DAY 1 ARRIVE KATHMANDU. We will greet you personally upon your arrival in Kathmandu and transfer you to our hotel, where you can unwind after the long flight and enjoy some R&R. If there’s time you can go out and explore this great city. This evening we have dinner in Thamel and an introductory meeting to get to know each other. Kathmandu Guest House.
DAY 2 KATHMANDU (0 km). Today serves double duty as we’ll both take care of our group visas for Tibet as well as enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city. This will give you a chance to recover from your flight and prepare for the high altitude riding to come. The visa requires a group visit to the visa offices where we’ll take care of biometrics and mandatory photographs. Afterward, we’ll take in sights such as the Swayambhunath (monkey temple), ancient Hindu and Buddhist temple complexes, Boudhanath Stupa (one of the holiest Buddhist sites), Pashupatinath (an ancient Hindu temple complex), and burning ghats on the Bagmati River. Time allowing we’ll test out the bikes. And then there are the markets, and the nightlife to enjoy. Kathmandu Guest House.
DAY 3 KATHMANDU – CHITWAN (185 km). Our first day’s ride takes us out of Kathmandu and eventually to Nepal’s jungly plains and Chitwan National Park. Instead of the main route to Chitwan, which is often crowded and under construction, we’ll take a smaller route that heads into the hills south of Kathmandu. Traffic will be hectic leaving Nepal’s largest metropolitan area, but should thin quickly once. Our hilly road, with twist after twist, is both fun and beautiful. We’ll
leave the hills at Hetauda and make our way along the plains to Chitwan. Green Park Hotel.
The Nepal/Tibet border and the newly established crossing at Kyirong. The ride might be short, but it will be busy. With the closing of the Kodari/Zangmu border due to the 2015 earthquake, the majority of the goods traffic between Nepal and Tibet takes place over this road. It is a shorter ride than to Kodari, but equally beautiful, winding up along the Trishuli river and along and through Nepal’s Langtang National Park. We’ll climb from Kathmandu’s 1,400 meters to Gerung/Kyirong’s 3000 meters in just under 100 kilometers. As we do we’ll pass from rich and dense jungle up, up, up and into the pine forests of the borderlands. We’ll sleep on the Nepal side of the border and then make our way through immigration formalities the next morning. Sonam Guest House
DAY 4 CHITWAN (0 km) Today is a truly magnificent day. We’ll arrange safaris in order to see as much as we can, including the opportunity for an elephant safari through the park–hopefully to catch a glimpse of the Bengal Tiger, the Clouded Leopard, the Asiatic Elephant and possibly the One Horned Rhino! We’ll have the opportunity to explore the Rapti river and with luck see fish-eating Gharial crocs as well as mugger crocs, exotic birdlife, and so much more! Green
Park
DAY 5 CHITWAN-BIDUR (145 km). Today’s ride is only 145 km, but will require some concentration. The main road directly north of Chitwan has been undergoing a widening project for some time, and we’re likely to meet heavy traffic and construction for the first 50 km or so. After that, we spend a short time on the main Kathmandu-Pokhara route before heading up the Trishuli River to our evening’s destination of Bidur. Famous Farm or similar.
DAY 6 BIDUR – KYIRONG (100 km). We’ll rise early and continue up the Trishuli river and along and through Nepal’s Langtang National Park toward the Tibetan border. As we do we’ll pass from rich and dense jungle up, up, up and into the pine forests of the borderlands. Today we ascend pretty constantly from about 300 m to 2700, so we’ll take it slow and easy. Crossing can take some time, so we’ll aim to arrive at the border by mid morning. Once across, it’s a pleasant and short ride up to our evening’s destination of Gyirong Town, also along the Trishuli
River. Phuntsok Rabsal Guest House.
DAY 7 KYIRONG-OLD TINGRE (280 km). Today’s ride takes us north and east along a stretch of road as yet relatively undiscovered by tourists. From the pine forests we’ll ascend onto the great Tibeytan plateau. We’ll then meet up with the main pilgrimage route to Kailash, but instead of turning west toward that holiest of mountains, we’ll go east toward Lhasa. The verdant greens of Nepal's lowlands will long have given way to the mesmerizing beauty of light across Tibet’s mineral rich peaks and plains. Our night’s destination is Old Tingre and along the way, if the weather is kind to us as we near, we’ll have glimpses of Everest looming majestically toward the south. There are hot springs just outside of Old Tingre and if we’re lucky with timing we’ll get a soak with the locals. Snow Leopard Hotel
DAY 8 OLD TINGRI-SHIGATSE (290 km). Still acclimatizing from our gain in altitude over the last couple of days, we’ll breakfast leisurely and head out toward our evening’s destination.
