> 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 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 FLIGHT TO TUMLINGTAR
We take the one-hour flight by twin otter from Kathmandu to Tumligtar. Tumligtar is situated on a plateau just above the Arun River in an elevation of 460 metres. Around Tumlingtar we find lush forests, banana groves and rice paddies. We are almost 1000 meters lower than Kathmandu and the climate is almost tropical, so be prepared to sweat! After we have put our bikes back together, we go exploring around Tumligtar if we have time before sunset. There are lots of nice small trails to explore on the Tumlingtar plateau. We stay in a small simple guesthouse in Tumligtar.

DAY 4 TUMLINGTAR AND AROUND
Today we will make an excursion to Khandbari [1040 m.] the regional capital, sited on the crest of a ridge two hours ride from Tumligtar towards Makalu Base Camp. If we are here on a Saturday we will experience the weekly market. Khandbari is a charming place, with a flag-stoned main street, whitewashed houses with gardens and manicured lawns. We return to Tumlingtar for the night.

DAY 5 TUMLINGTAR - KEWABESI
This is where the real adventure begins today we have to make our way some 25 kilometres down the Arun valley. From Tumlingtar the trail follows the plateau till it ends four kilometres south of the town from here it is down hill to the Shawa River, where you will get to ride across a suspension bridge. The rest of the day we follow the Arun River, sometimes a bit above it and at time right on the riverbank. We have time for a dip in the river at lunch, before we continue to our camp at Kewabesi. In Kewabesi we meet our crew who are going to take good care of us the rest of the way to Dharan. Kewabesi is a big delta next to the Arun River and just before the Leguwa River joins Arun.

DAY 6 KEWABESI - PAKHRIBAS
This is the day that is going to teach us what it means to climb; Pakhribas is about 1400 meters higher in elevation than Kewabesi. We start our the day with another few kilometres of single trail to Leguwa, here we meet our support vehicles, which are going to be there for the rest of the tour if someone needs a lift up one of the hills. From Leguwa we have a few more kilometres on relatively flat dust road, before the real climb starts at Manmaya. Manmaya to Pakhribas is one long climb; we have plenty of time, so for the stubborn and the strong there is enough time to reach Pakhribas without taking a lift from the support vehicles.

DAY 7 PAKHRIBAS - MULGHAT
Today we are going to have a flying downhill ride, but first we have to ride another 10 kilometres on a level dust road to Hile. This is a pleasant roadside town situated high on a hill at 1850 metres; the elevation and cool breezes provide a welcoming relief from the heat of the Arun valley. Many of the people who inhabit this village are Tibetans who have settled here. From Hile the road descends a spur to Dhankuta, at 1220 metres. The road does not pass directly through Dhankuta, but we will find some small roads through the town, because it is well worth a visit. It is a Rai, Newar and Limbu town - large, attractive and clean, with whitewashed houses and winding streets paved with stone. When we are finished touring Dhankuta we make another fast descend to our camp at the Tamur River at Mulghat.

DAY 8 MULGHAT [TAMUR RIVER] - DHARAN AND DRIVE TO BIRATNAGAR
After Mulghat the road turns south following a side valley of the Tamur River until it reaches the Churai hills, the last range of hills before the plains. The road climbs to Bhedetar, a pass at 1460 metres, and once again we might need a lift. From some places on this ridge there is views of Kanchenjunga [8598 m.] and its prominent neighbour Jannu [7710 m.], on the Indian border. The view from the pass is a most dramatic sight - to the south there are nothing but plains. We now have our last trilling decent to Dharan at 370 metres. In Dharan we jump in the cars and drive to Biratnagar, where we spend a night before flying back to Kathmandu.

DAY 9 FLY KATHMANDU
We catch an early flight back to Kathmandu, where we check in to our hotel and get a well deserved hot shower.

Day 10 DEPART KATHMANDU (or stay for other activities)
Transfer to the airport in time to catch you flight home.

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