Tibet Motor Bike Tour From Nepal 17 Days

Dream Tibet and Travel will meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and bring you to Hotel Jampa or Samsara Boutique in the heart of Kathmandu, where you'll have a chance to rest after your long flight, as well as do a short practice ride to get accustomed to the bike's controls and the local traffic.

You will also have dinner at the hotel from either the Nepali standard of dal bhat or a simple continental option, and your breakfast will be ready for you the next day. 

The streets surrounding your hotel in Thamel feature an abundance of shops, prayer flags and temple spires seen from very few rooftops. The streets are all paved. And while many are full of pedestrians and rickshaws, it makes for a very nice short practice ride. There are also many cafes within easy walking distance. Or you can sit on the terrace at your hotel and watch the lights of the valley.

Your overnight stay will allow you to relax and get your gear all ready for the trip. We will then gather all your paperwork and verify your route, as well as ensure that you are comfortable and ready to move forward on your journey.

Breakfast: either Hotel Jampa or Samsara Boutique will be served to you while we whisk you away on our private vehicles to Pashupatinath Temple, a riverside Hindu shrine where the colourful world of the sadhus and rituals is seen in action. After visiting the temple, you will climb to Swayambhunath to view the valley below and, of course, the stupa's magnificent painted eyes. The stone steps and narrow lanes will all be busy but not difficult to walk.

Lunch will be served at Bouddhanath Stupa, one of the largest stupas in the world, where you can spin the prayer wheels, while you have lunch at one of the cafes nearby that serve thukpa and momos. In the afternoon, you will be driven to Patan Durbar Square, where you can admire amazing wood carvings and palace courtyards while learning about the art of Newari craftsmanship.

You will be returned to your hotel for dinner. Our day has a balance of calm temple courtyards, crowded markets and urban roads; we will be with you at every site, ensuring our guests have full context and comfort at each stop along your journey.

After breakfast at your hotel in Kathmandu, we depart for Bhaktapur Durbar Square. It's the primary site of the living museum of Newari architecture. That includes the five-starred 55-Window Palace and the very high Nyatapola Temple. You'll reach these attractions by walking several short cobbled roads and through many crafts workshops. Think pottery, wood carving and more. But the trails can be very uneven. So wear supportive and comfortable walking shoes.

After lunch at a local eatery with local Newari food and tea, we travel up to Nagarkot. The road is paved and winding through beautiful pine forests, terraced fields and several small villages. We stop to enjoy the view at platforms along the road. The road to Nagarkot is good. But it's quite curvy. And as we gain elevation, fresh air and layers of hills begin to fill your view. If the skies are clear, the high peaks of the Himalayas will be illuminated as we watch the sunset. You'll be glad you had your camera ready.

Dinner at your hotel in Nagarkot includes soup and lots of local food. You'll enjoy the cool mountain air and the many lights of the valleys below. And tomorrow morning we ride back to Bhaktapur.

At your Nagarkot hotel, breakfast is served. That includes tea and local breads. Then you begin your ride down into Kathmandu along winding roads. This morning's ride takes you past small hamlets and terraced farming. And there are opportunities to stop at viewpoints and take photos of the valley and distant snow-covered mountains. The pavement is good. But there are some narrow spots. And you can expect significantly more traffic as you near the city limits.

You'll stop for lunch at a roadside teahouse on your way to town. Simple dishes like rice or noodles. It's a good chance to rest before arriving at your final destination.

In Kathmandu, you'll have time to check and service your bicycles, obtain the necessary permits and purchase any last-minute items. Kathmandu offers a wide variety of sights, sounds and experiences. You'll find temples and shrines alongside market streets and modern shops. And the pedestrian streets near your hotel offer a lively atmosphere that's easy to navigate on foot.

Dinner will be at either the Jampa or the Samsara Boutique hotel. It'll recharge your energy. Plus you'll receive assistance with documentation required for travel into Tibet and scheduling confirmation. So you'll be comfortable and prepared for the next phase of your journey.

