Upper Mustang Mountain Bike Tour

After a relaxing breakfast at the hotel, there will be time to look over the bikes, and a member of our team will be ready to help with any mechanical problems.

In the afternoon, you'll have time to take a leisurely ride around some of Kathmandu's most interesting sights and cultural spots. A group meal early in the evening will give you plenty of time to pack before the early start the next morning.

You can leave bike bags and other things at the hotel that you don't need for the tour.

You will be taken to the domestic airport in Kathmandu after breakfast to catch the 25-minute flight to the lakeside town of Pokhara. OR else, you can be picked up from your accommodation for the about 8-hour bus transfer. When making the reservation, this choice will be selected.

You will check into your hotel as soon as you arrive in Pokhara, giving you plenty of time in the afternoon and evening to go around and discover the city.

After an early breakfast, you, your bike, and your bags will be taken to Pokhara's domestic airport for the 25-minute flight to Jomsom. The flight is short, but the scenery is beautiful.

When you get to Jomsom, you and the other people on the tour will put the bikes together and go on the first ride of the trip. You will ride from Jomsom along the glacial river Kali Gandaki to Kagbeni, which is the entrance to Upper Mustang.

When you get to Kagbeni, you'll see that it has a maze of narrow alleys that you can explore. You can also go to the famous Yak Donald's for a yak burger and locally made apple cider.

After a slow breakfast, you'll begin the ride uphill to Muktinath. Because of the higher altitude and steeper climbs, it could take you up to three hours to get to your final destination.

During the ride, you can see beautiful views of the snow-capped Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountains. When you get to Muktinath, lunch will be ready for you at the hotel. You will have plenty of time in the afternoon to go on a short hike to see the famous Hindu temple.

Here, the real riding begins! Today, you will need to get up early to make the most of the beautiful views.

A few kilometers after leaving Muktinath, you'll ride through a beautiful village and start the climb up to the Gyu La Pass, which is 4066m above sea level. From the top of the Gyu La, you'll drop 1200m on a single-track trail that is tricky but fast all the way to Chhusang. Then you'll cross the Kali Gandaki and start to climb up to Samar, your last stop for the day. This is one of the hardest climbs of the whole trip, but there are many chances to stop and take in the amazing views of the vast, empty mountains.

Now that you're in Upper Mustang, the places you'll stay will be much simpler and the land will be farther away.

The course for today has 5 passes over 3,800m, so you'll need to eat breakfast early. The passes are: Bhena La, Yamdo La, Syanboch La, Nya La and Ghami La.

The trail will be harder than the days before, but you won't have to climb as steeply as you did on Samar. You'll start out going uphill, but you'll have some fast downhills to make up for it! Once you get to Ghiling, you'll stop for lunch. From there, it will take you up to 2 hours to get to Ghami, which includes a 5km climb and a long downhill walk.

There are only two passes to cross today. The first one goes up for 4.5 km, while the second one is not as hard. The course is a little bit easier than the last two days, but the high altitude makes 26km feel like 52km!!

About halfway through the day, you will pass through the beautiful village of Charang, where you will stop for lunch and have time to look around before continuing the ride.

Once you get to Lo Manthang and check into the teahouse, you'll have time to walk into the center and look around the old walled city. Lo Manthang is a colorful village with a long history and beautiful views in every direction. You will also be able to see the Kings Palace, which is where Lo Manthang's last king used to live.

Today's ride takes you to a village called Kamaling, which is just above Lo Manthang and close to the Chinese border. This is a great place to take photos of the beautiful scenery. You will also ride out to Garphu to see cave houses and a monastery that Tibetans used to live in a long time ago. If the weather is clear, you can see a great view of Nilgiri and the Annapurna Mountains. Most of the trails on this day are flat, and there isn't much climbing. You will ride through villages that look like time stopped there.

Today, more than half of the trails are single-track, which can be very technical, so you'll need good handling skills to get the most out of the day. Again, you'll have to cross two passes: Chogo La (4280m, the trip's highest) and Mui La. (4170m).

The first 6.5 km up to the first pass is a steep, rocky single-track that goes uphill. You may have to push a little bit. From the top of both passes, there are some steep, rocky single-track descents that are only good for skilled riders. Riders who aren't as good technically should push.

After 15 km, you'll reach Dhakmar. From there, you'll follow jeep tracks all the way to Ghami. Again, you can enjoy views of mountains, colorful scenery, monasteries, and the world's longest Mani walls.

After 15 km, you'll reach Dhakmar. From there, you'll follow jeep tracks all the way to Ghami. Again, you can enjoy views of mountains, colorful scenery, monasteries, and the world's longest Mani walls.

You will have another long, hard day on the bike, and you will cross the same passes you did going into Lo Manthang in the other direction.

When you leave Ghami, you'll start the day's longest climb: 7 km to the Niy La pass at 4010m. After the pass, you'll go downhill quickly to the village of Ghilling. Then, you'll climb 4 km to Syangboche La, which is at 3850m. From Syangboche, it's a few minutes downhill to the village, and then it's a 3km climb to Yamda Pass, which is at 3,850 meters. After this, the trail goes up and down for a while before going down a long way to Chele.

You will have to go back over the same trails you walked on the previous days, but you will take some short cuts on the way down. There are some really fast and fun parts on the downhills, and the views of the Nilgiri and Annapurna mountains are amazing.

Today, you'll start going down from Upper Mustang to Lower Mustang. The air gets thicker and it gets easier to ride, but there are still a few hard climbs to do. From Chele to Chhusang, the first 3 km are mostly flat or go downhill. You will walk across a metal bridge, where you can see the river coming out of a natural tunnel.

From Chhusang, the trails will be hilly until Kagbeni, where you will once again be riding along the Kali Gandaki riverbank. Even though the riding is flat from here to Marpha, you could face very strong headwinds, which is typical of mountain weather.

Today is the longest day of the tour, has the longest section going downhill, and is the most fun day to ride. The first 20 kilometers of the trail go through a wide valley with sections of forest and a suspension bridge to the village of Lete. From Lete, the way down will be very rough for more than 20m. During the descent, you may run into traffic, so watch out and be careful!

When you get to Tatopani, you'll check into the hotel and then head down to the natural hot springs to rest, relax, and maybe even drink a few beers if that's your thing.

The trip's last ride! After all the hard work is done, the ride down to the end of the trails is a relaxing one. Now that you're back at lower altitudes, riding will seem easy, and the trail will keep going up and down all the way to Maldhunga. The first 21 km to Beni are on a jeep track, and then it's broken tarmac from there.

When you get to Maldhunga, our team will load your bikes and bags onto the vehicle and take you to Pokhara. This will take about 3–4 hours.

After you get to Pokhara and check into your hotel, you'll have a lot of time to look around and shop in this peaceful lakeside town. After finishing "The Forbidden Kingdom," riders and crew members can safely celebrate at a number of hotels, restaurants, and bars that are on par with those in other countries.

Take a morning nap or explore Pokhara's highlights. This relaxed city, which is full of local culture like temples and small coffee shops, restaurants, and boutiques, is a haven for hikers. We'll take a quick flight back to Kathmandu in the middle of the afternoon. We'll have time to unwind over one last cup of chai in Kathmandu or finish off our souvenir shopping before gathering for a farewell meal.

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.