K2K ON MY BICYCLE

Kashmir to Kanyakumari

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@ARJUN.MARK |@MARK.ARJUN

MY EXPERIENCE CYCLING SOLO FROM KASHMIR TO KANYAKUMARI.

Hi, I'm Arjun Mark, and I successfully finished cycling solo from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, also known as K2K. The sole reason to create this blog is to share with anyone who is planning a K2K and want an overall insight to the route, itinerary, stays, challenges, equipment, safety, what to expect, and a day by day breakdown to help plan their route.

I am not a pro cyclist, but my love for adventure and the outdoors made me take on this challenge purely for fun, of-course after months of meticulous planning and some training beforehand.

I am going to keep this blog very short, informative and discuss only what’s essential.

My itinerary was personalised for me. However, you can adjust it to suit your own endurance, preference, purpose, schedule, budget and lifestyle.

Everything I’ve shared here is based solely on my personal views and experience and they aren’t really recommendations.

I had my vehicle follow me at a 20min proximity for any en-route emergencies or assistance.

Distance covered - 3,600 Kms

No. of days - 27 cycling days + rest days

Bicycle: Trek 520

So…Here we go!

Day 1

SRINAGAR TO BANIHAL

JKTDC, Tourist Bungalow Banihal - Hotel Highway Udhampur, Udhampur - 90km

This is quite an easy ride. Excellent roads with average traffic. There are army and fleets of army trucks all along the way. Thrilling to see them all along.

You will come across an 8km long tunnel where cyclists aren’t allowed. So you might have to hitchhike on the truck, take an alternate route, or carry it on your own support vehicle if you have one. Don’t sneak into the tunnel even if you had the chance as it could be dangerous.

JKTDC is a fairly decent place to halt. Very basic, but enough.

Day 2

BANIHAL TO UDAMPUR

JKTDC, Tourist Bungalow Banihal - Hotel Highway Udhampur, Udhampur - 90km

The initial 25km is an absolute breeze with a lot of downhill. Post this stretch its mostly climbing, more harder climbing with downhills on and off.

Will will come across a couple of short tunnels that you can ride thru easily. However, there is a 9km tunnel in this route as well. This is a narrow tunnel and advise not to ride thru this tunnel has its potential dangers on a bicycle. Better to hitchhike your bicycle or take an alternate route if you find one.

Post this tunnel the ride is quite easy with a little bit of uphill but mostly downhill and enjoyable until the end of the ride.

Day 3

UDAMPUR TO PATHANKOT

Hotel Highway Udhampur, Udhampur - Kay Kay Resort, NH 44, Surajpur Jikkla, Himachal Pradesh , Pathankot - 142km

The first half is a very pleasurable ride thru the wilderness and downhill twisties. You can reach incredibly high speeds here, making it an exhilarating experience! Take advantage of the scenic ride and take a lot of pictures because this will be the last leg of the ghats.

The second half is thru the highway. You can do good speed.

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Day 4

PATHANKOT TO PHAGWARA

Kay Kay Resort, NH 44, Surajpur Jikkla, Himachal Pradesh , Pathankot - The Imperial Poonam Hotel, Phagwara - 124km

Durning December, you will ride thru mist throughout the day. It’s very enjoyable and absolute straight roads. The entire route is thru the highway. Easy and enjoyable. Enjoy the loud Jhatt punjabi music in hundred’s of tractors all along the way if you happen to be riding around this time of year!

Day 5

PHAGWARA TO AMBALA

The Imperial Poonam Hotel, Phagwara - Hotel Golden Orchid, Kalka chownk, New Vita Enclave Rd, Ambala - 146km

If you start early before sunrise during winter months, the fog is intense. You can barely see beyond 10 meters(not exaggerating), but thats makes it very pleasurable to ride. Its entirety flat roads on the highway but come by a lot traffic after a couple of hours of riding.

The good part is that from Phagwara, a service lane starts and you can take advantage of this lane most of the travel route. It was well maintained. This road will be a pleasent contrast to the earlier days to that of the traffic on the main highway.

To be honest, its just monotonous pedalling all the way after a couple o hours of riding in the fog.

