Lower Mustang Nepal MTB Tour
This 10 day tour combines world-class singletrack with exposure to Nepal’s rich heritage and culture with a visit to the famous Mustang region.
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Nepal MTB Tour: Haku’s 10-Day Nepal MTB trip is truly a mountain biking experience of a lifetime. Nepal is one of the most diverse countries on earth and home to the Himalayan mountain range! This Nepal MTB vacation takes you from the capital Kathmandu to the infamous Mustang region where you will enjoy some of the planets best trails! This mountain bike journey is filled with breathtaking, technically challenging single track in one of the most famous mountain ranges on Earth.
We’ll start out in the Kathmandu valley for a couple of days, riding fun single trails on the northern section of the valley rim. Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal, with a wealth of historical and cultural sites to marvel at and explore. You’ll get a chance to immerse yourself in the ancient Newari culture and cuisine while cycling in the city as well! After a couple of days exploring the city we head out to the famous Mustang region. Here we will enjoy epic down hilling and stunning scenery on our bikes. After we’ll take a short but stunning flight back to Kathmandu, where we’ll celebrate in style and trade stories before heading our separate ways.
Ride description: Nepal is one of the most diverse and exciting countries on planet earth, especially on a bike! Ride ridge lines, huge pine forests, and open alpine on one the most epic mountain bike holidays in the world.
Day by Day
Welcome to Nepal! Once through immigrations the Haku crew will be waiting for you outside the airport. Here we save you from the mad crowd and take you and your mountain bike straight to the hotel. The Manaslu Hotel is situated just outside the tourist district of Kathmandu, Thamel. After settling in and meeting the rest of the crew you can head out for a nice dinner and get to know Kathmandu!
In the afternoon (depending on your arrival time) we can take you on a bazaar walk exploring the secret alleys and ancient courtyards of Kathmandu that most visitors don’t get to experience.
In the late afternoon we will have a guide meeting and talk about the ride ahead of us before putting our mountain bikes together and making sure we are ready for tomorrow’s MTB ride.
Tonight we’ll treat you to a traditional Newari dinner (the Newars are the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu valley) at one of the capital’s tastiest restaurants and prepare you for your MTB adventure!
Accommodation: Hotel Manaslu http://www.hotelmanaslu.com/
Meals: D
We transfer out of town in the early morning to the start of one of the most (in)famous trails in and around the Kathmandu valley, the Scar Route. The trail starts in Kakani, an excellent place to have your first real views of the Himalayan Range; on a clear day from here the mountains seem super close and huge. We climb for about half an hour from Kakani and enter the Shivapuri National Park.
Once inside the park we really start the single trail, it climbs for the first 4km but then becomes a fast technical downhill on a skinny jungle trail for the next 4 km. We then join a small jeep trail contouring around the park boundary to Danda Gaun, where we have a delicious Nepali lunch waiting for us in a lovely garden.
After lunch we have a short 1km climb on a tarmac road through the Nepal army staff college, to the start of another great single trail. It is a 5 km section where the first half is a very gradual climb with some fun technical bits and the second half is a fast downhill. We then climb on a jeep trail for 4 km before starting the final single trails downhill into the Kathmandu valley. It is a fun 5 km downhill and we end up at the Boudhanath Stupa, where we will spend the night in a hotel nearby the stupa.
The evening is free to wander around the stupa area and have dinner and drinks in one of the many great restaurants around / overlooking the stupa.
Accommodation: Hotel Shambaling http://www.shambaling.com/
Meals: B, L
Lodging: Not included
Meals included: B,L
Once again we load up the jeeps in the morning and transfer out to the Kathmandu valley rim, this time on the eastern side at Nagarkot. Here we will first up do a loop of the “Ranger Trail” this trail is inside the Nepal Rangers training area, so if they have exercises on, then we will ride another one of the great trails around Nagarkot.
Nagarkot is home to the trails used for the Asian Enduro Nepal race and we will ride one of the trails used for this race down towards Bhaktapur in the valley deep below Nagarkot.
Accommodation: Hotel Manaslu http://www.hotelmanaslu.com/
Meals: D
We have a relaxed morning before we head off to Pokhara. After a late breakfast we transfer to the domestic airport for our flight west to Pokhara. This is an incredible flight along the Himalayan Range with spectacular views, to say the very least! It gets better as we arrive too – Pokhara is a stunning lakeside town with amazing views up to the high Himalaya.
