My friend and I did the Spice Trail trip with Kerala Bicycle Trips over new year 2014. I'd always hoped to travel to India but the trip exceeded all of my expectations. From day 1, the team at KBT were exceptional - even though we'd booked a self-guided tour, Vishal met us upon arrival and gave us a tour around Cochin, making us feel 100% at home in their beautiful state. The heat was intense but we cycled along the beach side, cooled off in the surf and sought respite in the shade of the many palm trees that line this stunning coastal state.
Day 2 and we headed off into the midlands, spending our 2nd night in the middle of a jungle surrounded by plantations, with the soft trumpeting of elephants in the distance and the gentle lapping of the ancient Periyar River outside our window. Days 3 and 4 were spent up in the cool calm tea hills of Munnar. The cycling was challenging but gratifying in the extreme, as we passed through tiny village upon village and met with the friendliest people I've ever encountered. The green was so intense as to warrant the wearing of sun glasses.
Every day, Mamta would call us to check how we were and Majesh kept close behind us in the car to ensure we didn't get lost. We felt 150% secure, safe and well looked after. Everything was impeccably organised and KBT went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. This was epitomised when I left my laptop charger in Cochin and Vishal drove an 8 hour round-trip on New Year's day to return it to me, even after I insisted I would be fine without it (thank you Vishal!).
Day 5 was spent in a beautiful tea plantation. The view from our window took us back in time - surrounded by valleys and mist and green without a hint of civilisation around us - we could have been anywhere at any time in history. The gentle buzz of insects was all that was audible for miles. The experience was deeply calming. The final days were spent riding back to Cochin, from where we began, via the stunning backwaters and lagoons of Aleppey.
The trip out on the houseboat was the icing on the cake - we sailed for hours, further and further along the River until it met the sea and the expanse of water was vast and immensely liberating. We floated for hours under the whirling clouds until they merged with the setting sun at which point we bunkered down in the boat for a divine home-cooked vegan meal of fresh market veggies, lentils, rice and home-made paratha with our hosts.
The return to the Cochin heat was welcome but also sparked sadness - this was the end of what had been a beautiful and once-in-a-lifetime experience. Everything I'd heard about Kerala had been exceeded - the state had outdone itself. The people oozed with kindness, huge hearts, diversity and tolerance. The landscapes were every bit as stunning as they looked in the photos - more so in fact. Our hosts' hospitality was second to none. It truly was the best holiday ever and we can't recommend it strongly enough. Hugest thanks to KBT for arranging a cycling holiday in India, for your attention to detail, incredible care and immense generosity for all of your guests.
Kerala Bicycle Trips offers Kerala Bike Tours, Goa Cycling Tours, Kerala Kayaking Tours, Trekking and Hiking in Kerala.
Kerala Bicycle Trips offers Kerala Bike Tours, Goa Cycling Tours, Kerala Kayaking Tours, Trekking and Hiking in Kerala.
Experiences of guests ~ Ms Charlie, Australia
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