Day 6

AMBALA TO PANIPAT

Hotel Golden Orchid, Kalka chownk, New Vita Enclave Rd, Ambala - HOTEL HIVE PANIPAT, Opp. Pillar No.41, Grand Trunk Rd, Panipat - 117km

I liked to start early, as I loved riding in the fog end of the year. Great weather to ride. Straight roads, and lots of traffic! But again, you can stick to the service lanes 80% of the time as it’s well maintained. Play some music on your headphones to replace the traffic sounds and you’ll reach in a breeze!

PANIPAT TO DELHI/NOIDA

HOTEL HIVE PANIPAT, Opp. Pillar No.41, Grand Trunk Rd, Panipat - Radisson Blu Hotel, Noida - 148km

It was a pleasure to ride. Lot of fog, great weather and well maintained service lane all along the way for a super safe ride.

Once you enter Delhi, the traffic and the pollution on the road gets horrible. Wear a face make if you have to.

Day 7

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Day 8

DELHI/NOIDA TO AGRA

Radisson Blu Hotel, Noida - Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, Agra (Via. Yamuna ExpressWay) - 184km

Take the service road of Yamuna Expressway(adjutant to it) as the security may-not allow bicycles to pass thru the ‘first toll’ at noida, all other tolls they were chill. The service lane seemed more like a private road all to myself. No traffic at all. Once you reach ____ you need to get on the expressway somehow or sneak your way onto the expressway.

I was able to sneak in my bicycle from the service lane hiking a small bund onto the Expressway roughly after 10km as the service lane comes to a deserted end.

Every other toll post that there seemed friendly to bicycles. It seems like the highway patrol only stop the cyclists on the first toll to filter traffic to a certain extent.

The ride gets a lot more interesting once you are in the expressway. It’s just amazing super flat and inspecable tarmac throughout the way. There are no trucks during the day as they aren’t allowed, you have an extra large lane for two wheelers that you can use.

By far, I found the expressway the safest stress free stretch in the entire K2K.

AGRA TO GWALIOR

Taj Hotel & Convention Centre, Agra (Via. Yamuna ExpressWay) - AnandMai Ghar, 01 - 02, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh - 127km

This is a rather an easy ride. Just ride thru straight roads. Looks out for stupid dumb bikes and cars randomly trying to kill you from all directions. it’s like you are playing Carageddon on your Xbox. Anyways, jokes apart, you need to be careful on this stretch.

Here you will start from UP, enter Rajasthan for a little bit and enter MP. So you cover three states in the same day.

One common thing, across all three states were the cow dung drying all along the road side. In Rajasthan it was vertically placed, and others states it was placed flat.

Day 9

Day10

GWALIOR TO JHANSI

AnandMai Ghar, 01 - 02, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh - Lemon Tree Hotel, Railway Station Road, Jhansi - 101km

Easy riding. Lots of spitting by people on the road! The entire shoulder is full of spit and tackling that is a game by itself that keeps you occupied.

Jhansi is a much better town to enter unlike Gwalior. You will also notice a change of climate…a bit warmer.

Btw, this ride was a really boring one.

Day11

JHANSI TO LALITPUR
(SAGAR BYPASS)

Lemon Tree Hotel, Railway Station Road, Jhansi - Hotel Aryan Inn, Sagar Bypass Road, Gram, Chandera, Uttar Pradesh - 97km

Started off when it was drizzling, nice and easy ride. Not too much traffic. Lots of fog. You will ride past a long bridge with a breathing view of a massively wide river and a scenic reservoir. The dried cow dung display still continues.

You will see dead cows everywhere along the highway hit by speeding vehicles. It kinda gets sicking beyond a point.

Hotel Aryan Inn, Sagar Bypass Road, Gram, Chandera, Uttar Pradesh - Hotel Deepali, Semrabag, Madhya Pradesh - 114km

LALITPUR(SAGAR BYPASS) TO SAGAR

This was a good ride but after so many days riding, today was exceptionally no motivation and bored and was painful as hell. Well, I guess that’s k2k for you.

Quality of roads are good, however with even more dead cows.

There are gradual long patches of climbs. Traffic isn’t too much. ..And I haven’t yet seen the sun since I started from Kashmir!

