Duration: 11 Days
Best Season: January-May, September-December
Altitude Range: 2250m
Difficulty: Strenuous
Group Size: Min. 4
Average Daily Distance: 40km
Support: Support vehicle, Guide-cum-Mechanic

The Kathmandu valley offers some of Nepal’s best mountain biking. We stay at five out of the six best outlooks for viewing the mighty Himalaya, from Dhaulagiri in the west to Everest in the east, so you will not miss what is arguably the world’s finest mountain scenery. In addition, the valley is also the historic center of Nepal, the place where palaces and temples were built and rebuilt and Nepalese art and culture were developed and refined. A combination of superb dirt trails and some single track connect the abundance of temples, monasteries and palaces making this both an exhilarating and fascinating place to cycle. This is a fun but challenging trip, suitable for those with off-road biking experience, as some trails are technical and there are some long climbs rewarded by even bigger descents.

BRIEF ITINERARY

Day 01: Kathmandu to Kakani
Day 02: Kakani to Budanilkantha
Day 03: Budanilkantha to Nagarkot
Day 04: Nagarkot rest day
Day 05: Nagarkot to Palanchowk
Day 06: Palanchowk to Dhulikhel
Day 07: Dhulikhel to Bhaktapur, Suryavinayak
Day 08: Bhaktapur, Suryavinayak - Godawari
Day 09: Godawari to Kathmandu
Day 10: Sightseeing in Kathmandu

DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Kathmandu to Kakani
We leave Kathmandu after breakfast through the bustling back streets of Thamel and on to good wide undulating jeep tracks into jungle. Your efforts are rewarded by spectacular mountain views. We travel downhill and then on upwards for the seriously fit ride (22km) up to Kakani. We camp in a reserve at 2,000m to enjoy the stunning views of Ganesh and Langtang Himals and the valley of Likhu Khola 1,000m below.

Day 2: Kakani to Budanilkantha
Head off on one of the best single tracks trails in the valley (which was used as the Mountain Bike Championship course) down towards Budhanilkantha (Sleeping Vishnu) on wide undulating jeep track and single track and pass through the Shivapuri forest to the Buddhanilkantha, a remarkable 5th century statue of the Lord Vishnu, reclining on the coil of the snake king in the middle of small pond. Your efforts are rewarded by spectacular panoramic mountain views of Ganesh and Langtang Himal on the way and moreover by a night at a true resort established in a rural setting with culturally rich and naturally pristine environment whose garden harbors nearly 75 species of birds and 2000 flowering trees and shrubs. 53 km. O/N RESORT www.kghhotels.com www.ktmgh.com

Altitude: 1600 mts Off Road: 25km Paved road: 5 km Total distance: 30km

Day 3: Budanilkantha to Nagarkot
ToDay we head off along some of the single-tracks in the valley down towards Boudha Nath. Following the valley rim, we take-in views of Kathmandu. We continue on ride to the Sankhu village and we stop here for lunch and explore this ancient town. From here we cycle along a jeep track road to wind our way up with two-hour climb to Nagarkot on the valley rim. The views of the Himalayan mountain range more than compensate this arduous ascent. On a clear Day, even Mount Everest can be seen! We stay in Nagarkot at a guesthouse from where we can enjoy the sunset.

Day 4: Nagarkot - Rest day
ToDay we take time to explore the numerous single-tracks and trails around Nagarkot. You can do two-half-Day rides returning to the guesthouse for lunch or use toDay as a rest Day. Changu Narayan, a culturally rich temple complex not far from Nagarkot is an easy ride. This complex includes one of the oldest Hindu temples in the valley and has intricate statues and stone tablets depicting ancient Hindu folklore. From here you can also enjoy good views over the valley. Stay in Nagarkot.

Day 5: Nagarkot to Palanchowk
We leave Nagarkot along an epic single track, which was used in the bike movie ‘Retread’. We descend through terraced paddy fields and small farming villages to the Indrawati River. We will stop at the local temples to pray for good trails ahead! After 1,000m downhill, a jeep track leads us on to the Freedom Highway, the main road to Tibet. We turn off to Phalanchowk and ascend 9km (there is always support vehicle) on a paved road. Our lodging for the night at ‘Sunkoshi Adventure Retreat’ is superbly located so that you can enjoy 360-degree view of the valley.

Day 6: Palanchowk to Dhulikhel
What goes up must come down! We start the Day with an exceptional off-road descent, this is technical but there is an easier option further west, which merges with the same trail. We cross the main road and continue 20km uphill to Dhulikhel and our lodge for the night. We have lunch here and for those who haven’t had enough rides, there is time in the afternoon to explore the local trails or the well-preserved town.

Day 7: Dhulikhel to Bhaktapur, Suryavinayak
An early morning climb to the temple of Namo Buddha is rewarded by superb views of Ganesh Himal. The stupa here is an important pilgrimage site. Folklore says that Buddha in a previous incarnation gave himself as an offering to a hungry tigress! Lunch! Here you have the opportunity to enjoy traditional Nepali food?Dhal Bhat. We leave the stupa along undulating tracks passing through picturesque villages.

We continue our way uphill to the rim (Lakhure Banjyang) where we can enjoy views across the Kathmandu Valley. Then a steep descent single track takes us to Surya Vinayak and Bhaktapur Guest House.

