This is a quick recount of a motorbike tour I did in Kerala last year. I thought I’d share it in case other people are interested in doing the same thing.
Here’s the itinerary – The route goes Fort Kochi > Alleppey > Varkala Beach > Periyar Tiger Reserve > Munnar > Back to Kochi
Most people will probably want to make this into a minimum 10 day trip so they can have at least one day to explore each of the destinations.
It took me 9 days to complete this trip, but I’d already been to some of the places, and so I only passed through Alleppey and Kochi. As I said, it’s doable in 10 days, but longer is better, particularly if you haven’t been to Kerala before. Something like a 14 day trip is probably best.
This route takes you through all the best places on the normal tour of Kerala, and so it’s really just a classic and complete Kerala tour but on a motorbike. In terms of the places you visit, it might be one of the best short motorbike tours in India. You see a diverse range of landscapes. You go:
- Along the coast
- Through the lowland rural parts of Kerala
- Into the backwaters at Alleppey
- Up into the hills and the tiger reserve at Periyar
- Higher into the Western Ghats at Munnar
You also do quite varying activities. You can chill on Varkala Beach (maybe do some surfing), go on a backwater houseboat trip, go on a jungle trek safari (maybe see elephants or even tigers), visit museums, tea factories and the hills on the tours at Munnar and do anything else you can find to do on the route as well. You also get to see Fort Kochi and the Chinese fishing nets, see the history there and eat all the food in Kochi.
SAFETY: Just note that this trip is only appropriate for people with motorbike experience and all the necessary licenses. I don’t mean to encourage casual motorbike trips because bikes are dangerous. Driving in India is probably also more dangerous than most other parts of the world. So please only ride this trip if you’re experienced.
Another thing to point out at the start is that you should probably book ahead for your houseboat tour in Alleppey and for your tour at Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Some of the roads in the central area are a bit busy, but you don’t have to do any long drives. Most of the driving is quite nice.
Fort Kochi
You start the Kerala motorbike tour from Kochi. Fort Kochi is obviously a well known and popular destination in Kerala. It’s worth giving yourself enough time at Fort Kochi to see the fishing nets, eat the fish, check out the architecture and do everything else Kochi has to offer.
Otherwise, what might be a good idea is to leave your time at Kochi until you finish your trip. It’s quite a relaxing place, so it makes a good place for a rest before travelling on elsewhere into India or going home.
Kochi is also a good place to rent a scooter, which is the reason I started from there. I rented mine from Arafath Rent a Bike on Princess Street. It was reliable, and it came at a reasonable price. They also had Royal Enfields there, including Bullets and Himalayans, for people who want one of them.
Kochi to Alleppey
So from Kochi, you head south along the coast to Alleppey, where everyone goes to do their houseboat tours in the backwaters of Kerala. The coastal road is fairly quiet, and if you stick to the direct coastal route, it’ll only take you an hour or two to get to Alleppey.
Otherwise, like me, you can detour inland slightly to see more of the countryside and have more of a drive. I went along the coastal road and then detoured in towards Kottayam. From there I went south a bit and then headed as cross-country as I could towards Alleppey.
The journey in the rural areas was quite nice, involving a boat crossing and some nice quiet areas.
Alleppey (Alappuzha)
Then you get to Alleppey.
I stayed near the beach at the end of Neela Waters Road, and this was an okay area. It was quiet, there were a few restaurants around, and you can go for a walk along the beach. That said, it’s not necessarily the most spectacular beach.
I don’t know how this area ranks against other parts of Alleppey.
Alleppey is obviously famous for the backwaters and the houseboat tours, and you should definitely try and do a backwater tour of some kind. I did a day tour on previous trip before, and it was really good. If you’re on a budget, make sure you plan and shop around so you get a good tour. You can end up on tours in busy areas with lots of other tour boats, noise and general fuss if you’re not careful. It’s worth shopping around and trying to get a tour that takes you away from the crowds. I managed to get on a good one through a reliable hotel when I went.
Lots of people do overnight houseboat tours, and this is something to think about as well. As well as this, I know that canoeing is also an option, and this is something I’ve always been interested in.
Just note that canoeing is also going to be something you want to shop around for.
Alleppey to Varkala
You leave Alleppey and go south to Varkala for the great cliff and beach there. This isn’t a long drive. On Google maps it’s only about 4 hours, but you might want to do a couple of detours or switch up your route a bit. I went along the main roads for a while so that I could visit Mannarasala Snake Temple, which was worth the detour. After that, I headed out to the quieter coastal road right next the beach. This road was okay, but I got in a slight mess at one point and ended up going back on myself and driving through sandy footpaths.
Varkala
Varkala Beach is maybe the nicest beach in Kerala, plus the town of Varkala has some temples and other sights you can visit. It’s a great place to take things easy, go to the beach and also walk around a bit and look at the sights. There are also heaps of good restaurants at the top of Varkala Cliff area. Most people will probably want to stay for a day or two. There’s everything from budget hotels to nice resorts, so everyone should easily find what they want. There are also budget and more expensive options everywhere on the trip.
