed by the temple priests to the various deities) add to the heady atmosphere of incense and camphor smoke, and make this an unforgettable experience of Hindu culture.

Accommodation: JC Residency (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

We have the morning to explore the old city, including Sri Meenakshi Temple if we didn’t visit yesterday, and a local vegetable market. We then leave the heat of Madurai for the cool air of the Cardamom Hills. We transfer by vehicle to our lunch stop at Theni.

After lunch, we are dropped at Cambam, from where we ride to Kumily. Hidden behind a banana plantation are the vineyards of southern India’s new venture into wine making. These give way to the forested slopes of the Western Ghats and a slow ascent through the rainforest to Thekkady, a small town close to the entrance of Periyar National Park and our accommodation for the next two nights. Reaching the peak of the climb and arriving in Kumily, we cross the invisible border into Kerala from Tamil Nadu.

Accommodation: Abad Green Forest (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is free to relax and explore Thekkady or, perhaps go on a guided nature walk or boat safari to the nearby Periyar National Park. Centred around a human-made reservoir, it is possible to see wildlife year-round, although the best time is the dry season (March-May) when elephants graze by the lake shore; if you are very lucky, you may even see a leopard or tiger coming down to quench their thirst. There is an optional dinner and cooking demonstration available this evening at a spice plantation home.

Please note, optional activities in Peryiar National Park must be pre-booked as early as possible due to limited availability. If you are interested in either or both the guided nature walk or the boat safari, please let your leader know within the first few days of your trip so he can secure your booking. More information and prices on optional activities are found in the Extra Expenses section of the Trip Notes.

Accommodation: Abad Green Forest (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

Riding from the hotel, we cycle through cardamom and tea estates, stopping mid-morning for tea and to visit the tea factory in Vandiperiyar, learning more about the tea-making process. Refreshed, we continue along hilly tea plantation roads with plenty of short ascents and descents before we stop at a hilltop roadside cafe for a tea and snack break, which overlooks lofty peaks, tea plantations and the Sacred Heart Church Peermade.

We have a lunch break at a small roadside restaurant near Vagamon, overlooks the tea plantation hills and a small stream. The ride after lunch is through more hilly tea plantation roads, and you may spot tea pickers working in the plantations.

We end the ride with a superb winding descent on a quiet road and stay at an old plantation bungalow within the Western Ghats – a highlight for many.

Accommodation: Vanilla County Plantation homestay (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we ride through rubber and spice plantations en route to Kottayam, known as the Syrian Christian heartland of Kerala. Here, grand churches dot the landscape and we break at Palai to visit St Thomas Church, its whitewashed facade and distinct gilded ceiling predates its Portuguese renovation. Roads converge into Kottayam, but we avoid the city by following country roads and stop for a lunch break at Erttumanoor town.

Accommodation: Whispering Palms Lake Resort (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We have the morning to relax and enjoy the lake view. Alternatively, embark on an optional ride to the nearby Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary followed by a sightseeing ride along the lakeshore. This needs to be done early, after a quick breakfast to allow time to board our houseboats at midday for a stunning backwater cruise. The houseboats, converted rice barges, have a captain, cook and crew; we just sit back, sip long drinks and watch the world pass.

Accommodation: Houseboat

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the middle of the morning, we disembark at Muhamma. Riding along the backroad, we cross over to the coastal road to Arthingal Beach for our first view of the Arabian Sea and, finally, know we’ve cycled across India from coast to coast. We then ride to Fort Kochi for lunch.

After lunch, you may wish to visit the synagogue while in the area (please note, it is closed on Saturdays and open until 2pm on Fridays – 10am-6pm on other days). Built in 1568 for the Jewish members of Kochi’s trading communities, it is adorned with hand-painted tiles from China and elegant Belgian chandeliers, all donations from wealthy merchants. The area around the synagogue is also excellent for shopping and home to some of the last traditional lace makers, happy to demonstrate their skilled techniques and intricate designs for those interested.

We check in at the hotel after, with time to freshen up or take a dip in the pool before we can all have a farewell dinner together at a seafood restaurant overlooking the harbour.

