Itinerary
- Day 1
Chennai to Puducherry
You'll arrive in Puducherry after a 3.5-hour transfer from Chennai, stopping at Mamallapuram to see the carved shore temples from the 7th-8th century. After checking in and having lunch, your tour leader meets you at 3:30pm for a gentle 6km warm-up ride through the French Quarter and along the coast. You'll freshen up and join the group for dinner with an evening briefing.
Included Activities
- Warm-up cycle ride through French Quarter and coastal areas (approximately 6 kilometres / 4 miles on flat terrain)
Optional Activities
- Stop at Mamallapuram UNESCO site to view 7th-8th century carved shore temples and roadside stone workshops
Landmarks/POIs Mamallapuram Shore Temples - Day 2
Puducherry
Your first full day takes you cycling to Auroville, the experimental spiritual township founded in 1968. You'll spend time at the visitor centre learning about the community's philosophy, then cycle back to Puducherry for lunch. In the afternoon, a walking tour through the French Quarter shows you colonial buildings and colourful markets while your leader shares the history of the 18th-century French settlement.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Cycle ride to Auroville (experimental township)
- Visit Auroville visitor centre
- City walking tour of Puducherry's French Quarter
Landmarks/POIs Auroville Matrimandir - Day 3
Puducherry to Chidambaram
After breakfast, a 30-minute transfer gets you outside the city before you cycle on quiet backroads toward Chidambaram through rural areas and agricultural land. You'll stop for lunch at a roadside restaurant, then use another vehicle transfer to skip the busier sections before reaching Chidambaram. The Nataraja Temple dedicated to Shiva awaits, with its towering gopurams and intricate carvings, followed by time exploring the local bazaar.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch at roadside restaurant), Dinner
Included Activities
- Cycle ride on quiet backroads through rural settlements and agricultural land towards Chidambaram (approximately 60 kilometres / 37 miles with total 370 metres / 1214 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
- Visit Nataraja Temple and learn about its significance as a major Hindu pilgrimage site
- Explore local bazaar with flower, incense and temple offering stalls
Optional Activities
- One-hour boat trip in Pichavaram Mangrove Forest to observe migrant and local birds such as cormorants, egrets, storks, herons and pelicans
Landmarks/POIs Nataraja Temple Pichavaram Mangrove Forest - Day 4
Chidambaram to Thanjavur
After breakfast, a short transfer takes you to the outskirts before cycling 60km on quiet country roads along the Cauvery River toward Thanjavur, the 'Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu'. You'll ride through landscapes known for Chola dynasty temples, then complete your journey by vehicle. The UNESCO-listed Brihadeeswarar Temple with its 66-metre-high tower is next, along with the Royal Palace and Sangeet Mahal, a historic Hall of Music.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Cycle ride on quiet country roads following the Cauvery River towards Thanjavur (approximately 60 kilometres / 37 miles with total 265 metres / 870 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
- Visit UNESCO-listed Brihadeeswarar Temple
- Visit Royal Palace with paintings, manuscripts and sculptures depicting the Chola dynasty
- Visit Sangeet Mahal (Hall of Music)
Landmarks/POIs Brihadeeswarar Temple Thanjavur Royal Palace Sangeet Mahal - Day 5
Thanjavur to Chettinad
You'll leave the Chola region and head into Chettinad, cycling past lavish mansions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries built by wealthy Chettiars traders. A short transfer avoids traffic before you visit the Chettinad Museum to see how hand-painted Athangudi tiles were made. If time allows, the local Santhai market has hand-spun fabrics and produce. This evening features a cooking demonstration of regional Chettinad cuisine.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Cooking demonstration with sampling of regional Chettinad dishes such as biryani or traditional thali)
Included Activities
- Cycle ride through Chettinad region past historic mansions (approximately 55 kilometres / 34 miles with total 370 metres / 1214 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
- Visit Chettinad Museum to learn about Athangudi tiles production
- Cooking demonstration featuring regional Chettinad dishes
Optional Activities
- Stop at local Santhai market with hand-spun cotton fabrics, palmyra leaf baskets and locally-grown produce
Landmarks/POIs Chettinad Museum Santhai Market - Day 6
Chettinad to Madurai
Leaving Chettinad, you'll cycle past granite quarries and mason workshops that have carved temple pillars for over 2,500 years. Riding through local villages takes you to Karrupur for lunch. A vehicle completes your journey, stopping at Melur where hundreds of red clay horses surround village shrines dedicated to Ayyanar. Later, you'll explore Madurai's old city and the Sri Meenakshi-Sundareshwara Temple with its thousands of stone pillars.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch in Karrupur), Dinner
Included Activities
- Cycle ride past granite quarries and mason workshops through local villages to Karrupur (approximately 65 kilometres / 40 miles with total 315 metres / 1033 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
- Visit Melur to see red clay horses at village shrines dedicated to Ayyanar
- Explore Sri Meenakshi-Sundareshwara Temple with its thousands of intricately carved stone pillars
Optional Activities
- Return to temple in evening to witness Bed Ceremony (daily procession where Lord Shiva's statue is carried to join Parvati)
- Optional rickshaw ride through narrow streets of Madurai to visit spice and vegetable markets
Landmarks/POIs Melur Village Shrines Sri Meenakshi-Sundareshwara Temple - Day 7
Madurai to Western Ghats/Kerala
You'll rise early to visit Madurai's bustling flower market before breakfast, where jasmine, lotuses, marigolds and roses are piled high for weddings and worship. After eating, a two-hour drive takes you toward the Cardamom Hills through changing landscapes from plains to sugarcane and coconut palm fields. You'll start cycling after lunch in Theni, passing banana groves before ascending into the Western Ghats and crossing into Kerala.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch stop in Theni), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Madurai flower market early morning