Though Everest is near and calling, we’ll save our highest night’s elevation for the return home and ride instead past both the old and new Base Camp access roads. On up the sweeping and increasingly stark valley we’ll crest Lhapa La (5200m). The road is gentle, wide and easy with sweeping views of Tibet’s grandeur. An easy descent brings us to Lhatse, our likely lunch spot set at the juncture of Tibet’s main west-bound trading roads. From here it’s a fast ride (well, fast- ish, this is Tibet, and we are on Enfields!) through iron rich hills and bizarre groves of newly planted trees stretching as far as the eye can see to our evening’s destination. Shigatse is by far
the largest town on the ride so far, and the second largest Tibetan city we’ll see on the journey.
Prior to the 1950s Tibet was under the general rule of the Gelugpa school of Buddhism. Lhasa was the governmental headquarters and home to its chief figurehead, the Dalai Lama, while Shigatse housed Tibet’s spiritual headquarters, and its corresponding figure, the Panchen Lama. If we arrive earlier in the day, we’ll explore Shigatse Dzong that afternoon. Otherwise we’ll visit the following morning before riding on to Lhasa. Manosorava Hotel.
DAY 9 SHIGATSE – LHASA (265 km). Today takes us along the main route from Shigatse to Lhasa along the Yarlung Zangbo river. It’s a beautiful and fairly straightforward ride arriving to the Forbidden City, Lhasa, and our central hotel. We should arrive with plenty of time to wander the markets before evening. Kangyen (Gangjiang) Hotel
DAY 10 LHASA (0 km) There’s a lot worth seeing in Lhasa, so we’ll rise early to tour both the Potala Palace, the icon of Tibet and home to 14 Dalai Lamas, and the Jokhan Monastery, often called the Heart of Lhasa. We should finish in time for ample exploration of Bharkor the pilgrimage circuit and multitude of shops and stalls surrounding the monastery. Kangyen (Gangjiang) Hotel.
DAY 11 LHASA – GYANTSE (265 km). Heading south-west, today is a day of good roads and exceptional scenery as we pass Yamdrok Tso lake on the scenic back roads from Lhasa to Gyantse. We ride over two 5000 m passes today, Kamba-La and Karo-La before arriving in
Gyantse. We’ll arrive with plenty of time to explore Gyantse’s famous Buddhist Monastery complexes housing some of the rarest Tibetan Buddhist art in the world. Gyantse Hotel.
DAY 12 GYANTSE – XEGAR (320 km). We’ve ridden much of this stretch of road already, but you’ll be surprised how different it looks going in the other direction and what you’ve missed along the way. Prepare for a gentle gain in altitude as we reach our lunch destination at Lhatse, and then an abrupt rise and slow, stark descent down into Xegar. We’ll retire somewhat early tonight in preparation for tomorrow’s Everest approach. Tingri Qomolangma Hotel.
DAY 13 XEGAR – EBC – RONGBUK OR TINGRI (110/180 km). This is it! Our aim today is to
ride as close to Everest Base Camp (EBC) as it is possible to get. EBC is probably one of the most famous sites in Tibet outside Lhasa. The approach road is wide and well maintained.
Where once it was dirt – often with hefty corrugations and occasional deep patches of dust and gravel – now it is wide and paved and very well maintained. Still, attention is paramount, especially as the steady rise in altitude begins to take its toll. We’ll scale a hefty 5200 m pass by
means of countless switchbacks before descending slightly to a midway stop in the idyllic village of Pesong. Next, the road heads up a wide, dry valley to the Rongbuk Monastery. We used to be able to ride motorcycles all the way, but nowadays the authorities have made it so that one must stop some 50ish km from EBC, park one’s vehicle, and board an electric bus that takes one the remainder of the way. Still, it is a breathtaking journey (quite literally) and we will arrive
in plenty of time for a visit to Base Camp – 9 km south of Rongbuk Monastery, at just under 6,000 m (18,200 ft). The highest mountain on Earth looms majestically just over our shoulders.
If it is a clear day and Everest is visible, we’ll likely head back to Old Tingri where accommodation is better and the elevation is lower. If it is cloudy, we’ll stay at Rongbuk for a chance to see Everest the next morning. EBC Luxury Tent Camp or Snow Leopard Hotel.
DAY 14 TINGRI/RONGBUK – KYIRONG (310/270 km) If we’ve stayed at Rongbuk, we’ll rise
early for a final view of the mountain before taking a less-used track that meets the Friendship
highway at Old Tingre. If we’ve stayed in Old Tingri we’ll have done this bit the day before. In
any case, it’s a long but sublime ride back to the border crossing at Kyirong. Phuntsok Rabsal
Guest House.
DAY 15 KYIRONG TO KATHMANDU (100 km). Today we’ll say goodbye to Tibet and hello
once again to the warmth and hospitality of Nepal. An early border crossing will give us ample
time for the ride into Kathmandu and an early afternoon arrival. The afternoon is yours to
explore the city by mountain bike or rickshaw, do a little shopping or simply relax at the hotel. In
the evening we have our farewell dinner party. Kathmandu Guest House.
DAY 16 DEPART KATHMANDU. We will take you to the airport for your international flight
home. Or you can extend your stay in Nepal and take advantage of the trekking and rafting
available.