Accommodation: The Dutch Bungalow (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We have a free day to explore Kochi, its bazaars and old harbour area at leisure. Warehouses filled with the smell of tea and spices are limewashed bright green, yellow and blue; rickety old bikes and hand-painted trucks piled high with goods fill the narrow streets; and food stalls stand on every corner. Further along the road, you’ll come to Mattancherry and the Dutch Palace. For food, try the fish market near the Chinese fishing nets, where you can buy the day’s catch and have it cooked to your taste. There are also plenty of shopping opportunities here or you can take the ferry to Ernakulam city or Vypin island.

Accommodation: The Dutch Bungalow (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The adventure ends today and we begin our return journeys home. Alternatively, if you’d like the adventure to continue, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, deposit-only payments, and full ATOL protection available.

Call us on 0203 733 5948

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Accommodation

Hotels, houseboat and mansions

On this cycling adventure in southern India, we spend 10 nights in hotels, one night on a houseboat, two nights in heritage properties.

The accommodations typically used are on the day-to-day itinerary. However, below are a few of the notable places we stay on this trip.

Chettinad: Chettinadu Mansion (night 5)

Southern India Coast to Coast Ride

Stay in a 100-year-old property within Kandukathan, which was named a Heritage Village by the Indian government. The property gives you the experience of life in a bygone era, and extends some 80,000sqft (7,430sqm) but there are only 12 bedrooms, providing plenty of space to sprawl. The décor reflects the style of 1900s India, plus there’s an antique museum and swimming pool.

Vagamon: Vanilla County Plantation homestay (night 9)

Southern India Coast to Coast Ride

Experience the many charms of rural Kerala with a stay at this 75-year-old Dutch-style heritage plantation bungalow in the Mavady Hills. On arrival at this family-owned boutique inn surrounded by lush hills and an abundant spice, vegetable and flower garden, we are greeted by the owners and their friendly labrador, Koffi. It also features a plunge pool amid the greenery, and a bakery and kitchen serving authentic homemade cuisine and baked goods made from locally sourced spices and ingredients. The accommodation here is spread out, so some of the group stays in the main house and others in hill-view cottages.

To Muhamma: Houseboat (night 11)

Southern India Coast to Coast Ride

No trip to Kerala is complete without a houseboat stay. Typically, the boats are converted barges (known locally as kettuvallam), once used to transport rice from farm to market. All cabins have private bathrooms and the staff keep you well fed. The houseboats have a deck and dining area, although the style/layout varies between boats. There is a cook, driver and assistants for each boat and the food is traditional Keralan fare using local produce. Houseboats have two to five twin-bedded rooms. Larger groups may be split over several boats; however, the group reunites at riverside stops and the overnight anchor point where your leader will be available.

Worth knowing

The single supplement does not include the night at the Vanilla County Plantation on Day 9 and cannot be guaranteed on the houseboat due to limited rooms.
Hotels in India usually do not have heating as there are really only a couple of months in the year when the weather can get cooler. You can, however, request more blankets or the hotel may be able to provide a standing heater for your room. Please talk to your tour leader if you need help in this matter.

Essential Information

This trip is classified Road and Activity Level 4 (Moderate & Challenging). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Average daily distance: 40mi (65km)
Number of cycling days: 10
Full vehicle support

E-bikes: E-bikes are available on this trip for an additional cost and subject to availability. Read our e-bike fact sheet for more information on the e-bikes available for this cycling adventure.

Terrain and route: Almost entirely surfaced roads including plenty of quiet backroads with low levels of traffic, but traffic does increase when approaching towns. Road surfaces are mostly good. There is one sustained climb, and some undulating sections with short climbs, but the support vehicle is available if required. Longer days at the beginning of the trip are mostly flat, but always interesting. Most rides are door-to-door, allowing plenty of time in the saddle. Indian roads can be rough in some places with potholes. Please bear this in mind if you are bringing your own pedals and clip-in shoes.

Climate: It can be hot and humid in India, particularly during September-November and March-May, which can increase the difficulty of the cycling.

Monuments: The Sri Meenakshi Temple (which we visit on either Day 6 or 7) is currently preparing for re-consecration. This process includes scaffolding around the main towers to aid decoration work but does not stop us visiting and exploring the site.

Additionally, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is responsible for the conservation of many monuments in India and very occasionally this may mean work is taking place at sites visited on this trip. The ASI schedule is never published so it is not possible to forewarn when work is taking place.