If you’re lucky, the surf might be okay as well, and you’ll be able to do a bit of surfing
Varkala to Thekkady (next to Periyar Tiger Reserve)
This isn’t a super long drive, but it’s something like 5-7 hours probably, depending on how fast you go. As I remember, the road is a mixture of busyish areas and quieter areas. I think most of the busyness comes at the start.
You’d do well to plan a route that is as quiet and scenic as you can get, although don’t do one that will take too long.
I’m not actually sure what town it was, but I passed through a town that was full of pilgrims at one point. I assume it was Pathanamthitta, which is a pilgrimage waypoint on the way to Sabarimala. Keep your eyes out while you’re in this area because it’s quite amazing when you see how many people there are and how busy it gets. Everyone is dressed in black and covered with other colours, and there’s a whole load of stuff going on.
Eventually you get to Thekkady. I stayed at Mountain View Homestay, which was a good, simple place.
Thekkady and Periyar Tiger Reserve
There are a bunch of ways you can tour the Periyar Tiger Reserve, but it’s all handled through the reserve’s management organisation. So you book everything through the official channels there.
You can find out about Periyar Tiger Reserve and look at the different tour options on the Periyar website.
https://www.periyartigerreserve.org/
I think boating on the lake can get busy, as can some of the walks at certain times. I did the Thondiyar border hike to try and get away from the main area, and this was good. It sort of depends on if you’re lucky with the wildlife. I was also advised that some of the popular tours, like the Green Walk, are actually very good as well. The best things to see at Periyar are tigers and elephants, but there are also bison, langurs, sambar deer, wild boars and others. Plus heaps of birds (I saw a great hornbill), snakes, trees and plants.
It’s a good idea to book your safari or whatever trip it is you take ahead of time. I was too late when I arrived in the evening to book, and I couldn’t get on a tour for the next day. This meant waiting in Thekkady for a day. There are a couple of places to drive to and some things to do around the town, but you’d do better to get on with the Safari.
I watched a show at the Yodha Cultural Village, and it was good. There are at least a couple of shows in town, and it’s definitely worth checking one out. I couldn’t believe how stretchy one of the yoga guys was. As in, it was unreal.
Periyar to Munnar
After maybe seeing tigers and elephants at Periyar, your Kerala motorbike tour itinerary takes you off towards Munnar, the famous hill station in the Western Ghats.
The drive from Periyar to Munnar is nice. It’s also a bit cooler than the other drives because you’re up in the mountains. The road is mainly quiet, going through forested areas and rural areas. I enjoyed this part of the drive. It’s particularly scenic as you get nearer to Munnar. Make sure you look at Google Maps (or whatever maps thing you use) and take note of where the scenic locations are. You might want to stop or you might want to do a few detours to look at things as you get nearer to Munnar.
Journey time should be something like 4 – 6 hours, I think, depending on how much detouring you do. You don’t need a Royal Enfield or a Himalayan, although it would be nice. I did this comfortably on a scooter.
If you’re incredibly lucky, you might time your journey to see an elephant migration happening. As I understand it, around Munnar, they move relatively freely over the tea estates and rural areas at certain times of year. You’d probably be very lucky.
The Cardamom Hills and Kodaikanal
One thing to note is that the Cardamom Hills are half way between Periyar and Munnar. It’s possible that people will want to stop here and maybe even stay.
Another thing is that Kodaikanal could possibly be reached from Munnar. It’s 167 km by road to the east. Although this could potentially be a slight problem with license plates on scooters and leaving the state of Kerala.
Munnar
Munnar is a hill station, 1500 metres up in Kerala’s Western Ghats. It’s one of Kerala’s most popular destinations, and there’s enough to keep you entertained. It might be a bit of a quiet place for the younger crowd, but it’s still good. Tea factory tours, exploring the countryside and eating good food are the main things in Munnar.
I’ve done a tea factory tour there, and I’ve also ridden around the area, looking at the scenery. Plus been walking in the area.
Here’s all the main stuff to do at Munnar. Most people will probably want at least a day in Munnar.
Munnar Back to Kochi
The first part of the drive back to Kochi, as you come down out of the ghats is quite nice. It’s a nice, windy road with some good scenery. There are a few buses and some traffic, but it’s not too bad.
After you get to about Kothamangalam, however, it’s not that nice. It starts to get a bit busy, and the scenery isn’t all that great. I’m not sure if there are any nice things I’m missing, but you probably just want to get this part of the journey over with.
Then you’re back in Kochi. Your scooter rental place will almost certainly be open late, so don’t worry too much about getting back on time or anything like that.
As I said, at the start, Kochi might be a nice place to spend a couple of days unwinding after your trip. Or you can even head straight off on a night bus the same evening as you finish.
Like I said at the start, this might be one of the best short motorbike trip ideas in India. Kerala’s a great place to visit, and this route takes in all the best destinations in Kerala. Plus, it’s really diverse. One minute you’re on a huge inland waterway, then you’re on a beach. The next minute you’re fighting off leaches while you’re on a foot safari. Then you’re up in the mountains in the tea estates, and then you’re doing fine dining back by the sea in Kochi.
