Discover the rugged mountains of the Western Ghats, known as the crucible of endemism and one of the earth's 35 bio-diversity hot-spots on this incredible ride on back roads through the Western Ghats in this Kerala Mountain Biking Holiday. The ride passes through high altitude rain forests, tribal villages, farm lands, spice plantations & tea gardens. Your stay will be at exclusive and well appointed eco-lodges, colonial tea estate bungalows, plantation bungalows with spectacular view of the mountains & heritage villas at scenic locations.
Arrive at Kochi International Airport. You will be transferred to the lowland forests of Thattekkad, set on the banks of the Periyar river. Check out and fit out the cycles for the tough challenge ahead. On the 1st day of your Kerala Mountain Biking Holiday, you can take off for a quick ride to Edmalayar in the nearby forests along the mountain tracks to get acclimatized to the terrain and climate for the days ahead.
Second day of your Kerala Mountain Biking Holiday is the first big challenge – riding from 300' to above 4500'. You will be riding along the side of the river Periyar, through forests, spice plantations, countryside of pineapple plantations & rubber estates. At Neriamangalam, you will start the ride uphill through narrow mountain roads with deep chasms on its side, wilderness interspersed with lakes, spice growing villages and narrow rivulets and deep canyons, till we reach the foothills of the Western Ghats at Adimali. From here a tough 15 kms ride takes you to the day's destination Munnar - once a British planters' creation set amidst dramatic mountain scenery: craggy peaks, tall red wood trees, and some of the world's highest tea plantations. The sceneries are awe inspiring and the ride away from the tourist trails is truly spectacular. The terrain is undulating but the scenic beauty of the manicured tea gardens is bound to mesmerize you. Your stay would be at a small family owned resort set amidst a Cardamom Estate.
You will be up early and we will be riding through the only sandalwood forest in India and the dry deciduous forests of the wildlife sanctuary at Chinnar, with chances of sighting of wildlife roaming around. Soon we will cross the boundaries into Tamil Nadu and pass through temple towns and large farmlands and bustling towns as you reach the foothills of Indira Gandhi National park – one of the most wildlife rich parks in India, a place known for its great swathes of forests and wildlife - birds, butterflies, elephants, sloth bears, leopards, gaurs (Indian Bison), dholes (wild dogs) and the king cobra. Your stay will be at a resort with plantations of coconuts.
The biggest challenge of your Kerala Mountain Biking Holiday is today – riding the 44 'hair-pin' bends through the narrow mountain trail taking us into the heart of Valparai, famed for its tea and rain forests which are the last bastion for the endangered Lion Tailed Macaques . On arrival by afternoon we will settle into the luxurious tea estate bungalow.
You will have the full day riding around this wonderful mountain region & going off into the rain forests to sight the endemic and endangered Lion Tailed Macaques among the numerous wildlife usually sighted here. You will then once again ride to the lower elevations through spectacular forest patches of Sholayar, lakes and cascading rivers to the site of the greatest waterfall in Kerala at Athirapilly. Thereafter you will be making a short transfer to Kochi where we end your trip.
•	Personal expenses like beverages, laundry, telephone bills etc..