Leave the Ordinary Behind and Witness the Magic These Roads Have to Offer

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We travel to treat our senses and rouse it to a fever-pitch of fascination when we encounter the unseen, the untamed and the untouched. Driving down smooth bitumen roads is passe, it's time to veer off the beaten path to delve into the unknown.

There will be obstacles that seem overwhelming, there will be times when your palms will get sweaty and fear will constrict your throat at the thought of going where none else has tread before. But with a good dose of pluck and the gritty new Apollo Apterra AT2 tyres, you can get to places and experience what few have experienced before – like sharing a steaming cup of tea with the mystical Yeti.

Bad roads lead to good places and with your sturdy Apterra AT2 tyres, here are some intense off-roading trails you should drive to, to seek the incredible. Get behind the wheel and get ready for some high-octane action!


Adjoining an untamed lush-green rain-forest, Bisle Ghat is a deserted, misty winding highway in the Western Ghats, peppered liberally with encroaching wilderness and an abundance of waterfalls. The roads get narrower as you near Bisle village and at some point, you might have to power through a waterfall which won't be a problem with Apollo Apterra AT2 tyres that can adapt to any terrain.

(C) Harshith Upadhyay/Instagram

Photo of Bisle Ghat, Karnataka by Neeti Chopra

Give your mud-spattered tyres a break at Bisle beauty point where you can look down upon mountain ranges and the gushing Giri river to feel like you're on top of the world.

How to get there:

Bisle Ghat is 20 km away from Kukke Subrahmanya and 55 km from coffee estate studded Sakleshpur in Karnataka.

Best time to hit the trail:

The best time to off-road here is in the months of January, February, March and October, November, December. Avoid off-roading here in the monsoon as heavy downpour make visibility poor. Even so the Apollo Apterra At2 tyres will help you #ExploreTheUnexplored.


The thrill of off-roading gets even more intoxicating when you have miles of nothingness to speed around in. Rajasthan's Sambhar lake, which happens to be India's largest salt-water lake, is exactly that – an endless sea of dry, white sand.

(C) Sambhar Lake/Instagram

Photo of Sambhar Salt Lake, Rajasthan by Neeti Chopra

Raise some dust as you perform wheelies in the salty vastness of the lake. The lake stretches on for 35 km in length; no GPS here – you'll be relying on your sense of direction. The sand is swampy in some parts but the Apollo Apterra AT2 tyres will absorb any impact with ease. Set up a camp here to watch the sun paint the sky with striking hues of gold and pink which will make the lake glow.

How to get there:

Sambhar Lake is 350 km away from Delhi. Start from Delhi and hit the by-pass from Chandwaji towards Ajmer. The Jaipur-Ajmer road will turn towards Phulera on the right and then towards Sambhar. As you near Sambhar, the real off-roading starts on narrow, salty roads but hey, #BadRoadsGoToGoodPlaces.

Best time to hit the trail:

The lake dries up completely in the summer and winter making it the perfect spot for some edge-of-the-seat off-roading.

This one is a comparatively less intense off-roading trail, if you discount the 500 odd Asiatic lions who know the Gir forest as their home. The land is arid with deciduous trees looking on as you zip past.

(C) Aarushi Sharma/Instagram

Photo of Gir Forest National Park, Gujarat, India by Neeti Chopra

There are leopards hiding in the wealth of the forest along with wild boars, striped hyenas, jackals and crocodiles. You might spot a Nilgai or Sambar eyeing you timidly on the way. With 50 km of off-roading in the jungle to look forward to, revel in the untamed wilderness of the dappled forest. An added bonus is the route to the forest dotted with small, picturesque villages.

How to get there:

Reach Junagadh and hit the bitumen towards Sasan Gir National Park which is one and half hours away.

Best time to hit the trail:

Since the reserve stays shut from June 16 to October 15 every year, the best time to take your off-roading gang here would be in the months of December to March.

The Madikeri to Mandalpatti route with emerald coffee estates on one side and tangles of dripping greenery on the other, might turn out to be your favourite off-roading route just because of the mesmerising beauty that accompanies it.

(C) bs_s2018/Instagram

Photo of Mandalpatti, Hammiyala, Karnataka by Neeti Chopra

There are misty roads with steep turns which will be a pleasure to navigate through with Apollo's Apterra AT2 tyres' precision steering and will lead you to places like the Raja Seat in Madikeri and the Kote Abbey Falls, all the way to the lush hillocks of Mandalpetti. Make sure you pack some of their drool-worthy Kodagu cuisine for the way. The reward at the end of the route is the Mandalpatti viewpoint with an unbelievable panoramic view of the hills.

How to get there:

Start from Madikeri or Abbi Falls junction and take the Mandalpatti route 2 via Makkandaru. Turn towards the gushing Kote Abbey falls route and follow it all the way towards the Mandalpatti viewpoint.

Best time to hit the trail:

The months of November to January seem to cast a special spell on the mist-shrouded place.

Get out there, burn some rubber and #ExploreTheUnexplored. The only downside? After you go through these hair-raising off-roading routes, normal vacations might seem a little slow.

Tell us about you off-roading adventures in the comments below!

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