Cycling Nepal's Backcountry: Kathmandu to Pokhara

Arrive at Kathmandu and be welcomed by our tour guide. Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and has direct air connectivity to most major cities in the world. It is a bustling city of close to 3 million people located in a valley in the central Himalayas at about 1400m above sea level. Considered among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, Kathmandu is a charming mix of the ancient and the modern. In the 60s and 70s, it was the terminal point of the famous hippie trail. From the 1990s onwards, it became a hub for mountaineers heading to Everest. It isn’t for nothing that legendary musicians such as Cat Stevens and Bob Seger have penned odes to Kathmandu.

We meet for a bike fit in the afternoon followed by a walking tour exploring the sights and sounds of the famous Durbar Square and several of its famous temples.

We convene tonight over dinner to celebrate the commencement of a spectacular adventure through the highest mountain range on earth.

We begin the day with a quick shuttle transfer to leave the bustle of Kathmandu behind and head out into the countryside to begin our cycling adventure. We strike a north-westerly route along little-used backroads and cycle through undulating hills until we reach the town of Nuwakot. Once an important center on ancient trading routes between India, Nepal, Tibet, and China, the town is home to the ruins of a 300-year-old hilltop palace which is under consideration by UNESCO to be declared a World Heritage Site. We ride under its watchful shadow to head further to the northwest, riding over undulating hills and crossing pretty mountain streams to reach our stop for the night — Trishuli. Trishuli is a zesty, fast-flowing mountain river that originates from the perennially snow-bound glaciers of Tibet and forces its way through the mountain gorges of Nepal. For this reason, it is considered the best destination for water sports in Nepal. We spend the night at a campsite close to the banks of the Trishuli river, and under the Himalayan sky.

We begin this day’s cycling with the perky Trishuli river as our constant companion as we follow its meandering path through hills, ravines and plains, eventually heading in a westward direction to a small town called Dhading. Known as Nepal’s Ruby Valley because of the rubies that were once abundant in this region, Dhading presents a picture postcard view of a mountain hamlet framed under towering snow-clad mountains. The day’s cycling is idyllic and picturesque, passing through villages, forests of rhododendron and pine, and beautiful valleys.

We begin cycling in the morning from Dhading itself. As the sun comes out from the mountain mist, we are welcomed by spectacular views of Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain on earth at 8,148m above sea level. Manaslu, in fact, remains a constant companion as we ride towards our destination for the day, Aarughat. Aarughat is another small mountain hamlet that is popular for being the starting point of trekking expeditions to and around Manaslu. The day’s riding begins with a challenging uphill, before petering out into a gentle downhill.

We begin cycling today from Aarughat itself, taking a northerly course to the town of Gorkha, located close to the border with Tibet/China. Gorkha is a town intimately connected to the formative history of Nepal and its ruling dynasties, remnants of its eventful past still lying scattered across the town in the form of various monuments and ruins. Aarughat is surrounded by more than 14 peaks over 7000m in altitude that rises up all around it like sheer walls of stone and snow, giving it the appearance of a Tolkien-esque citadel.

Today is a long and fun day of cycling. We strike a western path through some gorgeous scenery consisting of rice paddies, small villages, quiet village roads, and clean mountain air. Our companion for much of the ride will be the Marshyangdi river, a swift-flowing mountain stream famous as a destination for white-water rafting. Today’s ride brings us close to Pokhara, as we stop for the night at Sundari Bazar, a quaint mountain town on the outskirts of Pokhara.

This is one of the longest days of biking on the tour. We head out towards Begnas Lake, a high-altitude, freshwater lake situated on the outskirts of Pokhara. The waters of the lake change colors depending on the season of the year. On clear days, visitors can see the imposing white massif of the Annapurna mountain — the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8091 m above sea level — reflected in its blue waters. Along the way, we pass by small mountain rivulets and numerous small villages, stopping to chat with the ever-friendly farmers and villages about life, lemons, philosophy, and everything else under the sun.

After yesterday’s long hours spent in the saddle, we take this day as a rest day or go cycling; leisurely around more lakes. Beginning from the Begnas, we head over to another, an even bigger lake called Lake Phewa. Phewa is the second-largest lake in Nepal and is famous for adventure sports. The lake is also known for offering mesmerizing reflections on its clear waters of the Machapuchare or the Fish-tail mountain — one of the few mountains in Nepal that have never been climbed.

We bike today towards Astam, a small village known as a trekking destination for novice trekkers. The village offers spectacular views of the Annapurna mountain range. Visitors especially come here for the sunrise and sunset over the magnificent Annapurna. Astam is known for its many eco-tourism resorts. We spend the night at one such comfortable eco-resort.

This is another relaxed day of biking in which we ride from Astam to Bhumdi, another idyllic village set in the valleys around Pokhara. We take many stops along the way to admire the natural beauty of the Pokhara valley, click pictures of the snow-clad mountains and chat with the farmers.

After 10 days of riding through a mesmerizing Himalayan landscape, we finally arrive at our destination — the famed town of Pokhara. Today’s ride begins with a short uphill and then descends into a knuckle-gripping downhill into Pokhara. A metropolitan town of over half a million inhabitants, Pokhara is marked by two striking geographical features — the Annapurna mountain and the Phewa Lake.

In the evening, you are free to explore Pokhara on your own. Pokhara offers a blend of the old and the new, and after 10 days of riding through remote villages and country roads, the cosmopolitan vibes of Pokhara will come as a pleasant surprise to the senses.

We swap our biking cleats for jungle boots today as we head into the world-famous Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Chitwan is a dense forest of sal and pine drenched in a dreamy, smoky mountain mist. It is home to some of the most endangered flora and fauna on earth including the Bengal Tiger, the one-horned rhino, the sloth bear, and the king cobra. After a thrilling jungle safari, we relax at a dinner and cultural event hosted by the local forest communities.

We do a relaxed bike ride around the national park in the morning. The terrain consists of plains and rolling hills, and the landscape is mostly forests and small villages. In the evening, we drive back to Kathmandu.

We meet again for dinner to celebrate the end of an epic adventure that will stay etched in our memories for a lifetime.

Please make arrangements as per your onward travel plans.