How to plan South India Road Trip

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not……

Peninsular India , better known as South India is an incredible part of India surrounded by Arabian Sea on the west , Bay of Bengal on the east & Indian ocean on the south.
The beautiful South India include Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu & Andaman & Nicobar Island. I started my journey to the God’s own country Kerala from the Garden city Bangalore. So give it a read and plan your next awesome trip with all the necessary information beforehand.
The best thing about this trip was Aprilia SR 150 that I borrowed from one of my friends especially for this trip. I was already pretty much excited as it was my first bike trip. Believe me guys if you really want to make the most of this trip, just try biking. You are definitely not going to regret it. Riding through the roads in Kerala is an awesome experience. This time I planned for biking West Coast region of India in the month of December. I planned for 10 days and i covered every place that was on my list. December to February is usually the best time to visit south India as the temperature is normal & good for sightseeing. If you are visiting during February to May, I advise you to carry 50+SPF sunscreen lotion especially all the Girls as it will be very hot during these months.

Things to Pack for Kerala Bike Trip

1. Raincoat is must thing to pack
2. Good helmet, Knee & elbow guards & Air Suspension Seat cover(To avoid back-pain)
3. Portable Mobile charger/ Bike mounted charger
4. Slippers
5. Bungee Cords & Rain-cover for luggage bag
6. Sunscreen Lotion(above SPF 50)
7. Driving license
8. Waterproof Shoes
9. Umbrella
10. Woolen clothes are must if you want to go to the hill stations Munnar & Ooty.

How to Reach Kerala

If you want to explore Kerala through bike & coming from North India I will recommend you to book your flight for Kochi or Kozhikode. Then follow the route plan below but skip Mysore from the route. As I started my trip from Bangalore so this route.
There are 2 common routes to travel to Kerala from Bangalore.

Bangalore > Wayanad > Kozhikode > Thrissur > Kochi > Alappuzha > Varkala > Munnar > Coimbatore > Ooty > Mysore >Bangalore
Map link – Click Here
Bangalore > Mysore > Ooty > Coimbatore > Munnar > Varkala > Alappuzha > Kochi > Thrissur > Kozhikode > Wayanad > Bangalore
Map link – Click Here

I took the first route going via Wayanad. The route is beautiful with plenty of sight scenes. I started from IIM Bangalore at 4 am to avoid traffic & was able to cross Bangalore in 30 min. You cannot expect to cross the same if you start late due to Huge traffic 🙁 . I reached Mysore at around 9 am.

I took small breaks of 15 min each after every 60-70km. After crosiing Mysore, I headed towards the most beautiful road amid Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Biking through the Bandipur forest is an incredible experience , full of lush greenery & wild animals sightings (don’t worry by wild i only meant deers, monkeys and buffaloes 😉 You can’t stop during this stretch of 30km as doing so is not permitted for obvious reasons.
I reached Wayanad at around 3PM. It took me lot more time then what the Google map was showing. As on a bike trip if you don’t have a partner with whom you can drive alternatively then you tend to take more frequent breaks than usual.

Wayanad

Places to Visit in Wayanad.

1. Banasura Sagar Dam
2. Chembra Peak
3. Pookode Lake
4. Edakkal Cave

Where to Stay in Wayanad

There are many places to stay in Wayanad. Wayanad is a district and offers you many places to stay like Kalpetta, Sultan Bathery, Vythiri. If you are looking for budget accommodation then stay in Kalpetta or Sultan Bathery. Personally I would suggest you to stay in Kalpetta as many tourist attractions are near that place. Many OyoRooms hotels are present in area ranging from 1200-2000 INR. Hotels like Wayanad Inn, ChandraGiri Inn are some budget hotels. There are many home-stays option available on Airbnb & I would highly recommend them if you want to travel in budget which will cost you hardly 1500INR approx.
On the other hand if you are more of a lavish person then head towards Vythiri, where you will find a number of luxurious resorts like Vythiri Village Resort, Vythiri Retreat Resort & Vythiri Holiday Resort . Prices of these resort are in the range of INR 8k-20k. Prices are high but they are worth to visit once for the luxury and service they provide.

