He splits his time between leading tours and running our Delhi office. But of one thing's for sure: his love for motorbikes is undivided!
Geared to excellent drivers, budding mechanics, and ultra-resourceful types, this offbeat road trip takes you into the Himalayan foothills, facing the majestic Nanda Devi (7816m/26,643ft). Before you venture along the winding roads of Uttarkhand, we’ll give you a full induction to understand your bike and anticipate the pitfalls ahead. Smart advice, a recap on riding rules (oh yes!), a road book, a sat-nav – and away you go, utterly free, to tackle the unplanned occurrences of a journey in India. We can’t wait to hear about your adventures.
Period
April & May / October & November
Duration
11 days incl. 8 days' riding
Level
Demanding
Without tour leader
Accommodation
You choose
From
€788/pilot
You’re met at the airport and taken to your hotel in central Delhi. You can spend the rest of the day as you wish.
Today is an important day. Riding the Indian roads solo is not an easy feat. An extraordinary adventure awaits you, and you have to be prepared. Your tour instructor will meet you at the hotel and take you for a full day’s induction at our garage in Delhi, which covers Royal Enfield mechanics and problem solving.
After an early start, you go and collect your bikes in Delhi and head for Corbett National Park, India’s largest nature reserve. The park is famous for its diverse local wildlife and tigers have even been spotted there. Once in Corbett, you’ll have some free time in the evening.
Today marks the start of your Himalayan motorcycle raid! You zigzag on small roads up to Ranikhet, a paradise nestled in the Kumaon mountains.
You ride along a smooth mountain road as far as Almora, which is a very peaceful and enjoyable leg with beautiful scenery. Then, you climb up to Kausani, where you can marvel at the remarkable views of a mountain range spanning more than 185 miles.
Be prepared for an early start! You can visit the small stone temple in Baijnath near the Gomti river and look at the huge sacred trout swimming around. Then, you take a pleasant road that runs alongside a cliff face, tracing the Pindar river. You end this leg on a busy road for 18 miles until you reach Pipalkoti.
A small winding road leads you to the ancient temple in Gopeshwar, then on to the colourful Ukhimath temple. You end the day following the Mandakini river until Tilwara.
If you’re keen for some adventure, you can take a steep road alongside the Ganges. You will ride through some sublime scenery: red sandstone mountain faces, pine forests and waterfalls galore. For the last few miles of this leg, you circle the lake created by the Tehri dam offering awe-inspiring landscapes.
You set off early to Rishikesh on a well-maintained mountain road. You cruise 18 miles along the Heval river and then head a further 12 miles to Haridwar, one of the most sacred Hindu cities, located at the point where the Ganges emerges from the Himalayas. You end the day with a stroll on the Ghats along the fast-flowing Ganges river.
You make your way back to the capital. A busy day on busy roads: you will unavoidably spend a lot of time on main roads, which means you need to be extra careful. If you leave early, you’ll be back at your hotel by the early afternoon.
Your Vintage Rides instructor will meet you in the morning to ask you about your Himalayan motorcycle tour, give the bikes a thorough 3-hour check over and return your deposit. You can spend the afternoon in the capital before you are transferred to the airport in a private vehicle.
“I found the ride through the Himalayan Mountains to Leh from Manali excellent. Vintage Riders did an excellent job in making this ride a success. I would recommend them to an rider who would go with them.”
“An awesome adventure lead by a very capable and fun tour leader. A great mix of riding from bitumen to two wheel dirt tracks and a great mix of accommodation experiences from hotels, hostels to large tents. Price was genuinely reasonable and our mechanic was a wizard. I will most definitely do it again in a couple of years time when I get sick of just looking at the photos and video!”
“I would recommend Vintage Rides to any rider contemplating a guided motorcycle tour. Right from my initial email with Denise, the professionalism and attention to detail was reassuring. Everything was organised for us and our tour guide Josh was fantastic from start to finish. The Royal Enfields were a lot of fun and suited the type of riding we did, the scenery was simply mind blowing and the tour was the best holiday and adventure ever. On top of all this, the value for money was excellent. I will be touring with Vintage Rides again. I did the Trans Himalayan in India.”
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