The Annapurna Trail- An Epic Mountain Bike Journey

Annapurna Circuit – 14 Days (Kathmandu to Kathmandu)

2103 Winter Season Departures Sept 16^th , Oct 4^th, Oct 25^th

2014 Spring Departures – 5^th April, 3^rd May

Annapurna is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" (feminine form), but is normally translated as Goddess of the Harvests. In Hindu Culture, Annapurna is  "... the universal and timeless kitchen-goddess ... the mother who feeds. Without her there is starvation, a universal fear." Not only is Annapurna the Mother Goddess, to us she is also the Goddess of Mountain Biking!

The Annapurna Circuit Trail is by far one of the most popular mountain biking journeys in Nepal. Its highly scenic path takes you around the Annapurna Massif, showcasing the spectacular scenery and mountain culture of Nepal along the way.  The crossing of Throng La at 5580 meters, makes this ride ideal for anyone looking for a mountain biking challenge in the Himalayas  which is featured in “Yak Attack” one of the fifth toughest mountain stage bike races in the world.

The inbound trail follows the Marysandi River as it carves its way through the gorge between Annapurna and Manasulu. Riding up the Valley, we halt for two nights in Manang, at an altitude of  3540 meters, this is an ideal place to rest and acclimatize before breaking the 4000 meter mark. Manang is home to the horse men and archers famous in the region and is a nice place to rest and explore with many possibilities for day hikes in the hills around the region.The region is mainly inhabited by the Thakali and Gurung People of Nepal who mostly practice the religion of Buddhism, given the areas proximity to Tibet. Spend some time exploring the unique mountain lifestyle and

The trail peaks at Throng La, a five to ten hour ascent from Throng Phedi, where you leave at 5am in the dark morning, climbing on wards and upwards on the snow covered trail. This is the day you will test your metal! This part of the trail is 100% carry. You reach up to 5580 meters, hold your breath here for some of the most amazing views in the Himalaya! Steal yourself the descent (The trail maybe snow covered)! Enjoy the ride as you drop down into the Kaligandaki Valley on the boarder of the fabled Upper Mustang Region.

The descent from Throng La must be one of the most thrilling 3000 meter drops in the world! A real challenge for any XC rider, no matter how skilled you are. Watch out for Yaks and Trekkers as you go speeding by down the holy temple of Muktianth. Stay here overnight or head on further down to the quaint village of Kagbeni. From here its two days of all downhill. Take the jeep track, of choose the side single track trails that explore the alpine forests and remote villages. You will be well rewarded for the days of uphill.

This ride is a gift of unforgettable images and memories, as you cycle along the ancient trade and supply routes you can almost lose yourself in time as if you were one of the original explorers of this area (though they were probably riding a donkey). You will also relish the challenge that the Annapurna Trail presents to mountain bikers, and let’s not forget the views are nothing less than spectacular and the village scenery truly inspirational.

PLANNING TO RIDE THE ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT? – HERE ARE SOME TRAIL TIPS

What to Ride- The choice is tough here. You don’t want to lug a weighty beast up the mountains, but it certainly would be nice to ride it down! We suggest you to bring a light Hardtail or an XC style Fully, something like an Anthem X is good for this kind of trip. Remember you might have to carry it for long periods of time. If you are bringing your own bike, bring along some spare parts, tires, tubes, hanger/drop out and perhaps a chain and derailleur. Most importantly make sure you are comfortable on your bike.

Does HST Hire out Bikes for the Ride? Yes we have for Annapurna 10 speed XTC Hardtails(US$18 Per Day)  and Giant Anthem X ($35 Per Day) for the ride. Bike hire includes all the bits and spare parts you will need and a helmet if you need one. We are also happy to put your own peddles and seats on the bike to make it more comfy for you.

GOT SOME EXTRA DAYS ON THE TRAIL - ADD IT ON

Ride the Yak - The journey is already epic, but make it more epic by adding on an extra four days and riding right from HST door step in Kathmandu and ending in Pokhara, just like the race Yak Attack. The journey to Besishar itself covers about 200km with over 5000 meters of climbing as you cycle through the Himalayan Foothills dotted with rural farms, temples and subtropical jungle. You will already feel challenged before you reach the mountains.

 

Raft the Kali - Just 12km from Beni is the put in place for rafting on one of the world’s most beautiful rivers, the holy Kali Gandaki (The River named after the goddess Kali the goddess of “Time and Change and empowerment”). This three day rafting journey is epic, taking you through the deepest gorge in the world and leaving far behind the mountains you have just ridden through. Camp out overnight on white sandy beaches, sleeping under the roof of a thousand stars.

