Your holiday starts at the hotel in Kochi. A group transfer is provided from Kochi Airport. After a traditional welcome 'Swagat' we transfer to the hotel and have a few hours to rest before meeting the tour leader for a pre-trip briefing and lunch at the hotel. After lunch you will also meet the group's mechanic and will be given your bikes. The guide and mechanic will make sure the bike is fitted to your satisfaction and there is the option to go for a short test ride in the Fort Cochin area. In the early evening the group will go to a small family-run theatre to experience a traditional Kathakali dance show. The dances usually portray events from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, great Indian epics. Finally, we will have dinner with the guide at a restaurant or at the hotel.

After breakfast, we'll meet outside the hotel in our cycling gear. The tour guide will lead the way as we set off on a scenic ride along the Kochi coast with glimpses through the coconut palms of the sparkling waters of the backwaters on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. We'll pass through several fishing villages and see colourful boats pulled up on the sand and fishermen mending their nets. During this easy and very pleasant morning's ride there's at least one point where we have to take a small ferry boat between the islands of this maze of coastal waterways. Cycling past dockyards and large spice warehouses, we are already fully immersed in the distinctive landscape of this part of the Keralan coast. We'll take a break in one of the small villages before returning to Kochi for lunch. In the afternoon, there's a half day sightseeing tour on foot with the guide. Kochi was founded by the Portuguese in 1503 and was the earliest European settlement in India. There are brightly coloured warehouses filled with the smell of tea and spices, rickety old bikes and hand-painted trucks piled high with goods, while food stalls stand on every corner. There is plenty of opportunity too for souvenir buying today. We can visit Mattancherry Palace, the 16th century Jewish Synagogue and St. Francis Church - the resting place of the famous Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama. Close by we can watch the Chinese fishing nets in action from the waterfront Vasco da Gama Square. Made of teak and bamboo, these picturesque fishing 'engines' are believed to have been erected here as early as the 14th century. To finish off, we'll have a short sunset cruise amongst the islands in the harbour area.

Today we board our support vehicle and head inland through a strikingly green patchwork of jungle and farmland interspersed with waterways. It takes around 90 minutes to get to the start of our cycle ride at the tiny hamlet of Cherukunnam beside the Periyar Valley Canal. From here, we ride alongside the canal which is overhung by lush vegetation; palms and banana trees rich in birdlife. This is a great opportunity to see something of the way of life of the Keralan backwaters, with boats of all sizes including fishermen in flimsy craft, as well as colourfully painted houses at the water's edge. Cycling eastwards on a good, quiet road, we can catch glimpses of some higher land ahead of us; the foothills of the Western Ghats. Mid-afternoon we reach our hotel accommodation in Thattekad set amongst evergreen lowland forest. In the late afternoon we can go out to explore the local village with the guide either on foot or on our bikes.

Thattekad's claim to fame is that the first bird sanctuary in Kerala was established here in 1983. After breakfast at our hotel we will take a guided walk on the forest trails of this compact reserve beside the Periyar River which has been described by the eminent ornithologist Salim Ali as "the richest bird habitat on peninsular India." As well as an array of striking birds including several species of cuckoo, we are likely to spot monkeys and maybe even the giant squirrel. After our visit, it's back aboard the bus for a 2-hour drive southwards through the rich Keralan countryside, passing towns and villages, churches and shrines en-route to the regional capital of Thodupuzha. Beyond this small town, it's back on the bikes for a 2 to 3-hour ride on quiet roads, winding amongst rubber plantations and spice gardens, to Erattupetta where we stay at Planters Homestay which is a 50-year old mansion house on 2 storeys, with twin-share guest rooms and en suite-facilities. The house is set in a tropical garden with fruit trees, palms and rich bird life. There may be time in the evening for further exploration on our bikes.

Today is a day for exploration from the homestay and we will spend a second night at this same accommodation. Above Erattupetta, the lower slopes of the Western Ghats leading up to the 'hill-station' of Vagamon are cloaked in plantations of rubber and tea. We will cycle between the well-ordered lines of emerald-green tea bushes and see the colourful pickers at work. There is also a good swimming place on the Meemachil River that we can visit, before cycling on to the Poonjar Palace, a 900 year-old former residency of the local Maharaja and his family. This morning's ride can be extended by cycling back to the homestay or we can use the support vehicle. In the afternoon the tour leader will organise a walk into the surrounding plantation farmland and point out some of the key species of trees and plants that are used by the local people, from coffee to cardamom. There is also the option today to take a walk into Erattupetti with its colourful market street and impressive, pure-white Catholic church. Back at the homestay we can expect to be treated to more sumptuous and colourful Keralan cuisine.

