This page was last updated Di 04 April 2023.

Contents: Tours (37)    Sites (1)    Cycling info pages (1)   

India (all)

This page lists all reports that for India including those that involve other countries too.
Click here for a list of reports that involve only India.
All descriptions are in English, unless otherwise noted.

Tours

Impressions from Bicycle Travels - Visual stories from around the globe.
by Photographer Paul Jeurissen & his partner Grace Johnson, tour started 2018, submitted 26 December 2018

In 2010 we set off on a multi-year bike trip covering 4 continents. Wherever we go, we search out bike culture, dramatic landscapes, and remote places.

So come pedal with us through the icy Himalayas, the barren Pamir highway, tropical East Africa and the chaos of Dhaka in search of unique cycling images.

Self portrait taken in Dali, China
Leh-Kargil & Leh-Manali
by Laia & Marc, tour started August 2017, submitted 7 April 2018
Asia: India
language: Catalan

Volem a Leh, capital del Ladakh tibetà, des d'allà pedalar fins a Kargil, en zona musulmana molt a prop amb la conflictiva frontera amb Pakistan. Tornem a Leh amb taxi i agafar les bicicletes altre cop per arribar a Manali creuant colls de més de 5000 metres d'alçada.

A journey from the Netherlands to Nepal
by Martin and Susanne, tour started February 2014, submitted 22 November 2013

We are embarking on a wonderful journey in February 2014. We will go through the most beautiful countries and meet the most joyful people. Follow us and share your ideas with us.

This is us on our way to the pyrenees, this was in the summer 2013 as a pre journey.
Manali - Leh - Nubra valley - Lamayuru - Kargil - Zanskar - Shrinagar - Jammu
by Michael Menshikov, tour started August 2012, submitted 11 May 2013
Asia: India
language: ru

It's econom, not very difficult, nice route with 6 passes more 5000-5300 m.

Route on map: http://www.bikemap.net/route/2035529

Road to Zanskar. Pass Pensi La, 4400 m. On pass good place for camping
We are two Indian cyclists rediscovering our own country through a 9000 km journey through the heart of India.
tour started August 2012, submitted 8 September 2012
Asia: India

Only accessible with a Facebook account

We are 2 Indians who have decided to hit the road on our cycles and rediscover our country slowly but surely. This is our first ever touring trip together and we ride into this quite unprepared, but we are learning with every hour that passes and we are loving it even more with every minute on the road. We have just about started and it has already been an overwhelming ride. With 5 months more to go, we can't wait to expect everything that road is going to spring upon us.

Overland touring
by Jacques & Mandy, tour started June 2012, submitted 8 June 2012

It's hard to describe the feeling when you're just about to start an extended overland trip - it's even harder to describe the feeling when that trip is about to end, but the end of one trip however means that you are that little bit closer to the beginning of the next adventure.

We completed our 1st overland trip after 545 days on the road, traveling just over 70,000km and crossing 35 countries.

Our 2nd trip was always going to happen, it was just a matter of deciding how, when and where and after a lot of deliberation we finally decided on the next adventure. Some people think it's a bit extreme when comparing it to our trip from Oz to Cape Town, but what would life really be like without a bit of adventure and challenges. After all, we are all here to live life...!

A bicycle! Yes, that's right, a bicycle!!

We are hoping to cover about 20,000 km over a planned 12 month period starting in Indonesia, heading north from there through SE Asia into southern China before making a u-turn to go south once again through Vietnam before hopping onto a plane to continue in India to finally reach Nepal.

Gobi, Mongolia
Two oldies going on a long bicycle ride
by Lynne Roberts, tour started July 2008, submitted 21 October 2011
language: English

Twenty years ago we cycled half way round the world, so we thought we'd better have another go before we get too old to do ANYTHING, let alone cycle!

So after 4 months in Europe (the training ground) we hit South India, then a quick hop over the ocean to South East Asia. When we were Asia'd out we decided to go to South America, via the UK (planning is NOT our forte). From Venezuela we headed south to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia from which we headed back up to Central America (remember what I said about planning?) to meet up with friends and family. This took approx 2 wonderful years. I wonder where we'll go next time?