- Cycle ride with ascent through banana groves and Western Ghats towards Kerala (approximately 35 kilometres / 22 miles with total 605 metres / 1985 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
Landmarks/POIs Madurai Flower Market - Day 8
Periyar National Park
An early guided walk through Periyar National Park's forest with a tribal guide covers about 5km, looking for birds, butterflies and wildlife. You'll return to the hotel for late breakfast and have the rest of the day free to relax. If you prefer activity, an optional boat safari lets you spot guar, deer, monkeys and elephants from March to May. Late afternoon brings a visit to a family-run spice plantation for a guided walk and cooking experience with traditional Kerala dishes.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Late breakfast), Lunch, Dinner (Dinner with family at spice plantation featuring traditional Kerala dishes such as Malabar fish curry or spiced curry)
Included Activities
- Guided forest walk in Periyar National Park (approximately 5 kilometres / 3 miles through teak, rosewood, sandalwood and mango forests)
- Visit family-run spice plantation with guided walk and cooking experience
Optional Activities
- Boat safari in Periyar National Park to spot guar, deer, monkeys and elephants (March to May)
Landmarks/POIs Periyar National Park - Day 9
Periyar to Vagamon
You'll continue through the Cardamom Hills with a short transfer before reuniting with your bikes. A tea stop at a local factory teaches you about tea-making and India's tea industry history. Cycling takes you through pine forests, rolling meadows and misty hills with great views before descending. You'll stay at Planters Homestay, a 55-year-old family mansion in a rural village with en-suite rooms and lush gardens full of tropical fruit trees and birds.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Dinner at Planters Homestay)
Included Activities
- Tea stop at local factory with learning about tea-making process and industry history
- Cycle ride through pine forests, rolling meadows and misty hills towards Vagamon (approximately 45 kilometres / 28 miles with total 690 metres / 2,264 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
Landmarks/POIs Vagamon - Day 10
Vagamon to Coastal Areas
Cycling through spice plantations, rubber estates and tea gardens takes you toward the coast. This region's Syrian Christian heritage shows in many churches you'll pass. You'll stop in Palai to visit St. Thomas Church, established in 1922, which blends European and Keralan influences beautifully with its sloping tiled roof and wide verandas built to withstand monsoon rains. The cycling becomes more leisurely as the land flattens toward coastal sections.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Cycle ride through spice plantations, rubber estates and tea gardens (approximately 40 kilometres / 25 miles with total 520 metres / 1706 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
- Visit St. Thomas Church in Palai, established 1922 with European and Keralan architectural influences
Landmarks/POIs St. Thomas Church, Palai - Day 11
Houseboat Journey on Kerala Backwaters
The morning starts leisurely with an optional chance to explore Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. Around midday you'll board a houseboat for a journey through the Kerala Backwaters' 900km network of lagoons, canals and lakes. Watching the sunset, you'll observe locals using these waterways for transportation, fishing and farming. You'll stay on a simple yet comfortable converted rice barge with en-suite rooms.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Houseboat journey on Kerala Backwaters with evening dock and sunset viewing
Optional Activities
- Explore Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary (home to cormorants, egrets, herons and more)
- Optional cycling ride (approximately 35 kilometres / 22 miles with total 65 metres / 213 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
Landmarks/POIs Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary Kerala Backwaters - Day 12
Backwaters to Fort Kochi
After breakfast you'll disembark and travel by bus north along the coast road to Marari Beach for your first view of the Arabian Sea. Continuing to Andhakaranazhi where backwaters meet the Arabian Sea, you'll see the strip of land called the 'Azhi'. The final cycling stretch takes you to Fort Kochi to finish your journey from Tamil Nadu to Kerala. You'll stay in a 200-year-old heritage property in Fort Kochi's heart with rooftop pool access.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Final cycle ride to Fort Kochi (approximately 40 kilometres / 25 miles with total 73 metres / 240 feet accumulated ascent and descent)
Landmarks/POIs Marari Beach Andhakaranazhi Fort Kochi - Day 13
Fort Kochi
Your day is completely free to explore Fort Kochi at your own pace. Your tour leader can arrange an orientation walk if interested. The city blends influences from Chinese, Arab, Portuguese, Dutch and English traders dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. You'll find the oldest European church and oldest synagogue in India, alongside Chinese fishing nets and Portuguese houses. Alternatively, visit rural Chedamangalam village to see daily life in Kerala.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Guided orientation walk of Fort Kochi with tour leader
- Self-guided exploration of Fort Kochi's historic sites (oldest European church, oldest synagogue, Chinese fishing nets, Portuguese houses, Dutch palaces)
- Visit rural village of Chedamangalam with Kudumbashree project women, including cooking demonstration with traditional sadya lunch served on banana leaves and village/farm exploration
Landmarks/POIs Fort Kochi Chedamangalam - Day 14
Departure from Fort Kochi
Your Kerala cycling tour ends today with no activities planned. You're free to depart whenever you'd like. If your flight leaves later in the day, luggage storage is available at the hotel.