Today we head back towards the coast, covering a total distance of 80 kilometres by a mix of bus transfer and cycling. After breakfast at our accommodation, we set off cycling on backroads, leaving behind the rubber plantation estates and traversing a pretty patchwork of forest and farmland and small villages. After a stop for lunch, we transfer to our homestay close to the small settlement of Mancombu surrounded by backwaters and not far from the coastal town of Alleppey. Here, we have a 2-night stay at the Gaaby World Homestay, a community-based facility set in lush countryside. This is another opportunity to fully experience the typical lifestyle and cuisine of Kerala. The accommodation here may be divided between different community houses and the rooms are simply furnished, with twin or double beds and en-suite facilities.

In the morning we set off cycling on a network of trails that run alongside and between the waterways of this distinctive backwaters landscape. Crossing bridges, stopping off to chat with the local people, visiting churches and local shrines, this is a great opportunity to get a feel for the real Kerala. The Keralan people have a real affinity for water and make their livings half in and half out of the water. They grow vegetables and keep livestock including water buffalo and chickens on tiny strips of land beside the canals and fish for their suppers with nets. Coconuts are an important food staple and the husks are processed to extract a fibre called coir which is used to make everything from rope to rough fabric and matting. We will see examples of these simple manufacturing processes today. In the afternoon we will return to our accommodation and go out on the backwaters in traditional wooden canoes paddled by local fishermen. As the sun begins to set, this is a great way to experience the backwaters.

In this water-world it can sometimes be easier to travel by boat than overland and water taxis provide a vital lifeline for the local people. This morning we will hop aboard one of these motor-boats and head south to Thotopally, a journey which will take approximately 3 hours and once again provide us with a different perspective on the backwaters. Disembarking, we have a short transfer to the weird and wonderful Mannarasala Temple which is a centre of pilgrimage for devotees of the serpent god Nagaraja. We can have a quick look-around before setting off on our bikes on the first stage of our ride to Kollam. Cycling through lots of small villages, after a couple of hours we cross a river-mouth by ferry and then continue for another hour or so, before a short final transfer takes us to our hotel close to the sea and just to the north of Kollam. This small coastal city on the southern edge of Ashtamudi Lake is known for its beaches and for the fact that it is the centre of the cashew-nut trade.

We may have a transfer this morning to avoid the busiest part of Kollam, before continuing our cycle ride southwards alongside the Arabian Sea. There are palm-groves, blue lagoons and stretches of beach where we can stop off for a swim. We will pass through fishing villages with colourful boats pulled up on the sand and fishermen mending their nets. Our overnight stop is at a hotel in Varkala, a centre of Hindu pilgrimage and nowadays one of Kerala's most popular backpacker hangouts. We will aim to get here early in the day, with plenty of time to enjoy the special appeal of this cliff-top town, perched above its beach. Sunsets can be spectacular here as we sit down to dinner in one of the local restaurants.

Setting off directly from the hotel, we cycle alongside the beach to the fishing village of Anchuthengu which is famous for its fort, built by the British East India Company in the 17th century to guard what was the first British trading post on the Malabar Coast. We will have a look around this historic place and then continue our ride for a couple of hours to Veli Lagoon which is separated from the ocean by just a narrow strip of beach. Once again, we are likely to see fishing boats on the beach and pleasure boats on the lake itself which is a popular attraction for local people. At this point we put the bike aboard the support vehicle and transfer to our hotel in Kovalam. The afternoon is free to explore this charming resort, chill out at the hotel, watch the fishermen pulling in their nets or take a swim in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea.

This is a great place to spend a free day. Kovalam has a picturesque shoreline, dominated by a high rocky promontory. There are 2 main sandy beaches, lined with simple restaurants, bars and stalls selling souvenirs and handicrafts. Each evening, the local fishermen take their boats out and these are pulled up onto the beaches during the day. Meals are provided at the hotel, although you might choose to take your lunch at one of the beach cafes. If you are keen to do some more cycling, the tour guide will be happy to take you on a 20 kilometre loop ride inland from the hotel, through villages and farms to Vellayani Lake. Another option today is to take a day trip by taxi to Kanyakumari at the southernmost tip of India which the tour guide will help you to arrange locally. We spend a second night at our Kovalam hotel.

Your holiday ends today. A group transfer to Trivandrum Airport is provided usually in the very early hours of the morning.