Sunset, La Cruz, Costa Rica
A Bike Journey - London to Melbourne
by Freddie & Guy, tour started May 2010, submitted 3 November 2010
language: en, de

A Bike Journey follows our bicycle travels between London and Melbourne. Having lived in the UK for 6 years, we are now moving Down Under and have decided to go by bike! We left London in May 2010 and have so far cycled through Europe, Turkey and Iran. We are planning to continue our journey through India, South East Asia and Australia. We hope you enjoy following our tour.

Cycling through 47°C heat in Turkey
Cycling in India
by Paul Jeurissen & Grace Johnson, tour started 2010, submitted 16 July 2010
Asia: India
language: en, nl

Which country do we keep coming back to? India! For India's diverse people, landscapes and religions make it a fascinating land to bicycle through.

On our Cycling in India website we show what it's like to travel through this enormous country.

See all 4 reports by Paul Jeurissen & Grace Johnson

Cycling in South India
Tour of Gondwana
by Michael Ayers, tour started May 2005, submitted 20 January 2010

My goal for this Tour was to visit all of the major inhabited parts of the former supercontinent of Gondwana. Today, those places are mostly located in the Southern Hemisphere. Another aspect of my plan was to avoid long airplane trips by crossing oceans on container ships. That part of my Tour frequently caused problems, but I did hold fast to that idea, more or less. I traveled alone during 40 months and covered a little over 86,000 km by bike in 44 countries. My primary interest was the simple joy of cycling in new places, but I also concentrated on Natural History, Flora and Fauna, Ancient Sites and Diverse Cultures. My site contains sections describing Tour preparations, detailed logs, photos, posts written during the Tour, and a collection of essays written once it was complete.

Gyatso-La, at 5,220 meters, the highest pass of the Tour, in Tibet
nyffy.ch -- by-cycle to neverwhere
by Andy Nyffeler, tour started May 2009, submitted 19 November 2009
language: de

Meine erste grosse Radtour begann zu Hause und führte mich in Richtung Asien. Ich bin aber nicht der Typ, der für alles einen Plan hat. Ich lasse mich einfach dahintreiben, und finde Unterwegs immer wieder Ideen, wo ich gerade hin könnte. Häufig durch Jemanden, der gerade unterwegs ist, und mir von seinen Erlebnissen oder Plänen erzählt.

My Tour Logo
Cycling from Europe to Asia
by BikeBen, tour started May 2008, submitted 5 May 2009

``On a bicycle you are forced into intimate contact with your surroundings, the grass on the side of the road, the vehicles that drive past, the farmer in the field, that damn hill under your wells, the rain on your face, the smell of the wild flowers (or the broken sewerage pipe for that matter). This interaction gives a real sense of the place, the traffic tells you what kind of things are going on in the area, tourism, logging, farming, industry etc. The constant exposure to the weather gives an astute awareness of the day to day changes, or in the case of a strong head wind, any natural feature which will give some shelter . Hungry, thirsty and tired, a warm smile and a few words (or more often hand signals) is all it takes to find a place to pitch the tent for the night, on real ground with a newly gained sense of the place after a long day in the saddle''

With a focus on photography, this site will give the viewer a real sense of life on the road as a cycle tourist.

Travel towards the unknown, meet people, respect the Earth!
by Frederic Linget, tour started June 2008, submitted 13 March 2009
language: en, fr

An ``aventure bicyclétale'', it's a two-wheeled little miracle which combines discoveries around the world, respect of others and protection of the environment. So let's get in the saddle!

After 10 years in Asia, I've decided to go home, to Châteaudun in France. I left on Sunday the 29th of June 08 from Bangkok, I'm on my way.

Shanti Shanti - The Lonely Cyclist in India and Nepal
by Erik Nomden, tour started September 2008, submitted 28 February 2009
Asia: India, Nepal

The Old Jaipur Road is closed so we are forced to take the New Jaipur Road, which is an extraordinary busy highway. Luckily there is a service road which is much quieter. Cyclists, carriages with oxes and lots of walking people with loads of all kinds of luggage on their backs or on their heads: it is the really slow traffic that makes use of the two lane service road. In fact we are the fastest traffic on the service road. The highway itself is used by cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, scooters and taxis and has got a minimum of six lanes on both sides. I have never seen so much traffic in one view angle. Still the traffic does not look like a complete mess. There are no dangerous situations.

