> DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1 Arrival in Kathmandu
Flying to Kathmandu along the northern border of Nepal on a clear day is itself an unforgettable experience, with the entire Nepalese Himalaya sprawling out below you. You will be met at the Airport by company representative to escort you to your hotel so, look out for Explore Himalaya signboard with your name on it.

Day 2 Sightseeing in Kathmandu
Kathmandu is a strange mixture of Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism and Western influence. There will be a half day guided tour to Famous & biggest Hindu shrine PASUPATHINATH, largest Buddhist stupa in town BOUDHANATH, 15th century palace of 55 windows and & durbar Square at BHAKTAPUR.

Day 3 We begin with a classic 50 kms., mountain bike trail, at first on roads through Patan to Lubhu, climbing up the deteriorating track to the quiet Newari village of Sisneri. So near to Kathmandu, but away from the beaten tourist track, it is a photographer's paradise, with the contrast of richly coloured villages against a backdrop of snow capped mountains. After a steep 500 metre climb, it is wild trail downhill to Panauti, home of the oldest temple in Nepal, the Indreshwar Hahadev. Reunited with our support vehicle, which could not follow us for the whole route, we camp beside the river at this idyllic settlement.

Day 4 We have a choice of the road climb up to Dhulikhel, or a more adventurous track, which goes more steeply up through terraced fields to the Buddhist pilgrimage temple of Namo Buddha and then down to Dhulikhel. This involves a ride of about 35 kms. Our camp at Dhulikhel offers fantastic sunset views of the great chain of the Himalaya.

Day 5 It is downhill on a little-used tarmac road towards the mediaeval town of Bhaktapur, where we will spend a long lunch exploring a wealth of his historic temples and courtyards. The afternoon is a steady series of switch-backs up onto the main ridge, where we find another spectacular campsite at the hill-station of Nagarkot.

Day 6 Himalayan mountain biking does not get much better than today's ride. Early morning usually creates a sea of cloud in the valley beneath us, and we can look beyond this to a mountain panorama which stretches from Makalu to the Annapurnas. The riding terrain is also superb as we slowly make our way along an old jeep track, traversing the ridges of Kattike, Manichup and Chipu Dara. We must be very careful not to take a wrong turning on this part of the route, as the false descent will only mean a long carry back up to the ridge! After about 40 kms., we camp at Chisopani, just to the north of the main ridge. This is our last night camping, and we have magnificent views of the Annapurnas. Support vehicles cannot follow us along this part of the route and porters will carry our essentials to the campsite.

Day 7 Fit and well-acclimatized after the exercise of the last few days, we take the opportunity on our final day of biking to climb the valley's second highest mountain Shivapuri 2732m, before plunging back to Kathmandu on one of the best downhill rides in the area, via the reclining Vishnu Temple at Budhanalikantha. A hot bath awaits us at the Hotel before we rebox our bikes and start the celebrations of completing a memorable ride.

Day 8 Depart Kathmandu (or stay longer for other activities)
Transfer to the airport in time to catch you flight home.