Annapurna Circuit Mountain Biking is an extraordinary adventure trip that takes you to some of the most fascinating biking routes in Nepal with grand views of three towering 8000m+ mountains. The trail offers a variety of landscapes, from the sub-tropical rainforest, cultivated fields to deep valleys and high alpines.
This grand biking trip passes through the world’s deepest gorge of the Kaligandaki River Valley. Pedal along the trail next to the Marsyangdi river all the way to its main source at the glacial lake in Manang. The trail then passes through rural farm villages and terraced farm fields. The trail further leads to the top of Thorung La Pass at 5416m/17769ft, the highest point of this trip, which might be a challenging ascent. From here the trail descends down towards Pokhara, passing through the pilgrimage site of Muktinath with its holy water spouts and other charming villages and finally concludes at Pokhara, one of the most scenic places on the planet.
As most of the trail is covered with challenging rugged terrains and technical biking track, this adventure holiday is designed for experienced riders and not recommended for beginners.
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Annapurna Circuit Mountain Biking is an astonishing Enduro, offering some of the most exotic mountain biking trails in Nepal. The route offers a mixture of fairly flat tracks, on and off roads, strenuous uphill, as well as plenty of technical downhills. Pedal along the traditional villages with varied terrains and lush forests with fascinating views of Himalayan ranges in the backdrop. Visit one of the most sacred Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimages, Muktinath at 3,710m. The Thorong La Pass, situated at 5,416m is the highest elevation point one can reach by riding a mountain bike in Nepal.
The trails of Annapurna Circuit Mountain Biking is a challenging one with the combination of fairly flat tracks, on and off roads, strenuous uphill, as well as plenty of technical downhills. Along the trail, you will be pedalling across varied terrains, lush forests, deep valleys and beautiful villages with fascinating mountain ranges in the backdrop. As the trail is quite tough, this holiday is mostly recommended for experienced mountain bikers. Accommodation on local lodges owned by indigenous locals.
Our day begins with an early morning breakfast. After the breakfast, we drive on a private bus to Besisahar through the famous Kathmandu-Pokhara highway. The ride itself is an adventure as we drive along the banks of Marshyangdi and Trishuli river enjoying the beautiful scenery and occasional roadside settlements. Our route diverts northward from Dumre, few hours before reaching Pokhara, towards Besisahar.
The first day of our mountain bike adventure begins with fairly easy tracks on the wide dirt jeep road. The ride then continues through the lively bazaar of Besisahar with gradual ups and downs towards Khudi. Upon arriving at Khudi, we cross a bamboo suspension bridge and climb upstream towards the village of Bulbule. The trail from Bulbule is fairly gradual on the river bed with a magnificent view of the cascading waterfall. The track is fairly easy alongside the river for about half an hour which then passes through a gradual uphill to Ngadi. We then head into mixed tracks through several small settlements enjoying the surrounding scenery to arrive in Chamje.
Our day begins with a gradual ride through wide terraced fields and small settlements. After a while, we cross a suspension bridge over the raging Marshyangdi river and ride over a steep road to reach the viewpoint at Taal. We make a brief stop at Taal to enjoy the spectacular view of Kang Guru. The track from here winds uphill and then downhill to arrive at a large bridge. After about half an hour of the ride from the bridge, we reach our overnight destination at Dharapani.
After the early morning breakfast, we start our ride towards Bagarchap. This will be the first village on this adventure with typical Tibetan lifestyle and architecture. We'll notice a lot of changes in the lifestyle, landscape, and vegetation during the ride. As we approach near Dhanaqi, we start feeling the altitude gain. We ride past the alpine region under the shades of pine trees with the majestic view of Annapurna II and Lamjung Himal. The route then follows the Marshyangdi river past small settlements in Ratamanang and Koto to reach our overnight destination at Chame.
After leaving Chame, the trail leads towards the other side of the river. Riding through several small settlements under the shades of pine trees, we reach the village of Bratang. From here, the path is relatively gradual up to the bridge. The trail then leads to a slightly steeper section to the top of the ridge just above Pisang village. Past the treeline, we get a fantastic view of Chulu and Pisang peak with the colorful Pisang village below us. After an hour of gradual descends from here, we reach the windswept village of Pisang.
We start our day on the steeper section for about half an hour to reach the top of a hill. This grand spot offers a spectacular view of the surrounding landscape and towering peaks including Annapurna II - III, Gangapurna, Tilocho, Chuli East, and Pisang Peak. The path gradually descends towards Hongdre village from where the trail flattens out wide most of the way until Manang.
The day begins with a gradual uphill until we ride past the last village of Manang. The trail then winds up with an astonishing view of Annapurna II, Tilicho, Gangapurna, and a close-up views of Chulu peak. The trail then winds up through the juniper bushes into the barren windswept terrain arriving at the village of Yak Kharka. The road leads to a gradual uphill until we reach Ledar.
We begin the day on a gentle path which slowly descends towards the stream. Then, the trail gets slightly steeper on the way to Thorong Phedi. After a brief rest, we climb another strenuous zigzag section to reach Upper Phedi or High Camp.
Today will be a long and strenuous day. After the breakfast, we start our day relatively early. We peddle through the steep gravel uphill for about an hour to reach the first ridge. Our ride continues on a narrow gradual road to a small pond. From here, we ride for a couple of hours on the strenuous and more technical tracks to reach the top of Thorong La pass. We spend a brief time on the top with the view of the stunning Himalayas including Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Damodar, and Bhirkuti. The trail then follows a long steep descent to the sacred village of Muktinath.
After the early morning breakfast at Muktinath, we descend towards the Kaligandaki valley. The trail follows another hour of the gentle ride to the famous Himalayan town of Jomsom. Passing through this lively town, we ride another hour on a fairly easy path to arrive at Marpha for the overnight stay.
From Marpha, we follow the downstream of Kaligandaki river to the village of Tukuche. After few hours of the ride, we enter back to a densely forested area surrounded by rhododendron, pine and oak trees. We ride past several remote villages including Kalapani and Lete and experience a drastic change in the vegetation, landscape, and architecture. The trail then heads past the village of Ghasa where we get to enjoy the awe-inspiring view of snowcapped mountains and the cool isolated forest. Our ride continues to wider terraced paddy fields through a warm sub-tropical climate all the way to our overnight destination at Tatopani.
Today, we bid farewell to the Annapurna Conservation Area since it is the last day of our ride. Our final day ride begins on an undulating path which is soon followed by a long descent towards the lively town of Beni. Upon arrival, we take a jeep and drive along the Beni-Baglung highway to Pokhara for the overnight stay.
Early morning flight back to the bustling city of Kathmandu. The 30-minutes flight offers another great adventure with the glimpses of surreal Himalayan panoramas. Upon arrival at the city, we can either rest in our hotel or go shopping around Thamel.
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