VIEW TRIP

KATHMANDU VALLEY – HIDDEN GETAWAYS

Paulines Guest House – Perfect Midweek Getaway

Tucked away in a mystical northern pocket of the Valley just above the Newari Village of Tolka you will find Paulines Guest House. Owned by two French ladies and their assortment of Dogs, Donkeys and stray animals, this is a delightful place for a mid week over night excursion. A forty minute ride after work can take you there, leave your bikes in the Garage at the village and walk seven minutes up to the renovated farmhouse. Four rooms, nice facilities and a completely relaxing environment make this a nice place to escape the stress of work. The food here is excellent, fresh, hearty and tasty, best washed down with a bottle of handpicked wine. Abundant trails make a nice option for a morning ride before heading back to the office.

Shivapuri Village Resort

Situated on the flip side of the Valley Rim, over Shivapuri National Park, this rustic resort is surround by dense jungle and enveloped in peaceful silence, sit back on the slate patio and lap up the Himalayan Views. The rooms are cozy all with fire places and the food and service is great. You can ride here from Kakani and then continue on down to Sundarijal the next day, or drive up along the newly made Nuwakot Road and hike or bike down the next day. A great weekend getaway.

Namobuddha Organic Farmhouse

Just outside the Kathmandu Valley beyond Dhulikhel you can find Namobuddha Resort. This beautiful place sitting on a rural hillside is back dropped by the Himalaya and the Namobuddha Monastery. Get in touch with your Buddhist side!  A beautiful place 4 hours riding from Kathmandu takes you over Lakuri Bhangyang and down to Pauntie. You can then return via jeep or ride back through Banepa, Nala and Bhaktapur.

Himalayan Single Track offers guided weekend and overnight mountain bike rides to all of these places. We love to showcase the great trails and the great accommodation right in our back yard. The more people that visit these places and keep them running the better we can promote mountain biking in the Valley and help preserve, develop and expand the trails for the future of all cyclists in Nepal.

If you are a local or an expat, get in touch with these great resorts for local and Xpats rates and enjoy a lovely time away with your friends or a romantic getaway with somebody special.

Muktinath - More than just Mountain Biking.

For many years now the Jomsom Muktinath route has been a popular biking trail and indeed it is an awesome ride. By all means rip up the trail, but don't forget to take some time out the explore the culture,environment  and architecture of the region. Follow our journey from Jomsom and Beyond.

Most people normally whizz through Jharkot on route to Muktinath, but take a moment here, meander inside the slate paved lane ways and wend your way to the 500 year old Sakya Monastry, duck your head and pass through the Tibetan Medical centre, find the young monk with the key and go inside the ancient monastry. The walls are hung with canvas and hand painted with the scenes of the seven hells and the all empowering heaven. A twelve foot tall golden statute of buddha dominates the room and small hand carved wooden benches are draped with Tibetan carpets where the Monks sit and chant. Butter candles beyond count light up the ancient chamber and make it glow with a surreal light. Climb up onto the roof top for panoramic views of Muktinath, Throng La and Jhong. Spend some time here and you will soon forget about the twenty first century.

Look left and right anywhere you ride in this region and you will see small hairy cows grazing the sparse alpine grass. Rather cutley they are called Loulous....super cute and docile, these tiny beasts produce rich, vitam fulll milk which the local people use to make butter, cheese and gee. Look to the roof tops of the houses and see the piles of fire wood, in this region wealth is gaged by the amount of wood you have stacked up. The limited rain full in the area makes a flat roof top the ideal place for drying wood.

Our modern bikes are a stark contrast to the simple surroundings of the people that live here,there worth   alone more than most families could conceive. Think about this as Nomads on ponies trot past you on their way to Muktinath where they participate in the local traditional style archery competition, a sport taken very seriously among village elders and youths alike.

The forgotten road on the opposite side of the valley to Muktinath cavres its way down the mountainside  and over frozen gullies, passing through the timeless village of Jhong on the way. The desire to ride fast tussles with the desire to stop and look and breath and feel this amazing place, the lush green vale with rolling fields of barley, the wizened shepards tending flocks of Changra (Mountain Goats) the sweet spring scent of apple blossom and the forboding snow capped peaks of Nilgiri and Dhaulgiri dominating the ever blue sky line.... " I dont have any words for this" is what Jevi our training guide said when we ask him how he felt on this his first time in the Himalaya.

Catch your breath after the 900 meter decent at Kagbeni, a visit to a Red House is a must to experience the true hospitality of the region where modern meets ancient. This contrast is no where more apparent than sitting on the balcony at Applebee's, sipping a cappuccino and staring down the valley to Upper Mustang.

Passing through Jomsom for most of us is just a pit stop for lunch or to get on or off a plane. But to enter this region you must carry a ACAP permint, most people pay little attention to what these are for. The Annapurna Conservation Permit monies go toward conservation in this uniquely diverse eniviroment. Conservation here is a never ending struggle between tourism, local people, developers, and poachers. Take half an hour and go inside the information office,say hello to the friendly staff and learn about the flora and funa of the area. If you are lucky, ask them to show you footage of the most recent camera traps located high in the Tilicho, Gai La and Mustang Regions and witness the elsuive snow leopards, which rangers say are actually increasing in numbers.

