Our rendezvous point for this Nepal mountain bike adventure is the bustling and exotic Kathmandu airport. Once all our flights have arrived from all four corners of the globe, we pack the vans and head approximately 15km out of Kathmandu to the serenity of Shivapuri Hill Cottage. We get settled in with a few beers and some well-deserved food, and chat over the trip ahead.
Our first full day together starts on our sun-drenched terrace -- eating breakfast, building bikes and anticipating what lies ahead of us. With satisfied stomachs we load the van and drive 30 minutes deep into the heart of the Shivapuri National Park, where we unload the bikes and give our group their first taste of Nepalese singletrack! And what an introduction! At the foot of this trail we take a tour around the world-famous Buddhist Stupa, Boudhanath, which must be walked around in a clockwise direction. On returning to the cottage we are treated to our evening meal on the terrace, and with fires glowing we fill the group’s minds with stories of tomorrow’s trails.
We start the next day by taking our shuttle up to a high mountain village on the north side of Kathmandu, where we catch our first glimpse of the Himalaya mountain range in the distance, and the group starts to feel the draw of the mountains. We ride a winding, technical singletrack back to Shivapuri and another delicious home-cooked meal. Watch a video of mountain biking in Kathmandu Valley > This morning we pack to leave the stunning hill-top cottage behind. Our luggage goes on to our next destination and we ride up through the Shivapuri National Park, and over the back side to descend down fantastic wooded trails to the historic and very picturesque town of Bhaktapur, where after dinner we take a guided tour of the city and its numerous temples and Stupas. First thing next morning we pack the bikes on the van and it heads off to the mountain village of Jomsom, a 20-hour drive away, then we drive to the airport where we catch a flight to Pokhara. On arrival in Pokhara we check in to our lovely lake-side hotel, have breakfast, then arrange a pedal boat race around the lake. The rest of today is spent exploring the town and resting before our adventures in the Himalayas start tomorrow morning. 
Before we know it, we are up early again and heading back to the airport for one of the most hair-raising flights you will ever take! We leave Pokhara airport and fly 25 minutes up the Kali Gandaki Valley, the world’s deepest valley, past two 8000m peaks and land at the remote outpost of Jomsom. As we step off the plane we are greeted by towering snow-capped mountains and our driver, who has off-loaded the bikes and cleaned them for our arrival. After breakfast we set off riding along the world’s deepest valley, weaving through the streets of Jomsom with kids on their way to school running beside us, people singing in their fields, and mule trains working their way high into the Himalayas. On our way to our final destination of Kagbeni, we take a detour to a hidden village high on the flanks of the valley, where we explore some street riding options before embarking on a truly amazing singletrack descent back to the valley floor. Watch a video of mountain biking in Kali Gandaki Valley > Day seven is our climbing day of the trip. We ascend from Kagbeni at a height of 2800m, and top out at Muktinath, 3800m. We take our time with this ride, as we need to start considering the altitude, so we stop in the villages we pass through, and enjoy the mountain hospitality and coffee. On arriving in Muktinath we visit the temple of Muktinath, one of the most ancient Hindu temples of God Vishnu. We set off early on day eight to give us enough time to climb the 300m from Muktinath over the Lubra pass at 4100m and then descend to the town of Marpha, the apple capital of Nepal. This day has to rank as one of my all-time favorite trail days; from the views, to the trails, to the shift in culture. After stuffing ourselves with apple pie, we head to bed and look forward to our penultimate ride from Marpha to Tatobani, the orange growing town and our date with the hot springs at the back of our hotel. After another day riding hot, dusty trails, we are delighted to soak our legs in the hot springs before trying some local orange-flavored delights! It is day ten and this is our final ride of the tour. It is a nice downhill trail that takes us a couple of hours to complete. Upon reaching Beni, we are all delighted to complete the tour, but sad to be packing the bikes and starting the journey home. Once we reach Pokhara, we organize bags, eat lunch, and head out into town to sample some of the infamous live music, and we’re not disappointed! All that’s left to do now is catch our flight back to Kathmandu, pick up the last minute presents and meet for our final farewell dinner. We exchange pictures, email addresses and celebrate another successful trip with new friends; times are good! Get full details and book this trip >
Videos
Mountain biking in Nepal - Mustang region
Mountain biking Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
