South India Heritage Motorcycle Escapade
(The City of Ruins - Hampi)
11 Nights/12 Days
Touring in South India on Royal Enfields is one the best thing to explore the ancient ruins of "Hampi" and other historical destinations. The 12 days motorcycle tours in south India starting from Goa will let you explore one of the historical structures like Hampi, Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole, Chitradurga, Belur, and Karkala.
Hampi is the UNESCO world heritage city situated at the banks of river Tungabhadra in Karnataka state of South India. Hampi was served as the capital of the Vijayanagara empire between the 13th to 15th centuries. Hampi is decorated and designed with a lot of Hindu Temples, monuments and other historical places. The major
attractions in Hampi are Vittala Temple, Virupaksha Temple, Lotus Mahal, Hampi Bazar, and Kadalekalu Ganesha. During the South India motorcycle tour, we will explore the bit of Hampi and understand its history and culture.
Terrain info -
Historical monuments, dry region of Southern India, coastal highway, single-lane tracks of Western Ghats and beaches.
Recommended season to visit -
Mid. November and Mid. March
Skill Level
Moderate
Road Conditions
90% Tarmac
10% Offroad
Type of Food
Authentic South Indian & few
Continental Cuisine
Glimpse of destination
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1 -
Arrival at Goa
Upon arrival, you will be picked up from the Goa International Airport and checked into the hotel, rest of the day you can relax at the hotel. We will gather in the evening for a briefing session followed by a welcome dinner.
Day 2 -
Panjim to Dandeli
Miles - 120
After breakfast, we will start our first day of the Goa-Hampi heritage motorcycle tour from Panjim, the capital city of Goa. We will ride through city traffic from Panjim to Margao then enter cashew plantations and jungles through Canacona and South Goa. Few miles later we will cross the border from Goa and enter Karnataka state where we are going to spend the next 9 days exploring the ancient ruins of Hampi and other historical places. Before Karwar, we will take right towards Anshi National park and ride into the woods of western ghats. We will be riding in the heart of Tiger reserves of Anshi and Dandeli for about 50 Miles. Trust me this will be one of the magnificent rides through the entire tour. By evening we will reach Dandeli and stay in the jungle cottage.
Day 3 -
Dandeli to Badami
Miles - 110
After riding through the woods of Western Ghats, we will start our journey towards Ancient Town Badami, before reaching Badami we will ride through some of the big cities of Karnataka like Dharwad and Hubli. We will reach Badami by early evening, upon arrival we will check into the hotel and leave for exploring the Cave Temples of Badami. Cave temples of Badami is a complex of Hindu & Jain architecture, which is built during the 6th century. The four cave temples represent the secular nature of the rulers then, with tolerance and a religious following that inclines towards Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Cave 1 is dedicated to Shiva, caves 2 and 3 to Vishnu, and cave 4 is a Jain temple.
Day 4 -
Badami to Hampi (Via Pattadakal & Aihole)
Miles - 100
After exploring the cave temples of Badami, we will start our journey towards Pattadakal, here we will visit "The Group of Monuments " which is also a UNESCO world heritage centre. Later we will ride further towards Aihole, here we will explore the Durga Temple and other historical places. Later we will start our ride towards Hampi, we will ride through the countryside of southern India via Kushtagi, by evening we will reach Hospet.
Day 5 -
Explore the City of Ruins – Hampi
After breakfast, we will meet our local guide who will take us to some important places in Hampi. Hampi is a UNESCO world heritage site situated at the banks of Tungabadra River. Once upon a time, Hampi is the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, which is also called as one of the richest dynasties in ancient times. We will visit Vijaya Vittala Temple, this 15th-century temple considered one of the largest historical structure in Hampi. Then Virupaksha Temple, which is built during the 7th century and one of the oldest functional temple in India. After exploring some important temples we also visit Lotus temple, Hampi Bazar and other important ancient ruins of Hampi.
Day 6 -
Hampi to Chitradurga
Miles - 80
After exploring the ancient ruins of Hampi, we will start our South India motorcycle tour further down towards Chitradurga. Chitradurga features bold rock hills and picturesque valleys. After reaching Chitradurga we will start exploring Chitradurga Fort, it will take 2-3 hrs to explore the fort and then we will back to town. If we have time in the evening we will visit Chandravalli caves. These caves take you 80 ft. below the ground where you get a chance to witness the great ancient wall art, consisting of carvings and paintings. Adjacent to the cave, there is Chandravalli Cave Temple which houses a Shiva Linga under a massive stone.
Day 7 -
Chitradurga to Belur
Miles - 105
After breakfast, we will start our journey of the South India Motorcycle tour further down towards Belur & Halebidu. First, we will visit Halebidu, was the capital of the Hoysala Dynasty during the 12th century. It is a home of some best Hoysala architecture, here will visit Hoysaleswara Temple and Kedareswara Temple. Post that we will ride towards Belur, it was the early capital of the Hoysala Dynasty in the 11th century. Here we will visit Channakesava temple, the temple is very famous for extensive carvings, stone sculptures, artwork, and its unique architecture. The temple is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 8 -
Belur to Karkala
Miles - 105
After exploring Belur & Halebidu, we will start our ride towards Karakala. Before reaching Karkala we will ride into the heart of western Ghats and explore some magnificent views of mountains. Karkala is famous for its Jain temples and Gomateshwara Statue, Gomateshwara statue situated on top of a hill Gomata-betta, it is 44 feet tall-second only to that in Shravanabelgola. Archaeological Society of India has estimated its time somewhere in the 14th century.
Day 9 -
Karkala to Gokarna
Miles - 130
After exploring some ancient architecture and ruins of South India, we will start our journey towards Gokarna. Today we will be riding next to the Arabian sea via Kundapura, Murudeshwar and Kumta. Enroute we will witness some coastal towns and villages. By evening we will be able to reach Gokarna.
Miles - 105
Day 10 -
Gokarna to Panjim
In the last few days of the South India Motorcycle Tour, we will start our ride towards Panjim where we started our ride 10 days back. In the last 10 days, we have visited some of the world's best kept secret history of South India, visited historical monuments back from the 10th century and UNESCO world heritage sites. Now its time to enjoy some Beaches of Goa, we will reach Panjim by early evening and the rest of the day will be at leisure, enjoy some lovely sunset-facing Arabian Sea.
Day 11 -
Rest day in Panjim
Today will completely rest day, if you want to go sightseeing then we can arrange for it or you can just roam around some beaches nearby and grab some beers at the shacks, in the evening we all gather again for farewell dinner and exchange of photos as well.
Day 12 -
Departure from Panjim
Today we will bid goodbye to Panjim and end our South India heritage Motorcycle tour on Royal Enfield.
After Breakfast, we will drop you to the airport with the hope of meeting again soon on the "Roads Less Travelled", Bon Voyage.
What is included?
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Royal Enfield 500cc motorcycle.
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Unlimited Mileage (Fuel is Completely on Us)
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Standard accommodation on a twin or double sharing basis.
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All 3 major meals with the set menu during the tour.
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English speaking Tour Leader with a mechanic.
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Support Vehicle with driver for all the riding days.
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Sightseeing Fees as per the above mentioned itinerary and all UNESCO World Heritage sites
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All maintenance costs of the motorcycle during the tour.
What is excluded?
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All your international and domestic flight tickets.
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Visa charges.
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Medical or travel insurance.
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Personal Damages/accidental damages to the motorcycle is not included.
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Alcohol, tips, room service or anything which is not mentioned in the above inclusions.