Music and podcasts kept me going.

I took a couple of days off from riding once I reached Sagar to get over extreme mental mind*&%@, mental fatigue, traffic noise and riding solo. Physical I was perfectly fine.

Day12

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Hotel Deepali, Semrabag, Madhya Pradesh - Jalsa Garden Restaurant & Resort, Mungwani - 168km

SAGAR TO MUNGWANI

The weather has gotten warmer comparatively. I’m able to see the sun for the very first time in the entire ride!

Traffic is low, and the roads are good. It’s a peaceful yet a damn boring ride. Crossed thru River Narmada, the view is quite impressive from the bridge.

For some weird reason, most people on this road are fascinated about your blinking headlights and keep gesturing that your lights are on, and that you need to turn it off!

Day13

Jalsa Garden Restaurant & Resort, Mungwani - Rukhad Jungle Camp, Pench - 121km

MUNGWANI TO RUKHAD

From here the road becomes scenic. Very enjoyable unlike yesterday’s boring ride. You will find forests on either sides. The roads were excellent with hardly any traffic. The sun becomes harder and the temperature much hotter.

There are several gradual yet lengthy climbs and gradual descends.

For some strange reason, I found broken glass all over the shoulder throughout the stretch. Never seen so much glass on any other road ever! This road had the least traffic but the most number of car and truck accidents.

I had a bad stomach flu, so couldn’t eat to fuel myself. Hence I bonked and had to hitchhike from half way thru. Shit happens!!

This place I stayed at Rukhad was excellent, well tucked inside the tiger reserve overlooking a lake.

Day14

Day15

Rukhad Jungle Camp, Pench - Regenta Central Hotel, Nagpur - 108km

RUKHAD TO NAGPUR

At daybreak, I walked upto the lake that was just outside my cottage to spend sometime. As I walked back, I spotted a tiger just 50m away. Encountering a tiger in the wild when on foot was a spine-chilling experience. It had been obviously watching me all along. I realised then, I could've been its breakfast!

The encounter was truly unbelievable and stands out as one of the most breathtaking highlights of my K2K ride.

I’d rate this stretch of road as one of the best as it was scenic and had forests either sides of the road similar to yesterday’s, however this is even more enjoyable as you will be climbing downhill quite a distance.

Today was my fastest 100km. If you love wildlife and wilderness, you will enjoy this.

This stretch has a very lengthy elevated road as It cuts across the Pench forest reserve, to facilitate the wildlife to walk across underneath without any traffic or human hinderance. A considerable distance will be covered on this elevated road.

Regenta Central Hotel, Nagpur - Hotel Sai Panchvati, Adilabad - 197km

NAGPUR TO ADILABAD

The weather got pretty hot! This road is flat, except of a small patch where you need to do a gradual yet lengthy climbs, however can do good speed almost throughout the ride. However, I must admit this ride is boring as hell. Just traffic, heat and zero scenery. Kinda a punishment ride.

Day16

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Hotel Sai Panchvati, Adilabad - Middle of Nowhere - 235km

ADILABAD TO MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

Firstly, this painful 235km took me an unrealistic 19hrs with my loaded pannier bags. Dont even try this if you are carrying weight and riding a heavy bike, because this 235km stretch is disguised with multiple lengthy accents. I did this for a personal record and a high..well, also because I’m mad. Please halt en-route somewhere near Nizamabad and continue to Hyderabad.

Overall, the scenery and road quality was decent with very interesting patches of reserve forest in between.

Day17

16-Jan - Middle of Nowhere - Hyderabad - 75km

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE TO HYDERABAD

I couldn’t find any place to halt. The place was in the midst of forests, unsafe with wildlife, it was past 2:00AM and I almost fainted.

I enjoyed a free ride to Hyderabad city after a painful yet personally satisfying 19hrs of continuous pushing till failure. I felt I deserved this hitchhike.

Day18

Middle of Nowhere - Hyderabad - 75km

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE TO HYDERABAD

I couldn’t find any place to halt. The place was in the midst of forests, unsafe with wildlife, it was past 2:00AM and I almost fainted.

I enjoyed a free ride to Hyderabad city after a painful yet personally satisfying 19hrs of continuous pushing till failure. I felt I deserved this hitchhike.

