With years of bike touring experience behind us in India, we thought it’s a good time to document some of the best cycling routes in India. This list also takes input from cyclists and cycle tourists who we have met along numerous journeys undertaken. The routes selected here are based on the following parameters:

Safety & security
Scenic beauty
Rustic villages
Culture
Heritage
Wildlife

India is vast and we still have a lot to cover and therefore, it’s possible that we have missed on some routes. We intend to keep updating this list as we discover more routes.

1. Gangtok (Sikkim) to Darjeeling

This route can be dubbed as a roller coaster ride. You get to ride through some amazing chain of mountains and witness the life around them. Monks, monasteries, children, lakes, rivers are some of the impressions of the ride.

Best Time to Cycle: March, April and October, November

Photo by Ashwini Ravindranath - Art of Bicycle Trips Sikkim Cycling Tours

2. Leh – Tsomoriri – Tanglang La – Leh

If you intend to witness wildlife and cross some high passes then this is the route for you. Buddhist monks and manasteries gives a depth to the tour. You get to see some amazing wildlife at Tsomoriri lake and ride through breathtaking scenery.

Best Time to Cycle: June to September.

3. Jodhpur to Udaipur

Here you get to experience the contrast between royal richness and royal poorness. The contrast is evident as you make your way from Jodhpur to Udaipur through small villages, big palaces, massive Forts and beautiful temples. The route has it’s fair share of wildlife. You get to see wild boar, deer, black buck, Asian antelope.

Best Time to Cycle: October to March

Rajasthan-india-camels-1034829

4. Kerala (Kochi – Munnar – Periyar – Kumarakom – Kochi)

Beautiful scenery is predominant in this route. Be it seaside of Fort Kochi, tea plantations of Munnar, elephants of Periyar and backwaters of Kumarakom – the beauty is abundant all around.

Best Time to Cycle: September to March

Kerala tea plantation view cycling

5. Bombay to Goa via Konkan Coastline

Ride along the beautiful Konkani coastline and savour some amazing Konkani food. The ride is undulating and passes through beautiful seaside scenery and ferry routes.