Rishikesh to Kathmandu

New Tour7 - 21 February, 2017

7 February Arrival New Delhi, India

Roadrunners staff will meet you at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Transfer to our tour-start hotel. Briefing by tour leaders with re-mainder of afternoon and evening free to explore Delhi and sightseeing.

8 February Transfer to Rishikesh

Early morning transfer to Rishikesh by coach, with arrival in time for a late lunch. Check into our hotel, with remain-der of afternoon free for sightseeing. Group dinner at a local restaurant. Although we can usually find beer, please note Rishikesh is a dry town for religious reasons, so its ad-visable to bring duty free if you like a drink in the evening.

9 February Ride to Devaprayag – RudraprayagAfter breakfast motorcycle assignements and orientation-then departure out of Rishikesh with some great twisties once our of town, to the holy river confluence of Devapray-ag, glacier fed headwaters and where the Ganges begins. Afterlunch ride higher into the mountains to Rudraprayag for overnight, on the Mandakini River.

10 February - Ride to AlmoraFull day motorcycling in the hills of Uttarakhand to our overnight accommodations near Almora.

11 February

Nepal Border - Sukla Phanta ReserveEarly start this morning heading southeast to the India-Ne-pal border, where once clear of Indian Immigration and Customs formalities, we will cross the Banbasa Bridge into Mahendranagar, Nepal, and stop at a local hotel for lunch. Short afternoon ride into the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve and our camp just inside the main gate. Dinner and over-night in camp.

12 February Sukla Phanta Wildlife ReserveWe spend a full day by jeeps exploring the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve. The reserve is famous for the largest herds of swamp deer (Barasingha) in the wild anywhere in the world. The reserve also contains a population of Tiger, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, Crocodile, three other species of deer, Rhesus Macaque and Langur monkeys, and abun-dant bird life. Migrating birds are attracted to the reserve’s wetlands, fed by jungle streams containing plentiful fish and amphibians. Picnic lunch in the jungle before returning back to camp late afternoon.

13 February Ride to DhandelduraAfter breakfast departure back through Mahendranagar and onto the East-West Highway that runs the length of Nepal, East to West. Heading East, we will ride through

Continued.. small roadside settlements and farms, where agricultural methods have changed little since the last century. Watching carefully for children and livestock in the road, we will turn off the main highway at Atari-ya, and ride north into the foothills of the Himalaya. Our route takes us through the Churia, or Siwalik Hills, the first range of the Himalaya as they rise off of the Ganget-ic Plain. Arrival in the town of Dhandeldura for lunch. Afternoon ride along the Seti River to the town of Dipayal, while our crew sets up our camp just outside of Dhan-deldura. Dinner and overnight in camp.

14 February Day Ride to BaitadiDay trip to Baitadi, set above the Mahakali River which forms Nepal’s western border with India. At Baitadi, we will visit the Barbara Peace Foundation project. The proj-ect was the brainchild of philanthropist Barbara Adams, who was born an American, but traveled to Nepal where she fell in love and spent the rest of her days, eventually becoming a Nepali citizen. The project builds houses for the Dalit (untouchable) caste in one of the poorest and least developed parts of Nepal. Return to our camp at Dhandeldura for overnight.

15 February Royal Bardia National Park We will strike camp as early as possible and ride back to the East-West Highway at Atariya, then head East again along the highway, stopping at Goda Godi Tal, a protected wetland known for its beauty and abundant birdlife, then ride on to the village of Chisapani (literally “cold water”) on the west bank of the mighty Karnali River. Here we cross the longest single span suspension bridge in Nepal, be prepared for cross winds barreling out of the Karnali Gorge to the North! Once over the bridge, the highway heads south through Royal Bardia National Park, please watch the speed signs and no use of horns.

Just after the highway exits the park, we will turn off to Thakurdwara and our overnight accommodations at the Bardia Jungle Lodge. Time permitting, we will go to the Park Headquarters, Visitors Centre and crocodile breed-ing pens, or the elephant camp on the bank of the Geruwa River.

16 February Ride to Tansen

Early-morning jungle exploration before heading back on the East-West Highway where we will continue east through the foothills and Terai, also known as Nepal’s breadbasket. Packed lunch enroute. Afternoon ride through bustling Butwal city, then north on the Siddartha Mountain Highway to our overnight accommodations in Tansen. Time permitting, sunset viewing over the Anna-purna range, from Srinagar Danda, above town.

17 February Ride to PokharaGreat riding today as we move north through the moun-tains of central-Nepal, on mostly good paved roads through many village settlements and hundreds of curves and twisties. Packed lunch on Kali Gandaki River, then late afternoon arrival in Pokhara. Lakeside accommoda-tions with the evening free to walk along the interesting-bazaar here and sample one of the many excellent cafés and pubs.

