India Motorcycle Tour: Himalayas to Kerala

The India motorcycle tour begins with the international flight to New Delhi. Visa, vaccination certificate and riding gear are packed, and now it's time to arrive in India's capital before the domestic flight to Kashmir the next day.

A short domestic flight takes you from Delhi on to Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir. The Royal Enfields for this India motorcycle tour are already waiting, ready for the coming weeks through the Himalayas and southern India.

This Himalaya motorcycle tour begins with a day to arrive on a houseboat on the peaceful Nagin Lake. It's still quiet here, though India's traffic will soon shape everyday life on this motorcycle tour — time to get to know the group.

The first riding day of this Kashmir motorcycle tour crosses the Zoji La, a pass above 3,500 metres with challenging terrain. After the calm start through Kashmir's green valleys, the route grows noticeably rougher — welcome to the Indian Himalayas.

Kargil is the last Muslim-majority town on this guided India motorcycle tour, after which Buddhist Ladakh begins. The route continues via Lamayuru and the monasteries of Alchi all the way to Leh, deep in the Himalayan highlands.

No visit to Ladakh is complete without the Khardung La: the final kilometres to this famous pass on the Himalaya motorcycle tour blur the line between on-road and off-road. The reward is tea at the highest teahouse on the route.

Five passes around 5,000 metres lie on the way from Leh to Sarchu — Ladakh translates as "land of high passes". The group on this India motorcycle tour camps for the night in a tented camp at roughly 4,000 metres, amid the high-altitude desert.

The next stage of this India motorcycle tour crosses the high desert of Ladakh and Lahaul to Keylong, a busy crossroads town at the gateway to the Himalayas. The landscape today stays rugged and expansive.

The new Atal Tunnel replaces large stretches of the old Rohtang Pass road, making this stage of the Himalaya motorcycle tour shorter than it used to be. Rewalsar, a small pilgrimage town by a sacred lake, unites Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists peacefully.

On this stage leading towards Rajasthan, India shows that distance says little about actual riding time. Late in the afternoon the group reaches Amritsar, the spiritual capital of the Sikh community.

Amritsar is one of the liveliest cities on this India motorcycle tour. On foot you visit the Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple: outside the hectic everyday bustle, inside religious chanting and quiet devotion around the sacred pool.

Heading towards Rajasthan, this South India motorcycle tour makes a stopover in Sri Ganganagar, since the direct route to Bikaner would be too long for a single day. The landscape grows increasingly dry.

The changing scenery announces Bikaner from far away: the Kashmir-style landscape gives way to dry desert land. Yellow-grey tones, sand and scattered thorn bushes shape the ride on this stage of the Rajasthan motorcycle tour.

The magnificent Junagarh Fort and the bustling activity around the central level crossing take centre stage today. Fittingly, the group stays overnight in the former residence of a minister — a highlight of this Rajasthan motorcycle tour.

On the way to Jodhpur lies Deshnok with its famous Karni Mata Temple, where hundreds of sacred rats roam freely across the temple courtyard — a curious stop on this on-road motorcycle tour through Rajasthan.

The well-preserved Mehrangarh Fort and the white marble Jaswant Thada memorial shape the day in Jodhpur. To finish, a lassi at the Shri Mishrilal Hotel is well worth it — a small highlight of this Rajasthan motorcycle tour.

The route continues through the desert landscape of Rajasthan towards Pushkar. Colourful saris provide a striking contrast to the monotonous expanse, accompanying this stage of the Rajasthan motorcycle tour to the sacred lake.

Around the sacred lake of Pushkar stand roughly 400 temples, including India's only Brahma temple. Backpackers, traders and pilgrims meet here — a colourful rest day in the middle of this Rajasthan motorcycle tour.

After a short riding day, the afternoon leaves time for Jaipur's old town, the Palace of the Winds and the bustle of the "Pink City". A relaxed day on this India motorcycle tour through the heart of Rajasthan.

The last day in Rajasthan follows a new but heavily trafficked highway to Agra. This stage of the Rajasthan motorcycle tour calls for patience in dense traffic, before the Taj Mahal comes into view for the first time in the evening.

Before sunrise comes the visit to the Taj Mahal, when the light and calm are at their best. Afterwards the India motorcycle tour continues to Gwalior, with plenty of time for the city's colossal palace complex.