The Kathmandu Hotel provides breakfast to the entire group before you all get ready to travel from Kathmandu to Syaprubesi. This leg of the trip will include 135 km of riding along the eastern base of Mount Annapurna through the Trishuli corridor and Bhote Koshi corridor, which will take 6 – 7 hours (due to variable road conditions, changes in elevation and road conditions) as the road gets narrower and turns downriver gorge and terraced foothills.

Estimated time for lunch along the way is one hour at a roadside teahouse (each person will have his/her choice of simple Dal and rice or fried rice). Each teahouse will be in the immediate area where you will be stretched.

As you continue to gain elevation from Kathmandu to Syaprubesi, you will start to see a change in flora from subtropical to coniferous (pine & rhododendron), as you will see suspension bridges and farmland, and on clear days, distant views of the Langtang range.

The last portion of your trip (by vehicle) will be on a more local road where you’ll have access to more of the following facilities: basic store, lodging & dining & fuel. We will be geared to assist all group members in processing through the final steps of the immigration paperwork. 

Depending on group size, one of the following types of meals will be served: local momos, noodle soup, or stew for dinner. Overnight in Syaprubesi gives you a chance to have a full night’s rest prior to continuing onward journey to Nepal from either a border crossing or domestic flight out of Kathmandu.

The Syaprubesi guesthouse provides breakfast prior to biking to the Kerung border crossing - a relatively short, but full day of riding. The terrain will be steeply climbing and will alternate between paved and unpaved roads, with possible detours and sections requiring walking due to rock falls. Once we arrive at the Nepal border immigration, you will complete your bike inspection and permit process, which can take a long time to complete. There will be food available for you to eat while you wait at small roadside tea shops that serve noodles and soup.

Once you have completed your exit paperwork from Nepal, you will bike up steep hills and narrow roads, past prayer stones and rhododendron, to reach Kerung. Once on the Chinese side of the border, you will experience a very dry and open landscape. At the Tibet border, you will have to complete the inspection and permit processes, which will take some time to complete.

You will have dinner at the Kerung hotel or guesthouse, where you will have traditional Tibetan food, like tsampa or stew, and stay overnight while we work on logistics and paperwork and allow you some time to rest before the long, flat plateau ride.

Breakfast will be served at the Kerunge Hotel as we embark on a long journey; we must ride across the Tibetan plateau. The Friendship Highway is paved but contains long straight stretches with occasional gravel, and due to the elevation increase, the air becomes thinner quickly. As we ride across the plateau, we will see thousands of nomad tents and yaks dotted across the vast open plains. As we pass through the plateau, we will get a good view of Cho Oyu and Shishapangma rising above the landscape, when weather conditions allow. We will stop along the side of the road to eat a simple meal consisting of Tibetan-style bread and butter tea.

After you pass from Tingri to Lhatse, you will find the terrain more barren and windswept, as well as more expansive in terms of sky. The roads to both areas are generally in good condition; however, they can be dusty or cold due to road conditions and sometimes have limited construction activities. Additionally, when you arrive in Tingri on a clear day, you will be able to view the northern face of Mount Everest.

Dinner will be prepared at the Tingri guesthouse; noodle soups and vegetable/herb-based local stews will be served. Staying overnight in Tingri supports the necessity to acclimatise. As we will monitor everyone for altitude sickness and allow for a sufficient period of time to rest before continuing, the additional day in Tingri prior to embarking on the next segment of this trip should not be considered an added expense.

Tingri guesthouse breakfast will fuel you through a long and scenic ride to Shigatse. Early on, you go up Gyatchu La at around 5220 meters, the highest pass of this route, and the wind and shortage of oxygen require a careful way to ride.

The road now drops down over the broad plateau again, through meagre hillsides adorned with prayer flags and distant peaks on the horizon. Lunch in a tiny town consists of simple noodles and tea.