Meals: B, L
Sleeping: Lake Side Retreat https://lsrpokhara.com/
This morning we have one of the most stunning flights in the world ahead of us, going up between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I. Because of the mountainous terrain the flight is very early in the morning, so we head off to the airport before dawn. After we arrive in Jomsom we will have breakfast and put our bikes together before doing a mostly flat ride up along the Kali Gandaki River to Kagbeni, where we will stay tonight. We won’t do any big riding today as we need to get used to the altitude first. It is enough of a buzz to take in the awesome flight and the incredible change in landscape from lush Pokhara to the cold and arid Kagbeni!
For those who just can’t sit still in the afternoon we can cross the river and ride up to the first village in Upper Mustang, Tirigaon. This place used to be off limits without an upper Mustang permits but for the last couple of years it has been opened to everyone. It is by no means a big ride but it is nice to see this little village and get the legs moving a little more.
Sleeping: Red House Lodge Kagbeni http://redhouselodge.com/
Lodging: Phaplu tea house
Meals: B, L, D
After breakfast we take a lift with a jeep to gain some altitude fast. We get out of the Jeep at Ranipouwa near the famous Muktinath temple, have a look for the sacred flames coming from the mountain side and then jump on the bikes. Today’s drop is going to really challenge your biking skills! We first climb to the little pass to the Lupra valley. We stop at the pass and enjoy the amazing views of Mt. Daulagiri, Mt. Nilgiri and the upper Mustang valley. Now the fun really begins as we drop into the valley on very technical trails with rocks, sand and some fun switchbacks. We have a little walk up to another pass before we drop down to Seuli Bhatti for lunch. After lunch we ride the 2.5 km back to Kagbeni and relax for the rest of the afternoon.
Meals: B, L, D
Sleeping: Red House Lodge Kagbeni
After breakfast we jump in the jeeps and head up to Muktinath, high above the valley floor. We head out on our bikes past this sacred temple and pilgrimage site on single and jeep trails as we make our way across the valley. We leave the jeep trail behind for now and climb up a gradual single trail to the highpoint of our trip, the 4577 meter high Gyu La (pass). The pass is the border with the restricted area of Upper Mustang and from her we can see a long way into this legendary forbidden kingdom. We then backtrack downhill on the 7 km single trail we just climbed but it is much more fun going down! We rejoin the jeep trail and stay on it most of the way back down to Kagbeni where we will have a late lunch.
Meals: B, L, D
Sleeping: Red House Lodge Kagbeni
Today we have a fun day ahead of us with plenty of single trails but first we have to backtrack on the jeep trail down to Jomsom. Here we get on the single trails on the opposite side of the valley from the runway you landed on a few days back.
For the first few km we are on and off very small jeep tracks, we climb for about 1.5 km to a little hill from where there are excellent views of Jomsom, Marpha and the mountains. We then get onto a 5 km super single trail which is technically challenging but lots of fun! We even ride down some short sections of steps before getting to a flatter section which brings us to the bridge to the famous Thakali village of Tukuche. We cross the river and check out this stunning village, we may even try their famous apple brandy and have a bite of lunch.
We then recross the river and continue down the valley. It is another 11km of great single trails, with some short sections of uphill which aren’t rideable, but the overall ride is fast and fun. We cross the river and reach our tea house for the night.
Meals: B, L, D
Sleeping: Tea House
Lodging: Campsite/lodge
Meals included: B, L, D
We have a big day ahead of us but at the end of today awaits the luxury of a hot shower and drinks on the lakeside in Pokhara. We get up early and ride back down to the bridge we crossed yesterday and get back on the single trail on the other side of the valley. We only have 3 km of single trail before we rejoin the main jeep trail at Kalopani, here it becomes a wild downhill ride which last year’s group loved. We stay on the jeep trail until Rupse Chhahara, dropping a lot of altitude and fast.
At Rupse Chhahara we once again cross the valley and have to climb for about half an hour walking the bike but it is well worth it because the single trail then drops for the next 3 km to Dana where is becomes flatter but also faster. We reach Tatopani after 17 km of great riding in time for an early lunch.
