Biased maybe! But what better way and what better machine is there to explore the diverse beauty of Nepal than by mountain bike. These were made with Nepal in mind. Tough frames, wide knobbly tyres, a choice of 21 to 24 gears (enough to handle most terrain), suspension and ability to tackle the most rugged conditions and take you to places that vehicles cannot and a lot faster and more exciting than walking.
Having made your way to this chapter the chances are you’re not unfamiliar to cycling and so the joys of two wheeled action will not be lost on you! If you’ve stumbled here by chance ……. read on, a new experience awaits.
For me, mountain biking takes you at the perfect pace and it offers the versatility to explore almost anywhere that’s accessible by foot. It provides you an intimacy with the land, people and culture, at a pace that can be soaked up at your discretion i.e. stop, slow down, speed up, detour whilst amazing the locals at the same time plus cover three times the distance as by foot. It’s really trekking by bike. As such mountain biking allows you to stretch your holiday further by fitting more activities into your holiday period whilst bypassing the more tasteless activities of bus and taxi travel and the traffic & hassles that come with it in Nepal. It’s independence and a free ticket to cruse wherever you want day or night ….. and not see the country through the smudged windscreen of a speeding jeep or bus.
Whether it’s in the cities, rural valley areas or the himal, mountain biking is almost the perfect means of transport because of the pot-holed roads of Thamel, with it’s traffic congestion or the craggy rutted trails of the foothills. Development has been rapid in the past few years in The Kingdom, however, there is no forgetting this is still a 3rd World country. As such things like road maintenance, by-laws and the infra-structure we so much take for granted at home are likely to go unnoticed, because they mostly don’t exist. But that’s the flipside of travelling to a place like Nepal, and why mountain bikes are so useful, right!
Most people know Nepal as a trekking destination, however, over the past few years there has been an emerging swell of brightly clad, polystyrene foam helmeted humanoid types traversing the landscape atop wheeled machines and around which village legends have now developed. This is the modern day mountain biker in & on the latest gear and even today providing the first sight of such a bike or any bike to locals, for that matter.
Once it was only the trekker who thought a day or two on a bike would be cool (after the trek) to explore Kathmandu Valley. Now Nepal is being recognized as a world class Mountain Biking destination were groups plan dedicated biking holidays from 1 to 4 weeks, taking in everything from wildlife parks, 5200m passes, mountain flight drops, roped suspension bridges or cable river crossings, deep canyons & gorges, and endless single trails with 7,000meter plus snowcapped Himalayan peaks as their backdrop. Nothing short of spectacular.
It is a mistake to think, however, that mountain biking in Nepal is reserved for these seemingly crazy, flash, experienced mountain biking individuals. This will surely limit your chances to partake in one of the simplest joys of life and which may turn your holiday into the best trip ever. Something I have heard on many occasions.
Sure, Nepal is known for it’s many towering monoliths, Everest and her snow capped sisters but this doesn’t mean that the rest of Nepal is as steep or requires oxygen to explore. Mountain biking can be enjoyed by anyone that feels comfortable on a bike and there are a zillion trails awaiting, for all levels of experience ……. whatever your level.
To me there are two types of bikers that come to Nepal, those that like to have the logistics of a trip arranged for them and those that want to do it all themselves and pioneer the area. Both are possible and biking has just recently been made more available to Nepal visitors given the importing of better equipment. The ‘do-it-alone’ cyclist can now hire a good bike locally or fully catered for tours for one or more people can be arranged on modern mtb’s with front suspension with all the trimmings.
There are risks associated with do-it-alone styled trips plus the time lost in finding trails, sharing your time on trafficked roads or undertaking weary carries that could have been avoided. More on this later.
