Kathmandu Enduro

The drive to Nagarkot takes around an hour from Panauti. Nagarkot is a hill station on the rim of the valley. At one time, it was a standalone town that people had to pass through on the trek to Mount Everest; nowadays, it's a popular tourist destination for foreigners and locals alike. In mountain biking terms, Nagarkot is probably the best-known place in the Kathmandu Valley for mountain bike trails. While it's not a "Bike Park," it has maintained and well-ridden trails across the sprawling hillside. Riding here is just fun! Spend the day shuttling up and smashing the trails on the way down. It's such a cool place, you might even meet local riders on the trails! The trails are a combination of slick, flowing singletracks in the jungle, rutted and rooty trails, and some narrow rice field singletracks. Length and difficulty vary, and you can ride as much as you can.

Waking up in Chisapani on a clear weather day is magical. The views of Shishapangma, Dorje Lakpa, and Ganesh Himal are surreal; the mist wanders through the valleys below, and the light plays the landscape into layers of blues, purples, and greens. Take a moment to soak it all in. We leave the small town of Chisapani behind and head up onto the ridgeline from Borland Bhanjyang. Some of the ridge trail is rideable, and some is pushable. The trail traverses through the dense old-growth forest. You can lose yourself in the solitude of this place. Once above Chilanoe, the trail starts to descend to Bagdhaw, the place where the sacred Bagmati River comes out from the mountains. Nearby here lives the Hermit Monk, he lives in the solitude of the jungle and takes care of the small temple hidden in the forest! From here, the trail flows all the way to Tarebhir, where you exit the jungle and see the valley sprawling below us. The ride ends down the Helipad Ridgeline, one of the most ridden trails in the Kathmandu Valley. The ride has a lot more pedaling than the other two days. The trails are loamy and fun to ride; some sections of uphill require pushing, but most are rideable. There are also trail options of longer pedaling sections or steep stair descents. It's not the easiest of days, but just being in the pristine jungle is worth it. Helipad is a fun and slightly technical ridgeline descent that takes us back into the valley. It's a good way to end our riding. Most of it is singletrack in the jungle! We end with a visit to Boudhanath Stupa, where you can enjoy a kora (circuit) of this tranquil Buddhist center before returning to Thamel or your hotel to end the tour.