After lunch we have another 8 km of jeep trail to ride down to Galeswhor where we can wash the mud off ourselves and have a beer while we pack up our bikes. From here they go by road back to Kathmandu and we go by road back to Pokhara. The drive into Pokhara takes a couple of hours and we will arrive in time to enjoy the sunset and a couple of cold beverages by the lake. In the evening we go out for a great meal together and we may also head out for some celebratory drinks and tell some tales of the great trails we been on.
Meals: B, L, D
Sleeping: Lake Side Retreat https://lsrpokhara.com/
Today we take that awesome flight back to Kathmandu and check into our hotel. The rest of the day is free for shopping, relaxing, checking out the mad street life or optional sightseeing of Kathmandu. If you book Dragon Air to Hong Kong, you can depart this same evening.
Meals: B
General Information
What’s the price of this 1o-day Nepal MTB tour? And what’s included?
$3195 USD with a 4 per minimum for the tour to operate. You can book the tour even if others have not yet booked. We will let you know as the spaces begin to fill in or if the trip will not be able to depart. We recommend purchasing refundable flights early on.
Your price includes:
* Note: local tea houses are basic but clean and they do not often have attached bathrooms or hot showers. The price is based on twin share and does not include any extra charge that lodge owners may levy for single rooms, attached bathrooms, hot showers, or for battery charging (should any of these facilities be available). We can’t know in advance what they may charge for this in different tea houses, so we prefer to leave this cost out rather than pass along an estimated charge to you
The Nepalese rupee is readily available at money exchange offices. As always be attentive to the amount of money being exchanged and double check before you step away from the window. One US dollar is equal to about 77 rupees (2022) and you can buy a plate of Momo’s for about 100 rupees, a Dal is about 200 rupees and a cold beer is between 300-700 rupees. Nepal is a cash society and it is recommended to bring cash with you from your country. Atm’s can be pricey and iffy and you don’t want to be without cash.
Each person is required to have a specific travel/trip insurance outside of your credit card or regular medical insurance.
You should get comprehensive coverage with trip interruption/cancellation and with personal liability. Mention all activities that you will be involved in such as mountain biking, hiking at high altitude and whatever other activities you may have planned.
We do not provide refunds. If you should get hurt or sick not only will travel insurance cover your medical expenses it will also cover the lost portion of the trip. Make sure you have trip interruption or trip cancellation included! South America is famous for people striking and shutting down all activities. If you miss your Machu Picchu trip, Galapagos or any other side trip, or even your flight due to strikes the insurance will cover the loss or additional costs that are incurred.
Check out our blog on travel insurance and why it is a must for any South America Vacation!
This Nepal mountain bike adventure begins and ends in Katmandu, Nepal. You will want to look for flights to Katmandu which will always require a layover.
Most travelers arrive at Nepal via Tribhuvan International Airport, near Kathmandu. There are no flights directly from the Americas and surprisingly, almost none from Europe (Istanbul being an exception), so you’re likely to connect via major airports in the Middle East or Asia. If you have trouble finding something affordable, a good option is to fly to Delhi and connect from there (it’s about a one-hour flight that’s often around $80).
Check if you need a visa for any of the countries you may pass though such as China. Some countries require it even when passing though, others will allow you to stay in the airport in a special area without leaving. Be sure of your layover countries visa requirements.
Before booking flights look into how much baggage you are allowed and how much an oversized bag will cost you. All bicycles are oversized. The price ranges so check this before booking the flight.
IMPORTANT: Generally anytime you land in another country you need to get your luggage and rescan it or re-check it for security purposes. Every country is different so check ONCE YOU ARRIVE, do not count on the front desk lady who checked you in at your first airport.
For this 1o-day Nepal Mountain MTB vacation:
You should have a mountain biking skill level of intermediate tech and a fitness level of 4
SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate tech. This means: you’ve got three plus years of riding on singletrack trails of all sorts with features such as rock gardens, steep sections, rolls and drops, roots, and small jumps. You are confident on the bike in most situations. You’re constantly looking to improve your riding skills and enjoy riding for extended periods of time climbing and descending in terrain of all sorts.
FITNESS LEVEL:
4 This means you exercise 3-4 times a week and enjoy physical activities such as biking, hiking, skiing. You are active. For biking: you enjoy climbs that are are moderately long and being on a bike for 3-5 hours in one day doesn’t get you too tired or fatigued.
