Kolli Hills, 70 hairpin bends

Seventy numbered hairpins, one after another, and every one has a view. You lose count somewhere around 40. Fuel up in Namakkal before the climb. Go slow on the descent; the bends are tight.

Horsley Hills

A perfect day ride: wide roads out of the city, then a twisty climb to a breezy hilltop. Leave at dawn and you're back by dinner. Good roads, so it's a nice first long ride.

Bisle Ghat

Dense rainforest on both sides and a viewpoint that shows three mountain ranges at once. Feels wild for a road this close to Sakleshpur. Ride it right after the monsoon, when everything is green. Check road conditions first; stretches get rough.

Valparai via Aliyar, 40 hairpins

Forty hairpins from Aliyar dam into endless tea estates, with lion-tailed macaques watching from the trees. Do it over two days and stay in Valparai. Don't ride the ghat after dark; there's wildlife on the road.

Kudremukh

Rolling shola grasslands as far as you can see, the road weaving through the national park. Feels like a different country. Ride via Kalasa and stay overnight; the forest roads close in the evening.

Masinagudi to Ooty via Kalhatti ghat

Thirty-six hairpins straight up from the forest floor to Ooty. Elephants and deer along the way through Bandipur and Mudumalai. The forest check-posts close at night, so plan around them. Go up the ghat, not down; it's easier on the brakes.

Yercaud via Salem

Smooth highway to Salem, then twenty hairpins of cool air and coffee estates. Lake, mist, and hot bajji at the top. Go up via the main ghat and come down via the Kuppanur road for a quieter ride.

Mullayanagiri, Chikmagalur

The last stretch to Karnataka's highest peak is a single-lane road above the clouds. Pure joy on two wheels. Ride up early on a weekday. On weekends the narrow road jams with cars by 10.

Agumbe ghat

Fourteen hairpins through rainforest, and the sunset point at the top is the one from every postcard. Time it for sunset at the viewpoint. In the monsoon, the road is slick, so ride gently.