MOTOFOODIE

Scenic winding roads, enchanting national parks, endless tea estates, great conversations and delicious food – experienced on the best supersport and adventure motorcycles on the planet. ❤️ 

Our 4-day ride across the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu and Kerala took us through surreal landscapes blessed with fantastic roads and misty hill towns of Valparai, Munnar and Vattavada.

Day 01: Into the Mountains | Bengaluru > Valparai via Dhimbam Ghat

Starting early, our love for winding roads meant reaching Pollachi by riding through the NH948 (Dhimbam Ghat)  instead of the faster/boring NH544 (Salem-Dharmapuri-Avinashi route).

With breakfast in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka and lunch in Pollachi, our early start ensured a pleasant, well-paced ride till the foothills of Valparai.

Day 01 – Highlights:

• Route: Bengaluru > Kanakapura > Chamarajanagar > Dhimbham Ghat > Annur > Pollachi > Valparai [Google Maps Link]
• Distance: 405 kms 
• Ride Highlight: The 40-hairpin ascent to Valparai via Aliyar Reserve Forest offering majestic views of the Aliyar dam and winding roads in great shape 🥰.
• Food Stops We Loved | Sungam Thoppu Kadai, Pollachi:
  • Located within a massive coconut farm, they serve delicious veg and non-veg food.
  • Stop for lunch
  • Must Eat: Biryani, Chicken and Veg Starters
  • Motorcycle Parking: free parking inside the hotel 
  • Mode of payment: accepts cash, UPI, credit and debit cards 
  • Toilets for Customers: Available
  • Location: Sungam Thoppu Kadai, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu [Google Maps Link]

• Stay at Harris Holiday Inn, Valparai:
  • Beautiful and pleasant bungalow amidst the Sholayar Tea Estate with delicious local veg, non-veg food
  • Large Clean beds and restrooms
  • Suitable for family, friends and couples
  • Pet-friendly: No
  • Parking for cars and motorcycles: inside the premises of the homestay
  • Location: Harris Holiday Inn, Sholayar Tea Estate, Valparai, Tamil Nadu [Google Maps link] 
  • Tariff: INR 4,400 per person/per night [with complimentary breakfast-only | any other meal/snacks attract additional charges]

Day 02: Niagara of South India | Valparai – Athirappilly

After a great sleep and a hearty breakfast, we rode towards Malakkapara Tamil Nadu Forest Check post, the border checkpoint between Tamil Nadu and Kerala via Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation (BBTCL) tea estate and towards Athirappilly, often referred to as the ‘Niagara of South India’.

Tucked between the gorgeous Sholayar Reservoir and Idamalayar Reserve Forest – this route offers extremely scenic winding roads with great tarmac 🥰.

Day 02 – Highlights:

• Route: Valparai > Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Tea Estate (Mudi’s Town) > Malakkappara Check Post > Athirappilly [Google Maps Link]
• Distance: 66 kms 
• Ride Highlight: Harris Holiday Inn, Valparai > Malakkaparra CheckPost (Via Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation (BBTCL) tea estate) – Pristine, non-touristy tea estates with public thoroughfare great winding roads. ❤️🔥
• Stay at Sterling Resort, Athirappilly:
  • Modern, contemporary, full-service, luxurious hotel rooms offering great views of the Chalakudy River in Athirappilly, Kerala
  • Suitable for family, friends and couples
  • Pet-friendly: No
  • Parking for cars and motorcycles: inside the premises of the resort
  • Location: Sterling Resorts, Athirappilly, Kerala [Google Maps link] 
  • Tariff: INR 3,200 per person/per night [with complimentary breakfast-only | any other meal/snacks attract additional charges]

Day 03: The High Ranges | Athirappilly – Munnar – Vattavada

After a heavy breakfast at Sterling Athirappilly, we rode through the plains via Malayattor to start the climb to Munnar, which has lot of ongoing road construction work 🙁

As it’s a popular tourist town, we grabbed a quick lunch and then rode on toward the calmer, quaint town of Vattavada via Top Station.

