Cycling Holidays in India

Cycling Holidays in India

You could spend a lifetime exploring the nuances that make each place – and each day – in India distinctly different from the last. Each place is marked by its own food, festivals and traditions. But it’s the ever-changing landscape that makes it such a diverse place for cyclists, with something to suit all levels of ability. In the very north there are the challenging high-altitude rides of the Himalaya. The highlight of which is the ride from Manali to Leh to Khardung La – it’s the highest rideable road in the world! Here you’re surrounded by snow-capped peaks, stark but stunning rock formations, and high mountain passes aflutter with rainbowbright prayer flags. Famous for the glittering big hitters that include the Taj Mahal, in Rajasthan you’ll also find sleepy, agricultural India, the rolling Aravalli hills and flat, arid desert. On a bike you’re able to head off the beaten track. Villages spread out along the roads, so you really get an insight into local life. Head further southwards to the sandy beaches of Goa and extravagant palaces of Mysore, and it’s all change again. You’ll journey through the Western Ghats, a luscious tangle of trees and waterfalls that are UNESCO protected. British influence – and the eccentricity that seems to go with it – lingers a little stronger up here and the climate is cool.