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Kathmandu Valley Biking tour.
Biking around the valley offers a great way to escape
the city and merge with the local people and landscape.
The Kathmandu Valley offers one of Nepal's best biking
experience; it's small enough to become familiar with,
yet large enough to get lost in, making it an ideal
biking adventure playground. The foothills of the
Himalayas and the valley rim are of the perfect size and
height for challenging rides whilst not being impossibly
hard work and, to the surprise of many there are trails
that can thrill even the casual cyclist. You can rent a
bike around the local tourist areas and a number of
operators will even take you to the top of the valley
rim by shuttle so the entire day is spend going downhill
and exploring. If you want to set out on your own, here
are a few options below:
Balaju-Kakani.
Set off towards Kakani off the bifurcation at Balaju. It
is a slow and easy ascent to this hill resort 23 km
northwest of Kathmandu. The entire trip offers a
magnificent view of the valley along with the fresh and
serene atmosphere of the hills. The route passes through
forests, waterfalls and meadows. There are several
restaurants on the way if you feel like resting or
munching on some snacks.
Bhaktapur-Dhulikhel
.
For mountain bikers looking for a peaceful ride, the
road leading from Bhaktapur to Dhulikhel, a hill resort
32 km east of Kathmandu, is simply terrific. The highway
hardly sees any traffic and the view is magnificent.
Dhulikhel can also be approached from Banepa, 4 km east
of Dhulikhel, and Nala, 4 km northwest of Banepa.
Further hiking to Panauti, three hours south of
Dhulikhel, is possible. A day's walk to Namobuddha is
also a lot of fun.
Bhaktapur-Changu Narayan.
Walking north from Bhaktapur, turn left from the road
leading to Nagarkot to reach Changu Narayan. The
six-hour walk is an easy one with panoramic views of the
mountains, fields and the Manohara river. There is also
a small village on the eastern side of the temple. A
hike to Nagarkot from Changu Narayan takes five hours
and is more adventurous.
Sankhu-Nagarkot.
Starting off towards the east from Sankhu, it takes
around three-four hours to hike to Nagarkot, a hill
resort 32 km east of Kathmandu. The road passes through
terraced fields and strutted houses. This route is fun
for mountain biking too. Returning from Nagarkot, you
can take a different route leading towards Banepa via
Nala which takes five-six hours.
Thimi-Kodari
.
The 114-km highway starting from the bifurcation off
Thimi is the Arniko Highway that links Kathmandu with
Lhasa. The tranquility of terraced fields against the
backdrop of green hills and snowcapped mountains and
interrupted by brick factories on the roadside is what a
hike on the Arniko Highway offers. Hike or bike to
Suryamode and rest in one of the restaurants. It takes
four days in total to reach the border between Nepal and
Tibet and return, if biking. The trail passes different
villages and has the best presentation of rural life.
Stay overnight at Dhulikhel/Barhabise and Tatopani.
Chobhar-Champa Devi
.
Chobhar hill, situated 6 km south of Kathmandu, can be
reached on bike in 15 minutes from the dirt road leading
off from the Ring Road at Dhobighat. The Chobhar Gorge
and the Jal Vinayak temple are situated here. After
another 15 minutes' biking from here at Khare Bazaar,
follow the dirt road leading to the right. On reaching
Bansbari, hike for two hours through forest area to
reach Champa Devi. This is an ideal place from where to
view the whole valley. The return route can be different
reaching anywhere between Pikhel and Pharping.
Around Kirtipur.
Kirtipur is situated 6 km southwest of Kathmandu and can
be reached in half an hour on bike. On reaching the main
bazaar, head north uphill to the Bagh Bhairav temple
which has an interesting tale. Bike further uphill to
reach the Shiva-Parvati temple from where you can have a
splendid view of the Kathmandu Valley. Return to the
bazaar and take the road leading southwest and then
follow a dirt road to the Adinath Lokeswar temple. |