18 February Begnas Lake

Optional sunrise visit to Sarankot, which offers arguably the best mountains viewing point anywhere in the Hi-malaya. Breakfast back on lakeside, with remainder of morning free to explore the town. After lunch departure for our short ride to our overnight accommodations on Begnas Lake.

19 February Ride to Nuakot Main road riding this morning to the junction town of Mugling, then on to our nearby lunch stop at Kurinthar. Short afternoon ride back on the main highway which runs along the Trusuli River, before turning turn off on one of the best motorcycling roads in Nepal, and up to Nuakot for overnight. Accommodations at a restored farmhouse with great views over the river valley. Late afternoon free to walk down to the old Durbar Square. Traditional Nepali dinner back at the hotel.

20 February Ride to Kathmandu

Early morning departure for our last day on tour, but the most challenging, on a great, but rough shortcut to the Kathmandu Valley, where we will get a real glimse of re-mote and rural Nepal and some great mountain backroads. Packed lunch enroute with arrival into Kathmandu late afternoon. Hotel accommodations on the edge of the city.

21 February Tour Ends - Donor Tour ExtensionTour ends this morning with transfers to Kathmandu Air-port. Optional two-day extension tour begins for friends and donor of the RideHigh Foundation. Sightseeing with our Sherpa guides.

22 February Ride to Tibet BorderMorning departure out of the Kathmandu Valley to our lunch spot along the Sun Kosi River. Afternoon visit vil-lages in the Gunthang area, where RideHigh Foundation assistance projects are in progress. Overnight accommoda-tions back down on the river.

23 February Ride to Bhaktapur

Morning ride to the medieval town of Bhaktapur on the eastern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, for a look at life unchanged for centuries. Accommodations in the town centre, with the afternoon free to explore on your own or with a guided tour. Group farewell dinner in the hotel’s rooftop restaurant tonight, where we will say goodbye to our guides and road crew.

24 February Tour Ends - Shivaratri Begins

Tour ends with transfers to Kathmandu Airport or other city hotels. The Shivaratri festival begins today in Nepal.

What is Not IncludedInternational airfare, visa fees, cold drinks, alcoholic bev-erages, bottled water, laundry services, staff tips at hotels and gratuities at tour end, airport taxes and overweight baggage charges, extra night food and lodging expenses in Ladakh from flight delays due to bad weather.

Sherpa Team & High Altitude ExpertiseExclusive to Himalayan Roadrunners tours only, our tented camps in Spiti and on the Manali-Leh Road are our own production. We bring our own Sherpas in from Nepal which gives our groups a self-contained edge in the event of poor weather conditions and the need to change camp locations. Another plus is the ability to maintain standards in camp food provisions, unlike the pre-set local camps that have sprung up over the last few years. Also included on HRR High Altitude Tours, is a portable altitude chamber known as Gamow Bag, for emergency use in severe high altutude illness situations.

Visa Requirements Indian Tourist visa valid for 6 months, available from your nearest India Embassy or Consulate General.

ImmunizationsImmunizations are necessary for travel to India. Please consult your GP/MD or local travel clinic for latest recom-mendations.

Motorcycle Damage Deposit A security deposit of USD $1500 is required prior to motor-cycle assignment, and this can be secured via our website as a credit card authorization. No charges will appear on your card unless the motorcycle is damaged while on tour. Repairs of small accidental damage from bikes falling over and light spills are normally covered in the tour cost, but HRR reserves the right to appraise all damages/repair costs and bill accordingly.

Etiquette & Protocol Riding a motorcycle into Ladakh is a privilege. Himalayan Roadrunners is grateful to the Tourism Authority of India for permission to operate tours of this kind into the country. Although Ladakh continues to slowly open its doors to the outside world and experiment with new ideas for tourism, participants are reminded of the culturally sensitive nature of this trip and are urged and requested to conduct themselves in a respectful manner and show extra courtesy and riding style while encountering traffic in the Indus River Valley.

A Word of Caution Motorcycling the mountainous areas of the India Himala-ya is surely one of the best ways to experience the region’s rich cultures, friendly people, and unequaled scenery. At the same time, motorcycling does have its dangers, espe-cially on narrow mountain roads with unpredictable traffic and quick changing weather conditions. This tour operated by Himalayan Roadrunners Ltd. is better termed “Motor-cycle Expedition”, and should be undertaken by fit, expe-rienced riders with an open mind to changing conditions and different rules of the road.

Run with the Best!