8 days
From US $1,695
Mysore to Goa by Gravel Bike
The region between Mysore and Goa falls in the Western Ghats, a region of densely forested mountains considered one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world.
This bike tour, then, is an adventure that winds through lush rainforests, scenic mountains, Hindu temples dating back to the previous millennium, and exotic plantations of sandalwood, mulberry, cashew, and coffee.
India, after all, is the largest producer of sandalwood, the second largest producer of cashew nuts and silk, and the eighth largest producer of coffee in the world, and pretty much all of India’s coffee, cashew, silk, and sandalwood comes from this region between Mysore and Goa.
With so much to experience, however, your heart and mind on this tour will most likely be preoccupied with thoughts of the delicious south Indian food with its rich and flavorful spices which you just had for breakfast, and can't wait to sample more of for lunch!
Mysore | 14:00hrs
Goa | 16:00hrs
casual
moderate
100km/60mi
Min. 2, Max. 14
Highlights
Breathtaking landscape
Ride past the small rural hamlets, vast agricultural lands, mountains, plantations and a surreal other worldly landscape of mighty boulders and granite hills
Itinerary
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Place | casual Inns or similar | Meals | Distance | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAY 1 | Mysore | The Green Hotel | D | ||
| DAY 2 | Hassan | Mallige Residency | B,L,D | 120km/74mi | cycling |
| DAY 3 | Chikmagalur | Hotel Aadrika | B,L,D | 70km/42mi | cycling |
| DAY 4 | Shimoga | Royal Orchid | B,L,D | 100km/60mi | cycling |
| DAY 5 | Nittur | Simha Farms | B,L,D | 115km/70mi | cycling |
| DAY 6 | Talaguppa | Matthuga Retreat | B,L,D | 70km/42mi | cycling |
| DAY 7 | Dandeli | Kadumane | B,L,D | 150km/94mi | cycling |
| DAY 8 | Goa | B,L,D | 120km/74mi | cycling |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Mysore
Our guide meets you at your hotel at 14:00hrs for a bike fit. Post-that, we visit the palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace is a 14th-century enthralling structure, which is beautifully lit at night on special days. After the historic sight, we make our way into the busy Devaraj market. The market is a concoction of sights, sounds, and smells – a real visual treat. Walk around the stalls stacked with conical mounds of Kumkum, stacks of glittering bangles, blocks of jaggery, and huge mounds of fragrant marigolds, jasmine, asters, and even antiques!
We convene tonight at the dinner to celebrate the start of a fabulous cycling journey.
Mysore Arrival: We recommend taking a Mysore Vande Bharat train (20607) that starts from Bangalore City Junction (SBC) at 10:20 hours and arrives at Mysore Junction (MYS) at 12:20 hours. We can assist with the booking of same. Alternatively, you can also fly to Mysore from Bangalore.
Day 2: Hassan
Take a transfer to the surroundings and get on the bikes for a ride toward Shravanbelagola, en route to Hassan. Shravanbelagola is a Jain pilgrimage with a mammoth statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali atop a hill, overlooking the town. The statue was constructed in 993 AD and is the subject of intrigue and reverence for many travelers. We make a short stop here and later head towards Hassan. The ride today is going to be nothing short of a roller coaster.
Day 3: Chikmagalur
We start riding from Hassan through the sparsely populated roads, through thick foliage and green paddy fields into Halebidu, the essential temple town on this route. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Halebidu temple, also known as Hoysaleshwara temple, is 103 years of hard work resulting in 4000 exquisite carvings in slate stone. You can see the Hoysala emblems, statues of dancing ladies and portions of the Indian epics unfold in the black stone. The depiction of the mythological ‘seven in one animal’, Makara, and tales from Ramayana and Mahabharata are more explicit here. All this is better understood with a guide.
Time-dependent, we take a ride up or take the shuttle to Chikamagalur. Once you are past the town, the sprawling coffee estates start emerging, with a promise of copious cups of coffee and great weather.
Day 4: Shimoga
We depart from the coffee-scaped hills of Chikamagalur and pedal along to Shimoga. The route to Shimoga is one the most scenic on this trip – the roads are largely devoid of heavy traffic and the richly green Western Ghats keep you company for the most part of the trip.
Day 5: Nittur
Today is a spectacular ride on a bike as for the most part we will be riding along the Tunga river. The route largely remains undulating and keeps you close to the Kodachadri Mountains. The route skirts the Gajanuru state forest and is breathtaking – you are likely to spot a Malabar Giant Squirrel and a variety of birds.
Day 6: Talaguppa
Today is an awesome ride skirting the Sharavati Wildlife Sanctuary to Matthuga, which serves as a base to visit the nearby astounding Jog Falls. Along the way, we will be taking a short Ferry to cross the mighty Linganamakki reservoir.
Day 7: Dandeli
It’s a long day ahead of us as we are headed towards Dandeli today, passing through various forests. We plan to start early today with a transfer in the van, followed by cycling to Dandeli.
Here, we arrive at Dandeli and settle into our simple accommodation, surrounded by the views and sounds of nature.
Day 8: Goa
With a few uphills and a constantly green-forested region for the company, we enter Goa. The countryside area is brilliant to cycle around with rich green thickets and nothing but birdsong filling the air around. Our next stop is Mollem, where you can get a feel of rural Goa.
Post-lunch, we make our way to Goan beaches. Ride past a road flanked by beautiful forests with a robust wildlife population. It’s a classic forest route today with undulating terrain along the way.