Where to Eat in Wayanad

When it comes to food, Kerala has more to offer than you expect. Wayanad is known for its traditional food.
1.1980′s – A nostalgic restaurant – I would highly recommend this place , its on Kalpetta By-Pass. You can try Dum Biriyani or Chicken masala, this place is known for its traditional food & the quality of food is really authentic and top notch. I bet you will love to visit this place again for sure.
2. Lunch House – As the name says it is known for its lunch & rice, good homely food & worth every penny. They serve both veg & non-veg , chicken curry is a must to try.

Kozhikode

I started my day with breakfast & then headed towards my next destination Kozhikode from Wayanad at 8AM. It took me around 3 hours to reach Kozhikode in normal traffic.
This is one of the best routes for traveling & sightseeing. As Wayanad is a hill station & Kozhikode is plain , its a downward sloping journey throughout. Lakkidi View Point is the one of the thing you never want to miss. I had enough time so I decided to visit Pookode Lake.

Places to Visit in Kozhikode

1. Calicut Beach.
2. Beypore Beach
3. Thusharagiri Falls

Best places to Stay in Kozhikode

There are plenty of places to stay in Kozhikode or Calicut. I am mentioning the best ones here. The Gateway Hotel(Taj hotel) ,Hyson Heritage,Beach Hotel and BeachWay hotel . These hotels range from 4000-9000 INR. I stayed at The Gateway Hotel and to my surprise they upgraded my room to Suite at the same price. If budget is not the constraints then stay here for a day and enjoy their awesome services.
For budget travelers there are many OYORooms available from price range of 1500-2500 INR. However Airbnb is also a good option here as well.

Best places to Eat in Kozhikode

1. Paragon Restaurant
2. Rahmath Restaurant
3. M-Grill
4. Amma Mess
5. DownTown

Thrissur

I left from Kozhikode at 10AM in morning for Thrissur. Thrissur is around 120km from Kozhikode. It started raining heavily when i crossed the city after travelling around 30km so I had to take a 30min stoppage. It is hard to explain in words how pleasant the weather became to ride after rain. I stopped for lunch in Tirur. I reached Thrissur at 6pm & checked in to hotel.
Below is the route I took as I always tried to stay as close to the coastal area as possible.

Alappuzha

I started from Thrissur to Alleppey via Kochi at 5AM in morning. I took Salem- Kochi Hwy which is one of the best routes for Kochi. I took small breaks after every 50km to get fuel & for snacks as well. If you go via Kochi then traffic will kill you, It took me more than 1hr to cross Kochi city, I reached Alleppey at around 1PM.

Places to stay in Alappuzha

Alappuzha or most popularly known as Alleppey is famous around the world for its backwaters & houseboats. I would recommend you to stay at resort if you are want to stay in budget as houseboats are costly & charge from INR 10k to 20k per night. But if budget is not an issue then don’t miss a chance to stay in houseboats on backwaters.
There are many good resorts available like Deshadan Backwater Resorts, Lemon Tree Resort, Punnamada Resort & Kumarakom Heritage Resort. I stayed at Deshadan resort at a tariff of around INR 5500 per night.

Places to see in Alleppey

1.Alleppey Beach
2.Alleppey Lighthouse
3.Boating in Backwaters
4.Kumarkom Bird Sanctuary
5.Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna temple
6.Krishnapuram Palace

Where to eat in Alleppey

1. Halai Restaurant
2. Cassia Restaurant
3. Hotel Mushroom

Munnar

Due to paucity of time I dropped my plan for Varkala half heartedly. I left from Alleppey at around 9AM for Munnar which was around 170km from place of my stay.

Highway & the beauty of this road is inexplicable. The road is super smooth with loads of breath taking views as u start to ascend on hill towards Munnar. After Thalakode Check post we entered into the Reserve forest area, however the road through the forest was very good. There were many waterfalls on the way where I used to stay for break and took time to absorb the surrounding beauty. Waterfalls like Cheeyappara Waterfalls, Valara Waterfalls & many others that will force you to stop for clicking photos.

