On Expedition | Tandem Cycling Tour in the Nilgiris

On expedition on a tandem cycling tour in the Nilgiris mountains with Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF). Mysuru to Mysuru via Kushalnagar – Gonnikopal –  Mananthvady – Sultan Bathery – Gudalur – Ooty – Gudalur – Gundlupet – Mysuru.

Lush greens that stay this way all year round. It is so important to observe the surroundings as a route planner. The cycling can become less taxing and so much more enjoyable when such sights give you company. The Coorg and the Nilgiri region has one of the most beautiful roads in the world. Going through the tea estates around Gudaloor on our way to Ooty or Uudhagamandalam. On both ways crossing from Ooty to Conoor and back it rained. Apparently it rains most days and the weather is deliciously chilly.

Canopies of bamboo greet us on the road down to Mudumalai National Park. This same forest area is called Mudumalai in Tamilnadu and Bandipur in Karnataka. I love passing under these canopies be it on walking trails or on roads. They lead to wonderlands on the other side. More often than not, you are treated to magnificent landscapes, or the open sky or a huge lake right after passing through dense foliage.

The play of sunlight with the shadow. The dark and the light.

Much like the the cyclists and their cycles. Some fast, some slow, some methodical, some spontaneous, some disabled, some abled.

The road is open for all those who choose to ride on it. One rotation of the pedal after another. Your ability is only in that you are in the saddle, pedaling. Nothing matters except what is between your ears.

Observations and photos while on recce for planning a cycling expedition in the Nilgiris region and also during the actual expedition that took place in January 2019. Read about our other Tandem Cycling expedition M2K here.