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Destination: Himalaya, India, Nepal
Duration: 14 Day(s)
Group Size: 10
Pillion Friendly: Yes - this is a nice trip for couples
Terrain: All tar, except a short ride into Bardia Park area
Support: Tour leader / Medic / Mechanic / Support vehicle
Distance: 1030km
To meet this tour, you will fly to Kathmandu, where you will be met by a Blazing representative, who will escort you to the domestic wing, and a short morning flight to Nepalgunj in Nepal's warm southern lowlands (45mins). On most days this flight will offer jaw-dropping views over the Annapurna Massif, with views all the way to the very, very big fellas. In Nepalgunj your tour team will meet you and transport you to our jungle retreat in Bardia National Park.
The tour ends in the jungles of Western Nepal, from which you will fly back to Kathmandu with time for some sight-seeing. Internal flights will be provided as part of the cost of the trip. Should you wish to add extra days/activities, the option is always there – check out the options on the bookings page...
Whenever riding there will be a leader and 'outrider,' guiding. A support vehicle with spares and a medic will travel at the rear. The trip includes some long days in the saddle, both on easy cruising roads and very challenging mountain chicanery.
Weather will range from warm, or hot on the plains, to 'nippy' in the higher stations. We would not expect rain at the times of year that we run tours in Nepal, but it's always possible.
Nepali jungle and high Himalayan valleys; views of the huge Himalayan ranges – this is a trip full of fabulous contrasts, epic rides and limitless hospitality.
You will need a reasonable fitness level to complete this trip and there are certain medical conditions we should know about, so check with Blazing Trails and your GP if in doubt.
The 'START DATE' (Day 1) date is the date of arrival at your destination airport. The 'END DATE' is the date on which you fly home. Please make sure that on booking you select a tour date and bike.
Leap aboard your overnight flight and kip to Kath'.
We will collect you from the airport and transport you to your comfortable hotel in Thamel, the thriving hub of Kathmandu. Depending on your arrival time, we are offering a guided tour of the lively streets and temples. Restaurants and bars can be sampled before to bed you go.
You will be transported to the domestic terminal to meet your short flight to Nepalganj, from where you will be collected and driven (around 2hrs) to our jungle resort on the fringes of Bardia National Park. Here you will be greeted by our staff and briefed on the trip ahead before we settle down to enjoy this peaceful and interesting village.
If possible (according to river conditions) we will be transferring to rafts, which will carry us through the park to the most surprising of overnight stops, a camp on a riverbank, deep in the jungle. The evening's entertainments are best left a surprise. This National Park is one of Asia's great secrets, situated as it is away from the usual tourist circuits. The park holds tiger, leopard, elephant, great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, crocodile and many other species.
The journey back from our overnight camp to the hotel near the park gates will be made partly on foot, with our expert wildlife guides, and by raft (if possible) and jeep. The walk is well worth it, as it's rare to be allowed to walk in such places and the chances of seeing wildlife here are high.
This is a long ride – around 200 miles. After leaving the park's rough roads we're back onto the Mahendra Highway. Most of the ride is fast and smooth, but towards the day's end we will turn off into the hills and begin a steep climb, which ends in the charming and historic regional capital of Tansen. Our hotel has great views all the way to Annapurna and there's a fantastic restaurant in town.
A half-day of twisty, twisty, twisty riding, through huge gorges, with rivers frothing beneath us and stunning snow-peaked Himalayan vistas opening up along the way. We should be in Pokhara in time to spend the afternoon relaxing lakeside. Pokhara is a trekker Mecca, from where folks head out for the 'Annapurna Circuit' trek. Due the the city's popularity with adventurers, there is a very lively nightife on offer, with bands and hundreds of restaurants and bars from which to choose. From the Lakeside area where we stay it's possible to see most of the Annapurna range on a clear morning.
A day to do some boating on, or take a walk beside, Lake Phewa, over which our hotel looks. For the more adventurous, it is also possible to go paragliding in the most majestic of settings (we would advise that you book your flight the evening before). For the less energetic, there is also plenty to do, like shopping, eating and drinking.
Up for an early start and a full day's riding. We will be winding over the hills and down, back to the Terai plain, some 500km east of where we started. The aim is to hit Chitwan before sunset, so we can park ourselves in the most appropriately-named Sunset Bar to watch the event. It is not uncommon to see a rhino cross the river with a beer in your mitt, illuminated by the most spectacular of sundowns.
Chitwan is more developed than Bardia, but is still incredibly beautiful. It is possible to indulge in optional rhino-tracking on elephant-back and you have very good odds of seeing one of the horny fellows, plus many smaller creatures. The tigers and leopards in this park are much rarer sightings. There are also opportunities to walk in the 'buffer zone', take boat rides and visit local Tharu tribespeoples' villages. Once you have finished with your activities, sidle down to the riverside again, where you will doubtless find the BT staff down by the river watching the sunset, glasses in hands.
The day will start with knocking out a few kilometres on the fast Mahendra Highway, before we head back into the hills for what is one of the most spectacular rides imaginable. We will climb and climb a twisty and near-deserted road until reaching the top of a pass at Daman (2600m) where we will spend the night. From here, the views open up all the way to the Everest massif, 180km away.