Must places to see in Munnar

1.Mettupetty Dam
2.Echo Point
3.Kundale Lake
4.Lakkom Waterfalls
5.Tea Gardens
6.Ervikulam National Park

Best places to stay in Munnar

1.Misty Mountain Resorts
2.Ragamaya Resorts & Spa
3.KTDC Tea County Munnar
4.Tea Valley Resort
5.Windermere Estate

Also Read – Munnar: A delightful break from Mundane Life

Coimbatore

I left for Coimbatore from Munnar at around 9AM after breakfast. This route of 160 km was one of the best routes I ever covered in my life. This route has everything one would ever wish to see in life like waterfalls, foggy weather, rain & tea gardens & much more. Route goes directly through the Anamalai Tiger Reserve . First road will take you up on the top of the hill then you descend towards mainland, It was too foggy at the top of Munnar Hill, You will tea gardens everywhere as far as your eye can see & off-course beautiful mountains with waterfalls. Driving though the Tiger reserve is an awesome experience & if its raining then you will definitely love it.Here is the route I took & trust me this is best route.
If you have ample time you can go to Kodaikanal which is 160km away from Munnar. One or 2 days are enough for Kodaikanal, I have already visited Kodaikanal last time so I dropped it this time.

Ooty

Distance from Coimbatore to Ooty is around 80km but trust me reaching Ooty from Coimbatore is challenging as Ooty is a hill station you have to go up hill. There are total 15 Hairpin bends & traffic on the road will drive you crazy. Road is very windy & you to be very careful while driving on this road.
There are two route options from Coimbatore –
1.Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Kallar-Burliar-Coonoor-Ooty – 80KM
2.Coimbatore – Mettupalayam-Aravenu-Kotagiri-Ooty – 95KM

I took the first route however if you want to avoid traffic take 2nd route. During rainy season first route gets usually closed for up hill traffic.

Must visit places in Ooty

1.Ooty Lake
2.Doddabetta Peak.
3.Botanical Gardens
4.Pykara Lake and Waterfall
5.Coonoor Hills
6.Rose Garden

Places to Stay in Ooty

1.Hotel Silver Oak
2.Berry Hills Resort
3.Mount N Mist
4.OYO Rooms Hotels

Mysore

We started from Ooty to Mysore at around 8AM in morning. I must say roads in Tamil Nadu & Karnataka are very good. As its a main route for tourist there was usual traffic but we managed to maintain average speed of around 60kmph as its hilly area , We covered distance of 130 Km in around 5 hours. There are many view points in b/w where you can stop,take rest & take pics. We reached Mysore at 1PM & checked-in to the hotel.

Places to See in Mysore

1.Mysore palace
2.Lalitha mahal
3.Chamundi Hills
4.Mysore Zoo
5.Kukkarahalli Lake

Where to Eat in Mysore

1.Hanumanthu Mess – This a best place to eat if you are non-veg Biriyani Lover.
2.Hotel Green Leaf KD Road
3.Hotel Green Leaf KD Road
4.RR Mess

Things to keep in Mind for Kerala Bike Trip

1.Try to travel during daytime only & avoid night travel due to narrow roads & you know people love high beams. So please avoid night travel. Do not over speed, drive at a normal speed of 60kmph.
2.In Kerala restaurants usually closed at 10pm & you will not get anything after that so plan accordingly.
3.Do not carry lot of cash with you. Credit card & Paytm is accepted in major towns but carry around 5-7k INR in cash with you.
4.Smoking in public places is not accepted in Kerala.
5.Do not blindly follow GPS , ask local people in case of any doubt regarding your destination.
6.Keep yourself hydrated while travelling or while sightseeing as heat during some days is intense.
7.Raincoat is must thing to pack as rain is unexpected thing in Kerala. Be always ready for that & also carry umbrella with you.
8.If you are travelling in budget then try Airbnb , home-stays in Kerala spcly in cities are good option.