Kerala Coastal Cycling

Arrive Kochi, Evening Kathakali Dance Performance

After breakfast, get ready for a beautiful day of cycling. We will start our day with an hour’s drive to the city outskirts. From there we will ride along the countryside road running through the narrow stretch of land between the Arabian Sea and Kerala backwaters, passing by small fisherman’s villages. The ride of around 35kms will take us along the paddy fields and coconut plantations and passing through local villages and small hamlets. Upon arrival at Alleppey, we will check in to the hotel. Alleppey is the hub of Kerala’s backwaters and home to a vast network of waterways. It houses over a thousand houseboats and is also an important coir industry. The rest of the time is free to relax and enjoy the backwaters. Optional activities like kayaking, canoeing, guided village walk can be arranged on an additional payment basis. (Cycling distance: Around 35 kms / Meals: Breakfast)

After breakfast, we will start our cycling through the countryside roads, riding along the Vembanad Lake and passing by small villages surrounded by paddy fields and coconut plantations. Soon we will hit the coastal road and will ride parallel to the Arabian Sea. We won’t be always seeing the sea as there are homes, guesthouses and other buildings and coconut plantations along the beach. We will then head a bit more inland and start riding along the back-roads crossing paddy fields and local villages. We will make a short stop at Mannarasala Nagaraja Temple – nestled in a forest glade; it is a very ancient and internationally known centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of Nagaraja, the serpent god. The temple has over 100,000 images of snakes along the paths and among the trees. Besides, it is the largest such temple in Kerala. Couples seeking fertility come to worship here, and upon the birth of their child come to hold thanksgiving ceremonies. We will continue with our ride till Kayamkulam. From here we will board the accompanying vehicle and will drive to Kollam. En-route we will visit the Amma Ashram. Kollam is historically remembered as an important port which was part of the legendary Spice Trade. The place is blessed with a long coastline and is one of the leaders of the cashew trade and processing industry in India. (Cycling distance: Around 40 kms / Meals: Breakfast)

Today will be another beautiful day of coastal cycling. This ride will take us alongside palm-fringed coastal roads and beautiful blue lagoons. We will come across small fisherman’s village watching their day-to-day life and their traditional houses. We will even stop by a Coir making factory whereby we will have the opportunity to see how coconut husks are being processed and turned into coir ropes and mats. During the ride, we will come across some lovely beaches like Kappil beach, Edava beach, etc. and finally we will ride up the Varkala cliff overlooking the Varkala beach. Upon arrival at Varakala, we will check in to the hotel. The rest of the time is free to relax on the Varkala beach. (Cycling distance: Around 35 kms / Meals: Breakfast)

After breakfast, get ready for our final day of coastal cycling along the Arabian Sea. We will ride on our cycles along the palm-fringed shores bypassing small fisherman’s villages. Our first destination will be Anchuthengu, which is a coastal town. There we visit Anjengo Fort – a square-shaped fort with four bastions, built by East India Company in 1696 and served as company’s first permanent post on the Malabar Coast. We will continue with our ride till we reach the Veli Beach – a narrow sandy stretch separating the Arabian Sea and Veli Lake. The beach park has many stone sculptures. Among the famous are the Conch Sculptures. From here we will board the vehicle and have a short ride to Kovalam. En-route we will visit Shanghumukham beach and see the sculpture of Jalakanyaka – a giant mermaid statue of 35m long. Upon arrival at Kovalam, we will check in to the hotel. Kovalam – the beach resort of Kerala and is very popular due to shallow waters and low tidal waves. (Cycling Trip Ends / Cycling distance: Around 35 kms / Meals: Breakfast)

Today we will have the entire day free to relax on the Kovalam beach and enjoy a swim in the Arabian Sea. One can participate in various water sports activities like parasailing, motorboat sailing, scuba diving, water skiing, kayaking, etc. on direct payment basis. (Meals: Breakfast)

After breakfast, we will have a departure transfer to Trivandrum airport for our flight to onward destination. (Meals: Breakfast)