Helmet Diaries

After blogging their travels online,both of them felt the need to take it further. “The idea of Helmet Stories came up a couple of months ago. We realised that an average Indian traveller’s idea of a holiday is to book a foreign destination but he/ she is yet to see how phenomenal India is in terms of beauty and diversity,” says Nakai.

Consider this: hidden villages,slate-roofed temples,vast orchards of apple trees,dramatic landscapes,local food and centuries-old culture and customs that have survived in nooks and corners of the country. “It’s about taking that little winding kachcha raasta on the left that we easily ignore and move on,” says Nakai,talking passionately about trips to Ladakh,which he calls the ‘Holy Grail’ of motorcycling roads,along with pre-historic salt water lakes of the Changthang Plateau,the Indo-Tibetan area of Kinnaur,Lahaul and Spiti,the mountainscapes of the North-east,the vast expanse of the Rann of Kutch,the back roads of Mumbai-Goa — all the stuff that adventurers’ dreams are made of.

And because these backroads have been their personal playground for years,it was easy to chalk out some best riding routes from across the country and make way for a great motorcycle holiday. Helmet Stories provides premium guided tours in the country,including travel,boarding,lodging,support team,activities and the bikes as well — none less than the Royal Enfield. Thei aim,adds Nakai,is to give the travellers a wholesome experience and let them fall into the tourist trap. The two have tied up with the locals for food,home-stays and other activities. “Just land at the said airport,and we’ll take it from there,” says Nakai.

While their motorcycle club takes a dozen people at a time,on a 10 to 15-day bike tour,custom rides are also possible,and their photographers’ club takes on the trigger-happy folk on picturesque journeys. “There are a lot of photography groups who want to travel to unexplored destinations to capture the best,” says Nakai. Corporates also do such tours for motivation and team building. For instance,they took Kotak Mahindra’s team from Chandigarh to Bangalore last September. Besides,there are also some short weekend rides on offer. Cost wise,a 10-day trip starts from Rs 90,000 per person.

Very environment conscious,the two have designed their tours in a way to honour sustainable tourism. “We recognise the fragility of India’s wilderness,and in order to have minimum impact on the environment,we keep our groups small,use dedicated camp grounds,clear the litter and use recycled products,” adds Nakai. Guess it’s time to let them take you for a ride.

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