Goa, Jungle & Ancient Wonders (South India)

Nine nights in Goa and Karnataka on a Royal Enfield, covering the same ground as the operator’s festival trip without being tied to the festival dates, which means it runs through most of the year.

Old Panaji opens it with a free day, then Dandeli for the first sight of the Western Ghats, in dense forest beside a large dam. Badami follows across Karnataka farmland for the cave temples, sandstone halls cut into the cliff above the river in the sixth century with the carving still sharp on the pillars.

Hampi is the centre of the route and gets a full day, beginning at sunrise. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire, which at its height was among the largest cities in the world, and the remains are extraordinary: several hundred temples, palaces, markets and bathhouses scattered across a landscape of granite boulders, rice paddies and banana plantations, with the whole site UNESCO listed.

Gabadi follows on Deccan plateau roads past the Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, then Sagar on zigzag jungle tracks, with a lagoon ferry and Jog Falls, the second highest waterfall in India. Palolem comes next, with an optional off-road morning and the descent beside the Sharavati to the Arabian Sea, then Old Panjim by way of a deserted beach and Cabo de Rama, a ruined Portuguese fort on a clifftop. Bike rental is included and the price is quoted per person. Nine nights, good surfaces and a single UNESCO site worth the trip on its own make this the easiest introduction to riding in India that the operator offers.