We gathered together in January 2023 and rode through three states, Goa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This time of year is by far the best to ride in South India. The mornings and evenings were cool, even a little bit chilly. But the days were bright and warm and the sunshine accompanied us all the way. We stuck to the west coast for the first seven days as we traversed our way down through the stunningly beautiful Western Ghats Mountain range. Golden beaches, teak forests, tiger reserves, long stretches of unspoiled tarmac and sunsets over the Arabian Sea. We then rode east for the 700km long haul over the vast and desolate Deccan Plateau, all the way to India’s Grand Canyon. It’s one of the country’s best kept secrets and is situated at Gandikota on the Penna River. It’s a remote location and was hard to find again. We met no foreigners as this is a place that most Indians don’t even know about. It was a long and hot ride to get there, and those chilled beers and drinks tasted like never before. However, as we all sat around in the early morning with monkeys as our new friends, perched on the craggy rock formations, watching the sun come up, illuminating the vast canyon and river below us, it was so worth it. It was one of those ‘once in a lifetime moments’. I should also add that it was meant to be a rest day. However, not everyone agreed that waking up at 4.30am and heading out at 5am is restful. Getting back to the swimming pool and the pool side bar made up for it though. We were all well rested for the final part of the Grand Canyon India adventure. We rode off early the next morning, heading west, back across the vast Plateau towards the Arabian Sea. It was a never ending mixture of rural villages, ancient temples, tea plantations, palm trees, forests, incredible roads and people living the way they have for hundreds of years. This is the real South India that most travellers never get to see. Alex Pirie, Founder of Nomadic Knights