India - Classic Kerala - Cycling Holiday

As seen in the press...

Skedaddle has a two-week small-group itinerary that includes pedalling through tea and spice plantations, exploring the Periyar wildlife reserve, home to elephants, bison and tigers. Drifting on a rice barge through Kerala’s backwaters and relaxing on the white sands of Manari Beach.

The Times (2018), Where to go in October for a two-week family holiday

A company with a personal touch - very impressed!

Our first holiday with Skedaddle – very impressed. We wanted a challenge but not wall to wall cycling where there wouldn’t be a chance to ‘stand and stare‘. The balance was just right. Kerala is stunning, and exploring by bike gave us a connection we wouldn’t have had by car. The hotels were all good, clean, mostly small enough to be friendly and intimate, and all in wonderful locations. Every hour or so on the rides, the guides brought out locally sourced fruit, nuts, plus sweet and savoury snacks. The breaks became a real event!

I have recommended Skedaddle to many people. We looked at Red Spokes and Explore, and thought they may be too serious. We prefer to deal with small, independent and specialist organisations due to personal touch. We‘re very happy with Skedaddle. We wanted a challenge, but time to enjoy the location too. Spot on.

Linda, West Midlands

Trip of a lifetime...

This was the trip of a lifetime for me. A view of India from the saddle was an assault on all the senses: wonderful scenery, vibrant colours and so many unusual locations, a cacophony of new sounds, whistling ducks at dawn to deafening hooting of the tuk tuks in the towns and villages. And the hands of children reaching out on their way to school for “high fives” with these strange old white people passing through on high tech bikes they could only dream of. I really can’t single out a favourite day as the programme was so well designed that there was a gem every day. The Tour Leader was tireless in answering all our questions and making the whole holiday as rich an experience of the culture and window into Indian life.

Lorraine, Derbyshire

Excellent Tour Leader!

Neeraj was an excellent leader and did a great job. His command of English was great and he quickly got to know each of the team members and their individuality. In addition he went the extra mile to ensure we were happy. We were all able to have a laugh even on the more difficult days. He was also able to provide us with a lot of information on the culture, diversity of the different areas we were travelling through etc. He is a great asset to your team.

Aileen, Glasgow

Excellent value for money!

A very well organised adventure which completely lived up to expectations. We stayed in many luxurious, clean hotels, with high standards and great food and service – over and above our expectations. Virtually all meals were included, the food was consistently excellent and the accommodation was of a very high standard. Wonderful scenery, acres of tea plantations and quieter roads.

Tim, Wiltshire

Incredibly professional guides!

Our guide Vipin was incredibly professional at all times and provided lots of good information on the accommodation, activities and days cycling. He listened to issues and fixed them quickly and was there to help when the Indian roads took their toll on the bikes. We were very impressed. The rest of team were polite, knowledgeable of the bikes and careful when packing the bikes for transport. They always smiled and we enjoyed their support.

Paul, Middlesex

Stunning scenery

The quality of the accommodation throughout was brilliant, lots of really special places. The food was amazing. I don’t think we had one bad meal. Even the hotels with buffet dinners were still good. The guides were always really helpful in refilling camelback etc. The route was great.

Vipin, our guide, went above and beyond to help us at all times. He was very good at keeping the group together and setting the pace for cycling. His knowledge of the local area and passion for his job were impressive. The guys were all great and ready to help with anything. Amazing value for money considering the quality of the accommodation, amount of meals and additional sight seeing trips included and the level of service.

Claire, Highlands

The best holiday we have ever had!

Wonderful place, food, scenery, weather and guide staff. The office staff are always helpful and friendly. The organisation is spot on and the staff in Kerala could not have been more helpful or attentive. Beautiful accommodation set in beautiful settings. We were treated like royalty.

Every day was excellent.

Paul, Ross-Shire

India is a magical place and this trip one of my most memorable holidays...

I had never been to Kerala or India before and this trip was an amazing way to experience for the first time. The trip gave a real flavour of the region and its highlights from the beautiful cardamom hills and tea plantations to the quiet calm of the backwaters.

The accommodation was excellent, particularly Carmelia Haven, a beautiful resort in the midst of a stunningly serene tea plantation which exceeded all of my expectations. The outdoor pool was a welcome surprise after a long, hilly but rewarding day in the saddle. And the food was fantastic, as it was for all of the trip.

I cannot speak highly enough of all the guides for their knowledge, enthusiasm, flexibility, care and efficiency. India is a magical place and I would definitely say this Saddle Skedaddle trip was one of the most memorable holidays I have ever had.

Lisa, Cumbria

Very competent guides!

Vipin (the main guide) was very competent, well spoken, and comfortable in his role with us Westerners. He kept the group cycling together which was good. His guiding was good too and he obviously enjoyed the job.

John, Kent