Mountain Biking in Nepal

Arrive Kathmandu. Transfer to your hotel. Welcome dinner.

Overnight Hotel. (D)

A full day tour to some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Kathmandu Valley.
Drive to Bhaktapur, the City of Devotees, for lunch and a tour of the royal palace square. Bhaktapur is a medieval city in the Kathmandu valley and is least disturbed by modern life. Here, you can absorb the architectural splendor of the five-storied Nyatapola temple, or the sculptural delight of the Peacock Window. Overnight Hotel Tibet or similar. (Breakfast and Lunch)

Proceed to Patan Durbar Square – one of the three palace squares in the Kathmandu Valley. This was the palace of the Malla Kings of Patan which was one of the three kingdoms in the valley – the others being Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. Discover the intricate wood and stone work as you walk through the temples, vihars and palace in Patan.

Return to your hotel to make final preparations before you begin mountain biking in Nepal.

Overnight Hotel. (Breakfast and Lunch)

Early morning, drive to Kakani (approximately 17 miles) – the Northern gateway from the Kathmandu valley to Tibet. After a light snack, begin with a short steep climb into the Shivapuri National Park. The first hour involves technical riding on single track. We then ride on the jeep track and descend to the base of Shivapuri to our new hotel called Shivapuri Heights Cottage which is on the outskirts of the city. In total, we ride around 12 miles with 5 miles on single-track.

Overnight lodge near Budanilkantha. (Breakfast and Lunch)

Descend a short distance to Budanilkantha temple. This is an open-air temple dedicated to Vishnu. Both Hindus and Buddhists revere the laying Bishnu at this temple. Continue through a swanky colony and begin a steep ascent to Helipad from where we single-track onto Kopan monastery. From here we join the road and navigate carefully to Bodhnath Stupa where we will enjoy lunch at a restaurant overlooking the stupa.

Bodhnath Stupa is one of the biggest Buddhist stupas in the world, with its four pairs of eyes aligned in the four cardinal directions. This area is home to the many Tibetan exilees who have lived here for generations. Watch Buddhist pilgrims circumambulate the stupa in a clock-wise direction.

After lunch, a bus will pick us up and we continue to Pashupatinath, one of the holiest Hindu temples in Nepal. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the destroyer, in his incarnation as ‘Lord of the Animals’. The temple is situated on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River and is the main cremation site for Hindus and some Buddhists in the Kathmandu Valley.

Evening is free to relax and enjoy the spa at your lodge.

Overnight Lodge near Budanilkantha. (Breafast and Lunch)

Morning flight to Pokhara. The day is free for you to explore Pokhara on your own. You may take a boat ride across the Phewa Lake and hike to the Peace Stupa (30 minute hike). And/or visit the International Mountain Museum to check out exhibits on the mountains and mountain communities around the world.

Overnight Big Pillow Inn or similar (Breakfast)

Wake up early for your flight to Jomsom. The 15-minute flight will probably be the most thrilling flying experience of your life. The plane flies over Ghorepani, through the Kali Gandaki gorge with the Annapurna massif on the right and the Dhaulagiri massif on the left (both Annapurna and Dhaulagiri are over 8,000 meters).

After a quick breakfast, fit your bikes for a short but interesting ride to Kagbeni. We ride to the edge of town and cross a suspension bridge. We then follow the jeep track along the Kali Gandaki river. The Mustang region of Nepal is high desert and receives very little precipitation. Winds pick up in the afternoon and despite being at an average elevation of over 9,000 feet, it can get quite hot in the scorching mid-day sun.

Kagbeni is the gateway to Upper Mustang and was formed in the 14th century to control travel to the Kingdom of Lo. Historically Upper Mustang dominated trade along the ancient route connecting Tibet with Nepal and India. The people of this region are Buddhists and culturally Tibetan.
In the evening, explore the alleyways and the monasteries of Kagbeni while also enjoying a latte with apple pie.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Approximately 3 miles of riding
Jomsom to Eklebhatti: 1.2 miles
Ascent: 400 ft
Descent 78 ft

Eklebhatti to Kagbeni: .86 miles
Ascent: 236 ft
Descent 167 ft

From Kagbeni, it is all uphill to Muktinath. Jeeps will transport us to Muktinath on the jeep track but those interested have the option to complete this ride on their bikes. Note, it would be a grueling all uphill ride especially because of the altitude as you would be ascending over 3,200 feet. From Muktinath, on a clear day, Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain in the world, along with several other peaks is visible.
From Muktinath, we make a short but grueling ascent to the ridge before beginning the thrilling technical single-track descent to the ancient village of Lubra. We then join the jeep track and return to Kagbeni.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Muktinath – Kagbeni (via the Lubra valley) – 11 miles approximately
Ascent – 1,410 ft
Descent – 4,700 ft

Again, jeeps will transport us to Muktinath. After arriving in Muktinath, push/ride an hour further up to the Muktinath temple which is revered both by Hindus and Buddhists. A Buddhist nun conducts Buddhist prayers inside the temple while a Hindu priest sits outside the main temple and caters to Hindu pilgrims.

From Muktinath, continue to ride/push bikes a further thousand feet or so to the base of Thorung La pass. The Thorungla pass (17,700 ft) connects the Annapurna region with the Mustang region. We then begin the thrilling descent to Muktinath and continue to descend to Jomsom via Lubra valley.

From Lubra, we then return to Jomsom and start descending through Marpha to the village of Tukche. Both Marpha and Tukche are major Thakali villages with an abundance of apple and apricot orchards which can only mean more apple pies.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Kagbeni to Muktinath – 8 miles

Muktinath – Tukche (via the Lubra valley) – 18 miles approximately
Ascent: 2,100 feet
Descent 5,500 feet

Today we follow the Kali Gandaki river which has carved its way down the valley forming the deepest canyon on earth – through the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri range (both over 8,000 meters). We will cover a lot of mileage but it isn’t necessarily a very strenuous day as most of the day’s ride is downhill. We criss-cross between single track and the jeep track east and west of the Kali Gandaki river respectiely. As we begin to lose altitude, the landscape also begins to change; the bushy azaleas give way to taller pine and birch trees and the landscape is greener. As you approach Kalopani, you pass through a big valley formed by the river from where there are jaw-dropping views of the ice fall on Dhaulagiri.

Soon we arrive at Tatopani (or hot water in Nepali). Here is a natural hotspring which is surprisingly clean and maintained by a local care-taker. You would want to soak in the hot water which is said to help relax the muscles.

Overnight Lodge. (All meals)

Tukche to Tatopani – 22 miles
Ascent: 1,100 feet
Descent: 5,200 feet

Continue for around 3 hours on the jeep track to Beni where our biking adventure ends. Drive 3-4 hours back to Pokhara.

Overnight Temple Tree. (Breakfast and Lunch)

Afternoon flight to Kathmandu. A farewell dinner is planned for in the evening.

Overnight Hotel Tibet. (Breakfast and Dinner)

Transfer to the airport for final departure. (B)