Interestingly, we had to exit Munnar in Kerala > Top Station in Tamil Nadu > re-Kerala to reach Vattavada – all this cross-border rides in a distance of about 05 kms  😂

Day 03 – Highlights:

• Route: Athirappilly > Malayattoor > Kothamangalam > Anachal > Munnar > Top Station > Vattavada [Google Maps link]
• Distance: 180 kms 
• Ride Highlight: Top Station (after Munnar) to Vattavada via Koviloor Road inside the Pampadum Shola National Park, Kerala – the most beautiful forest roads I have ever encountered ❤️.

• Stay at The Camp Noel, Vattavada:
  • Pleasant cottage stay with beautiful views of the Vattavada valley
  • Suitable for family, friends and couples
  • Pet-friendly: No
  • Parking for cars and motorcycles: inside the premises of the resort
  • Location: Camp Noel, Vattavada, Kerala [Google Maps link] 
  • Tariff: INR 2,700 per person/per night [with complimentary breakfast-only | any other meal/snacks attract additional charges]

Day 04: Ride Back to Home | Vattavada – Munnar – Bengaluru

On the way back, the winding roads of Marayoor Sandalwood Forest and the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary gave way to long highway stretches leading to Bengaluru.

Day 04 – Highlights:

• Route: Vattavada > Munnar > Marayoor > Udumalpettai > Palladam > Bengaluru [Google Maps link]
• Distance: 489 kms 
• Food Stops We Loved | Ripple Tea Shop, Kannan Devan Hills:
  • Located overlooking the beautiful tea estates, Ripple Tea shop is a great place to break for a tea/snack.
  • This is NOT a full range restaurant, but a supermarket selling tea powder with a mini-snacks and beverages counter.
  • Must Eat: Tea Cake, Chocolate Muffin, Ice Tea, Hot Teas
  • Motorcycle Parking: free parking inside the hotel 
  • Mode of payment: accepts cash, UPI, credit and debit cards 
  • Toilets for Customers: Available
  • Location: Ripple tea shop ‘chai break’, Kannan Devan Hills, Munnar, Kerala [Google Maps Link]

• Food Stops We Loved | Salem RR Biryani Palladam:
  • A must stop place for a biryani-lover on the Udumalpettai – Palladam road
  • Must Eat: Chicken Biryani, Tandoor Chicken Starters
  • Motorcycle Parking: free parking inside the hotel 
  • Mode of payment: accepts cash, UPI, credit and debit cards 
  • Toilets for Customers: Available
  • Location: Salem RR Biryani, Palladam, Tamil Nadu [Google Maps Link]

 Useful Information:

• Total Circuit Distance: 1,100 kms 
• Full Route:
  • Day 01: Bengaluru > Kanakapura > Chamarajanagar > Dhimbham Ghat > Annur > Pollachi > Valparai
  • Day 02: Valparai  > Malakkappara Check Post > Athirappilly
  • Day 03: Athirappilly > Malayattoor > Anachal > Munnar > Top Station > Vattavada
  • Day 04: Vattavada > Munnar > Marayoor > Udumalpettai > Palladam > Bengaluru
  • Click to View the Full Route on Google Maps
• Road & Route Condition:
  • Perfect for a super sport, fantastic tarmac all along
  • Ideal for Solo Riders, Women Riders and small groups of upto 4-6 motorcyclists
• Forest Checkpoints & Timings: This entire circuit has numerous national parks and forest-outpost checkpoints:
  • Stop at them + be courteous and co-operate with the forest officials.
  • When in doubt, enquire about the start-time & last-entry timings at the respective checkpoint.
  • Some of the forest checkpoints require buying a paid ticket for the transit of your vehicle + cameras.
  • DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS + LITTER THE FOREST.
• Premium Fuel Stations Enroute:
  • Plenty of IOC XP95 fuel bunks on the national, state highways and in major towns except Munnar
  • Use the IOC app to locate the XP95 outlet along the route
• Public Toilets: No designated public toilets are available enroute | recommend to find a hotel/cafe to use the restrooms.

Take it easy and relish the ride: Don’t get hustled, ride at your comfortable pace, take frequent breaks to sip lots of local-coolers, water, soak-in the views, cherish the time with your motorcycle group and enjoy the ride. 😇 

ALWAYS ON A MOTORCYCLE:

✅ Wear Full Riding Gear

✅ Be courteous, Respect the speed limits on public road/highways & Go Easy on the throttle while crossing a village

✅ Hammer the racetrack, pace the street

✅ DO NOT Litter, carry back your disposable bottles/snack wrappers etc.