Cycle Kerala & Tropical India - Cycling Holiday to India

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 63 reviews.

Jill Purkis

KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

Written April 2013
This was my first group cycling holiday and I really enjoyed the experience of cycling with others and having very experienced guides with us at all times.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The trip was very varied with lots of cycling but mixed with cultural experiences and plenty of delicious food. A fantastic way to see Indian life and soak in all the sensory explosions of colour, taste, noise and aromas.
Getting to the top of Ooty hill up 36 hairpin bends was an inspirational moment even if it did take over 4 hours while others took 2 hours but kindly waited for us with tea and cake at the top!
What did you think of your group leader?
The group leader was very calm and efficient and we had excellent support from both him and his co leader and our lovely support driver who was always there with a seat in the bus, water and snacks to keep you going.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
I would advise anyone with a fairly good level of fitness to join this trip, and go with the flow and start ringing your bell as soon as you hit any town traffic, keep your eyes open and enjoy the amazing scenery which I can only describe as vibrant.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We all kept together for meals at lunch and supper which was fun and the houseboat party on the backwaters was also entertaining especially with a chance to wear Indian dress and dance Bollywood style!
vicky seville

KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

Written February 2013
An amazing experience riding and eating my way through Southern India. The cycling at times was challenging but the group and leader were always there to offer support. The warmth and sincerity from the local people was tremendous and I urge anybody who wants a good mix of cycling to take this incredible journey.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
For me it was an afternoon spent at a local orphanage with such wonderful children. These kids didnt beg or want our money they were just happy to play football,cricket,skip or even learn the "chicken song !"
They were highly articulate and intelligent and despite all the poverty they did not stop smiling.

I also have to mention Tommy who battled up Ooty and pedelled every painfull step of the way....what an inspiration he was
What did you think of your group leader?
Our leader was Joseph Checkov.He was a brilliant leader,always there to help when language was an issue,always found me the best toilet or bush! Joseph chose our meals to make things easier and is responsible for my weight gainas he chose such delicious food! He became a friend and spent time getting to know us and our culture and spent time informing us about his culture and about India. Joseph helped in every possible way and always put our needs first.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Do not underestimate the cycling espescially in the first week which does contain some challenging hills..or as Joseph used to say..undulating!
Ooty isa 13 km hill with 36 hairpin bends and is very challenging.That said with stops and determination it is there to be beaten.
Take a comfy saddle as the trek saddles are male specific and quite uncomfortable
Do not take travellers cheques as there are very few opportunities to cash them
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Superb trip with a mixture of cycling from hills to dramatic downhill sections and long stretches of flat riding.This is not for the faint hearted as some of the main roads are quite scary untill you get used to the fact that anything goes on the roads! That said we all survived and so longas your bell works then you will be fine! The accommodation was of a good standard and we were always made to feel welcome even when we arrived covered in mud,sweat,sun cream and chain oil!
I had a fantastic time with a wonderful group and leader. I must also mention Abbi who drove the support vehicle and kept us filled up with waterand finally Romeo (vibin) who cycled well under his ability at the rear to keep us safe.
Tom Piner

KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

Written February 2013
This was a great trip with an interesting group of people and wonderful support from our leader Joseph who was always there to help in all matters. He was so efficient that we may have become too dependent on him. Abby was also very committed and gave me a lot of snacks and water going up Ooty.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Just meeting the local people throughout the trip who were so open and friendly was incredible. It gave me a new prospective on how it is that total strangers can be so open and friendly without seeking personal gain.
What did you think of your group leader?
Joseph is the consummate professional in every way. Always there for support and totally on the ball.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
You have to be calm and focused when cycling in built-up areas and the highways.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I just felt very at home in Kerala. There was a sense of belonging and familiarity which is weird because I had never been there before.
Simon Storvik

KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

Written February 2013
As our first visit to India, this gave us a real taste to see more of this lively, colourful and friendly country.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Visiting the orphanage the night before the "Ooty ascent", and talking to the older children about their plans for careers in professions such as doctors and barristers-a long way from their current circumstances.
What did you think of your group leader?
Vish was calm, knowledgeable and ever helpful, ensuring a perfect trip from start to finish.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Wear a cycle helmet!! Indian driving is a totally new experience, although in my experience you seem to have more chance of falling foul of the occasional pot hole than you do of falling foul of their driving style!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Lots of unexpected experience "extra's" to the trip, such as 45 minutes sat watching a full grown male Royal Bengal Tiger, and seeing no other tourists for the first week -it was a bit of a jolt when we arrived in Cochin after 7 days in Tamil Nadu state, to suddenly find ourselves in an international tourist destination.
Kathryn Chellew

KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

Written February 2013
Stunning scenery, delicious and plentiful food, great company, amazingly cheap shopping, friendly local people and exhilarating cycling - what's not to like?
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The downhill bike ride after the ardours of cycling up to Ooty was breathtaking in all senses. The scenery took my breath away - majestic Eucalyptus trees for miles around looked like an impressionist painting - and swerving around huge potholes and maniac lorry drivers on the downhill ride was a big adrenalin rush, much like skiing a slalom course at speed! And you cycle through all temperatures, from the chill of Ooty at the start to the tropical steamy heat of Kerala as we crossed the border from Tamil Nadu.