The ride down from Daman is no less incredible, this time the Annapurna Range supplying the vistas. After a couple of hours we meet a winding highway and this is followed until, turning off the main road, we will ride up to Gorkha (after which the famous 'Gurkha' Regiment takes its name). The afternoon can be spent visiting some very important Hindu temples and scaling 1700 steps to the palace of King Prithivi Narayan Shah, the founder of `Shah Dynasty' which ran Nepal until recently. Around 300 years ago, he unified the 50-or-so states that comprised the area that is now Nepal into a single country.
Our last day on the road starts with a return down the hill to the highway for the ride back to Pokhara. The road will doubtless feature some roadworks
Early morning transport takes us to Pokhara airport for the short flight to Kathmandu – and a taxi ride to fascinating Bhaktapur on the outskirts. Here the afternoon can be spent wandering among ancient buildings in this living museum.
You will be transported from Bhaktapur to the International airport, unless you have elected to partake in an extra day or two – see below. Bye, bye.
If you would like to book some extra time in Nepal prior to, or just after, your tour dates, then we offer a range of short packages in Pokhara, Kathmandu, or Bardia National Park. Including accommodation and transfers, these can be selected as 'Trip Extras' during the booking process.
The tours can be booked online, by email, or over the phone on: +44 (0) 7494 050404. To secure a place you will be asked to put down a 15% deposit and payment can be made by card, cheque, or bank transfer.
International flights are not included in the price of your tour, but internal flights are. We can provide details of where to book an appropriate International flight.
Best to obtain your E-visa visa from the Embassy of Nepal: https://uk.nepalembassy.gov.np/visa/. Currently a 15-day visa costs £25.
You will need a valid certificate of travel insurance and an International Driving Permit.
Obtain one through the Post Office service, at major branches. All you need is your UK Driving Licence and some six of His Imperial Majesty's Pounds.
Yes. We enjoy hosting riders from all countries.
Yes, you need travel insurance to cover you for the period of the tour. This insurance must cover you to ride the bike you have booked.
We would advise that you have some idea of the Nepali Rupee exchange rate before you leave, to avoid getting ripped-off. We would advise changing around £100 at the airport. In many major towns, there are cash-points that will accept major credit and debit cards. In Kathmandu and Pokhara you will be able to use money changers and banks. Further advice to this will be given in the tour briefing.
About £350 should cover food, drink, and sundries.
Not if you pay a supplement, which can be selected at the booking stage.
It is always clean and the best we can find in the area with a suitable setting. We are in clean, comfortable hotels or resorts. One night you will be staying in a tented camp in the jungle.
Usually, but it can't always be guaranteed in remote areas. During our jungle night there's no power. If it's vital you need electrical power every night, please speak to us before booking. Don't forget a travel adaptor if you need to recharge your electricals.
You need a licence to ride the bike you've booked. It would also be good to have a couple of year's experience. While you don't need dirt-riding experience, as we can help you through tricky sections there are dirt roads to be tackled. These may be muddy, or/and rocky in places.
Riding anywhere carries with it a degree of risk, as does riding in Nepal. If any rider joining us rides in a manner we suspect will endanger themselves, or others, they will receive one warning. If they continue to display a threat to the safety or enjoyment of others on the tour, they will be excluded from the remainder (with no refund given, see terms and conditions).
Due to road conditions and other traffic, vehicles tend to move a lot slower in Nepal than they do in the West. We will do likewise. There are also constraints on speed enforced by the bikes. These are not high-revving sports bikes and so we will lead the tour at a maximum speed of around 70-80kph where conditions allow
No, you can't ride independently of the tour group, sorry.
Reasonably so. What's 'reasonably fit'? If you can't jog up stairs without panting, then Nepali bike tours probably aren't for you.
Yes, but please be sure they know what they're letting themselves in for: some long-ish days in the saddle and bumpy roads. We have space in our support vehicles, so pillions can take a rest.
You are limited to 20kg on most flights. We suggest you pack as lightly and in as compact a form as possible. As support vehicle space is tight, we insist you bring soft luggage. If you turn up with a suitcase we will ask you to buy a soft bag and repack.
Keep it minimal. One set of riding kit for the tour and a couple of sets of clothes for the evening. There are laundry facilities at two-night stops, but it's a good idea to bring under-layers that can be hand-washed.
If you're wet, yes. One small travel towel. Although most of our hotels provide towels, there may be the occasional night you'll want your own.
All breakfasts and some evening meals are included – where there is little choice. In some places guests may chose to eat dinner where they wish.
We would firstly suggest that you avoid too much curry, purely on the grounds that you don't like it. Nepali cuisine has much more to offer than what we in the West are offered in most 'Indian' restaurants. In many destinations, Western-style food is available and where it is not, less spicy food can be arranged.
Yes. If your riding kit isn't waterproof, then bring a waterproof over-layer.
Consult your GP/travel clinic for immunisation and medical advice. Bring enough of any prescribed medication you take regularly. A basic first aid kit is useful (plasters, antiseptic cream, bite/sting relief, plus insect repellent). Any serious medical problems will be dealt with by the tour medic.
Yes, don't mess with elephants.
31 Rock Road
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United Kingdom