Into The Motoverse - Goa Tour (South India)

Ten nights in Goa and Karnataka on a Royal Enfield, built around Motoverse, the festival formerly called Rider Mania and the largest motorcycle gathering in Asia.

Vagator opens it with a free arrival day, then the festival itself, which is a weekend of several thousand riders, stunt shows, live music and a great deal of noise beside the beach. The riding starts afterwards. Dandeli follows for the first views of the Western Ghats, in dense forest beside a large dam.

Badami comes next across Karnataka farmland, and the cave temples there are the first serious stop: sandstone halls cut into the cliff above the river in the sixth century and carved throughout. Hampi follows, which is the highlight of the route, former capital of the Vijayanagara empire and a UNESCO site, where several hundred temples and palaces stand among boulder fields, rice paddies and banana plantations. A full day covers it, starting at sunrise.

Gabadi follows on Deccan plateau roads past the Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, then Sagar on zigzag jungle tracks, with a lagoon ferry crossing and Jog Falls, the second highest waterfall in India, where the Sharavati drops in four separate streams. Palolem comes next with an optional off-road morning and the descent of the Sharavati valley to the Arabian Sea, then Old Panjim by way of a deserted beach and Cabo de Rama, a ruined Portuguese fort on a cliff above the water. Bike rental is included and the price is quoted per person. For anyone who wants the festival and the riding both, this is a neat way to get them in one trip.