Reviews
Biking through the Himalayas in Nepal with Bill was awesome!! Couldn’t have asked for a better group to ride with. The local trail guides were knowledgeable and the views were epic, especially with Everest in the backdrop. The style of trip let you experience the local culture to the fullest. The trails we rode accommodated a good range of skill levels and definitely had the terrain to keep everyone’s adrenaline on high! Can’t recommend these guys highly enough. Would book again in a heartbeat.
This 10-day Nepal MTB vacation is for avid, intermediate to advanced mountain bikers who practice downhill, enduro, or XC-stye riding and want to be challenged and amazed with world-class terrain.
Mountain biking in Nepal is no walk in the park; this tour is not for beginners.
Our 10-day Nepal Mountain Bike Adventure is ideal for you if:
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Haku Expeditions donates 1% of all profits to support local education programs.
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What’s the price of this 1o-day Nepal MTB tour? And what’s included?
$3195 USD with a 4 per minimum for the tour to operate. You can book the tour even if others have not yet booked. We will let you know as the spaces begin to fill in or if the trip will not be able to depart. We recommend purchasing refundable flights early on.
Your price includes:
* Note: local tea houses are basic but clean and they do not often have attached bathrooms or hot showers. The price is based on twin share and does not include any extra charge that lodge owners may levy for single rooms, attached bathrooms, hot showers, or for battery charging (should any of these facilities be available). We can’t know in advance what they may charge for this in different tea houses, so we prefer to leave this cost out rather than pass along an estimated charge to you
Our Cross Country MTB tours take you from one spectacular destination to the next. On these, you’ll cycle literally across whichever country you’re visiting. For instance, check out our Andes to the Amazon tour, where you travel from Cusco to the Peruvian Amazon.
Our current XC vacations are made up of long-distance rides on backcountry roads. If you are looking for XC singletrack, get in touch with us, and we’ll set up a one-of-a-kind MTB tour suited to your needs.
How we define XC: Anywhere from old logging or fire roads to rolling singletrack, Cross Country trails are generally long distances with both ascents and descents. While trails may be somewhat technical with rock gardens and tight switchbacks, they generally do not have intense steep rock gardens like those you might find in DH or Enduro racing.
An XC bike is often lighter with a slacker head tube angle for better climbing ability and tends to not have a dropper post although the trend is changing. Usually it will be a hardtail or a full suspension bike with a smaller amount of suspension — 100-130mm.
Most XC riders do not wear pads such as elbow or knee pads and wear a half-shell helmet.
Our MTB expeditions are multi-day trips that involve camping, hiking and/or local home stays in the mountains with cooks and porters. At the moment Haku Expeditions offers one complete mountain expedition and also two packages that combine an MTB vacation with a smaller expedition nestled in it.
The front travel for DH bikes is usually somewhere around 200mm with the rear measuring slightly less. Because they generally aren’t pedalled uphill, these bikes are rugged and heavy and usually have less gears. DH riders wear full-face helmets, goggles, and body armor.
At the moment we do not offer a 100% DH trip. Contact us and we can make a custom trip for you! Below, you’ll find our Enduro MTB tours listed that are mostly all downhill and can be done either with a DH bike or an Enduro bike.
How we define DH: DH riding – or Downhill riding — is regarded as an intense, extreme kind of cycling, made for advanced riders who love to navigate roots and rocks and huge drops with furious downhill speed. It requires a stellar sense of balance and technique and a bike with slacker geometry.
The front travel for DH bikes is usually somewhere around 200mm with the rear measuring slightly less. Because they generally aren’t pedalled uphill, these bikes are rugged and heavy and usually have less gears. DH riders wear full-face helmets, goggles, and body armor.
Our Enduro/All-Mountain MTB tours are by far our most popular trips to date. While some of them focus more on descent like Ecuador and Peru, others include plenty of pedaling such as those in Colombia and Nepal.
How we define Enduro/All Mountain: Enduro mountain biking, also known as All-Mountain biking, emphasizes technical ability. If you’re looking for a more adventurous ride, this is the kind of ride for you; usually, an Enduro/All-Mountain trail will involve adrenaline-pumping downhill mountain biking along with sustained climbs.
