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ITINERARY
Day 1
We start our Nepal & Tibet tour in the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. This fabled city is a picture of contrasts; from pious pilgrims, elaborate palaces and ancient temples to frenetic streets filled with hawkers, monkeys, mopeds, beggars and endless movement. Our team will meet you at Kathmandu International airport and transfer you to the heart of the city where you'll spend the next two nights at a standard hotel located within easy walking distance of the city's main attractions. You'll be free to explore the city and dine in one of its many delicious restaurants.
Day 2
Day 2 of our Nepal & Tibet tour will be dedicated to arranging your Tibet visas, making last minute equipment checks and re-packing our bikes for tomorrow's flight to Lhasa. Nevertheless, there will still be plenty of time for you to enjoy the beauty and excitement of Nepal. Those who are anxious to get on their bikes can join their Access guide for a warm-up ride through the northern side of the valley surrounding Kathmandu. The rest of you can continue your own exploration of Kathmandu's temples, festivals and open-air markets. Tonight we'll eat in the famous Thamel district, home to many excellent restaurants and shops.
Day 3
Early start this morning as we transfer to Kathmandu's airport for our one-hour flight to Lhasa's Gongar Airport. Arriving around 5pm local time, we'll settle into our hotel and then you'll be free to explore the 'holy city' of Lhasa. According to a Tibetan adage, 'one who does not get to Lhasa has only half a human life'. Despite this, very few Westerners ever make it to this mystical city and you will be one of a very limited number of tourists who've seen the Potala Palace (traditional home of the Dalai Lama), Jokhang Temple (Tibet's most sacred temple), or Barkhor Street (the center of 7th century Lhasa). A visit to Lhasa, and Tibet in general, is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and you will forever remember the gracious people, pious pilgrims, red-robed monks, ancient buildings and stunning alpine scenery.
Days 4 & 5
We'll spend two full days in Lhasa, 'the roof-top of the world', acclimatizing to the high altitude air and immersing ourselves in Tibetan and Chinese culture. We’ll spend a full day of guided sightseeing, and those who would like to do some biking will have the opportunity on Day 5 to do a short ride to the outskirts of Lhasa. (All guests must be present for bike fitting on Day 5.) The rest of the time will be free for exploring on your own, relaxing, eating and sitting back in the bazaar watching centuries-old Tibetan life happen around you.
Day 6
Today the biking section of our Nepal & Tibet tour begins! Were we to complete this journey purely by bike, we would need more than three weeks, a length of time that few people can afford to take. So we've shortened our tour by including a limited number of driving sections. This gives you the best of both worlds; all the sights that a longer tour provides without having to ride the most grueling uphills and some of the less exciting flats. We start today's journey with a 100km drive to the top of one of Tibet's most impressive passes, Khamba La Pass (4794m). Standing beneath the colorful prayer flags at the top of the pass, with sacred Yamdrok Lake in the foreground and 7000+ meter peaks in the distance, you will feel you're on top of the world. From here we'll jump on our bikes for a 45km ride that will start with an exhilarating 7 kilometers of downhill, and then take us alongside Yamdrok Lake where we'll likely pass small yak-skinned boats carrying pilgrims and nomadic families paying tribute to the lake. Tonight we'll get our first taste of camping in Nagartse while enjoying a beautiful view of the lake.
Distance: 56km
Climbing: 1244m
Descending: 484m
Driving: 100km
Day 7
You'll be woken with hot chocolate delivered to your tent and then a hearty breakfast will be served. Eating breakfast in the crisp Tibetan air with the mighty Himalayas glistening in the distance is an experience you won't forget for a long time. After washing up (our tent camp includes a toilet tent and a shower tent with hot water bucket!), we'll jump in the jeeps for a short drive to the top of Karo La Pass (5010m). Here we'll be treated to the spectacular sight of a huge glacier tumbling down to within a few hundred meters of the road. We'll unload our bikes at the top of the pass for an exhilarating downhill ride on a tightly packed paved road that winds its way through a magnificent granite canyon. The rest of today's 64km journey will take us through beautiful open valleys and past colorful Tibetan villages before we arrive at tonight's campsite a little before Gyantse. Tonight we'll devour another delicious dinner served by our expert Sherpa crew.
Distance: 64km
Climbing: 700m
Descending: 1060m
Driving: 48km
Day 8
Day 8 of our Nepal & Tibet tour is a sightseeing and cultural day. We'll start with two or three hours of sightseeing in Gyantse, visiting Gyantse Dzong, a 14th century castle (called the 'crystal palace on the peak') that offers spectacular views of both the town and the surrounding valley, and Kumbum monastery, an unforgettable nine-story temple which houses 75 different chapels. Kumbum literally translates as 'a hundred thousand images' and is so named for the 100,000 murals that line the chapel walls. We'll continue on a two hour drive to Shigaste, arriving in time for a late lunch. Shigaste is the second largest city in Tibet and is the last major town on our journey until we arrive in Nepal. The highlight of Shigaste is the Tashilumpo monastery, home to Tibet's second most important spiritual figure (the Panchen Lama) and a truly magnificent sight. There is much to see within the high surrounding walls of this working monastery and we will take our time to explore it. If time permits, we’ll finish the day with an optional 23km downhill ride to the campsite, or hop in our jeeps for a two hour drive, taking us to a camping spot at 3950m.
