Pondicherry & Mahabalipuram
An ancient Indian Sea Port & French Settlement
A 2 day ride from Chennai on a Royal Enfield Motorcycle takes us to Pondicherry to experience spirituality and French heritage. Experience includes world heritage site of Mahabalipuram, an 8th century rock cut sculpture paradise which served as a Sea Port.
Previous
Next
World Heritage Site
Ride to Mahabalipuram, with spectacular rock cut temples and sculptures from the 8th century. Includes a visit to unique global village of Auroville and French heritage experience at Pondicherry
Escort Rider
The Motorcycle tour from Chennai to Pondicherry & Mahabalipuram is led by a cultural evangelist who will also be the escort rider. While riding he will ensure a safe navigation through the Indian traffic. He will also ensure an immersive cultural experience of South India through this ride.
Royal Enfield Motorcycle
The Motorcycle tour from Chennai to Pondicherry & Mahabalipuram is organised on the legendary Royal Enfield Motorcycles. When it comes to stimulating all the senses, no other motorcycle comes even close to a Royal Enfield with its legendary thump..
All inclusive tour
We take care of all arrangements including transport, accommodation and guide so you can forget about logistics and just enjoy the Motorcycle tour from Chennai to Pondicherry & Mahabalipuram.
Does a Motorcycle tour from Chennai Sound like fun?
Pricing Chart
2 riders
Twin sharing
$320/person
- Royal Enfield Motorcycle
- Escort rider/guide
- 1 nights stay in Hotel with breakfast
- Entrance charges
1 rider+1 pillion
Twin sharing
$250/person
- Royal Enfield Motorcycle
- Escort rider/guide
- 1 nights stay in Hotel with breakfast
- Entrance charges
1 rider
Single occupancy
$490/person
- Royal Enfield Motorcycle
- Escort rider/guide
- 1 nights stay in Hotel with breakfast
- Entrance charges
Trip Itinerary
We will cover Pondicherry & Mahabalipuram over 2 days of riding a Royal Enflield Motorcycle from Chennai.
Day 1- Chennai - Pondicherry (160 KMs)
A 3.5 hour ride will bring us 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.
French Heritage
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.
Handmade Paper Factory
We 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 guests will experience how the paper is produced from cotton rags and then processed with techniques like silk screen printing and marbling.
Churches of Pondicherry
Basilica of 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.
We will also visit Immaculate Conception Cathedral. It is an imposing structure and serves as the cathedral mother church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore.
Beach walk
A walk through the famous promenade of Pondicherry facing the lovely Bay of Bengal follows this.
Day 2- Auroville
We 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.
Mahabalipuram
We ride 95 KM from Auroville to Mahabalipuram.
Panch Rathas, or the 5 chariots is our first destination. These are rock cut monolith temples structures dedicated to Draupadi and the 5 Pandavas from the epic Mahabharata.
We 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 5 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 us. This 8th century structural temple is made of granite and served as a beacon for sea farers of the time.
Chennai
The ride back to Chennai over 75 KM will take 2 hours. End of Motorcycle tour from Chennai to Pondicherry & Mahabalipuram
The 5senses Royal Enfield tour is the perfect way to spend a day when in Chennai.
We were met at our hotel by a VJ, an experienced rider who showed great passion for bikes, especially Royal Enfields. With with both bikes and equipment ready to go we started off riding south along the coast to Mahabalipuram, which is approximately 60km away. Initially the traffic was heavy, which provided challenging riding but also gave us the opportunity to see the local Chennai Lifestyle. As we exited the city the road opened up and we cruised the rest of the way down taking in the coastal views while listening to the sensational roar of VJ’s bike.
As we arrived in Mahabalipuram we were met by a private tour guide who walked us through the monuments and monolithic sculptures.
After the tour was finished we headed down to the beach for some lunch at the Sea Shore restaurant. The food was fresh and super tasty and the beer cold. We were told the fish was caught that day by one of the many fishing boats pulled up on the shoreline which was a sight to see in itself.
On the way back to Chennai we requested to stop at the Royal Enfield store and the family owned Workshop where we were shown around some of the bikes that were receiving performance tuning by the specialised mechanics.
All in all this tour was a great day out and I would highly recommend it to anyone in Chennai looking to get away for the day. VJ and his staff are super friendly and go the extra mile to provide an incredible experience.
Sally
Doctor
From Chennai, we booked a 1 day motorbike tour to visit Mahabalipuram. We were just two of us with Rajay, our guide for the day; Early Pick up, at our hotel, motor was waiting for us (great service), cool drive in the morning on a 350cc very pleasant and confortable Royal Enfield. A delicious breakfast in a true Indian hype place and we visited two places during the day : a "rebuild village" illustrating the different area of Tamul Nadu (lot of Indians visiting, great place to go; interesting historical perspective) and the famous Mahabalipuram. 5sensestour booked a private guide for the site which is very convenient and valuable.
5Senses Tours care for eveything during the day, we just relax and enjoyed. Delicious sea food for lunch along the beach.
Definitively a best partner if you want to visit Chennai in optimal conditions, enjoyed great Indian food, meet true Indians and... ride a Royal Enfield. Colorful and living experience.
Ben
Software Consultant
Leave a Reply