Our first kilometers in Delhi are but the first of an overload of experiences on our India - Nepal journey. We will be cycling two weeks in Rajasthan, then we will go by bus and train to Varanasi from where we will be cycling to Nepal to explore the Nepal Himalayas.

See all 19 reports by Erik Nomden

Friends on the way in Rajasthan
Granny Gear
by Tanya and Kelly, tour started November 2008, submitted 19 November 2008
Asia: India

The idea of freedom and not working is appealing to everyone. Tanya and I have quit our jobs and have left the country (our home, Canada) for a year. We are going to be riding our bicycles through many countries. Moving along at a slow pace, emerging ourselves in the culture. The only goal is to have a good time, not deal with schedules, or due dates and see a part of the world that has always intrigued us.

This is the journal of our travels.

the Title of the blog
Bike touring in Asia, South America, Africa and the rest of the world eventually
by Tony Woo, submitted 5 October 2008

I began my first bike tour in Asia. A few years after I went to South America for another tour. My latest tour was a year through Africa. I am back in Canada to make enough money for another tour, hopefully this one will last at least 6 years or more. I will have 3000+ photos when I am finish with my Asia section.

Entrance from the main road to Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas.
Dushanbe to Delhi, going lightweight
by Igor Kovse, tour started July 2008, submitted 20 August 2008

In the middle of the day I took refuge in the grove at the edge of the rice field. A couple of Pakistanis stopped their political debate, turned over to me and asked:

``What is the reason for your trip to Pakistan?''

``A mistake'', I replied.

See all 18 reports by Igor Kovse

On the Pamir Highway
Touring the world with Warren Music and Baba Spokie.
by Warren Music, tour started 2008, submitted 25 June 2008

Come see the adventures of Warren Music and Baba Spokie. Our website shows tours we have done in Asia and North / Central America. on bicycle. We have commentary, gear/kit analysis and recommendations and everything a bicycle tourist would like to read about.

Buffalo and Yaks everywhere in the streets of Manali
Bicycle World Tour
by Eric Wehrheim, tour started June 2005, submitted 18 January 2008
language: en, de, sp, ko

This is our second big trip with bicycle. It just started 1998 from Germany over Africa up to Asia with the destination South Korea (2000). Now, again on the road, we are travelling by bicycle in South America. We are since 06/2005 again on the road.

Dies ist nun schon unsere zweite grosse Radtour. Es begann 1998 in Deutschland mit dem Weg nach Suedkorea und einem Abstecher in Afrika. Nun, seit 06/2005, sind wir mit unseren Raedern in Suedamerika unterwegs.

See all 2 reports by Eric Wehrheim

Mun Suk & Eric with her bicycles
Cycling around Asia and Australia
by Linda Spadolini, tour started May 2004, submitted 24 October 2007
language: en, it

In May 2004, after having worked for 18 months in China, I decided to hit the road to fulfill my dream of a lifetime: to travel extensively in Asia and Oceania without the pressure of time and the necessity of airplane travel. My idea was to travel mostly overland and give myself enough time to get to know faraway countries and different cultures by living as close as possible to the local realities.

Having met Fred during my last months in China and finding his ``RTW by bicycle'' a very stimulating way of traveling, I planned my journey in such a way as to be able to join him in the Philippines and spend 6 months on the road with him. The experience was a success and when Fred took the road to Europe from India, I decided to continue traveling by bicycle on my own in South-East Asia and finally Australia.

See all 3 reports by Linda Spadolini

Cycling on the beach in Kerala, India
Planète.d - 2 French, a tandem, and a camera around the world
by Delphine Million & Damien Artero, tour started April 2006, submitted 21 October 2007
language: en, es, de, fr

Planète D. is our volunteering and filming world tour on the tandem bike. It's that simple.

