Tibet Motorbike Odyssey: Ride Beyond Your Imagination
This superlative motor bike tour from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, to and from Lhasa, its Tibetan counterpart, is one of the most amazing overland tours in Asia, incorporating high passes with spectacular Himalayan views, the turquoise waters of Yamdrok Tse lake, ancient Buddhist Monasteries, a 12th century hermitage, ruined fortresses, a visit to Everest Base Camp, and certainly the longest, steepest downhill run in the world, which embraces an adrenalin-pumping narrow road, passing through clouds and fraught with potential hazards, thus requiring extended biking experience and practised skill.
Beginning in Kathmandu, a hustling, bustling city bursting with predominantly Hindu temples and shrines, the biking route follows the 115km Arniko Highway, through stunning scenery, as far as the Tibetan border. In most sections the highway is situated in fragile mountainous terrain, and since its construction in 1966, the road has been frequently damaged by natural events such as river floods and landslides, which means that it is, sometimes, still a challenge to negotiate its course, particularly as it snakes northwards. After crossing the border, conditions are still demanding, but they improve noticeably as the road approaches Lhasa.
Lhasa is a rapidly changing city, where ancient traditions are dwindling, so this tour affords what is probably one of the few remaining opportunities to observe a unique Eastern culture and, albeit fleetingly, to be part of an every day lifestyle in stark contrast to that of the West. The road on the arid, but beautiful, Tibetan plateau, perched on the roof of the world, passes through quite stunning and unforgettable landscape, where ancient ruined fortresses and simple Tibetan stone houses seem to have grown out of the rocks themselves. The far horizon is pure mystery, displaying endless dun-coloured valleys, where the idea of a hidden Shangri La seems entirely probable.
The on- and off-road route of this strenuous tour puts even the sturdy Bullet through its paces, and the echoes of the rapid gun fire of the engines, as the machines wind their way through the twists and turns of the valleys, will remain with their riders long after the close of this unique motorbiking experience
Itinerary at a glance
Day 01: Arrive Kathmandu (1300m) and transfer to hotel. Rest and evening briefing re motor bike tour
Day 02: After breakfast, collect motorbikes and check thoroughly, then take short, accompanied sightseeing tour to test out vehicles
Day 03: After early breakfast set off to Zhangmu (2500m) and continue to Nyalam (3900m). Overnight in guesthouse. Distance: 173km.
Day 04 : Acclimatization day in Nyalam (3900m)
Day 05: Ride to Xegar/New Tingri (4350m). Overnight in hotel. Distance: 203km.
Day 06: Ride to Xigatse (3900m). Overnight in hotel. Distance: 221km.
Day 07: Ride to Gyantse (3950m). Overnight in hotel. Distance: 94km.
Day 08: Ride to Lhasa (3650m). Overnight in hotel. Distance: 206km.
Day 09: Lhasa sightseeing
Day 10: Lhasa sightseeing
Day 11: Ride back to Xigatse (3900m), via alternative rout. Overnight in hotel. Distance: .
Day 12: Ride back to Xegar/New Tingri (4350m). via Sakya Monastery. Overnight in hotel. Distance: 102km.
Day 13: Ride to Rongbuk (4920m). Overnight in guesthouse. Distance: 102km.
Day 14: Excursion Everest Base Camp (5040m) and ride back to Rongbuk. Overnight in guesthouse. Distance: 16km.
Day 15: Ride back to Xegar/New Tingri (4350m). Overnight in hotel. Distance: 161km.
Day 16: Ride back to Nyalam (3900m). Overnight in guesthouse. Distance: 203km.
Day 17: Ride back to to Dhulikhel (1585m.). Overnight in resort. Distance: 141km.
Day 18: Ride back to Kathmandu, via Namabuddha, Panauti, Bhaktpur Durbar Square, Pashupatinath. Return bikes. Overnight in hotel. Distance: 45km.
Day 19: Shopping and leisure. Overnight in hotel
Day 20: Transfer to airport for international departure.
Date & Price
All ACCESS-HIMALAYA adventure travel trips are small group departures and therefore places can fill quickly. To avoid disappointment, we suggest you book your trip as soon as possible.