Enduro riders need bikes that can take burly drops and rugged technical obstacles efficiently while still being light enough to climb with; they almost always use full-suspension bikes with wide tires and longer rear and front suspension travel. Dropper post is a necessity and standard. The front suspension can be anywhere from 140mm to 170mm. Full-face enduro helmets and body amour are a must for Enduro racing.
1 – The Haku Christmas Drive, which includes yearly clothing giveaways, shoe drives, and a public hot chocolate panettone lunch.
2 – School supply giveaway for children of the High Andes.
3 – Bringing bread and fruit to kids living at elevations where none is available.
4 – Facilitating connections between local organic farmers and local restaurants.
5 – Affordable MTB classes for locals taught by professional coaches.
6 – Sustained commitment to hiring out locals to work as drivers, office workers, etc., allowing a great amount of flexibility for family commitments, and paying them fair, livable wages.
7 – Donating 1% of all profits to help educate children in a technical field such as carpentry.
8 – Helping young adults begin a small business working in their technical field or purchasing products from them to help them get started after high school.
1 – Getting your heart rate up isn’t really your thing, and you rarely (if ever) exercise. Your idea of a perfect vacation is total relaxation: sitting on a beach, sipping a mojito, and just generally vegging out.
2 – You don’t necessarily work out regularly but you aren’t averse to the idea of doing something active. Although you don’t exercise that often, you don’t necessarily consider yourself out of shape.
3 – You exercise one to two times a week but do not have a normal schedule that keeps you biking or doing other activities weekly. You don’t go to the gym or train for any specific sports but you lead a relatively active lifestyle by biking, hiking, skiing, or whatever it may be. For biking: climbs and long descents give you some trouble and you tend to get tired after about 2-3 hours on the bike.
4 – You exercise 3-4 times a week and enjoy physical activities such as biking, hiking, skiing. You are active. For biking: you enjoy climbs that are are moderately long and being on a bike for 3-5 hours in one day doesn’t get you too tired or fatigued.
5 – You exercise at least 4 times a week and are an avid athlete that is consistently in good shape. You’re more or less game for any kind of adventure. For biking: you’re comfortable with being on your bike for 5-7 hours a day.
6 – You live and die for exercise, sweat, and suffering. You only want to climb higher, go farther, and prove how much of an animal you are. Steep climbs, long descents and big days are something you are looking to do more of and you can’t wait for your next adventure.
Beginner:
You’ve been riding a mountain bike for a couple of years or less and you’re most comfortable on smooth single-track and wider, forgiving doubletrack. You like rides with scenic views; you like both ascending and descending on well-maintained, safe trails. You’re looking for an active but relaxing mountain bike vacation; you’re not into jumps, drops, super steep trails, rock gardens, roots or taking big risks on your bike.
Intermediate:
You’ve got two plus years of experience mountain biking on single-track trails under your belt; you’ve gotten pretty confident behind the handlebars and are beginning to expand your mountain bike abilities. You like riding most types of terrain, and you’re comfortable both climbing and descending on single-track trails with smaller technical features such as rocky sections, small drops, and small steep sections. You aren’t trying to walk on most of the trail and are looking to take small risks with things like speed, jumps, rock gardens, and stair sets to improve your skills as a mountain biker.
Intermediate Tech:
You’ve got three plus years of riding on singletrack trails of all sorts with features such as rock gardens, steep sections, rolls and drops, roots, and small jumps. You are confident on the bike in most situations. You’re constantly looking to improve your riding skills and enjoy riding for extended periods of time climbing and descending in terrain of all sorts.
Advanced:
Ten plus years of experience riding single-track, freerides and biking of all sorts. You live for steeps, jumps, rock gardens, techy trails, long descents, big ascents and discovering new terrain. Mountain biking is one of your passions and you are ready and confident to do what you love in a new and challenging place. You can handle anything we throw at you — jumps, rock gardens, steps, technical descents, tough ascents, etc. Biking is a central part of your life. For you, the bigger the challenge, the more excited you get.
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The experience I had in both Peru and Nepal were far beyond my expectations. Peru holds a special place in my heart and I will be returned for a 4th time next year. I've now done 2 tours with them, with another booked, and a 4th in the works. Bill, Nicole and the Haku family have become more than just a tour company to me and I look forward to many more years of trips to come. I would highly recommend them to anyone at all skill levels. Book a trip now, you won't regret it.