2 Day Guided Motorcycle Tour to Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram from Chennai

Day 1- Chennai - Pondicherry (200 kilometers / 124 miles)

A 3.5 hour ride will bring you to Pondicherry. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh is arguably the most famous citizen of Pondicherry. The tour of Pondicherry begins with a visit to his memorial at the Aurobindo Ashram.

Guests will get a brief experience of his life and times as well as his philosophy and revolutionary ideas. The memorial also has a section on Sri Aurobindo’s famous disciple Mirra Alfassa. It is the perfect place for meditation.

A French heritage walk is organized through the heart of the city where one can see glimpses of exquisite French style of architecture. This heritage walk will help you appreciate the French connection with Pondicherry.

You will also visit a unique factory which makes hand made paper in the next leg of this tour of Pondicherry. Sri Aurobindo Paper Factory started 50 years ago and makes paper from 100% cotton rag pulp. In this visit, you will experience how the paper is produced from cotton rags and then processed with techniques like silk screen printing and marbling.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an architectural wonder as well as a sacred pilgrimage point for Christians in Pondicherry. It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ and saints of the Catholic Church.

You will also visit the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. It is an imposing structure and serves as the cathedral mother church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. A walk through the famous Promenade of Pondicherry facing the lovely Bay of Bengal follows this.

Day 2- Auroville - Mahabalipuram - Chennai (200 kilometers / 124 miles)

You will travel to Auroville, the radical concept of a global village where thousands of people from across the world have given up their nationalities and are living as global citizens. Guests will also get to see the various ways in which its citizens practice sustainable way of life.

You will ride 95 kilometers from Auroville to Mahabalipuram. Panch Rathas, or the five chariots is your first destination. These are rock cut monolith temples structures dedicated to Draupadi and the five Pandavas from the epic Mahabharata.

You will visit Arjuna’s Penance, a 100 feet x 45 feet bas relief where an entire masterpiece from the Mahabharata epic has been carved. The next halt is at Krishna’s Butterball, a curious sight of a five meters diameter ball shaped boulder which is perched precariously on a slope and seems to defy Newton’s laws of gravity!

The magnificent Shore Temple beckons you. This 8th century structural temple is made of granite and served as a beacon for sea farers of the time.

The ride back to Chennai is over 75 kilometers and will take two hours. This is the end of the motorcycle tour from Chennai to Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram.

Motorcycle rentals

You will ride the legendary Royal Enfield Bullet Motorcycles (Classic and Thunderbird) during this tour. When it comes to stimulating all the senses, no other motorcycle comes even close to a Royal Enfield.

The Enfield journey began in 1890 in the UK at Redditch, Worcestershire. These motorcycles played a role in the world wars as well. Special models were built which had machine guns fitted into side cars for shooting at low flying aircrafts and with the ability to be dropped along with a parachute of airborne troops!

The Royal Enfield motorcycles have been selling in India ever since 1949 creating a record for the longest production run for a motorcycle. The legendary “thump” is a unique experience and makes for a memorable ride.

Possessed with a character, a world war era legacy, an old world charm and the legendary “thump”, Royal Enfield motorcycles are an ideal partner to undertake in this tour.

Support vehicle information

No support vehicle is provided for group size less than five. If there are five or more motorcycle riders then there will be a Mahindra van as a support vehicle.

Skill level

Intermediate:

• can ride for 3-4 hours
• average riding experience
• little assistance required
• comfortable with extreme curves and leans
• average experience with unsurfaced roads
• steep ascents and descents

Pondicherry is 150 kilometer north of the city of Chennai. It is famous for Aurobindo Ashram, which is dedicated to Sri Aurobindo Ghosh the philosopher and revolutionary, French heritage walk followed by French lunch, the lovely esplanade beside the Bay of Bengal, visit to a unique handmade paper factory and Auroville the global village.

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Breakfast and lunch are included in your package.

• 1 night accommodation
• Breakfast and lunch
• Royal Enfield Classic or Thunderbird motorcycle rentals
• Helmet and fuel
• Services of escort ride
• Tour guide
• Entrance charges

• Dinner
• Beverages
• Camera charges
• Insurance

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 25% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.