Nagarkot has the best views for bike tours of the Himalayas in all Kathmandu valley. An overnight stay that takes in both sunset and sunrise is an obligatory Nepal experience. Of course, you can take a bus or taxi up there. But why not cycle upon a top-of-the-range mountain bike, guided by an expert? You’re sure to feel you’ve earned the views when you get to the top.
Unbelievable Himalayan Cycling Tour Success Stories
Himalayan Bike Tours in Nepal. Best Places for Nepal Himalayas Cycling Holidays and Adventures Cycling Trips
YOU DON’T NEED TO BE TOUR DE FRANCE FIT TO CYCLE INTO THE HIMALAYAS. BUT a little exercise in the weeks leading up to your Nepal trip won’t go astray. Himalayan Bike tours (01) 416596 fax (01) 411055, P.O. Box 2247, Kathmandu, on the other hand, gamely claims that they “cater for all levels of fitness.”
Himalayan Bike Tours story
The first day entails 38-km (24-mile) ascent to Nagarkot. Now, this may sound like a long way, but remember you have all day to do it. Besides, the tour stops halfway, in Bhaktapur, where you have several hours to look at some of the valleys. Also, the best-preserved historical buildings and temples, cool off and have lunch. The climb to Nagarkot is rewarded with lodgings at a rustic guesthouse complete with a breathtaking panorama of the Himalayas.
The second-day descent to Kathmandu keeps the Himalayas in view. Following a track past villages and rice fields to Changu Narayan, a sixth-century temple complex dedicated to Vishnu. The descent continues to Bhaktapur, where you have lunch and then cycle on to Kathmandu with a stopover in THimi, a town known for its pottery.
It’s a ride that is guaranteed to produce some aches and pains if you’re not a regular cyclist, but the memories linger long after the aches are gone, and the second day is downhill anyway….. mostly.
