Race Across the World is back, baby! This time, five new teams are embarking on a mahoosive 14,000-kilometre journey across three countries and we’re following them each week through tears, tasty food, and totally-shouldn’t-have-spent-that-much-money-on-that-taxi.
On a shoe-string budget of just over £1000 (!) they’ll be making their way to the finishing line to claim a £20,000 jackpot. As they head from A to B, C, and D, we’ll be catching up with each week’s check point, giving you some tips on what you could get up to there and how to get around in prep for your own Race Across the World adventure…
Where is Race Across the World this year?
The last checkpoint
Panaji, Goa, India
Last week we left this year’s Race Across the World contestants in Panaji, the charming little capital of Goa, India’s smallest state.
The next (and last) checkpoint
Kanniyakumari India: 1,200km from Panaji, Goa
Let’s start with the big geographical flex: Kanniyakumari (also spelled Kanyakumari) is the southernmost point of mainland India, where the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean all swirl together in a salty ménage à trois. On a clear day, you can even spot the three different colors of water blending and clashing – like nature can’t decide on a palette.
The town is named after Devi Kanyakumari, a fierce and eternally youthful manifestation of Parvati, who – according to legend – stood waiting for her marriage to Lord Shiva. Spoiler: the wedding didn’t happen, and she remained a virgin goddess, hence the name Kanya (virgin) Kumari (princess). There’s a temple dedicated to her – the Kanyakumari Amman Temple – right at the edge of the sea, where the goddess faces the ocean. Women often visit to pray for strength and good matches, and the red-tinged sands around the area are said to be the rice from her cancelled wedding feast.
Just off the coast is a small island with Vivekananda Rock Memorial, built in honor of the spiritual giant Swami Vivekananda, who is said to have meditated here in 1892 before heading off to stir things up at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. The structure is bold, tranquil, and surrounded by sea.
Kanniyakumari is Tamil Nadu at its southernmost, but it carries a unique cultural blend from its proximity to Kerala as well. The people are warm, deeply spiritual, and proud of their coastal heritage. You’ll hear a sing-song mix of Tamil and Malayalam, see women in vibrant sarees offering lotus flowers, and smell incense mingling with sea salt.
Kanniyakumari must-do’s
Gandhi Memorial Mandapam
A quiet spot where a portion of Gandhi’s ashes were kept before being ceremonially immersed into the ocean. The pavilion’s round design – no sharp corners to trap negativity – encourages you to walk the perimeter, pausing at each plaque that recounts a snippet of Gandhi’s life.
Bonus points for: Visiting on the 2nd of October, Gandhi’s birthday – the architects designed it just so that on this one day, the sunrise falls directly on the spot where his ashes lay.
Triveni Sangam
The literal confluence of the three seas. Walk along the beach, get your feet wet, and feel like you’re standing at the edge of something very big and very ancient.
Bonus points for: Floating small basket offerings into the sea, like the locals do.
Padmanabhapuram Palace
Just a short drive away, this 16th-century teakwood palace is all polished floors, latticed windows, and royal intrigue. You’ll feel like you accidentally wandered into a historical drama.
Bonus points for: Wandering the gardens, with its lotus ponds and dense clusters of bamboo and jackfruit trees.
How to get there
Train hop down the coast
(with some detours along the way)
This is the last stretch for this year’s Race Across the World contestants, and they’re continuing further south along the coast from Panaji, in beachy Goa, to their final checkpoint, Kanniyakumari. They can stick to the coast, or they can stop and smell the flowers on some detours inland. For our itinerary, we’ve opted for the second option – you’ll get to Kanniyakumari in a few days, whilst taking in two cultural powerhouses along the way.
This is how you do it
Panaji to Kochi (via Mangalore)
From Panaji, you can catch a train to the city of Mangalore in just over 6 hours. Hop off here and grab some dinner (have the meen gassi, Mangalorean fish curry, simmered in coconut milk, red chillies, and tamarind), before taking a night train from Mangalore to Ernakulam in about 9 hours or so.