Distance: N/A
Climbing: 115m
Descending: N/A
Driving: 203km
Day 9
Today we'll have a full day of biking that will take us to the top of Tso La Pass (4520m) and will be followed by a fantastic downhill on paved road switchbacks - a highlight for all those who love downhill. After 70km of riding we'll set up camp at 4000 meters beside a small river in Chusur, and prepare ourselves for tomorrow's journey to Everest Base Camp!
Distance: 70km
Climbing: 455m
Descending: 110m
Driving: N/A
Day 10
After our customary morning hot chocolate we'll drive for 1.5 hours to the top of Gatso La Pass (5220m), the highest pass of the tour, before approaching Everest Nature Preserve. Here we'll jump on our bikes for the most difficult day of the tour: 54 kilometers of challenging but memorable off-road biking that will take us to the summit of Pang La Pass (5150m), and will be followed by a swift and exhilarating downhill run lasting six hours and with hundreds of switchbacks. From the top of Pang La we'll get our best glimpse yet of magnificent Mount Everest! In the afternoon we will transfer 8km to Rongbuk where we'll enjoy dinner served by our crew and camp at an incredible altitude of 5000m. If we encounter poor weather conditions, we'll opt to stay overnight at a basic guesthouse.
Distance: 54km
Climbing: 1245m
Descending: 600m
Driving: 102km
Day 11
Awake to breathtaking, mesmerizing views of Mt. Everest bathed in morning sunlight as the majestic North Face stands before you, almost close enough to touch. We’ll drive and bike a total of 8km to Everest Base Camp this morning. After taking in the sights of Mt. Everest we’ll transfer to Rongbuk for breakfast, followed by a drive to the top of Lamna La Pass where we’ll jump on our bikes for a full day of technical off-road riding on sandy tracks, rocks, and river banks. Conditions permitting, we'll take a 40km route that provides us with fantastic flat and downhill trails that take us from Lamna La pass (5150m) to Tingri Camp. Tonight we'll enjoy another delicious dinner with our Sherpas, this time camping at 4200 meters.
Distance: 55km
Climbing: N/A
Descending: 800m
Driving: 40km
DAY 12
Day 12 of our Nepal & Tibet Tour will be a full day of biking. The riding is fairly easy and very scenic - Tibetan villages and views of ruined forts as we leave behind the mighty peaks of the Himalayas. As we stop for our picnic lunch, local herdsmen may well join us. After lunch we'll bike through a surreal-looking valley that's more like a gorge with its high cavern walls and fast-flowing river. Today's ride will be about 70km and will take us to a campsite in Sumdo village at 4400m.
Distance: 70km
Climbing: 200m
Descending: N/A
Driving: N/A
Day 13
Today's the day - our last uphill on paved road before we begin the world's longest downhill run. Before enjoying the ultimate downhill reward we must cross two passes: Lalung La (4990m) and Thong_La (5050m). The weather can be very cold but this is a small price to pay for riding across the top of the world's highest mountain range - the Himalayas. At the top of the final pass there is a magnificent display of prayer flags that mark the start of our long descent to the Nepal border. It's time to put your head down, your weight back, and enjoy an exhilarating but challenging ride on paved road down the world's greatest mountain range! Today's 85 kilometer ride will take us to Nyalam where there is a basic guesthouse (tonight's accommodation) and a close view of Mt. Shisapangma, the highest peak in Tibet. We’ll enjoy the last meal prepared by our crew.
Distance: 85km
Climbing: 650m
Descending: 1350m
Driving: N/A
Day 14
Our descent of the world's longest downhill continues. We're going to descend almost 2000m in less than 40km so prepare to fly! The variation in scenery and vegetation is breathtaking - in less than two hours we'll go from snowy passes to lush Nepalese rainforest. In the words of one Tibet-to-Lhasa bike veteran, "this really is a biking highlight - not of the trip, but of your life!" After crossing the Nepal border we'll jump in the jeeps for the scenic drive back to Kathmandu. Here we'll enjoy a farewell night, hot showers, a delicious dinner and some cold beers to celebrate our trans-Himalayan crossing!
Distance: 37km
Climbing: N/A
Descending: 1900m
Driving: 114km
Day 15
The last day of our Nepal & Tibet tour; time for some last minute shopping before we drop you off at the airport for your flight home. |
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