A half an hour battle with the head wind takes us to Marpha,a village secluded and forgotten since the development of the Jomsom Road, but not a place to be missed, do yourself a favour and help the local community by staying here overnight on your way down. While away and afternoon by exploring the meandering lane ways, discover the local style of architecture of the rock and mud houses, climb up to the monastery or venture up to the hermits cave high on the cliff above, if this does not help your path to enlightenment, the local Marpha Apple or apricot brandy certainly will...a famed product of the renowned apple growing capitol of Nepal, this stuff will knock your socks off! If you cannot stay the night, atleast drop by Neeru guest house, bask in the sunny garden and devour Didi's delicous apple pie...good fuel for cyclists.

Back on the road cross the river on one of the few hand made wood and rope bridges left in the region and enter the Pine Forest to the Tibetan Camp. From here the adventure begins, avoiding the road and the modern development it has brought, we venture along foot path and rocky trail. At times we have to carry the bikes up short steep inclines, or get our feet we in the icy cold Kaligandaki River, but this is all part of the adventure and the single track that follow is well worth it! This trail too is not just about the riding, look carefully as we drop down lower and the trees change, the environment changes and so do the people that live here. We cross from the Sherpa and Tibetain Culture into the productive Takali, Gurung and Muggar Lands. The trail is beautiful and almost forgotten, the mist laden mountains loom above and pine forests filled with birds line our trail along the holy river......

After Kalopani we drop down a bone jarring 1900 meters on rubble roads, past roaring waterfalls and into the subtropical jungle to Tatopani, this may be the end of the journey, but the memory will linger long after...

This is how we roll at Himalayan Single Track...not just mountain biking, but amazing journeys into the heart and soul of a region...

MBLA Mountain Bike Guide Training

This month Himalayan Single Track was so happy to be able to bring Mr Al Seaton to Nepal so that he could deliver his invaluable guide and leadership training to our guides. Al’s company is Wheelie Cool Mountain Biking and he is an MBLA Tutor providing courses approved by the British Cycling Association that set the industry standard for mountain bike guide and leadership training. We are hoping that this was the beginning of a long term relationship with Al for training mountain bike guides in Nepal, not just for Himalayan Single Track but for all companies and tour operators.

The course was held at Life Cycle Resort in Hetauda, and we have to thank them humbly for providing free accommodation and meals for Al Seaton for the ten days he stayed in Nepal and also for the wonderful hospitality and food they provided to all participants of the course. Life Cycle and the surrounding country side was the perfect location for cycling, learning and making new friends. The best kind of classroom and super rider on single tracks.

The content of the course was an invaluable learning curve for the entire HST Team and we hope that we can use our newfound skills to improve the quality and most importantly the safety of the service that we offer our clients.

We work for the safety and experience of our clients and risk assessment planning is now part of every tour we offer, not just for the safety of the clients but also for the increased enjoyment of them. Guides can improve their confidence and skill in dealing with the clients and this will give clients a better understanding it’s an all round win win situation for Nepal, for tourism and for the guides and companies. Further more we can also implement our own localized training programs and create an industry standard for Nepal.

Team working for the future of Mountain Bike Tourism in Nepal was the key topic that came out of this.

Trail Side Repairs

The Tow-Rope

The art of learning how to Teach

Learning the Theory in the Class Room

Map Reading and Navigation

Practical Learning on the Trail

PARTICPANTS IN THE COURSE

Leadership

1. Santosh Rai - Himalayan Single Track

2. Jenny Caunt - Himalayan Single Track

3. Dawa Sherpa - El Yak

4. Mangal Lama - El Yak

5. Niraka Yakthungba - Life Cycle/Chain Bikes

6. Upendra Rana - Life Cycle/Chain Bikes   

Guide

1. Jeevi Limbhu - Himalayan Single Track

2. Bikash Shresta - Himalayan Single Track

3. Nikesh Kadha - Himalayan Single Track

4. Shyam Limbhu

5. Sonam Gurung - Life Cycle

6. Dinesh Shresta - Epic Bikes 

BASIC MOUNTAIN BIKE MECHANICS

So here you are kitted out and ready to hit the trails with your new mountain bike, have some fun enjoy with nature and friends…..but what happens when you are out on the trail and things go wrong? It happens, broken chains, flat tires, gear shifting problem….but the good news is this does not have to mean the end of your ride. Knowing what to carry as part of your cycling kit and how to use it to make basic trail side repairs is easy and will help you to keep enjoying the fun.

