Mountain Bike Tour through the Jungles of the Lower Himalaya

Day 3 Shimla (1800 m) – Dakbanglow 30-40 km, 600 hm

Another shorter tour should completely drive us out of the jetleg and adapt to the altitude here. We leave Shimla and start our tour on forest trails and single trails to our first stage destination. Dakbanglow is a camp in the middle of a magnificent apple plantation. But don’t worry: Camp doesn’t mean camping or showering. No, we have comfortable small bungalows with private bathrooms at our disposal. We end the evening comfortably by the campfire, while we enjoy the delicious food and maybe one or the other Kingfisher beer. Overnight at Camp B/L/D

Day 4 Dakbanglow- Matiana 55 km, 1500 hm

Today, the single trail fun really starts: wild village trails invite you to make full use of the technical skills. If you haven’t quite made friends with trail riding and prefer to have a number easier when it comes to driving technique, you can also take the alternative route with our second guide. Once down, we all meet again and make our way together on the 20-kilometre-long ascent. Here, in Matiana, we meet the highway and also our wonderful mountain resort. Overnight stay at Resort B/L/D

Day 5 Matiana – Kungash 60-85 km, 1200- 2000 hm

Today we have two alternative routes at our disposal: If you want to challenge yourself athletically, take a few extra single trails with you and drive down into a side valley before going on a steep ascent. The other part stays a few kilo-meters comfortably on the main road to Narkanda and then dives down into the world of single trails. It goes down to 1000 m to the huge Satluj river. For those who already road single trails, still have the option to stay on the road or push through the small villages and fields.

Once down, we drive along the river and then take the “Climb of the Day”. Almost 30 km of ascent and 1000 hm are waiting for us on mostly well rolling asphalt in an initially brutal heat. Once at the top, the world looks very different. Here we are far from the civilization  and  tourism, so that we accept the hospitality of the villagers, who spoil us with cozy rooms and local food at home. Overnight stay at Homestay B/L/D

Day 6 Kungash- Gadagushaini 70 km- 78, 2100 hm

Today we pass through deep Deodar forest and we pass remote villages. A small single trail loop provides an extra to our trail junkies. Then we continue uphill before we cycle down an old village road. Here the next ascent awaits us: from 1500 m it goes up to over 3000 m. A continuous and at first quite steep climb – all off  road. The pass rewards with a magnificent view. Then we go down to the tranquil village of Gada Gushaini. This village has been used for many years as the place of rest of the famous MTB Himalaya  race. We live in a nice inn, visit the village in the afternoon and end the evening in the peaceful surroundings. Overnight stay in the inn B/L/D

Day 7 Gada Gushaini- Pandoh 77 km, 1650 hm

99% off-road promises today with a nice climb and long descents. In good weather we have wonderful views of the high Himalayas. The stage ends at the River Beas near Mandi. Probably one of the most beautiful stages of this tour. Overnight stay in the hotel. B/L/D

Day 8 Pandoh-Barot 90 km, 2300 hm

The figures may look a little scary, but today is in kilometres, but also relatively fast, as we are mainly on an unavoidable road. The stage serves as a link between the districts of Mandi and Kangra. Nevertheless, the tour has a lot of spectacular views to offer, because we are on a small village road directly on the mountain ridge with fascinating views on both sides. A small path provides variety and we are also in the nice Barot valley. Barot is famous among anglers for its trout and of course we will also taste it for dinner. Overnight stay in the inn. B/L/D

Day 9 Barot-Bir 56 km, 1100 hm

In the MTB Himalaya race, this stage is called “Into the Wild” and this very name hits the exact day. It goes up to the last village of the valley. From here we take a donkey trail, cross the river, push up the slope a bit and then continue on pristine terrain to Billing. Billing is famous for paragliding. But instead of flying down to Bir, we shouldn’t miss the great trails. Bir is a Buddhist enclave consisting of Tibetan refugees with monasteries, Tibetan flags and Buddhist monks. Overnight stay at Hotel B/L/D

