Karma Enduro

What's it all about?

Secretly think of yourself as the next Schumacher? Well not in India’s much loved Ambassador! The ‘Ambi’ as it is more affectionally known boasts a mere 37bhp and, unlike a formula one car, has the handling of a ‘drunken badger’.

As you spend two weeks with the Ambi, you’ll soon appreciate its charms and the fact that you never knew you could drive so well without the use of a hand break or most gears. Driving in convoy however, inspires confidence and you’ll soon be manoeuvring around hairpin bends, negotiating pot holes that resemble craters and taking in the breathtaking views of Southern India and the Ghat Mountains.

Rainbow Trust has been supported by Enduro India since 2003 and was delighted to become a beneficiary of Karma Enduro in 2008. Since then when we received donations in excess of £255,000. We encourage anyone to take up the challenge of the Indian roads in return for the hospitality of the generous people and to discover a world you will never forget.

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive at Colva beach, Goa. After your long travels, get a shower and a few drinks under your belt and relax by the pool or take a walk on the beach. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy. You’ve worked hard to get here, make the most of this rest; you are going to need it. This evening you’ll be introduced to the team and have a brief run down on the warm up day’s protocol.

Day 2

Day 2 dawns early at Colva beach, Goa and after breakfast you will be formally introduced to the cars, before tackling India’s chaos on the brief warm up drive. At day’s end you will gather together for the formal presentations, this will be an in depth description of the rally and the charities you’re supporting. After the formal stuff you will break into your respective teams for a more open ended question and answer session.

Day 3

160kms: Colva Beach to Palolem.

Today is day 1 of your actual adventure, expect a relatively ‘easy’ day of around 160km – be on your guard though as of course this is the first day that you are driving your car for the entire day. The route is beautiful; you’re leaving the stunning beaches of Goa behind and climbing into the cool Western Ghat mountain range. Watch out for snakes, you should see plenty of cobras as you hit the mountains and the rice growing areas. You are en-route to one of India’s most beautiful beaches: Palolem. Make the most of this beauty as from tomorrow we leave the coast behind us and travel inland until the very end of the event.

Day 4

250kms: Palolem to Murdeshwar. Karnataka.

This morning will see an earlier start and the day demands more concentration and commitment from driver and navigator alike. You will experience wonderful early morning light and beautiful villagers will wave and smile at you all day – making your challenge seem all the easier.

Day 5

220kms: Murdeshwar to Shimoga. Karnataka.

Today is an unbelievable drive deeper into India’s rural heart. The scenery today is stunning and if you look closely you will see the people’s lifestyles and habits are changing. Shimoga is an amazing city where few Indian tourists go, let alone Westerners. There is nothing here for tourists which is why we come to Shimoga – to see an Indian city doing what an Indian city does, unaffected by tourism. It’s a fascinating place to walk around town in the evening and the locals will be very interested to meet you – make the most of this amazing place.

Day 6

290kms: Shimoga to Mangalore. Karnataka.

Another long day in the car today sees us heading to the nut house of Mangalore, heavenly driving turns into hellish city towards the end of the day – you will be transported by such epic beauty in the early stages that the full horror of an Indian city on overload may hit you hard. Delays and accidents are all real possibilities. Be extremely careful as you approach Mangalore.

Day 7

240kms: Mangalore to Mysore. Karnataka.

Another full on day sees us leave the chaos of Mangalore for the far nicer form of chaos at Mysore! Mysore is a wondrous city where the British had one of their summer seats of Government during the days of the Raj. It is a fascinating city with many secrets, find out as much as you can about this wonderful place. After dinner you simply must take a rickshaw and get out into the magic that is Mysore at night, a safe, friendly and hectic city.

Day 8

100kms: Mysore to Jungle Hut Retreat. Masinagudi. Tamil Nadu.

Today you can relax and experience your first truly short day, a very early start and a reasonable days drive means you get to the wildlife sanctuary area of Masinagudi early today. This afternoon you can enjoy the pool or take a wildlife drive, or simply have a few beers with your new friends. The area is stunning and the pool location will blow you away, even if you are a hardened traveller this place makes an impact!

Day 9

Rest Day - Jungle Hut Retreat. Masinagudi. Tamil Nadu

Day 10

270kms: Masinagudi to Kodaikanal.

Now we pick up the pace again and long distances become the norm for the rest of the challenge – this event is called Karma Enduro, now you’ll understand where the enduro bit comes from - endurance! The final 3 days driving are mind blowing, incredible, full of tired but elated people, emotional and proud at what they’ve already achieved. We should be ready to do ourselves the justice of ending this event in style. Today’s drive is long hot and sweaty. Concentration is always the requirement in India but especially today during the climb to Kodaikanal, you need to be 110% on your game. Kodaikanal is another fascinating hill station, actually the only hill station run by the Americans during the British occupation of India.

Day 11

300kms: Kodaikanal to Thekkady. Kerala.

The penultimate, longest and without doubt most beautiful days driving on the entire rally. Today is almost too good, with so much beauty that your eyes can see, the brain can store but the heart takes months to feel and interpret. It is a sparkly, spiritual day full of vivid colours, experiences and emotions that will last a lifetime.

The highlight of the trip as far as 90% of the participants are concerned is the tea plantations of Munnar. The day needs to be seen to be believed.

Day 12

210kms: Thekkady to Kumarakom. Kerala.

After so many shared experiences, all the drama of fundraising and completing the route we find ourselves about to tackle the very last day of the Karma Enduro. We will leave as early as possible today to ensure a safe and exciting finish to the rally. 210kms will feel like a lot more due to the fact you have now been driving for 10 days. Emotions run high for the finishing drive in, make sure you don’t let that get the better of you as to fail now and miss the finish would be terrible – and don’t think we haven’t seen that happen before – every year someone makes a mistake on the last day and misses the final drive in. Think dozens of cars with their horns blowing, our ambulances and police escort with sirens blaring, hundreds of local people waving and cheering and you get just 1% of the goose bumps you’re going to feel when you’re actually part of the finishing ceremony.

Day 13

Leave for UK

How do I sign up?

For more information or to sign up for this amazing event, please visit www.karmaenduro.com.