We cycle.
We film, edit and share videos.
We volunteer for NGOs.

D1 and D2 on Buzzz
Round the World and other Tours
by Helen Cooney, tour started 2007, submitted 18 August 2007

Read about my adventures by bicycle around the world,taking in Europe, the Near East, India, South East Asia, Australasia, and the USA on Route 66.

For something a little less ambitious, I have prepared details of a three-week tour of the beautiful landscapes of central Portugal.

Or if you prefer a central base and some day rides, read about my routes on the Spanish island of Mallorca - a cyclist's paradise, with warm weather, flat hinterland, stunning mountain climbs, and huge ice-creams!

the Sinai desert, Egypt
Comm'on Life in Eurasia: 2 years of challenge and cultural discovery
by ELena Chernyshova and Gael de Crevoisier, tour started August 2006, submitted 18 July 2007
language: fr, ru, en

We are performing a 2 years (theoretically) trip around Eurasia. During the trip, we are performing a photo documentation for ICOMOS, an expert organization of UNESCO about cultural heritage. The database created will be available on the website.

We wish with this project to perform some challenging cycling, linking with useful actions.

Our website relates our diary and we are putting plenty of photos and comments (and lots of other fields are going to come, such as advices, technical data...).

Elena on bike, -12C Kazakstan, December 2006
wish tour (world bicycle tour) photos and stories from a bicycle tour around the world
by Rick Gunn, tour started July 2007, submitted 8 July 2007

Welcome to the Wish Tour!

Below you will find the photos and journal from a two-year, 20,000-mile bicycle journey around the world.

Starting in July 2005, this journal will take readers across the United States, Europe, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

The journey began more than 20 years ago, as the seeds of a dream to circumnavigate the globe were cultivated from a deeply personal and painful experience.

[Absolutely stunning pictures.]

Newlyweds Cycle the World!
by Sarah Erck and James Welle, tour started January 2007, submitted 22 April 2007

We are Sarah Erck and James Welle, two 27 year old ex-Microsoft employees who decided to get married, quit our jobs, sell all of our material possessions, and travel around the world on our bicycles for one year...or more!

It all began innocently enough in 2005 when Sarah's mom gave James the book Miles from Nowhere on his birthday. Sarah, being the bookworm that she is, read the book immediately and fell in love with the idea of riding a bicycle around the world. James was a little more reluctant at first; he was an avid cyclist but was worried about quitting his job and spending a lot of money on a trip like this. Sarah persisted and in the end she was able to convice James to take the plunge and in September of 2006 they decided to officially do the trip after James finished his work on Windows Vista. The fall of 2006 was spent furiously planning and preparing for our departure date of January 2007!

Cycling Home From Siberia
by Rob Lilwall, tour started 2006, submitted 23 January 2007

A 40,000 km. 3 year ride through 30 countries, from far eastern Russia (Siberia) in winter, to London England, via Australia. Trying to cover the whole route by bicycle and boat only. I have encountered plenty of good times and a few tough ones, noteably in Siberia (camping at minus forty), Papua New Guinea (pushing my bike down a beach as no roads) and Tibet (in winter).

In Siberia (2004)
Inner Asia Expedition
by Nathan Rutman, Alex Tilson, Doug Sage, tour started May 1995, submitted 8 January 2007

12 countries, 12,000 kilometers, five men and five bikes. This is the story of a remarkable bicycle journey across Asia nearly entirely by bicycle. At the time, we believed it to be geographically and politically, the most diverse summer ride the planet had to offer.

The website contains hundreds of high resolution photographs, extensive journals of each country and much advice on gear, immunizations, maps, routes and visas.

Doug Sage and Alex Tilson at Khunjerab Pass bordering China, Pakistan
Lightweight on Delhi - Manali - Leh - Kargil - Srinagar
by Igor Kovse, tour started August 2006, submitted 23 October 2006
Asia: India

I've cycled over a number of passes these few weeks, but if I will remember one, then it will be Zoji La. It stands between Alpine-like valleys near Sonamarg and more rugged mountain ranges of upper Kashmir. The road is cut into a steep mountain slope and it seems it's a one-way road. As a cyclist I was allowed to go in the wrong dirrection. Before that, going up to the summit, I had a sur-realistic encounter with incredible number of trucks (at least 200) that were descending the pass practicaly bumper-to-bumber. With dirt road and the headwind it ment cycling in constant dust and exhaust fumes. By the time all the trucks passed I was as white as a baker after a night's shift.