Day18

Hyderabad - Hotel NBR, Sankalamaddi Village, Telangana - 100km

HYDERABAD TO SANKALAMADDI VILLAGE

This ride was very easy. Great roads and can do good speed. But by now my brain is totally fried. Zero motivation and I’m starting to wonder why am I putting myself thru this extreme pain. Mentally fully drained and now I just want to get this trip done as soon as possible and get back home as giving up isn’t an option. So many days of monotonous riding, traffic, heat, physical and mental fatigue is really getting me.

Day19

Hotel NBR, Sankalamaddi Village, Telangana - Hotel DVR Mansion, Kurnool - 102km

SANKALAMADDI VILLAGE TO KURNOOL

Easy ride. Great roads, however monotonous. It’s only been an absolute test of mental exhaustion more than anything else. After so many days of riding I am already at my prime fitness, however, the mental exhaustion and discomfort really gets on. This last leg of the journey is going to be difficult than all the other days. Pushing beyond 100km gets too boring and painful mentally. Anyways, what it is is what it is. So need to just hang on and carry on.

Day20

Hotel DVR Mansion, Kurnool - Neem Tree Hotel, Anantapur - 150km

KURNOOL TO ANANTAPUR

Great roads however several lengthy gradual assents will eat away time and energy, of-course not to mention the blazing sun. Since yesterday it has been the ultimate mental fatigue test. The landscape is quite scenic thou. The only thing I look forward to is the good food along the way. By now I’m totally totally brain fried. Just want to get done with this.

Day21

Neem Tree Hotel, Anantapur - Hoskote, Karnataka - 201km

ANANTAPUR TO HOSKOTE

This for me was an 18hr ride with several breaks as the heat was too much. Most of the route has gradual yet lengthy climbs but with excellent roads. It was very difficult for me but I had to make it no matter what. A giving up mentally really sets in because of the mental and physical fatigue especially due to the heat. Nothing was working my way in my favour today. Uphill throughout, to add to that, there was heavy head wind, and then to make things more difficult was the blazing sun and dry heat. Traffic was another horrible thing as I got closer to Bangalore.

I bumped into this guy who is popularly known as “The bicycle man of india”. My encounter with the first k2k cyclist on the trip, and so was his. We rode together for a while.

I saw a python along side of the road. Someone had killed it for no apparent reason.

Day22

Day23

Grand Continent, Hosur - Radisson, Salem - 157km

HOSUR TO SALEM

This is probably the most easy road because there are only downhills that can be enjoyed throughout the route . But ironically this was one of the most painful as by now my body and mind has almost shut down due to extreme fatigue as I’ve not taken a break over the last 600km. Every pedal is a hell of a task. Extreme discomfort and pain.

The road beyond 80km from Hosur becomes narrow. There are only two lanes and a very small shoulder, unlike every other road in the NH44 had three lanes and a wide shoulder. I was unlucky as many parts of the roads were under repair work(for a fact I have know these roads are forever under repair because of the heavy traffic). The traffic is high and terrible, drivers are even worse. Moreover the traffic noise and the anxiety on this road is mentally draining as trucks are just two feet away speeding. I found this road “extremely dangerous” and scary post 80km from Hosur, and got really bad just before Salem.

I did not want to finish the last bit near Salem on the bike. I feel it’s better to hitch hike this small bit than to be a road kill. I wanted to reach Kanyakumari and not Hell! Please use extreme caution on the last bit just before Salem or even maybe some lengthy ‘under construction’ road patches. If you find the traffic threatening, hitchhike it. It isn’t worth your life. This was the worst road and drivers in the entire K2K.

Day24

Radisson, Salem - The Residency, Karur - 100km

SALEM TO KARUR

This is a very stress free easy breezy ride. Great flat roads with very less traffic.

Day25

The Residency, Karur - Madurai - 132km

KARUR TO MADURAI

Amazing roads and low traffic. Can so good speeds. Very scenic with palm trees and hills all along. One of the most enjoyable days of the entire trip. The feeling is also great, all the motivation comes back as you have reached Madurai, and Kanyakumari is just a stone’s throw away!