Pune-Kanyakumari –A dream motorcycle tripz

The plan is for 14 days in Kerala. I have applied leave from 22th sept.(Monday) – 3rd oct. (Friday). I plan to set off for Kerala from Pune on 20th Sept morning.

The basic outline for the plan is something like this.

Pune-Panaji-Mangalore-Munnar-Periyar-Alleppey-Trivandrum-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Kochi-Mangalore-Panaji-Pune

From / To / Activity / Day / Distance / Total Distance
Pune / Panaji / Bike ride / 1 / 461 / 461
Panaji / Mangalore / Bike ride / 2 / 402 / 863
Mangalore / Munnar / Bike ride / 3 / 505 / 1368
Around Munnar / Around Munnar / Explore Munnar / 4 / 100 / 1468
Reserve Day/ Optional Day. If everything goes fine then no need to wait in Munnar this day. But if stopped total days needed will be 14. However a stopover is recommended / Explore Munnar / 5
Munnar / Periyar / Bike ride/ Explore Periyar in evening / 5 / 110 / 1578
Periyar / Alleppey / Explore Periyar till afternoon/ Bike Ride / 6 / 155 / 1733
Alleppey / Around Alleppey / Lazing in the backwaters / 7 / 25 / 1758
Alleppey / Kanyakumari / Bike ride / 8 / 244 / 2002
Kanyakumari / Trivandrum / Bike ride / 8 / 87 / 2089
Around Trivandrum / Around Trivandrum / Explore Trivandrum/ Reserve or Rest Day / 9 / 50 / 2139
Trivandrum / Kochi / Bike ride/ Explore Kochi in evening / 10 / 220 / 2359
Kochi / Mangalore / Bike ride / 11 / 402 / 2761
Mangalore / Panaji / Bike ride / 12 / 402 / 3163
Panaji / Pune / Bike ride / 13 / 461 / 3624
Total Distance: / 3624
Misc / 200
Total Max distance to be covered in 13 days / 3824

All distances are practical in a sense thinking of the highways traffic jams, weather conditions, offroading and its consequences ;). I know it is easily possible to complete 700kms in a day thereby saving a day and we might even do that.
Day1: Pune to Panaji: Distance covered is 461kms.

NH-4 Road Map


Till Belgaum we take NH-4 and then we turn towards Panaji to join NH-17.

Day2: Panaji to Mangalore: Disatance covered is 505kms.

NH-17 Road Map


It’s riding only on the NH-17. Seems to be a beautiful ride through coastal Karnataka.What I like most of such bike trips is not just visiting the places but the travel time too.

However there is a high probability that we will cross Karwar on the first day itself. Karwar is about 550kms from Pune.

Day3: Mangalore to Munnar: Disatance covered is 402kms.

Mangalore (Mangaluru) to Munnar Road Map

Till Calicut we still continue to ride on NH-17. From Calicut onwards we turn in the interiors of Kerala towards Idukki district for Munnar.

Now the real journey starts. Munnar will be the first place we will explore in Kerala. I hope the weather will be great since this is one of the most scenic hillstation in India.

The route is Mangalore - Kasargod - Kangangad - Neeleswaram - Payyannur - Thalipparambu - Cannanore - Thalassery Mahe - Vadakara - Quilandy - Calicut - Kottackal - Kuttippuram - Edappal - Trichur - Chalakudy - Angamalli - Kalady - Perumbavoor - Muvattupuzha - Kothamangalam - Adimalli – Munnar

Day4: Explore Munnar and complete rest. Our biker souls will need a much deserved rest and Munnar seems to be the most idyllic place for that. There are thousand of spots in Munnar and I hope we cover almost all the major ones. I am expecting just 100kms this day exploring around Munnar since rest is on top priority.

Day5: I recommend a rest/reserve day here. Or else one can also explore the unlimited beauty offered in God’s Own Country. For more info on Munnar click here

Day 5: Munnar to Thekaddy (Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary). Distance covered is 110kms.

Assuming that we don’t take a rest day because of some or the other reason then we head to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.This might turn out to be the best drive of the trip.Only 110kms, but the road takes you through dense forests, slopes cornenerd by waterfalls admist greenery. Since 110kms can be covered in just a few hours we get the whole of the evening for ourselves. We can shop in the bazaar and at the same time go for the boat ride in the evening in the Periyar lake. This is one of the most unique sanctuaries in India. Although the option of exploring the 777sq. km sanctuary by car /foot is always open; but still the most preferred means for exploring the sanctuary is the boat ride in the lake which is situated in the middle of the forest. The boat rides are open throughout the day, but the probability of spotting wild animals is the most in early morning or in the late evening.

