Everest Enduro - 10 Days
This Epic Mountain Biking Trip offers the best Enduro trails on offer in Nepal and an insight into Sherpa Culture in the Everest region.
Rolling from 2300m to 4200m through ancient Rhododendron and Fur Forests, Spruce covered hilltops and cultivated farmland, this trip is ALL about big descents of every kind.
Trails on this mostly uplift assisted trip vary from steep, open rocky descents off grassy hilltops, down to rooty, slick jungle trails, stone stairs, and some super fun fast-flowing loamy sections. Some come here with your big boy/big girl pants on, get ready to descend for a LONG time, climb and hike-a-bike just a little bit and have THE riding and cultural experience of a lifetime.
Upon you arrival in Nepal a member of the Himalayan Single Track team will collect you from the airport and transfer you to the Hotel. In the evening we have a meet and greet with the guide to do the final gear and bike check for the trip and enjoy a traditional Nepalese dinner.
ACOMMODATION: Hotel Thamel
MEALS: D
This morning we'll head to Nagarkot. Without a doubt, this is THE best place to ride Enduro inside the Kathmandu Valley. The trails vary in difficulty and distance, but they are all fun. Shuttles are the name of thew game today, for as much single-track fun as you can handle. Trails run through the jungle and rural rice fields and villages, and boast stunning views of the Himalayas.
ACOMMODATION: Hotel Boutique Mamasara
MEALS: B,L, D
Leaving Nagarkot early, we take a jeep and drive to Dhap, it’s around nine hours from Kathmandu 212 km in total. We stop along the way for lunch. Our drive takes us along the Sindhuli Highway and through the mid-hills where the Sunkosi (River of Gold) flows out of the mountains towards the plains. It’s a long drive, but the scenery is beautiful. We arrive in the tiny village of Dhap from where we stretch our legs with a warm up ride to Jhapre. The ride takes around two hours of pedaling along a jeep track. Our accommodation for the night is a local, very simple yet homely teahouse.
DISTANCE: 10 miles
DESCENDING: 2500 feet
ACOMMODATION: Jhapre Teahouse
MEALS: B, L, D
We'll wake up early and check the bikes and gear before breakfast. Our bags will be carried by some locally hired porters. Once we are ready we start the ride on a dusty jeep track which climbs uphill through the dense Rhododendron Forest, we can also see many Yaks along the trail. It’s around 1000 m of climbing today, so we set an easy pace to allow for acclimatization. The ride will take us around 6 hours and we stop along the way for local food and to visit the many Mani Walls, Prayer Flags and Stupa’s. There is a flat section over the ridge to Bhulbhule. After this we leave the jeep track and ride along a trekking trail where some sections are push and carry near to basecamp which could take up to 1.5 hours. There is a scenic Mani Wall (Prayer Wall) along the route and plenty of good photo opportunities. The teahouse at Basecamp is simple, but run by a nice elderly local couple. Our cook will help to prepare our evening meal of the local delicacy Thukpa (A thick noodle soup). Beside this we can have the fresh Nak cheese and in the correct season wild mushrooms.
DISTANCE: 6.8 miles
ASCCENDING: 3100 feet
ACOMMODATION: Teahouse Pikey Peak Base Camp
MEALS: B,L,D
Today we climb up to the top of Pikey Peak. It’s a steady 2 hour hike a bike with porter assistance if you need it. Don't worry - we leave our main bags at Basecamp for the porters to take back to Phaplu. Once on top of the peak, the views of the Everest Himalaya are incredible! Even Sir Edmund Hillary himself claimed this place to be his favorite. Pikey Peak is named after the deity (Clan God) representing the Sherpa Clan. During the monsoon, the regional Sherpa’s come here to worship their God. Savor the moment, enjoy the views and listen to the Prayer Flags flapping in the wind. It’s steep and gnarly down to Suke Pokharai which takes about 45 mins. From here we enter the jungle sections of track and have about five hours of riding through Dimse, Ghunre and Sallari before reaching Phaplu. The single track is an ancient pathway used by local people and their cattle. It is a wild and natural mix of tree roots, drops, rocks and fast flowing dirt.
This is a great day of riding, with a grand mix of single track - alpine, ridges, jungle some steep rocky stair sections.
DISTANCE: 6.8 miles
ASCCENDING: 900 feet
DESCENING: 5120 feet
ACOMMODATION: Phaplu Teahouse
MEALS: B,L,D
Phaplu has an almost unlimited number of trails in the surrounding community forest. Today we shuttle and ride until our hearts are content, trails are all single track, tree roots, rock gardens and good flowing sections. Our shuttles average 60 mins. to 120 mins. up to Raatnage. Raatnage has a scenic view tower and yet another cool single track around community forest to Salleri Bazar and Phaplu. We will have a local organic lunch on the way in between the Salleri bazar and Phaplu.
DISTANCE: 10-15 miles
DESCENDING: As much as you like
CLIMBING: 0
ACOMMODATION: Phaplu Teahouse
MEALS: B,L,D
Today we'll ride down on a single track to the northern side of Phaplu following the Junbesi River. Junbesi is a beautiful village named after the moon where you can see the local people engaged in kiwi fruit farming. It is believed to be the place where the moon (Jun) comes down below the earth to rest (Besi). It is indeed magical to see this village for the first time sitting quietly and charmingly underneath a towering cliff. The village sits alongside Junbesi Monastery and Ngagyur Sergon Lungrig Sedrup Zungdelling Monastery which is liberally decorated with prayer flags and prayer wheels. To the north there is another famous Thupten Choling Monastery situated in the lap of Numbur range whereas to the east you can see the lovely valley of Benighat and Phaplu.
ASCENDING: 900 feet
DESCENDING: 2000 feet
ACOMMODATION: Lodge Jenbesi
MEALS: B, D
Today is one of the best days on the trail! The trail from Junbesi to Ringbu starts off with a 90min flat and uphill section which is 50% rideable and 50% push. After this, the rest of the way to Ringbu is descening awesome single track in the jungle with rock and root sections. It is really good riding. At the end we cross a small river and carry our bikes uphill for about 10 mins. Along the trail today, we can enjoy the majestic view of Junbesi River as well as Numbhur and Everest Himalaya during our ride. The last section of the ride is 16km of down and flat Jeep Track all the way to Phaplu.
DISTANCE: 13.6 miles
DESCENDING: 6500 feet
ACOMMODATION: Teahouse Phaplu
MEALS: B, L, D
We'll pack up our bikes and send them in the truck back to Kathmandu. Around 11 am we fly from Phaplu airport to Kathmandu. It’s a short flight of around 30 mins. After a shower and some free time exploring Kathmandu we'll go out for a last night dinner and enjoy the vibrant nightlife of Kathmandu’s tourist district, Thamel.
ACOMMODATION: Hotel Thamel
MEALS: B,L,D
This morning we'll depart our hotel in Kathmandu, and head for the airport.
It's our mission to create lifelong friends, memories and stoke through the shared experience and joy of riding in our favourite parts of the world and we hope you'll have enjoyed the epic descending, climbing, views, people and goodtime here in Nepal.
MEALS: B,L, D