Day 1: |
Kathmandu
Arriving in Kathmandu & transfer
to the Guest House in Thamel,
touristy city offering numerous
bars, shops and restaurants and
an instant taste of Nepali life.
In the afternoon we will sort
out our bikes and over dinner
there will be a tour briefing. |
Day 2: |
Kathmandu
Today we explore the fascinating
city of Kathmandu. It is
possible to take the highly
recommend mountain flight to see
the towering massive of Everest
and the whole Himalayan chain
(this costs $120 and is subject
to local availability). Points
of particular interest in
Kathmandu include Durbar Square,
location of the former Royal
Palace with its intricate wood
carving and four fine towers and
Pashupatinath, Nepal 's most
important Shiva temple.
Alternatively there is no lack
of markets, craft stalls and
shops to occupy you for the day.
The evening is free to explore
the city's many restaurants. |
Day 3: |
Kathmandu to Buddhanilkantha
(Sleeping Vishnu)
We leave Kathmandu after
breakfast through the bustling
back streets of Thamel and on to
good wide undulating jeep track
and single track and pass
through the Queen forest to the
Buddhanilkantha, a remarkable 5
th 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 Himals 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. |
Day 4: |
Buddhanilkantha to Chisopani
(Cold Water)
We start with a steep upward
ride (approx 7 km) on paved and
off road through the Shivapuri
Reserve. Part of the route is on
the popular Helambu trekking
trail. Today, our destination is
up to Chisopani (which means
cold water in Nepali), which
rounds off a challenging day.
Again today's lodge enjoys
outstanding and closest views of
the panoramic mountain ranges-
this is one of the best outlooks
within the valley region. |
Day 5: |
Chisopani to Nagarkot
For approximately 9 kms, we ride
the same way back and then ride
down into the northeast corner
of the Kathmandu valley or not
following the same way back we
can take the optional long jeep
route to reach the same
destination. It is on to a mix
of single and jeep track to wind
our way to Nagarkot, our route
will depend on the condition of
the trails. A short steep climb
up to Nagarkot will be rewarded
by the comfort and peaceful
surrounding of the hotel where
we spend our night. This is
where part of the biking movie
'Retread' was filmed. 28km or
35km. |
Day 6: |
Nagarkot to Nagarkot via
Bhaktapur and Changu Narayan
Early morning enjoy the
spectacular sunrise views from
the terrace. Today we explore
the trails around Nagarkot or
you can take a rest day. There
are numerous off-road routes
possible today either road, or
wide jeep track. We have a
choice of day rides ending at
the medieval town of Bhaktapur
for lunch then time to look
around before we drive or ride
back up the hill to Nagarkot
Bhaktapur is an old restored
city full of temples and
courtyards. Also it's possible
to visit Changu Narayan, a must
for those interested in culture
- the ancient temple complex
here, which includes the oldest
Hindu temple in the valley where
in the sixth & seventh
centuries, Newari stone masons
made cravings of Lord Vishnu.
The stone tablet standing on the
west side of the temple is said
to be the earliest known
inscription in Kathmandu Valley.
It depicts King Mandev's
military conquests in the fifth
century. It's on the way and
enjoys commanding views over the
valley and its fine statues are
the best outside the National
Museum. |
Day 7: |
Nagarkot to Dhulikhel
The 'Retread' trails. This is an
epic single track descent
through terraced paddy fields
and small villages that lead us
to the Indrawati River. We will
stop to take photos as the
Himalayas are right behind us
all the way down and also make
offerings at the local temples
to help ensure that we remember
those technical skills when we
need them. After 1000m of
downhill a jeep road leads us to
the Friendship Highway, the main
road to Tibet. We have lunch in
a secret spot by the river
before the long climb back up to
the valley rim, Dhulikhel. We
have the choice to continue the
ride on the paved road of
Friendship highway or off road.
For most this is best done in
the support vehicle. |
Day 8: |
Dhulikhel to Lakhure Bhanjyang
vie Namo Buddha and Panauti
We start with an early morning
climb on wide jeep trail to the
temple of Namo Buddha, rewarded
with superb views of Ganesh
Himal. The Stupa here is an
important Tibetan Pilgrimage
site, where the Buddha reputedly
fed himself to a hungry tigress!
From the temple there's a choice
of wide tracks through
picturesque villages and
forests. From here, we ride on
dirt road down through the
orange farm to the ancient city
of Panauti where Lord Buddha
lived as a prince prior to his
offering to the hungry tigress.
This city is truly lost in time
and is rarely visited by
tourists. The Indresara Mahadev
Temple is the oldest surviving
dated temple in Nepal, believed
to be built in 1294 AD. Climbing
west, we follow a jeep track
along the meandering Roshi
River. Beyond the town of
Madhuban we enter a narrow
pristine valley, ascending 300m
on a superb dirt trail to reach
the summit of a hill on
Kathmandu valley, known as
Lakhure Bhanjyang. What a grunt,
but the views of the Himalayas
are more than compensate! We
spend night at a spot that is
ideal to watch sunrise and
sunset scenes and gives the view
of sparkling lights of cities
after dusk. |
Day 9: |
Lhakhure Bhanjyang to Godawari
Resort via Lubhu, Vajra Varahi
After breakfast, and hopefully
if the weather is favorable we
will have a clear view of the
Ganesh and Langtang Himals and
also Kathmandu Valley, we
descend down to the village of
Lubhu, known for its handmade
cloth. 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. |
Day 10: |
Godawari to Dakchhinkali via
Bungamati
From the resort we continue on
the jeep track into Chapagaon
village which offers excellent
views of Kathmandu Valley and
also is the home of the Vajra
Varahi. As we leave Chapagaon,
we head South Crossing Over Lele
River and head up on a short
steep climb up on a jeep track
and down toward Bungamati. We
stop at the height of Bungamati
for lunch. Get ready to enter
the fourteenth century! In the
many temples in these villages,
ancient rituals are still
practiced. The Shekali Mai,
nature valley goddess temple in
Khokana is one of the temples we
will visit. In the main square
of Bungamati, there is temple of
Machhendranath, the
compassionate god of
agricultural prosperity, who is
revered by both Hindus and
Buddhists. We approach to the
Ganesh Temple (Elephant God
Temple) after crossing the
suspension bridge over Bagmati
River. We follow the narrow
paved road along the beautiful
village farm land scenery to our
village Inn. in Dakchhinkali A
Hindu live sacrifice spot is
just near the Village Inn. |
Day 11: |
Dakchhinkali to Daman via Palung
We spend the morning sampling
some exciting trails that lead
up and across the valley rim to
the south and on to the
Kulekhani Dam Site. We ride
along the picturesque lake for
approximately 7 hours. Leaving
Kulekhani Lake behind we ride on
wide dusty dirt trail to Palung
village, popular for vegetabe
farming. We then, take a broken
tarmac road uphill to Daman.
This road is a Prithivi Highway
which links Nepal and India. |
Day 12: |
Daman to Kathmandu
We descend down to Palung valley
on the same way and continue up
to Palung height then we follow
a long broken tarmac road to
Naubise. From this small town we
ride back to kathmandu. We stop
at Swoyambhunath Stupa for lunch
and a look around on the way
into the city. From here we ride
back to the hotel through the
bustling streets of Kathmandu.
91km. |
Day 13: |
Departure or start optional
program. |