What did you think of your group leader?
Joseph was excellent; he was extremely well organised, friendly and capable, and dealt really well with the impact of a 2-day national strike on our holiday, having to reorganise our plans at very short notice. He was the rear rider for the uphill ride to Ooty, and I was at the back of the group with 3 other women, struggling with the effort, but he helped keep our spirits up and got us to our final destination on 2 wheels despite our protestations!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
The second week's cycling was a little disappointing compared to the first, as it was much less strenuous, so it felt a little anti-climactic. Some of our group had extended their stay to recover at the final hotel, but actually didn't need extra recovery time and regretted their decision. The cycling, apart from the Ooty day, was much easier than the similarly-graded Exodus tour to Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama - so if you're a lycra lout, you might be frustrated by the lack of challenge.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
The snacks we were served at the plentiful breaks en route were delicious and very enjoyable but packed with calories - fried banana fritters, chocolate bars and puff pastry pies, for example! I would have preferred more fresh fruit and less fried food, but when I suggested this to Joseph, he acted on it straight away and started offering us bananas, oranges and fruit platters.
Jan Cooper

KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

Written February 2013
India is an eye-opening place and I am very pleased I've been. The people are fantastically friendly I can't count the number of photographs I'm in with my new Indian 'friends'.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
I think it would pretty hard to top the climb to Ooty. No number of warnings about how hard it is or how steep it is in places prepares you for just how hard and steep it is.
I commute everyday by bike in London and now that I have experienced Indian traffic particularly in Mysore I feel I can cycle anywhere with confidence!
What did you think of your group leader?
Joseph was great. He was very helpful and well organised. He managed to get us all onto to a train to Varkala when we could no longer cycle because of the country-wide general strike. He was pretty good at pointing out things of interest - especially trees and fruit, etc.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you have reasonable fitness then this holiday should be fine. There's no need to be like Bradley Wiggins.
I took out Sterling and changed currency in the towns which is fairly easy to do - avoid changing at the airport as the rates aren't so good - because while there are plenty of ATMs not all of them work (I thought it was a bank issue despite me telling them I was going to be away but it appears it was an ATM issue). I did find an ATM that worked and that was fine. Including tips, etc, I struggled to spend £250 over the two weeks.
Despite using DEET throughout the holiday I did get bitten quite a lot - actually while we were on holiday there was an article published on the BBC news website saying that mosquitoes are becoming tolerant to DEET. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21519998.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It is a shame that there was a general strike in our second week which meant that we only had one day's cycling - though it did mean we got to travel by railway. This is definitely a holiday of two halves - the first week is pretty intense with quite hilly terrain, lots of early starts and very little free time. In the second week the cycling is much flatter as you're at the coast but there's less cycling and more free days. Personally I would have preferred a bit more cycling in the second week.
Laura Crowney
CYCLING THROUGH KERALA & TROPICAL INDIA

Written February 2013
Brilliant, absolutely love love LOVED it! First time I've ever done an Exodus holiday, a group holiday or a cycling holiday and I can't wait to do all three again!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Completing the ascent up Ooty- was amazed just to finish, the cake at the top was a pleasant bonus! :)
The fantastic descent back down Ooty! Occasionally it pays to carry a bit of extra weight- free-wheeling on a bike is one of them!
I found cycling is a fantastic way to see a country; you experience so much more of the local culture and in a very natural, laid-back way rather than something that is "put on" just for the tourists.
What did you think of your group leader?
Excellent. I think Vishnu's love for his local area really helped inspire an enthusiasm for learning about and experiencing a new culture that I've never truly had as a tourist before. In terms of the cycling, I always felt well looked-after (despite the sometimes crazy traffic, road surfaces and wildlife you share the road with) and very safe. Thanks to Vish and his team!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Surprisingly few issues with the food (or the ill-effects thereof if you know what I mean!!) and as a vegetarian (Pescetarian by the coast, admittedly!) I felt extremely well-catered for.
My own gel saddle turned out to be an essential rather than a luxury.
100 denier tights are an excellent anti-mosquito method, recommended to men and women alike!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I'm not a particularly experienced cyclist (usually cycle about 15miles a week... if the weather is nice!) but I didn't find the schedule too strenuous. It was certainly a challenge at times, and occasionally I thought I might not finish (the bus is always an available cheaty-option!) but the interesting surroundings and the "group psychology" always got me through. I found it very well paced, and appreciated that we were usually on a lunch-stop in the shade for the hottest part of the day. My only concern is that my next cycling holiday won't live up to the standard set by this one- lovely people (locals and fellow cyclists) great food, high standard of accommodation, amazing cycling... I still miss it!