The Infinite Curves of Kerala – Motorcycling in India’s Beautiful South

If you don’t know Kerala, it’s a thin slice of coastal and mountain landscape running along the southwestern coast of India. It is buffeted by the warm winds of the Arabian Sea to the west and sheltered by the Western Ghats mountain range to the east. It is considered one of the most tranquil parts of India where the heaving buzz of ‘horning’ traffic and all-consuming pollution in much of the rest of the country are pleasantly scarce. Above all, it is green. From the tea plantations of Munnar to the rich jungles of Ooty, the deeply verdant landscape puts your mind at ease.

The ride profile is sea – mountains – sea setting off from the old Portuguese colony of Fort Cochin then running south along to the coast to Alleppey and the downtempo serenity of the Backwaters. The route then heads northeast to the Western Ghats and the heart of tea country in Munnar. From there it gets wild with rides through the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Avalanche Valley and Silent Valley National Park. Finally the route loops back south along the coast to Kannur Beach for a night before returning the Himalayan to the Uber driver I rented it from in Cochin. (Long story) One thousand curvaceous kilometers to take in the best of this beautiful corner of the subcontinent and all the coconut fish curry I can consume.

Now, to the curves and a philosophical question: why do we riders love them so much? Is it because they tend to exist in magical, mountainous landscapes of forest, jungle and desert? Is it because of the way we get into a beautiful rhythm with the exit of each flowing curve setting up the entry to the next in perpetual synchronization? Is it the lean angles we experience as we toss human and machine side to side through each undulation? We know, of course, that it is all of these and more. It’s why we go out of our way to find these roads, to build race courses that emulate them and to develop video games that simulate them. The stretche that lead to Valaparai in the Analamai Tiger Reserve is one such mecca.

Hairpins of Anamalai Tiger Reserve

When you enter the Tiger Reserve from the north and pass through its gates, the existence of man subsides except for the signs indicating ‘Hairpin Bend X of 40’. For those inquiring minds, a tiger mauling is fairly unlikely. There are only 30 or so living in this 1,500 square kilometer sanctuary and they are free to roam far from any trace of humans. You may however encounter wild elephants traversing your path (warning signs abound) and you will encounter hundreds of marauding long tail macaques. These little monkey bastards will steal anything given the chance so be sure to secure everything should you happen to take respite anywhere in their realm.

Through the portal and onward into the park, the gradual 1,500 meter elevation climb begins with Hairpin Bend 1 of 40. Taking time to absorb the sheer mountain face extending skyward, I’m awestruck by the engineering prowess of the people who built it. The hairpins are true switchbacks: each one completely reverses your course and brings you no more than 20 meters higher than the last. On a small engine, low torque bike the Himalayan, this means first gear for each one of them and many, many gear changes on the stretches between. Like pressing your face against the window in a jetliner, the details of the valley floor become microscopic as you climb. Ears pop, the temperature plummets, the flora shifts from valley scrub to tropical density to deciduous forest.

Around halfway up, the jungle yields to tea plantations. These estates, seemingly infinite as they roll over the horizon, are gold for photographers. As meticulously manicured as the gardens of Versailles, they illuminate the most luxurious green our eyes can render. The small pathways through them create a patchwork like the spots of a leopard and create definition that brings out each undulation of the landscape. The only breaks in the pattern are the brightly colored clothing of the pickers, women mostly, as they toil in the foliage plucking each leaf individually and load them into the sacks on their backs.  At about this point, the Waterfall Tea Planation maintains an ornately decorated tea stall on the side of the road offering a dozen overly sugared varieties to shock my system from the twisty trance that has held my mind hostage for the last 90 minutes.

Riding the Royal Enfield Himalayan in Kerala

From turn 20 onward, the road is less a cliffside-etched ribbon and more an oscillation between jungle and tea planation. Entering into the mist-osphere, the cloud covers obfuscates and the pangs for arrival and a glass of wine emerge. My end destination for the day, Sina Dorai’s Bungalow, is nested on a hilltop and is reached after negotiating 4 km of agricultural tracks upon departing the main road. Each meter winds though the plantation revealing up close the beauty of the place. The bungalow reached, I am pleasantly enlightened by the fact that this is not a bungalow in the American sense, but rather a 100-year-old estate manor, beautifully maintained with period details and views in every direction.

At dinner, the whole staff of the restaurant catering to this party of one, I surreptitiously extract the cheap bottle of Indian wine from my bag, pour a glass, take a sip along with a mild gag and savor the sublime spot that the 40 hairpin bends have transported me to. Tomorrow I get to do it all again on another of Kerala’s serpentine miracles. And again and again and again.

If you’re interested in trying out Kerala for yourself, join us! Kerala Expeditions

Robb La Velle

Roro La Velle is the founder and Maharaja of Client Experience with Two Wheeled Expeditions. He has ridden around the world twice and laid tracks through over 40 countries on 4 continents. He is also the author of ‘The Places In Between‘, an account of a husband & wife team circumnavigating the world on two wheels