Common Trail Problems

Things that can happen on an everyday ride in the Kathmandu Valley are flat tires (caused by inner tubes getting punctured by debris left lying around on the road) broken chains, slipped seat posts and minor gear shifting problems. All of this can easily be fixed with the right tools and the right know-how.

What you Should Carry?

So before you set out on the trail, make sure you or your friends have the following items –

·         Spare inner tube that fits your bike, be aware of different tubes on the market, Presta, Shroder, 29 er make sure you have the correct one that fits your wheels.

·         Pump, to put air in the tires should be a multi valve function that works with both presta and shroder tubes. If you are going on longer adventures, sometimes it pays to carry a suspension pump for your air shock.

·         A patch kit which contains glue, patches, tire levers (tools that help remove the tire from the wheel rim) sandpaper.

·         Multi Tool with chain breaker. This tool is a compact pocket knife like item that contains different sized Alan keys, screw drivers and tools that can adjust, tighten or re attach most parts of the bike.

How to Use It?

Well this is not something we can easily explain in a blog but as with anything the more you use the tools and understand the basic mechanics of your mountain bike the better things will be. Join the Team of mechanics at Himalayan Single track for one of our three hour basic maintenance and trails side repair courses. Our course cover the following:-

·         Getting to know your bike – identify components and learn what they do.

·         What are basic trail tools and how to use them

·         Fixing Punctures and holes in the Tires

·         Fixing Broken Chains

·         Basic Gear and shifting adjustments

·         Basic Bike Maintenance– how to maintain and clean your bike between rides, use of oils and  greases, bike cleaning methods

Another important thing to remember when you are going out riding is your own “engine” without you the bike is not going anywhere so be sure to carry and drink plenty of water and high energy snack foods to keep you full of energy.

For more information about our Mechanics Course or about biking in Nepal Please visit our website or send us an email.

www.himalayansingletrack.com

info@himalayansingletrack.com

Happy Trails this Spring…..

MANASLU MOUNTAIN BIKE EXPEDITION 15TH October 2013……

Manaslu, at 8,163 m, is the eighth highest mountain in the world standing isolated and yet in the very center of the Nepalese Himalaya and the trail around this majestic peak is perhaps one of Nepal’s “Best Kept Secrets” and not only that, the area which is little traveled by tourists is ripe for the exploration of Mountain Biking. Not only are there exceptional views in every direction but the low-to-high range of altitudes presents such varied flora and, most noticeably, a wide cultural spectrum, including strong influences from Tibet mixing with Nepali ethnic diversity.

The trail involves crossing the challenging Larke Pass at 5135 meters which Shoulders the Mountain itself, the awe-inspiring views and scenery are worth the physical effort’s. The trail is by far not 100% ride-able, in fact it is perhaps one of the most challenging trails for biking in Nepal, with long sections of carrying and pushing, but the rewards of endless flowing single track are well worth it. A side trip to Tsum Valley and Mu Ghompa is in itself a mini expedition into another world, this flat bowl like valley is an extraordinary and beautiful place offering some breathtaking trails for mountain biking and a journey of discovery in to this hidden mountain culture and religion. Some of the trails themselves are not without danger, sheer cliffs and narrow trails heavily trodden with donkeys make the cyclist heed caution, as for the local people, donkey trains are the only way to get supplies into and out of the many villages that scatter the region.

Santosh Rai late last year lead our first trip around the Circuit and into Tsum Valley with Christine Schaffner and her Partner Beat 7 times World Mountain Bike Orienteering Champions and came back raving about the potential of the area for future mountain bike exploration. Hence forth Himalayan Single Track is planning our first commercial expedition around the Circuit and into Tsum Valley on 15th of October this year in conjunction with some independent guide book writers from Germany. This special tour is open for other intrepid mountain bikers to join and interested person should send us an email – info@himalayansingletrack.com. Places are limited so please get in touch with us soon.

PROGRAM

15th October: ARRIVAL IN KATHMANDU
16th October: KATHMANDU TO ARUGHAT (608m)
17th October: ARUGHAT  TO MACHHA KHOLA (869m)
18th October: MACHHA KHOLA TO JAGAT  (1410M)
19th October: JAGAT TO LOLAKUWA  (2240M)
20th October: LOLAKUWA TO CHHOKKUNG (2960M)
21st October:  CHHOKKUNG TO MU GUMBA (3510M) – DAY TRIP
22nd October:   CHHOKKUNG TO DYANG (1800M)
23rd October: DYANG TO NAMRUNG (2660M)
24th October: NAMRUNG TO SHAMA GAUN (3530M)
25th October: SHAMA GAUN TO SAMDO (3690M)
26th October: SAMDO TO DHARMASALA (4460M)
27th October:  DHARMASALA TO BHIMTANG
28th October: BHIMTANG TO DHARAPANI (1860M)
29th October: DHARAPANI TO BESISHAR AND TRANSFER BACK TO KATHMANDU
30th October: END TRIP