1,000 km bike ride for perfect cuppa

Coffee and tea garden motorcycle ride

How far will you go for that perfect cuppa? How about 1,000 kms? It started with a casual conversation with my friend Arun Kottolli and avid biker himself. We had a long weekend with our independence day on August 15th 2025. We took one more day off and got Thursday to Sunday for 4 days circuit ride covering the major Coffee and Tea growing areas of three states of south india - Karnataka Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

We got much more than a good coffee and tea. We had a great time, travelling through misty mountains, majestic rivers, lush Paddy fields and Jungles where Tigers and Elephants freely roam.

I had the opportunity to test my new 35mm prime lens on my Sony Alpha camera. Shooting with a prime lens which lacks zoom, limits your composition and makes you zoom with your legs. But in return you get clearest pictures ever with sharpest details. You need to plan your shots on advance. I took most of my pics on the Sony Alpha with Prime and a few with my S24 Samsung phone. 

Day 1 Bangalore to Kalpetta 

We started at First we went to Madhya Ranganatha temple. Located in the picturesque region of Shivanasamudra, this Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple is undergoing renovation do we dud puja at the Bala-alayam. Then we went to T Narsipura Sangama where Kabini and Kaveri rivers meet. In my last trip i went to the Gunja Narasimha temple which i covered in a separate post.

Then we had lunch in Nanjangud a place renowned as Dakshina Kashi. The temple was closed by the time we went there. Then we briefly stopped at Kabini Dam.

We entered the picturesque Nagarhole Tiger and Elephant reserve. Now it started raining in the afternoon as it's monsoon time. Remember we are driving inside the jungle and there are hardly any good roads. It was full of potholes and personally the 45 min odd ride through the Jungles was both exhilarating for its scenic beauty and tiring for the toll it took while riding on the pot holes. Its a miracle I did not slip and fall on the slushy trail even once. 

Once we entered the forests there is no phone signal. We are riding blind through a single road where you see other cars and bikes going. My friend Arun, younger than me, was a much more experienced and faster rider. He crossed the kerala border earlier than me. He waited patiently till I caught up with him.

By that time, it was dark and raining heavily. We had to do another 35 kms up the mountains and it took almost 1.5 hours with oncoming traffic lights hindering our vision in rain soaked helmets. By the time we reached hotel it was almost 9pm after dinner. 

I have been riding from 5am to 9pm with 3 hours of breaks. That is almost 13 hours saddle time. The last 5 hours post Kabini Dam through Jungles, rains, darkness and bad roads was quite tough - and we survived without any major problems. I slept like a baby, dead tired from the ride. 

Day 2 Kalpetta to Coonoor 

The hotel we stayed, lush hills in Kalpetta, Wayanad was very beautiful. Thier infinity pool by the cliff and mountains amidst lush green vegetation is a sight to behold. I felt so good, I started singing a Tamil song, Sundari from Dalapathi movie. And the Malayali cook and waiters loved it. This song is quite popular in Kerala as their star Mamooty acted in this Tamil movie with Rajinikanth. My friend Arun shot the video. 

After a hearty breakfast of Kuzha Puttu and Konda Kadalai curry and a strong tea, we were ready for another long ride.

We rode from Kalpetta to Sultan Bathery. Whats a trip to Kerala without my favorite Tapioca chips and Tea? After that we had a long ride to Coonoor via Ooty via Gudalur.

The entire route is the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is India's first biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its 5500 square kms, located in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri ranges of South India, it spans parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. The reserve is renowned for its rich biodiversity, diverse ecosystems, and high concentration of endemic species. 

There is a documentary movie, released in all theaters in August 2025, called "Nilgiris A shared wilderness". Its a brilliant movie got an IMDB rating of 9 out of 10. We watched as family. I would recommend.

The entire belt is full of tea estates right up to Coonoor. The trip from Kerala to Tamil Nadu is breathtaking in beauty. 

Coonoor is a town established by the British and has many of thier quaint legacies. English style Cottages, Hotels and Bars, restaurants, railways etc. There is a Toy train which is still running on metre gauge and tickets are booked months in advance. It has the capacity to climb mountains. There is a bar called Gun Bar which has all old guns and a nice bar. Walwood Garden a 19th century Scottish general estate is converted into a boutique hotel now. 

Day 3, Coonoor to Yercaud 

Next day after breakfast we rode to Yercaud a distance of over 220kms cutting through nice asphalted roads of northwestern Tamil Nadu. I went via Mettupalayam and had nice juice at Palamuthir Nilayam. Mettupalayam is close to Coimbatore a city where I spent my teenage years in an engineering college. So always pleasant memories rush back when I go there. I love having local delicacies in Bakeries like Coconut Bun, Tapioca Chips, Fruit juices. 

Reached Yercaud settled in a nice room which overlooked the Salem town. The night view was mesmerizing. See pic.

Day 4, Yercaud to Bangalore 

Yercaud. This is the first time I'm going there. Yercaud is a hill station town close to the city of Salem in Tamil Nadu at about 5000 feet above sea level. It lies in the Shevaroy Hills, known for their orange groves, and coffee, fruit and spice plantations. Yercaud Lake has a boathouse, and is surrounded by gardens and woods. To the southwest, Lady’s Seat vantage point has a watchtower with a telescope. It has a beautiful area called Cauvery peak, which is about 15kms inside the mountains from main hill station. It has one of Indias oldest coffee estate (est 1867) doing every process from nursery bean to roasting coffee. I had the best coffee I ever had in a long time here. See pictures.

Then came the long ride back home. The distance was 220 kms. I thought like a "Blue sky rider" the sky will be blue, the roads will be wide and clear, and i can zip through at last. I had it right only for the first 100 kms.The last 120 kms was a wet monsoon ride in pouring rains. 

I underestimated the rains and only wore a rain coat on the top, assuming my riding jeans pant can take care of the rain. I was wrong. In just 20kms my pants were wet right till my under wear. And the next 100kms was not easy. And it was dark even at 5pm with monsoon clouds. 

I wanted to park my bike and book a room somewhere to stay there. But then I remembered the marathoners quote. "I do not stop when I am tired. I stop when I am done"

Finally reached home at 9.00pm fully drenched and tired. But extremely happy I did it. 

I must thank my friend Arun Kottolli who suggested this Coffee and Tea scenic route via Jungles for the ride. He was kind enough to wait for my slower pace through the four days of riding. We had some great conversations about Life Work Hobbies etc. 

Coffee and Tea are great, when you taste it, at thier source farms, freshly brewed. But what makes it spectacular is the company of a good friend like Arun. And I was blessed. Enjoy the pics.

Nash Narasimhan