WTH Mastang Valley Ride

Nepal, a small country nestled in the laps of the mighty himalayas is a life in perpetual chaos

of age-old architecture and art, bells, deep chants, colorful prayer flags and endless smiles.

And then, home to the mighty Himalayas, with eight of the world’s ten highest mountains in

the world, including the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. This is the reason

why, Nepal is a mecca for mountain bikers where the mountain biker, the mountain bike,

and the mountains, will come together as one.

For this trip, our goal is to reach Mustang, a beautiful Tibetan settlement district where the

mountains are to the south, and thus popularly called by the Nepalese as the village beyond

the mountains. This route in the old days was the popular salt trade route to Tibet following

the Kali Gandaki river crossing beautiful white washed Thakali villages with awesome views

of stark, arid, dry landscapes, all a part of the Tibetan plateau. And yes, with Dhaulagiri

(8,167m), the worlds 7 th highest mountain to the west and Nilgiri himal (7071m) on the east,

you will be riding in the worlds deepest gorge.

While the region has been very popular among trekkers as it is a second leg of the famous

Annapurna Circuit, coming down into the gorge from Thorang La Pass, the worlds highest

mountain pass at 5416 meters, the region has now gained popularity as a mountain biking

destination in the last one decade – many famous mountain biking video’s and articles have

been dedicated to the awesome natural trails here. It is also important not to forget that the

region is popular for Muktinath (3800m), a very revered and important Hindu pilgrimage

destination that a Hindu has to make in one’s life.

Appreciating life in the Himalayas is about taking a step back leaving behind all pre-notions

about a blissful life, and doing that on a mountain bike is just too awesome.

Day Wise Details:

Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu (1,300m/4,264ft)

Day 02: Flight from KTM to Pokhara, bus to Beni & ride to Tatopani (899m, 25 mins flight,

4 hrs drive).

Day 03: Ride Tatopani to Ghasa (2110m, 37 km jeep track, 5 hrs)

Day 04: Ride Ghasa to Marpha (2680m, 23km uphill of jeep track climbing, 5 hrs)

Day 05: Ride Marpha to Kagbeni (2810m, 29.7 km, 5 hrs)

Day 06: Ride Kagbeni to Muktinath (3710m, 6 hrs) and back to Kagbeni

Day 07: Ride back to Jomsom (2715m, 6 hrs). Afternoon at leisure

Day 08: Fly Jomsom-Pokhara (20 min flight)-Kathmandu (25 min flight)

Day 09: Final departure

For More Info Visit: http://walktohimalayas.com/ || http://www.wthbikingchallenge.com/ ||