Day 8: Bhaktapur, Suryavinayak - Godawari
Leaving Lubhu behind we head toward West on a jeep track passing paddy fields along the foot hill of the highest hill Phulchowki in the valley on our way to Vajra Varahi home of the the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Ancient woodland surrounds the temple, protected by the local belief that to cut even one tree would greatly anger the deity. We shall stop in this forest for lunch on a small clearing ideal for a rest and to enjoy the tranquil sanctuary of the ancient forest. The villagers still appease the wrathful Vishnu by weekly sacrifices of chicken, goat, and buffaloes. We over night at the Godawari Resort and if we still have enough energy, we can always visit the Botanical Garden of Godawari.
O/N GODAVARI VILLAGE RESORT www.godavariresort.com.np

Altitude: 1500 mts Bike off Rd.: 40km Bike paved road: 8 km Total distance: 48km

Day 9: Godawari to Kathmandu
We spend time exploring some exciting trails to Bhimdhunga then onto excellent off-road trails close to Kathmandu, a fitting end to an exhilarating 7-Day ride! We return to the hustle and bustle of Thamel on tarmac roads and celebrate our completion of this rewarding trip.

Day 10: Sightseeing in Kathmandu
Points of particular interest include; Durbar Square, location of the former Royal Palace and the Kumari (living goddess), Pashupatinath, which is one of the ten most important Hindu temples in the world and Nepal’s most important Shiva temple. Alternatively there is opportunity for shopping. Two hours prior to departure, you will be transported to Kathmandu International Airport.

Accommodation: We use reasonable to good quality tourist class hotels or lodges for 7 nights, usually on a twin share basis and normally with attached bathroom. One night is spent in simple local guesthouse, which has only basic facilities with likely cold showers! A further three nights are spent camping, during which all camping equipments including sleeping bags and mats will be supplied. You will need a sheet sleeping bag during the trip which will be issued at the initial briefing though if you prefer you can bring your own. One night is spent in a traditional Farm House Cottage, which has mainly dormitory beds and electricity, though bathroom arrangements are rudimentary.

Food: All meals are included, except those in Kathmandu; where there is ample, allow $8 for a dinner, $6 for a lunch and $3 for a superb breakfast. The payment also includes mineral water during cycling.

Extra Expenses: Other terms not included in the tour price include: items of a personal nature such as laundry, visas to enter Nepal, alcoholic and soft drinks, entry to sights in Kathmandu: the mountain flight over the Himalayas, insurance and bike hire (see below).

Group, Staff & Support: The group size will be between 3 and 14. Experienced bilingual Nepali cycle guides (according to group size) will accompany all groups. Guides are experienced in mechanics and basic first aid. There will also be local drivers to drive the support vehicle.

Transport: All your luggage and personal belongings will be carried by the support vehicles, which are a minibus and a Land Cruiser, though these vary according to the day and depend on the group size. The few transfer sections will be done in the minibus. The 4WD will allow the riders for as much as possible, depending on landslides during the monsoon period. Allowing you to take a lift over certain sections should you feel like a rest.

Biking Conditions: This trip is graded C/D (Challenging/difficult). The routes used on this trip are a mixture of non-technical vehicle width dirt tracks, and technical and non-technical single tracks (normally 0.5-1.5m wide), so suitable off-road experience is required. On some of the tougher sections, there are sometimes easier alternatives though rough, steep or narrow sections are to be expected, sometimes with drop-offs. Altitude is not really a problem on this trip as one never goes above 2500m, though there are some long climbs of 500m+ during the trip (though not as long as the descents) so a good level of fitness is required. Depending on the severity of the monsoon (May-September) some of the tracks may be rougher than expected, particularly in October. Due to the nature of the routes the support vehicle can only follow riders for 50% (less in the case of a bad monsoon) of the time 9-11 days, cycling average 45km/day, 90% off-road. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please do not hesitate to call us.

Essential Equipment: Cycling shorts, gloves, helmet, bum bag or small day sack, water bottle and spare inner tube (unless hiring a bike), torch, favorite energy snacks. We recommend energy bar a day for the cycling days.

A full list of clothing and equipment to take will be sent to you on booking but the above are the most important items.

Bike Repairs: The guide will carry basic spare and tools and a first aid kit: a more comprehensive set of tools will be available with the support vehicle. We recommend that you have your bike properly serviced before coming on the trip to make sure that nothing is about to break, as we cannot guarantee having every available parts. Please beware of bringing all/air full suspension bikes as if the rear shock blows there will be nothing we can do about it. Also if you are bringing a disk brake system, you should bring spare parts yourself.

Transporting Your Bikes: We recommend that you get your local bike shop to box your bike for you. Unboxed bikes are much more likely to get scratched or damaged and some airlines refuse to carry them. Please note that while every effort made to look after all bikes, whether hired on privately owned, we cannot guarantee that some small damage such as minor scratching will not occur as a result of the daily loading and unloading of bikes into and out of the support vehicle.

Bike Hire: Hard tail Bikes like GIANT, TREK with 16" to 22.5" are available for hire. All bikes are well maintained and are in ready-to-ride conditions. All bikes hired from us are to be paid in US$ in full amount upon arrival. The bike hire cost for the entire tour is US$160, which includes helmet, toolkits (small) and water bottle.

Safety: Please note that helmets and riding gloves must be worn all the time on all our tours. You should be aware that off-road cycling has its dangers and that consequently accidents happen from time to time. Better to be protected than be sorry!