The highway is largely paved but is exposed to high winds and sudden weather; you pass the junction to Mount Kailash near Lhatse and see the land shift from a high plateau to broad river valleys around Shigatse. Cultural markers in the form of monasteries and mani walls are dotted along the way.

It’s a cosy and hearty dinner at a hotel in Shigatse. Overnight there, and the following day is spent visiting local sites to help the riders recover from riding solo for a long, high-altitude day.

Breakfast at Shigatse hotel, and after this, we visit Tashilhunpo Monastery (the seat of the Panchen Lama), famous for its huge Buddha and beautiful chapels. After breakfast, we will ride 90 Kms (60 miles) to Gyantse along smooth roads with little traffic, making for a pleasant and picturesque ride. We will stop for lunch at a local tea house close to the centre of Gyantse. The food will consist of traditional Canadian soups and bread.

Sightseeing in Gyantse includes Kumbum Stupa, which has many levels of painted chapels, and Phalkor Monastery, which is filled with beautiful murals. Surrounded by fields of barley and rolling hills, the charming town of Gyantse offers many opportunities for leisurely walks along the local streets.

Dinner will be at the hotel tonight, then overnight in Gyantse before continuing on to Lhasa.

We offer breakfast before you depart from your hotel in Gyantse for Lhasa all day. The route passes dramatic high passes like Karola, which provides views of glaciers, Kambala at 4749 meters and frigid air. Between the passes, you drop down onto the glittering turquoise Yamdrok-Tso Lake, whose milky waters offer an amazing contrast with the rocky hills. Lunch by the lake offers an opportunity to walk along its shore and take photos of the reflections of the snow peaks.

Riding past the Yarlung Tsangpo river valley means greener valleys and a feeling that you’re approaching civilisation, while roads are good but lengthy; consolidation back down this way. Prayer flags, mani walls and nomadic life in the highlands persist along the roadside.

A welcome dinner at a Lhasa hotel, after a long day. You’ll sleep there and be able to prepare for all the days of deep exploration in the capital that are about to come.

After breakfast at the hotel, you'll be taken in a comfortable van to Lhasa's most sacred sites. First is the Jokhang Temple. It's the spiritual epicenter of Tibet. It's surrounded by pilgrims making multiple prostrations and circling the temple. Then comes the Barkhor Bazaar, located adjacent to the Jokhang. Its shops are full of local handicrafts. Think jewellery, Tibetan turquoise and prayer beads. All available for purchase.

After lunch, we visit the towering Potala Palace. Then the Drepung Monastery, one of the three great monasteries of Lhasa. And the Sera Monastery, famous for its monk debating that takes place in their large courtyard.

You'll walk up and down stairs and on stone paths to reach each of these sites. But don't worry. The Dream Tibet and Travel guides will provide complete details about the significance of each site. They'll cover the rituals and history associated with each one. So all your questions will be answered.

Dinner at your hotel will complete your day of exploring the spiritual heart of Tibet. You'll remain in Lhasa overnight.

Today’s ride to Shigatse will begin with breakfast at the hotel in Lhasa before heading onto our motorcycle ride to Shigatse via the scenic northern route (following the route on the map). The scenery consists of rolling pastures, small river valleys, mani walls, and many friendly villages. The surface of the road varies from paved highway to light gravel sections. A nice village tea house along the route will offer up warming Tibetan butter tea & bread for lunch.

As we get closer to Shigatse, we enter gentle foothills that then give way to larger river plains with monasteries and farmland dotting the horizon (dependent upon visibility of the distant snowcapped mountains) as we drive through. We will be driving at an easy pace to assist with acclimatisation to this high altitude, and there should be the opportunity for scenic stops along the way.

Dinner will be at our Shigatse hotel, where they serve good local stews. The motorcycles will be prepared for the next day, and we will be sufficiently rested for the continuing adventure ahead.

After breakfast at the hotel in Shigatse, we travelled east to Tingri, traversing the vast and flat Tibetan plateau on a predominantly straight and wide asphalt road, which provided many miles of continuous sightseeing. 