Ernakulum is the closest station to the coastal city of Kochi – head to the nearby port and you can take a ferry over to Kochi itself.
Detour
Kochi
Also known as Cochin, Kochi is Kerala’s cosmopolitan heartbeat, a beautifully tangled mix of old-world charm and salty-aired, sea-loving culture. It’s where Arab traders, Chinese fishermen, Portuguese explorers, Dutch colonists, and British officers all left their footprints – and their recipes, thank god.
It’s a port city, spread over several islands and peninsulas connected by ferries, bridges, and a labyrinth of roads that seem to love a good detour. Its heart lies somewhere between Ernakulam (the bustling mainland) and Fort Kochi (the laid-back, old-timey heartthrob). Picture red-tiled colonial bungalows, cafes tucked under banyan trees, and the soft creak of wooden fishing boats. Locals speak Malayalam, but English is widely understood.
Fort Kochi is where you’ll find those famous Chinese fishing nets, still in use after 500 years, St. Francis Church where Vasco da Gama was originally buried, and Santa Cruz Basilica, grand, pastel-coloured, and Instagram’s favorite church in town. Mattancherry, meanwhile, is home to the 16th-century Mattancherry Palace with stunning murals of Hindu mythology, as well as Paradesi Synagogue – built in 1568, it’s got antique chandeliers, hand-painted tiles from China, and nods to Kochi’s Jewish history.
Kochi to Madurai
From Ernakulum station, you can take another overnight train (or go by day if you prefer) to Madurai in about 8 hours.
Madurai Junction, the station you’ll arrive into, is smack bang in the centre of the city, so you can get straight to exploring.
Detour
Madurai
One of the longest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Madurai was founded over 2,500 years ago on the banks of the Vaigai River and has seen empires rise and fall – the Pandyas, Cholas, Nayaks, and a British cameo in between.
Meenakshi Amman Temple is a spectacle of colour, stone, and devotion. With 14 gateway towers, each dripping in thousands of hand-painted mythological sculptures, the temple is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi, a fierce, fish-eyed form of Parvati, and Sundareswarar (Shiva). Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace, on the other hand, is where Mughal meets South Indian with a Baroque twist. Built in the 1600s by King Thirumalai Nayak, this palace was once four times its current size. Stroll the stately courtyard, grand pillars, stucco work, and the light and sound show (in English & Tamil) which turns the palace into a mini theatre of history.
The markets in Madurai are full of flowers (Madurai is famous for malli poo, also known as jasmine), bananas (tens of varieties), as well as tailor shops, spice vendors, and tea stalls. Take a heritage walk though old parts of the city, attend the prayers at Meenakshi Temple, especially the nightly temple closing ceremony, and catch a Kolam being made on the streets at dawn – women drawing delicate patterns in rice flour to bless the day.
Madurai to Kanniyakumari
From Madurai Junction you can take a train down the coast to Kanniyakumari in around 6 hours.
We recommend doing this stretch by day because you’ll ideally want to arrive in Kanniyakumari for sunset, so you can catch the sun’s rays as they fall on the spot where the three seas meet – one of the most iconic sights in India.
Fancy giving it a go?
We can get you started
Over the last 8 weeks, we’ve followed this year’s Race Across the World contestants as they hopscotched across three countries, from their starting point on the Great Wall of China to bustling Beijing, onwards towards beachy Hainan Island, to Shangri-La and the start of the Himalayas, then into India and the holy city of Varanasi, over to McLeod Ganj and the home of the Dalai Lama, down to Gir National Park, last stronghold of the Asiatic Lion, and Panaji, Goa’s charming coastal capital and – finally – to Kanniyakumari, the southernmost point of the contiguous Indian subcontinent.
If you’ve been inspired to try your own version of this year’s Race Across the World, we can get you started with a whole bunch of cheap flights to China, Nepal, and India. We can even help you out with domestic flights too, if you don’t fancy following all the rules 
Get started by booking online, or hop on the phone with one of our friendly travel pros and they’ll get where you need to go.