See all 18 reports by Igor Kovse

Rhotang La
LADAKH: avventure sulla strada tra Manali e Leh
by Ambrogio D'Adda, tour started May 2003, submitted 26 August 2006
Asia: India
language: it

Questa volta dobbiamo ringraziare la perseveranza e la volonta` di Pierangelo che ci ha spinti e motivati nell'affrontare questa avventura.

Erano circa due anni che ci provava ed anche se non abbiamo fatto proprio quello che si era programmato all'inizio, siamo stati sul passo carrozzabile piu' alto del mondo (forse) ed abbiamo scorazzato per dieci giorni tra le montagne piu` alte del nostro globo.

See all 5 reports by Ambrogio D'Adda

The Wheel of Life
by Erik Nomden, tour started August 2005, submitted 24 April 2006
Asia: India

``What road? There is no road. Just stones and rocks and rivers flowing over what is supposed to be the road. You cannot cycle there. Still there are some who try.

I do not know how, but they do. But it is impossible.'' An old English traveller tells about the road from Keylong to the Baralacha La. ``But I do not want to discourage you.''

We have cycled six weeks in the Indian Himalayas through Sikh, Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist country. We had to cross some of the highest cols of the world (5.000 m plus) to reach the stunning Ladakh, Nubra, Lahaul & Spiti valleys.

See all 19 reports by Erik Nomden

Dhankar Monastery, Spiti Valley, Indian Himalayas
Brink Expedition
by Kendon Glass, tour started October 2002, submitted 26 February 2006

The Route:

Americas: Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
Atlantic Traverse: Azores Islands [Portugal]
Europe: Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey
The Middle East: Iran
Central Asia: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, India
South East Asia: Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
Australasia: Australia

Welcome to the Brink Expedition!

Imagine attempting a global traverse that would take you 50,000 kilometres through some of the most difficult terrain and extreme weather on the planet, all the time attempting to use only human power and the natural elements.

Starting deep in the heart of Amazonian South America the Brink Expedition will encounter unforgiving Patagonian winds, snowed over Himalayan Mountain passes, monsoons on the sub-continent and the oppressive heat of Australia's Red Centre.

So while the clock ticks, the seasons will turn, making this a full-throttled Race Against the Elements!

16,500 miles and thirteen months cycling from the United Kingdom to Beijing
by Christopher J.A. Smith, tour started May 2000, submitted 22 February 2006

This website accompanies the book ``Why Don't You Fly?'' (ISBN 1-905203-25-X published by Pen Press).

How does it feel to trade comfort and security for life as a nomad and to pare one's life down to the bare necessities? What is it like to push at the frontiers of one's physical and mental endurance?

``Why Don't You Fly?'' is the account of an epic adventure in search of an elusive sense of identity in which triumph, disappointment, discomfort, exhaustion and exhilaration all trade positions against a backdrop of prodigious physical endeavour. During a gruelling 16,500-mile examination of physical and mental stamina the author ate and drank in roadside cafés in the company of inquisitive lorry drivers and shared dormitories in remote Chinese villages with fascinated farm hands and gleeful mosquitoes. Sceptical western existentialism met religious fatalism in the restaurants and teahouses of the Middle East and India in the course of a physical and spiritual journey that constantly raised questions about the attitudes and values that prevail in the West.

The Website includes a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of the book, a sample chapter and 93 photographs.

Biking in the Himalaya
by Per Löwdin and Elisabeth Löwdin, tour started July 1999, submitted 21 February 2006
Asia: India

Travelogue of a 2700 km journey in Himalachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Nubra and Rupshu. The route was consistently on altitudes higher than 3000 metres, crossing Lachalung La 5065 m, Taglang La 5360 m, Khardong La 5603 m, Chang La 5519 m, Kiagar La 5000+ m, and Polakongka La 5115 m. Some of the passes were passed twice, as it was not possible to do a loop.