Munnar to Thekkady Road Map

Day 6: Periyar to Alleppey. Distance covered is 155kms.

Most of the tourist stay in a town called Kumily which is situated just next to the sanctuary. There are hotels inside the forest too, but they are expensive.

Periyar is also famous for its spice gardens and it offers guided tours to these gardens..but I am sure we might not be interested in it. There are shops which sell the best quality spices in India. Also lots of shops offer souvenirs made by the tribals/ locals. We can spend the morning shopping and visiting the park and then in the late evening we can set off for the land of backwaters- Alleppey. 155 kms by the side of the backwaters.. Oh!! I am simply going to love it.

Periyar to Alleppey Road Map

Day 7: Around Alleppey. Distance covered is 25 kms.

One of the main purposes of this trip is that it should be a laid back trip. There should be innumberable moments when we do nothing. And the backwaters of Kerala are the perfect gift of nature to enjoy this very feeling. I think we should dedicate one day to master the art of doing nothing. There are customized tours as per the need, as per the budget to fit the requirements of every tourist. There are backwater rides from 1 hour to a 3 day package.. from an AC 5 star boat to the most simplistic house boat (my personal fav.). I am looking forward to eat lots of fresh water fish here 

Day 8: Alleppey – Trivandrum- Kanyakumari- Trivandrum. Distance covered is 333kms.

Road map from Alleppey to Kanyakumari via Trivandrum (part of NH-47)

After being rejuvenated at Alleppey it is time to reach our destination- Kanyakumari. Drive till Kanyakumari is on NH-47 via Trivendrum. Once we reach Kanyakumari and after watching the Vivekanand Rock Memorial and the sunset I don’t think there is much to do here. We would have travelled only 244kms that day. Since Trivendrum is just 87kms it is better to return back to Trivendrum.

Day 9: Explore Trivendrum. Around 50kms

All capital cities have their own charm and so does this one. Kovalam beach is the most famous here. Eat, drink and a day dedicated for complete rest. We can also use this as a reserve day.

Day10: Trivendrum to Cochin. Distance covered is 220kms.

The only city left in the itinerary is Cochin. For that matter every part, every district of Kerala is worth a visit, but then we have only 14 days with us. Cochin can also be skipped and we can start our return journey from Trivendrum itself. If we reach Cochin we get time to shop and most important is we get time to bid a final goodbye . Refer map of NH-47.

Day11: Cochin to Mangalore. Distance covered is 447kms.

447kms ride of pure bliss. The entire road is through coastal Kerala entring southern Karnataka.

Day12: Mangalore to Panaji: Disatance covered is 505kms.Repeat of Day2

Day13: Panaji to Pune. Distance covered is 461 kms. Repeat of Day1.

Refer to NH-17 road map.

Here is a distance chart © of the major cities we will try to cover

Pune / Panaji / Mangalore / Cochin / Munnar / Periyar / Alleppey / Trivandrum / Kanyakumari
Pune / 461 / 863 / 1221 / - / - / - / - / -
Panaji / 461 / 402 / 842 / - / - / - / - / -
Mangalore / 863 / 402 / 447 / 505
Cochin / 1221 / 842 / 447 / 130 / 191 / 64 / 222 / 309
Munnar / - / - / 505 / 130 / 110 / 191 / 146 / 843
Periyar / - / - / - / 191 / 110 / 155 / 253 / 340
Alleppey / - / - / - / 64 / 191 / 155 / 157 / 246
Trivandrum / - / - / - / 222 / 146 / 253 / 157 / 100
Kanyakumari / - / - / - / 309 / 843 / 340 / 246 / 100

Note: In Keralaalmost each town has two names, one in Mallu and the other in English (which the British Govt. kept since they couldn't pronounce them)
Cities with the same name:

  1. Alleppey and Alappuzha
  2. Kochi and Cochin. Also Ernakulum is the also used. I dont exactly know which is used when...but all 3 are almost the same.
  3. Calicut and Kozhikode
  4. Trivandrum and Thiruvananthapuram
  5. Mangalore and Mangaluru (in Karnataka).
  6. Kanyakumari and Kanniyakumari
  7. Moreover Periyar is not a district. The wildlife sanctuary is called by that name. But it is in the Thekkadi district and in a small town called as Kumily. So basically when I refer to Periyar it is actually Thekkadi. Kumily in some 4 kms from Thekkadi.