Luxury Tour in Kerala

It is our most comfortable tour in South India: 10 days with 8 in the saddle, around 388 miles (625 km) on a loop from Kochi, short stages and charming hotels picked for their setting, plus a night on a houseboat in the backwaters. The Spices Route covers more than twice the distance over 12 days, climbing as far as the hills of Ooty; The Big Crossing rides from Kochi to Chennai in 13 days.

The tour is rated Accessible: you simply need to feel at ease on a motorcycle. We mostly follow small back roads, sometimes bumpy, ridden at a relaxed pace, and now and then an easy track taken slowly. Stages run from 16 to 87 miles (25 to 140 km); the longest one winds up to Munnar on day 3. These short days leave time for the visits and for enjoying the hotels.

In charming, superior comfort or heritage hotels, chosen for their setting: on the banks of the Periyar river when you arrive, in Munnar among the tea estates, in Thekkady close to the spice gardens, then by the beach at Marari. One night is spent aboard a kettuvallam, the traditional houseboat, out on the backwaters of Vembanad Lake, before a last evening in Kochi.

The boat safari in the Periyar reserve, at Thekkady, is included. The route also takes in Muziris, the old port of the spice traders, a tea factory near Munnar, a spice garden in Thekkady and, to finish, the old town of Fort Kochi, with its Dutch houses and Portuguese churches. Entrance fees to temples, monuments and museums are at your own expense.

An English-speaking motorcycle tour leader rides at the front; a mechanic and the driver of the support vehicle, which carries your luggage, follow the group. There are no more than 10 motorcycles, or 12 participants counting pillions. You ride a recent Royal Enfield, serviced by our mechanic: your travel advisor confirms the model planned for your departure.

Yes, it is one of our tours best suited to riding two-up: short stages, an easy pace, time to enjoy the hotels, and luggage that travels in the support vehicle. A pillion pays £2,990 (€3,390), the rider £3,490 (€3,790).

£3,490 (€3,790) per rider and £2,990 (€3,390) per pillion. The price covers the motorcycle, fuel, the team, the hotels and the night on the houseboat, the boat safari in Thekkady, the support vehicle and the transfers set out in the programme. Still to budget for: flights, the visa, meals on days 1 and 10, drinks, entrance fees, tips and a €600 deposit per motorcycle. The £31 (€35) registration fee only applies to your first trip with us.

The season runs from December to March, the dry months after the monsoon. Next published departure: 17 to 26 February 2027; other dates are possible on request through your travel advisor. It is hot on the coast and in the backwaters, cooler around Munnar and in the Western Ghats: pack a warm layer for the evenings up in the hills.

Yes: unless you hold an OCI card, India requires a visa, and the tourist e-Visa is applied for online at indianvisaonline.gov.in. According to GOV.UK travel advice for India, your passport must be valid for 6 months after arrival, with 2 blank pages, and UK licence holders must also carry the 1949 international driving permit, which can only be obtained in the UK. With an EU passport, follow your own government’s advice. The paperwork is listed in our India documents guide, recommended vaccinations in our India health tips.

The tour leaves from Kochi and comes back there: book a return flight to its airport. On day 1, our team meets you on arrival and drives you to the hotel by the Periyar river. On day 10, you keep your room until 10 am before a transfer back to the airport. To add a few days in Kerala, look at the options with your travel advisor.