Key information

Start hotel: Hotel Atithi, 126, Sardar Vallabhai Patel Salai, Heritage Town, Puducherry, 605001, India
Phone: +91 90877 38989
Recommended arrival time: We recommend you arrive or are at the airport in Chennai in time to join the group transfer. If not, please be at the hotel in Pondicherry for 1pm to meet up with the group. There will be a welcome briefing around 6pm this evening.
Airport: Chennai International Airport (MAA)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately two hours to 3hr 30min drive from the airport. Exodus provides one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight from London, UK. You may join this transfer, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

Catching your return flight

There’s a group departure transfer to the airport for customers who Exodus booked onto a chosen flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join. If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative transfer.

India

To avoid possible problems at immigration, make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 180 days at the time of entry into India.

Travellers from the UK, US, CA and EU normally need a visa to enter India. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/india
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/india
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html

Travellers eligible for an e-visa, which includes those from the UK, US, CA and EU, can apply at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html.

For more information on applying for your Indian Visa, including details required for your start hotel and local reference contacts, please click on this link: Indian Visa Information.

New Digital Arrival Card

Travellers from the UK, US, EU and Canada must also complete a Digital Arrival Card. This can be filled online up to 72 hours before arrival via the official Indian visa website https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/. This is separate from the Indian e-visa process and this remains the same. Physical cards will remain at the arrival airport until 1 April 2026, at which point the Digital Arrival Card will be made mandatory.

All breakfasts, 11 lunches and eight dinners are included.

Lunches on riding days are usually in roadside cafes, allowing us to sample typical south Indian dishes such as poori (deep-fried bread served with curry) and dosa (thin pancakes made with fermented rice and lentil batter). South Indian food is heavily influenced by the tropical landscape; creamy coconut dishes enlivened with delicate spices, served on a banana leaf. It’s also an ideal destination if you are vegetarian. Tea and soft drinks are very cheap but a (large) bottle of beer is approximately 410 rupees (US$5). Please note, due to Kerala state laws, alcohol licences are limited to one or two bars in each area and not all hotels are permitted to serve alcohol. The first day of every month and certain holidays in India are dry days, when no alcohol is permitted for sale.

Generally, you can eat out very cheaply in India. Where food is not included, your tour leader can provide recommendations. Allow at least 1,650 rupees (approximately US$20) per day for lunch and dinner. You can eat out very cheaply in India, but if you mainly eat at the more expensive restaurants, you will spend more than the suggested amount.

Please note, service in restaurants can be quite slow.

Drinking water is provided in the support vehicle, where you can fill your bottle from the containers.

The most important feature of the Indian climate is the monsoon. The main monsoon strikes the Kerala coast in late May and sweeps northward over the next month or so. The ideal time to visit is during the dry season from October to March, but monsoons have been known to be late and it can rain as late as November. Days are hot and the nights warm: average maximum daytime temperatures are 21C-35C (70F-95F) and 6C-20C (43F-68F) at night. However, in the hills, temperatures can be considerably cooler. Expect temperatures just above freezing point at night. Also expect frequent rainstorms on November departures. These are usually quite short and the sun normally comes out fairly quickly afterwards.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

You’ll also find Thriving Nature, Thriving People moments across our trips. These experiences are often a highlight of your adventure, while also benefiting the natural world or local communities.

On this trip, we:

Share a home-cooked meal with a local couple in Thanjavur, supporting household income while learning about everyday life.
Stay at the Vanilla County Plantation homestay in Kerala, supporting locally run accommodation within a working plantation.
Optionally join a cooking demonstration and dinner at a spice plantation home in Thekkady.

Reviews

Add new review

Michael Hanrahan

Added December 2025

Another Incredible Trip

A feast of experiences and sensations.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the coast at the end of our trip

Thoughts on Group Leader

It got up to nearly 46 degrees when I went on my trip so I would highly recommend wearing a cap/buff or similar under your cycling helmet as it gets so hot on your head otherwise. I would also recommend cycling gloves and padded shorts/underwear as it can get very hot and sticky. Good quality sun cream is essential too.

Suggestions

I would highly recommend going on this trip as it is varied, fun and exceptionally well run.

Read all reviews

Southern India Coast to Coast Ride

Activity Level

Comfort Level

Activity

Overview

Cycle through two distinct Indian states: Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Key Information

What's Included

10 days of Cycling

Highlights

Itinerary

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, deposit-only payments, and full ATOL protection available.

Your Group, Your Adventure

Accommodation

Hotels, houseboat and mansions

Essential Information

Key information

Getting to the start hotel

Catching your return flight

India