Day 10 Bir- Palampur 35 km, 800 hm

Since today is only a short stage on the program, we have time to sleep or maybe take a paragliding flight – half a rest day, so to speak. Later we set off on side routes to Palampur. Overnight stay at Hotel B/L/D

Day 11 Palampur-Mcleod Ganj 65 km 1600 hm

Our last stage is a mixture of tranquil small asphalted roads, some technical single trails and a last nice climb and we have reached our destination. in a nice restaurant we celebrate our tour. Overnight stay at Hotel B/L/D

Day 12 Mcleod Ganj

A day without a bike? Feels amazingly good after 10 days of non stop riding! The program for today is quite flexible: yoga lessons, visit to the Dalai Lama temple and Tibetan museum, momos (Tibetan food) snack and in small cafes enjoy the peaceful atmosphere with a juicy apple pie. Overnight stay at the Hotel B/-/-

Day 13 Day Hike

A nice day hike up to Triund at 2900 m is offered. A beautiful view and leg muscle soreness of a slightly different kind await us. Alternatively, you can just relax in Mcleod Ganj. How about meditation and massage? Overnight stay at Hotel B/L/-

Day 14 Departure Mcleod Ganj, day in Delhi, flight home

Today is the day to return home, first a flight to Delhi and then back home. A day room in Delhi can be arranged if the flights are far apart. B/-/-

Optional: Extra day trip to Agra

We are happy to organize a day to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal in the car with driver and guide.

Region

The mountain bike tour takes place in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh. The name translates as: The land of snow-capped mountain peaks and indeed we will see many of them during our tour. We start in Shimla, the capital of the state. Shimla was the former summer capital of the Britishers and still serves as a refuge for many Indians from the Indian heat in the summer months. Because here at 1800 m altitude the temperatures are pleasant. We end up in Daramshala – another popular tourist destination. Significantly smaller than Shimla, it convinces with charm, Tibetan atmosphere and the Dalai Lama.

In between we will be travelling in very remote regions, but we will never be far away from “cities” with an all-encompassing infrastructure – An escort vehicle is always available to us.

Climate

Depending on the altitude, temperatures will be between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius during the day. At night it will not cool more than 15° degrees. In June, dry and clear weather should prevail. Rain showers occur from time to time, but are very rare. Mostly the temperatures are very pleasant and ideal for riding. only when we are “down in the valleys, it becomes briefly tropical hot.

Accommodation

The accommodations vary depending on the stage. All accommodations have double rooms, are clean and there are ways to wash themselves with hot water after the tour. In most cases we even have good to very good hotels with Western comfort.

Meals

Until Daramshala on day 11  all main meals are included; during the cycle stages also drinks, snacks and refreshments.

Meals are a colourful mix of continental, Indian and Indian-Chinese dishes. The dishes are mainly vegetarian, always a culinary delight and freshly prepared. Impeccable hygenic conditions are ensured. Drinks for lunch and dinner (except water) are not included in the price of the trip.

Riding skills and fitness

The route is supposed to provide real riding fun for mountain bikers and so we try to get the maximum of technical units out. Basically, the more technical driving knowledge, the better. However, we also offer trail alternatives and it can always be relegated. The stages are long and there are a lot of altitude meters to complete – a good fitness level is required.

What to take along

Here is a link to our Himalaya packing list.

We recommend taking your own mountain bike with you. Bicycle transport from Delhi to Shimla and Mcleod Ganj to Delhi is provided, as well as bike bag transport from Shimla to Daramshala.

Tools and spare parts are available and are available for sale (tyres, hoses, brake pads, cables) if required. Please bring your own special bicycle spare parts.

Team

Two bike guides (German and English), a mechanic and a driver with accompanying equipment are also included.

The accompanying equipment is used for the transport of luggage, but also for the protection of the participants.