Availability Explained
- A AVAILABLE - Trip date is available and open for bookings. Go for it!
- G GUARANTEED - Trip is reached minimum numbers and this is 'Guaranteed to Run'
- L LIMITED - Trip is 'Guaranteed to Run' and there are a very limited number of available places remaining. Immediate booking is recommended.
- C CLOSED - Trip has reached maximum numbers and it is unavailable. Please Contact Us to enquire about other trip departure dates or booking this trip as a private departure
Trip Info (Tour/Trek Styles) Explained
- PG Private Group: This style of trip is organized for specific groups of people (families, friends,school and college students, colleagues, business associates etc.), and is closed to outsiders. If you are interested in this particular trip departure date then please get in touch with us.
- OA Open to All: This trip departure is open to all. However, if you are interested in this particular trip departure date but want your own private group, then please get in touch with us.
- LT Lodge Based Trip/Trek: This trip/trek is lodge (teahouse) based. All accommodation, including food, is provided in local lodges. Occasionally however, where a large group is concerned we may choose to send our own cook along, as well, to take care of your food hygiene and to cook some special additional items.We provide all necessary documentation, including permits, and arrange all internal transport. We provide trekking guide, assistant guide(s) and porters/animals for transport of your gear. You merely carry a daysack with essentials, including water.
- CT Camping Based Trip/Trek: This trip/trek is camping (tent) based. We will provide one 3-man tent for every two people, also single tents, where requested, on payment of supplementary costs. All food and drinks are provided by our experienced cook and his kitchen team. We provide all necessary documentation, including permits, and arrange all internal transport. We provide trekking guide, assistant guide(s), cook, kitchen crew, food and drink, and porters/animals for transport of your gear. You merely carry a daysack with essentials, including water.
- GAP Guide, Accommodation & Porter only: In this trip neither food nor transportation is included. Clients are responsible for food and local transportation, and our responsibility is to provide insured guide, insured porter, and all necessary permits. All additional costs are the responsibility of the clients, including charges incurred as a result of delays or cancellation of services beyond our control. Clients pay for their own accommodation. Any additional costs are the responsibility of the clients, We can arrange hotels and international airport transfer, on request.
- SG Self Guided/Budget Trip: This trip is specially designed for low-budget travellers who prefer fairly basic facilities with reduced services. It is a pre-requisite that a porter is hired for any self-guided trip, which is an ideal set-up for those who enjoy independent travel with minimum cost. We have added support to minimise the hard work of planning and costing, and we will be available to help in the unlikely event of an emergency. We will arrange all documentation (including permits), before you arrive in Nepal, so that you are free to get on with your adventure, relying only on your porter to help you on your way. All additional costs are the responsibility of the clients, including charges incurred as a result of delays or cancellation of services beyond our control. Hotel accommodation, local transportation and international airport transfers may be arranged, on request.
Travelled with us before?
We would love you to share your images with us and our visitors
Upload your ImagesWe have a wide selection of photographs taken by clients and ourselves whilst on our tours. All images have been carefully selected to accurately portray this trip and uploaded for you to enjoy. All photographs copyright to the photographer.
Please click on the thumbnail to see the larger version of the photo.
ACCESS-HIMALAYA TRIP VIDEO
If our fixed departure dates are not convenient for you or your group, we can also arrange private departures on all of our small group tours. Private group departures will follow the same itineraries as our usual small group tours, or itineraries may be tailormade to suit your own convenient tour date/budgets.
Itineraries may be tailor-made to suit your dates. So if you can’t find a date to suit you or if you want to have your very own tour just with your friends or family then we can help you.
Customised Private Groups:
For most of our usual tours, or itineraries, where there is a group numbering 2 or more, we can customise and organise private group trip(s) where we design the itinerary and activities exclusively for you, according to your requirements and budgets, such as Honeymoon, Anniversary, Family, Scouts, School, College, Fundraising or Charity trips. Find out more about our private group tours.
To enquire about booking a private departure of this tour or about organising your own private group tour, please fill in the form below and we will get back to you shortly with details.
