Nandi Hills To Salzburg Lakes: Cycling Tour Companies That Will Take Care of Every Whim

If you’re among those who believe that to travel is to live, we’re happy to supply your roadtrippin’ spirit with ideas for travel & adventure: on a bike! If the spirit of exploration finds a home in your soul, our big question for you is: have you tried bicycle touring yet? Touring on a bike can be as elaborate as your inner gear junkie desires, or as casual as a banana daiquiri.  Want the best? Load up your Surly Long Haul Trucker with your Axiom rack and your Ortlieb waterproof panniers, and head off to Outer Mongolia by way of the Pamirs. On a budget? Overhaul your MTB / hybrid, slap on some budget panniers, and set off! What makes bike touring beautiful is the senses of fulfillment at pedalling your way to the journey’s end at your own pace. And the people you meet along the way. If you want to give it a try, here are people you should look up.

From city trails that have you visiting churches in Bangalore’s cantonment area, or the Temple & Thindi Trails, to riding in Goa, Ladakh or Bhutan, these guys do it all! They are meticulous in their research, and whether it’s Sikkim or Nandi Hills, these folks are the ‘locals’ who know the best offbeat roads. They are very inclusive, making sure that everyone who signs up is prepared for the ride. What helps is that they are passionate bikers and climbers themselves.

Find out more about them here.

One of the oldest folks committed to touring in Bangalore, these guys have something happening every weekend. From relatively simple day trip rides to offroad MTB rides in the outskirts, all the way to climbing the biggest beast in our geography: the beastly Kalahatti near Ooty, these folks have a wide repertoire! They also hook you up with bikes, and tell you what level of difficulty to expect.

Find out more about them here.

Run by folks who understand itchy feet, adventure and the need for a cardio shot in the arm, your options vary from self-guided tours to guided ones. Does your bucket list have “cycling around the lakes of Salzburg humming “The hills are alive to the sound of music”? Check. Biking and gently baking under the Tuscan sun? Check. Travelling to the temples of Angkor? Check. Foodie adventures in Delhi? Check. In addition to cycling tours, they also do a several kinds of running, and outdoorsy tours.

Find out more about them here.

This one is for the kids! These exemplary summer camp folks do some fabulous bicycle trips, including Coorg On Wheels, which takes kids through safe roads to Coorg, over a 7-day period. Very exhilarating for the young ‘uns to start off early in life!

Find out more about them here.

Exodus have been running bike tours ever since the 80s and now run five different tours in India. For the folks in Bangalore, their Cycle Kerala And Tropical India package seems most plausible with the start point at Mysore. The journey from the cool heights of the Western Ghats, where the sanctuaries hide excellent wildlife, to the quiet backwaters of Kerala, this trip offers the chance to cycle through towns and villages where rural life has remained little-changed for centuries. The final coastal ride to Varkala rewards you with time to relax on the beach and reflect on an unforgettable experience.

Find out more about them here.