Temple Caves & City Lights

Pedaling south out of Udaipur, the cyclists will spend a decadent night in Dungarpur at the Udai Bilas Palace before crossing into Madhya Pradesh and through some undiscovered areas: smoky towns distinguished by their lack of noise, save curious murmurs from children, the rhythmic slap of a woman washing laundry against a stone, and the plod, jingle and rattle of the ox drawn cart. At times these villages will give way to scenes of severe austerity, rocky hills hosting little more than dry scrub and grass.

Riders will be treated to 3 spectacular rest days: Mandu - a city of remarkable splendour, with sprawling palaces, elegant mosques and impressive forts, all guarded by a series of stone turrets and gates; Ajanta - a series of caves set along a U-shaped river gorge featuring incredible Buddhist religious art; and Ellora - Hindu, Jain, Buddhist temples and monasteries cut out of of the Charanandri Hills.

The Hippie Trail then heads west, pausing in the popular hill station of Matheran where riders can gaze out over the plains of Maharashtra before spinning down towards the Arabian Sea. The section ends with a gorgeous ferry ride across the water to the formidable Gateway of India and the country's commercial and entertainment hub, Mumbai.

Highlights

• Ruins of Mandu
• Cycling The Backroads of Rural Madhya Pradesh
• Temple Caves of Ellora & Ajanta
• Mumbai's Iconic Gateway of India