The landscape is defined by small barley fields, shepherding tents, and large vistas; if the weather is good enough, Mount Everest might be visible just above the horizon. 

Lunch was simple but good and consisted of noodle soup with dumplings and bread, tea, a comfortable break, and an opportunity to observe potential high winds/crosswinds and animals along the road. The vegetation changed from river valleys to open steppe and was representative of high altitude summer vegetation. 

Tibetan villages along our route display prayer flags and chortens, both representative of the daily lives of Tibetans. Tonight we will stay at a guesthouse in Tingri and prepare for our detour to Mount Everest in the morning.

Day 14 begins with breakfast at the guesthouse in Tingri. Then we set off for a rugged drive to Rongbuk Monastery. It sits at 5,100m on the northern side of Mount Everest. And we'll also visit Everest Base Camp at 5,200m. The drive will be mostly on gravel roads. Expect bumpy roads and lots of dust from the wind. But the drive will be steady and at a controlled pace to help alleviate altitude fatigue.

At Rongbuk Monastery, lunch will be simple. Tibetan stew or noodles. But the best part of the visit will be seeing the north face of Mount Everest rising above you from the monastery. Beautiful glacier tongues and colourful prayer flags flutter in the wind. It's an awe-inspiring view. You'll be glad every bumpy kilometre brought you here.

Once we return to the guesthouse in Tingri, dinner will be a warm bowl of soup. And you'll relax knowing you've just experienced one of the greatest days of the entire journey.

Breakfast will be served at the guesthouse before descending the plateau to the border of Nepal at Kerung. You will leave the high plateau descending through large plains into many valleys with differing road surfaces - good tar, gravel, and areas being fixed.

You will stop for noodles/rice for lunch along the road to fill your energy reserves for the remaining part of the day. Once you are getting close to Kerung, you should expect more and more settlements and valleys lined with rivers, as well as checkpoints into the last part of Tibet (the border).

There are sections of the road that can be steep and narrow, but are all manageable with the assistance of an experienced guide. You will be provided with dinner at the Kerung guesthouse, which will either be traditional Tibetan food or Nepali food. You will stay overnight at the guesthouse while your permits are being processed, and the motorcycles will be prepared for the crossing to Nepal.

Start the final day of this incredible journey with an early breakfast at Guesthouse Kerung, where the staff will help you process your exit from Tibet at the Nepal-Tibet immigration post. Once you have exited, you will have your final chance to say goodbye to your Tibetan teammates before entering Nepal for the final time.

The drive from Kerung to Kathmandu will take approximately seven to eight hours. You will travel downhill into lush, green valleys; along terraced hillsides; and through numerous market towns, as you continue the descent of almost 10,000 feet from Kerung to Kathmandu.

You will have a chance to sample a typical Nepali lunch of Dal Bhat or other simple curries on the way to Kathmandu, but again, the whole area will feel very familiar, especially after leaving the plateau.

When you arrive at your hotel (Hotel Jampa or Samsara Boutique), the hotel will prepare a place for you to store your bike. Your final meal will be at the hotel, and you will spend the night preparing for your departure.

You're allowed time to shop in Thamel, visit a nearby temple, or relax on your hotel's terrace taking in the view of the valley, after breakfast served at your Kathmandu hotel. We arrange for an airport transfer (at least three hours prior to your flight) to allow for check-in and flight formalities.

Breakfast at your hotel includes eggs, porridge, and tea, while lunch will be up to you if you have time. You may find last-minute souvenir items at the streets and markets of the city, such as prayer flags, thangka paintings, and many locally made handicraft items, before heading to the airport.

Roads are paved and most often congested, so we recommend departing your hotel early. As you depart for home, we thank you for being part of "Dream Tibet and Travel" and wish you a safe transfer from our location, as well as the spirited memories of "high plateaus, monasteries, and Himalayan horizons".