We will kickstart with a briefing on what to expect over the coming days. This will be an initiation day and training will include basic road riding etiquette and how to ride safely in a group. The highlight of the day will be the Stingray camps in the shadow of Chembra peak in Wayanad. Once there, we will take a small trek to the campsite that resides twenty feet above the forest floor. If lucky, we will have wildlife sightings quite close to the campsite.

An early morning start will see us get the first taste of off-road riding at the campsite surrounded by 900 acres of tea estate. The highlight of this off-road session will be the small stream crossings, the slippery, slushy trail and the rocky sections that riders will have to brush up their skills on. Once done with the trail, we start the three-and-a-half-hour ride to the hill station of Coonoor. Because of it’s superb corners, riders will be given a road riding course – cornering techniques, using engine braking and how to ride safely on hill roads – as we pass through this road.

We start the day with an off-road session through an equestrian farm/tea estate. This one includes steep rocky climbs and slippery downhill descents training. After the off-road session,we descend down the beautiful ghat section on the Kottagiri, skip the traffic of Coimbatore and head for the mind-blowing 40 hairpin bend road that climbs up to the old British Tea town of Valparai, surrounded by evergreen forests. The drive to the town from Pollachi passes through the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary noted for Bengal tiger, elephants, boars, lion-tailed macaques, gaur, spotted deer, sambar, and giant squirrels. We will spot wildlife along the way if we are lucky.

We will have an early start from Valparai and take the scenic hill road leading back down to the plains of Tamil Nadu. Soon after we cross Pollachi, we detour into the vast coconut groves that surround the area. The trails that run through here vary from slush to fast paced gravel and sudden culvert crossings. If it rains, we will also be challenged with stream crossings. Once we exit the other side of the coconut grove, it is a short ride to the Kerala forest border to the beautiful road through the Chinnar sanctuary and on to the resort that is ten kilometres away from the bustle of Munnar town.

This is a rest day for those who opt to and is an extremely challenging off-road ride for those who prefer not to sit still. For the latter, we go to the trail that includes a stream crossing, rocks, slush and steep inclines/declines. This is a real learning experience for those who really want to get over their fear of riding on difficult terrain and will be the highlight of this trip for the group. We should be back at the resort for lunch and riders then get the rest of the day to relax and take a dip in the resort’s pool if they wish to do so.

This will be a four hour ride to the backwater town of Alleppy. Enroute there will be a detour that will take the riders through narrow trails that skirt the many waterways of Kerala. We will ride along narrow walking trails where cars can’t go and therefore, riders will get a chance to see life as it was in the old days. Once we are done with this trail, we will head for lunch and post that, we have a sunset cruise on the backwaters on a traditional houseboat. Watching the sun set over the Vembanad lake will be the perfect way to end this ride. There will be a certification ceremony later that evening at the resort.

Riders can opt for to explore Alleppy on their own or go on an easy solo ride back to the beach town of Cherai. It is the perfect place to get to see the beach and backwater side of Kerala after so many days in the hills.