Pikey Peak Heli Mountain Biking Tour

Head to Nagarkot, which is without a doubt the best place in the Kathmandu Valley to ride Enduro. The trails range in how hard they are and how far they go, but they are all fun. The tour includes a shuttle for the whole day, so you can ride as much single-track as you can handle. The trails go through the jungle, rice fields, and small villages. There are beautiful views of the Himalayas from the trails.

From Kathmandu Airport, we load up the bikes and gear and take a helicopter all the way to the top of Pikey Peak. Relax and take in the sights along the way. When you get to the top of the peak, the view of the Everest Himalaya is amazing. Even Sir Edmund Hillary said that this was his favorite place. Enjoy the view and the sound of the Prayer Flags flapping in the wind. The start of the descent is rocky, but good riders should be able to ride 75% of it. It takes about 45 minutes to get down to Suke Pokhari, which is steep and rough. From here, the track goes through some jungle, and we have to ride for about five hours through Dimse, Ghunre, and Sallari before we reach Phaplu. The single track is an old path that people in the area and their cattle use. It is a wild and natural mix of tree roots, drops, rocks, and fast-moving dirt. To get to Phaplu, the last part is a 3 km, 300 m drop on a Jeep track. Lunch is at a local teahouse along the way, but you should bring enough water and snacks after power bars for this day (chocolates). This is a great day of riding. Most of it is single track in the jungle, and there are some steep, rocky stair sections that are a lot of fun.

Near Phaplu, in the community forest, there are almost too many trails to count. With the help of a shuttle, we spend two days exploring the area. We ride many trails in the forests, and we also go to Raatnage to explore single tracks on the northern side of Phaplu. We can get to the Junbesi River on many of the trails. Enjoy chilled drinks and the Sherpa people's warm friendliness in the evenings.

Even from the valley, the view of Numbur Himal to the north will be amazing when you wake up in the morning. After a big breakfast, we put the bikes on our jeeps and drive for about 30 minutes to a beautiful lookout on a ridge above us. It’s called Ratnagi and we will have a cup of tea and enjoy the view from here at 3300 m/10826 ft before starting an epic MTB descent back into the valley.

From the top of the view tower at Ratnagi, you can see Mt. Everest in the distance. Also, it's a traditional camp for yak herders, and you can still see their makeshift shelters. These herders can keep the milk from their yaks and cattle for longer by making cheese and butter. Yak herding was a unique and important part of Nepal's economy and national identity for hundreds of years. Now, yak herding is becoming less important to Nepal's culture and way of life.

After we've looked around Ratnagi, we'll start our MTB descent. For almost the whole ride, we'll be surrounded by thick jungle. Almost all of the 10 km/6 mi downhill to Dorpu is singletrack, which ranges from easy to hard. Then, at Dorpu, we'll have a tasty Nepalese lunch. Those who want more can go back up and do the downhill again. If not, we'll pack up the bikes and head back to our tea house in Phaplu.

At the middle of your Nepal mountain bike trip, the fun keeps going. Today, we'll go to the north of Ratnagi and climb for a few kilometers along the ridgeline. Once we reach the top, we'll have a great 5 km/3 mi singletrack ride through the jungle to the famous Taksandu Monastery, which used to be a stop on the main trail to Everest Base Camp. Here, we might run into trekkers and porters who are going higher up in the mountains.

From Taksindu, we'll have a short, downhill walk to Ringmo, which is another well-known stop along the Everest trail. We'll stop here for lunch and, if we're lucky, some of their delicious apple pie, which is made with apples from the area.

After lunch, we'll take a mix of jeep trails and singletrack back to Phaplu and Salleri.

In the morning, pack up the bikes and send them back to Kathmandu by truck to get ready to leave. We'll choose the easier option, which is a 30-minute flight with amazing views of the landscape we've been riding through for the past week. Before our farewell dinner in the lively Kathmandu neighborhood of Thamel, we'll have time to check into our hotel, freshen up, and maybe buy some last-minute gifts.

Today we will take you to the airport to catch your flight out of Nepal. Alternatively, if you'd like to stay longer, we may make additional travel arrangements to assist you continue your cycling experience.