Annapurna Cycling Tour

The Tourist city offers numerous bars, shops, restaurants, and an instant taste of Nepali life. In the evening over dinner, there will be a tour briefing. Provide copies of your passports and return tickets so your guide is able to make the trekking and biking permits required by local law.

We check out from the hotel at 7:30 am and head for Besisahar. Please make sure your bike and luggage are ready. If you are going to use a porter you can have 10kg each of extra luggage for the porter but if you are carrying your own things, please make sure you have a light backpack with limited clothing. A pair of T-shirts, undergarments, sleeping gear, lightweight down-jacket for the evening and morning in the Himalayas and especially while crossing the Thorang Pass. No need to carry any sleeping bag or mattress. A light fleece jacket for you and a rain cover for the backpack is recommended. A camera and backup batteries, sunglasses, sun cream, toiletries, energy bars of your choice, cycling gloves, etc., are a necessity.
We drive mostly on paved road to Besisahar in our private transport and then ride about 12 km to Bulbule on a dirt track.

The trail soon turns to a rough jeep track and follows the course of the Marshyangdi River along the left side of the valley. This track is steep and rocky with a final 1km descent into the flat valley surrounding Taal.

Leaving Taal, a mani wall (dry stone wall inlaid with Buddhist prayer slats) is in the middle of the path. These should always be passed on the left, going clockwise. The valley becomes narrow again after going through green corn, barley, and potato fields.

From Taal to Danaqu, it will involve a large percentage of push / carry with a very steep, challenging climb out of Danaqu. From here, it becomes more bearable with closer views of snow-capped peaks and a wide, flowing trail to the finish. After a hard day’s work to reach Chame, we can relax by the hot springs on the other side of the Marshyangdi River, enjoy baked bakery products, or even email home from the internet cafe.

The route goes through a dense forest in a steep, narrow valley and crosses the river via two bridges, one at 2910m and the other at 3030m. The route follows a wide valley that opens up ahead of us.

Today we ride to Pisang Village and then cross the Marsyangdi River and start a few tough sections towards Ghyaru village (3670m). We then have a great single track from Ghyaru to Nawal (3660m) and down to Braga (3360m) and then to Manang. It is advised to go slowly, enjoying the scenery and culture of this region.

Today is a short day to help us acclimatize. We have a few sections to Tanki and then ride to Ledar (4200m). Relax and acclimatize.

Today we walk and ride with some hard pushes on the bike especially from Phedi to High Camp. A fair section is not rideable (about 2km only is rideable) due to being a bit rocky, with steep steps on the trail. We are staying at the high camp instead of Thorang Phedi because there are many trekkers staying in Phedi, and the next morning is messy and crowded.

A 4 am start is necessary to cross the Thorong La Pass as the trail can get windy later in the day, making it difficult to cross. It will take approximately 4 hours to reach the top (approx 3km) and will be a 100% carry for the cyclists. The effects of altitude are now fully felt and the majority of international visitors will be unable to move at anything but a snail’s pace. Once at the top, the trail descends rapidly on a very steep slope (technical riding) for approximately 45 minutes to Muktinath.

We’ll ride along the Muktinath ridge and take the suspended bridge over the Kali Gandaki river before following a trail down towards the Lupra Valley, riding over narrow and technical single tracks. If we’re lucky, we may spot wild horses and mountain goats while riding down the Lupra Valley.

Once we arrive in Lupra, we’ll continue descending down the Panda Khola to join the main trail. We have dinner in Marpha, the apple capital of Nepal, and enjoy a tour of the remarkable Marpha monastery.

It is mostly downhill, an exhilarating ride passing through a few rivers and mountain ridges. The views are fantastic of both mountains and villages.

As we descend the temperature increases and the trail becomes less rocky. It is mostly a downhill ride on a dirt trail to Beni, about 25km away, and then we catch our private transport waiting to transfer us to Pokhara (approx 4hours). Enjoy the beauty of Pokhara Lakeside in the evening.

In the early morning after breakfast, we drive back to Kathmandu via Prithivi Highway. Although it is a 6-hour long drive, it offers nice views of villages and rivers.