Our trip ends in the late evening. We recommend extending at Goa for a few days.
Ready to plan your adventure? Download a print-ready detailed itinerary.
Map
Dates and Prices
Couldn't find a trip with convenient dates?
Open your date as a join-in tour or customize further as a private one.
Essential Info
Inclusions
LODGING
All hotels as mentioned in the tour details or similar (subject to availability).
trip leader
Expert Trip Leader(s) who look after your every need and add meaning to your vacation.
bike
Immaculately maintained bike with helmet, suited to a terrain.
shuttle
A Van support follows the group of riders and carries all belongings.
meals
Meals as per itinerary. Guests are given the opportunity to dine on their own so that they discover a location independently.
refreshments
Refreshments and mineral water while cycling.
entrance
Entrance fees to most of the monuments and temples.
Exclusions
Airport pickup and drop
We recommend to book direclty from airport or hotel.
Beverages
Beverages such as alcohol, tea, coffee, juice at a hotel or restaurant.
Gratuity
Gratuities for your guide team are not included in the trip price.
Bikes
When you have a road and the thrill of a journey ahead of you, it’s imperative to have a good bike to enjoy it. Our fleet majorly consist of the below bikes as a part of this tour. However, sometimes due to height or availability constraints, we may provide a different but similar quality bike.
Scott Sportster or similar
Included in your trip price
Visa
All foreign nationals entering India are required to possess a valid international travel document in the form of a national passport with a valid visa obtained from an Indian Mission or Post abroad.
E-Visa has been made available by the Government of India to citizens of certain countries, including the United States of America. Details of the scheme are available on the dedicated website created for this purpose: e-Visa
e-Visa has 5 sub-categories viz. e-Tourist Visa (for 30 days/01 year/ 05 years),
For e-Tourist and e-Business visa, Applicants may apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival.
Recent front-facing photographs with white backgrounds and photo pages of passports containing personal details like name, date of birth, nationality, expiry date etc, are to be uploaded mandatorily by the applicant. Additionally, one more document depending upon the e-Visa type would also be required to be uploaded. The application is liable to be rejected if the uploaded documents and photograph are not clear / as per specification.
Reviews from our friends
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few tips to avoid getting Delhi Belly while doing this bike tour:
- Always wash your hands before eating anything, even light snacks.
- Do not drink tap water. Drink only bottled water provided by your trip leader or by the hotel/restaurant you're staying or eating in. When buying bottled water from outside, check for seal and the brand. Avoid using ice, since ice is often made from tap water. Soda water, however, is usually safe.
- Avoid eating salads and cut fruits. Peeled fruits such as bananas and oranges are fine.
- Cooked food that is freshly prepared is usually safe to eat. Restaurants and eating joints that are busy are usually safer as the food is fresh and they rarely have anything refrigerated overnight.
Yes, your trip leader will carry bottled water in the support van for guests' use.
Yes, please communicate your dietary preferences to your trip leader and they'll ensure that the food you eat is spiced as per your requirements.
We've designed this itinerary such that most of the cycling happens on quieter countryside roads far from busy traffic. The shuttle transfers on this tour have been strategically planned to bypass busy vehicular traffic.
The road surface is mostly good. 90% of the cycling on our Exotic India Bike Tour happens on paved roads.
Yes, you may wear riding shorts while riding your bike. When not cycling, it would be advisable to wear comfortable full-length pants. We recommend keeping a pair of comfortable pants handy in you support van.
When visiting temples and monuments, visitors should wear full-length, loose-fitting pants. Holy places of certain religions may also require covering your head. Your guide will inform of the dress etiquette required for visiting specific religious places.
We are not medical advisors, and as such are not qualified to dispense medical advice. However, we recommend consulting the resources below for advice on vaccines and medications:
- CDC portal for travlers from the US
- NHS' Fit For Travel portal for travlers from the UK
- Smart Traveller portal or travelers from Australia.
In addition to the above, you may also refer to the travel advice issued from time to time by your government.
Although your tour price includes most common expenses, except the meals not included in the itinerary, you can refer to the following broad guidelines for extra expenditures:
- US $25 per person per day for tours with stays in casual inns
- US $35 per person per day for tours with stays in premiere inns (luxury bike tours)
Most cities in India have ATMs where you can use your card to withdraw local currency.
No, tips are not included in tour price.
As a general rule, you may tip US$ 15-25 per person per day.
This figure is for the entire crew including the trip leader, the driver, and other support staff.
However, you are not obligated to tip, and you can always tip less or more than the above amount depending on the level of service you received on tour.
It is usually the norm to tip the tour guide, who then distributes the amount among the entire crew. However, you can also tip each individual member of the crew if you so desire.
We generally avoid regions which are prone to outbreaks of malaria and dengue. However, as a preventive measure, you may carry mosquito repellant, and wear full-body clothing.
Consult your medical advisor for any pre-emptive medications or vaccines for the above.
The fitness level required for each trip is indicated by the "level" of the tour, which in turn is mentioned on each tour page right next to the price and the trip duration.
Easy: The terrain is mostly flat with a few gentle climbs. Moderate: The terrain is either mostly flat or consists of rolling hills with a few challenging climbs. There could also be a few days with longer riding distances of up to 75 kms (45 miles) Difficult: The terrain is mostly hilly with strong elevation gains and/or has long days on the bike. Such trips are recommended for intermediate to advanced cyclists.