Orchha welcomes the group with a calm atmosphere all its own: pilgrims in orange robes, a large Rama temple and a sprawling palace complex shape this day of the India temple motorcycle tour deep in Madhya Pradesh.

In the third century BCE, Sanchi was a major Buddhist centre under Emperor Ashoka. The well-preserved stupas and gateways make this stage a fixed and rewarding part of the India temple motorcycle tour through central India.

One of the longer stages of this India motorcycle tour covers considerable distance to Maheshwar, where a scenic riverside palace invites you to stay the night and the kilometres are quickly forgotten.

Another long ride lies ahead of the group before Ajanta is reached in the evening. This stage of the on-road India motorcycle tour links central India with the famous cave temples near the town.

Over centuries, Buddhist monks carved 29 cave temples into the rock, with paintings, pillars and stonework in varying stages of completion. A true highlight of this India temple motorcycle tour through central India.

Just two hours' ride away lie the 34 cave temples of Ellora, built jointly by Buddhists, Jains and Hindus. The Kailasa Temple, carved from a single rock, is the undisputed highlight of this short stage.

The longest stage of this India motorcycle tour leads into the mountains of the Western Ghats, a range running along the coast. Winding roads make this one of the most rewarding riding days of the whole trip.

Another day of glorious hairpin bends through the Western Ghats brings the group of this on-road India motorcycle tour closer to the coast of Goa, and with it one of the more relaxed stretches of the trip.

Down from the mountains to the coast: this stage of the Goa motorcycle tour leads into the former Portuguese colony, long since reclaimed by Indians as a favourite holiday destination of beaches and palm trees.

A relaxed day at the beach is on the programme of this Goa motorcycle tour: time for beach cafés, small souvenir shops and a leisurely stroll through town, off the Royal Enfield for once, before the journey continues.

Refreshed, the route heads inland to Hampi, one of the most unusual places on this India motorcycle tour. Over long stretches the landscape shifts from coastline to bare, boulder-strewn highland.

Amid towering boulders lie temple complexes and palace ruins from the era of the Vijayanagara Empire. A walk across the sprawling site reveals only a fraction of this Mysore-region motorcycle tour.

Continuing south, this South India motorcycle tour reaches Chitradurga, where an imposing fortress from the Vijayanagara era sits atop a nearly 1,000-metre rock, overlooking the surrounding land.

In Belur awaits the Chennakesava Temple, built in the 12th century, one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. Intricate figure reliefs define this stage of the Mysore-region motorcycle tour.

A detour to Shravanabelagola leads to a giant Gomateshwara statue, one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Jainism. Afterwards this Mysore motorcycle tour reaches its next major destination.

The Mysore Palace, built in 1912 by British architect Henry Irwin, blends Hindu, Indo-Islamic and European styles. Markets, coffee roasters and the Nandi statue on Chamundi Hill round out the day.

Through a wildlife reserve and along winding side roads, this stage of the South India motorcycle tour climbs the Nilgiri Hills to the hill station of Ooty, before descending again on the far side into the valley.

Tea plantations line this stage of the Kerala motorcycle tour for hours. Cardamom and pepper grow along the roadside, and winding, well-paved roads lead through Kerala's green abundance all the way to Munnar.

Still surrounded by tea country, the group reaches Madurai in the afternoon, home to one of South India's largest Hindu temple complexes, the Meenakshi Temple — the highlight of this Kerala motorcycle tour stage.

At India's southernmost mainland point, the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea meet. This India motorcycle tour reaches its geographic and emotional destination in Kanyakumari.

After sunrise at the southern tip, the last riding stage of this Varkala motorcycle tour leads to the coast of Kerala. On the cliff, freshly caught fish awaits to mark the close of the long India motorcycle tour.

Ayurvedic massage, yoga on the hotel rooftop, or simply sun on the beach: this Varkala motorcycle tour deliberately leaves room to unwind, before the final shared days of this long journey through India begin.

The last shared day of this India motorcycle tour is dedicated to farewells: a final dinner on the cliff, and looking back together on 45 unforgettable days full of passes, temples and roads across India.

The overnight flight brings you back home. Anyone who has experienced this India motorcycle tour once will quickly feel the urge to return to this endlessly diverse country — until next time, Namaste.