JOIN USThe state tourism department is planning to introduce curated bike tours. The department, on Saturday, flagged off the first-of-its-kind bike tour to Hampi in association with Wicked Ride, a Bengaluru-based bike rental and tourism company.
Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge, who flagged off the tour, told DH, “After a feedback from bureaucrats, we plan to introduce more such bike tours in partnership with private entities.” The two-day tour has 25 bike riders, including 10 women and five bureaucrats. The bureaucrats include L Atheeq Khan, principal secretary to the chief minister; Atul Kumar Tiwari, resident commissioner of Karnataka in New Delhi; Naveen Raj Singh, tourism department secretary; Sarfaraz Khan, BBMP joint commissioner, and Vijay Sharma, managing director of Jungle Lodges and Resorts.
The tour is led by Candida Louis, a solo woman bike rider from Hubballi, who has covered 40,000 km on bike across India. She is also the head of the tourism vertical of Wicked Ride. The riders are expected to return to the city on Sunday evening.
The government is planning to introduce and popularise bike tours to places such as Kemmannugundi, Gokarna, Pattadakal and Kabini River Lodge. “Bengaluru has a running culture and many people are already taking part in cycling tours in the city. Cashing on this interest, we are planning to introduce bike tours. It will be more than a biking expedition as tourists will get to experience culture, language and other aspects during the tours,” Kharge said.
The minister, later in the day, inspected Jungle Lodges Bannerghatta Nature Camp to inspect the facilities there.
DH News Service