Five continents on the bike 2001-2006
by rolmaatjes, tour started August 2001, submitted 8 October 2005
language: nl

In 2001 vanuit Nederland vertrokken en nu okt 2005 meer dan 65.000 km en al meer dan 40 landen doorgefietst.

Op de achtergrond het beroemde operagebouw in Sydney
Nederland Azie op die fiets
by Jurgen en Saskia, tour started September 2001
language: nl

Ja, hebben jullie het al gezien, we zijn meer dan 4 jaar onderweg. Wat een tijd en toch.... we genieten er nog elke dag van. Nu zijn we in Jujuy, noord Argentinië. Via Chili gaan we binnenkort naar Bolivia, waar we een tijdlang niet zullen kunnen internetten. We zullen op grote hoogte gaan fietsen, hoogtes waar we nog niet eerder waren. Of dat prettig is.. jullie zullen het later lezen.

tallabomba's Europe to Asia by Bike
by Tom ``tallabomba'' Hermansson Snickars, tour started 1998

In the fall of 1998 I set off on a long journey by bike. It covered more than 15000 kilometers and 14 countries. During this trip I was hit by rocks and cars, I was baked, soaked, and deep frozen by the weather gods. Mostly, however, I had a superb opportunity to see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, meet wonderful people and enjoy the culture of widely differing lands. This site is about my bike trip from Sweden to South-East Asia via Eastern Europe, The Middle East, Pakistan, China, and Tibet. It also contains general information and links on bicycle touring and travelling in general.

Cycling around the world, 36000km
language: en, nl

A trip from the Netherlands to the USA - over Asia and Australia. The European part goes through Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Leaving home for a trip like this is not something one does from one day to the other. Along the way I joked often, saying: ``Yeah, one night I went out, got pissed and I am still trying to find my way home.'' In truth I had no foreign experience; well, none on my own. I had never been to an embassy before, I knew nothing about what's out there. Still I wanted to go, and with some hard work I managed to get my trip sponsored too! Getting ready to leave is always something special. Packing for a holiday, going out for a long weekend... Packing for a trip is even more emotional. Because I wasn't only packing my bags, I was packing all my belongings. Most of them went to storage, some of them into my bags. And with what I packed in my bags that 31st of may 1998, I lived for almost 3 years. What an adventure I was heading forward to... What a story you are about to read!

a private goodbye concert by the local brass band

Sites

Fahrrad-Reiseberichte
by Dietmar Jaeger
language: de

An enormous collection of bicycle tours all over the world.
Eine enorme Sammlung von Fahrradtouren in der ganzen Welt.

Cycling info pages

Bicycles - World's Most Efficient Means of Transport
by Hostelio, , submitted 2 September 2009

Man on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. He carries one gram of his weight over a kilometer of flat road at an expense of only 0.15 calories. The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man's metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion. Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well. [...]

Bicycles are not only thermodynamically efficient, they are also cheap. With his much lower salary, the Chinese acquires his durable bicycle in a fraction of the working hours an American devotes to the purchase of his obsolescent car. The cost of public utilities needed to facilitate bicycle traffic versus the price of an infrastructure tailored to high speeds is proportionately even less than the price differential of the vehicles used in the two systems. In the bicycle system, engineered roads are necessary only at certain points of dense traffic, and people who live far from the surfaced path are not thereby automatically isolated as they would be if they depended on cars or trains. The bicycle has extended man's radius without shunting him onto roads he cannot walk. Where he cannot ride his bike, he can usually push it.

The bicycle also uses little space. Eighteen bikes can be parked in the place of one car, thirty of them can move along in the space devoured by a single automobile. It takes three lanes of a given size to move 40,000 people across a bridge in one hour by using automated trains, four to move them on buses, twelve to move them in their cars, and only two lanes for them to pedal across on bicycles. Of all these vehicles, only the bicycle really allows people to go from door to door without walking. The cyclist can reach new destinations of his choice without his tool creating new locations from which he is barred. [...]