Our fashion-icon tour leader has two long-standing passions: photography and The Bullet. But above all, he’s in love with India.
Are you ready to explore the most stunning roads in the Himalayan foothills? Let us take you on a ride across the mesmerising roads of Uttarkhand wind through a sumptuous setting: picturesque little villages, Hindu temples, pine forests, terraced crops, and unbeatable views of the mountains. Let yourself be carried away along twisting roads on cliff faces and amid pine forests, and stay at night in comfortable hotels. On the road, we visit the holy cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh, where encounters take on a special atmosphere and a sense of spirituality is present everywhere.
Period
April & May / October & November
Duration
12 days incl. 8 days riding
Level
Accessible
English-speaking tour leader
Accommodation
Comfort or Superior comfort
From
€3,890/pilot
You’re met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in the centre of Delhi. Your room is available from noon onwards. You can spend the rest of the day visiting the capital.
We make an early start and a private vehicle takes us to Jim Corbett National Park. Jim Corbett, an Indian-born Englishman and outstanding tracker-hunter, hung up his rifle and picked up a video camera in the 1920s, eventually devoting himself to big cat conservation.
We cruise along the edge of the Himalayan foothills before finally climbing to 2,000 m altitude in one go and reaching Nainital, where we have a lakeside lunch. We enter Kumaon, one of the two largest regions in this Himalayan state, and discover its gentle mountainscapes, orchards and traditional farmlands. Our overnight stay guarantees calm, comfort and luxury!
Today, we delve into the heart of rural Kumaon, along fantastic little mountain roads, which are narrow but easy to ride. We arrive at our destination early to make the most of the wonderful forest that surrounds where we'll be staying for the night. We sleep at almost 2,000 m, in the state’s fruit basket, created by British settlers many years ago.
You start to realise what Kumaon reminds you of with its ancient farmlands, terraced crops, pine and oak forests and rhododendrons massifs. We venture deeper into Binsar's magical forest, perched at more than 2,000 m altitude. We rest in our hidden retreat and are free to take a walk in the woods towards the viewpoint, where we can marvel at the Great Himalayas.
We indulge in the winding country roads that take us across Kumaon throughout this leg. We take a short walk through a typical Kumaoni hamlet, which has preserved its ancient traditional architecture and structure. We visit the small local temple of a thousand bells, dedicated to Uttarakhand's protector god.
Goodbye Kumaon, hello Garhwal! We have to drive a lot, but it's not a big deal because there is plenty to see on the way in terms of daily life and natural beauty. We follow the Ramganga valley, then zigzag our way up to take a dizzyingly high ridge road (2,400 m) which offers amazing views.
Today we reach the most sacred river, in Devprayag, which is still clean and unspoilt. It's the holiest confluence in the country, where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet to form the Ganges. Then we go up into the fresh air of the highest ridge bordering the Indo-Gangetic Plain, where we spend the night.
We have breakfast and start the day on a beautiful, long road along the same mountain ridge as the day before, but today it's even more sumptuous with fantastic bends and even better views of Himalayan cedar forests. We take a walk towards Surkhanda temple for one last peek at the snow-capped Himalayas.
After coming down from the fresh air in the peaks, we stop off at Rishikesh. We then go down to Haridwar on a road wedged between Rajaji National Park and the Ganges canal. After dropping off our luggage, we go to witness the daily rituals of devout Hindus on the banks of the sacred river at the end of the afternoon.
We are taken back to the capital in a private vehicle. Overnight stay at hotel.
You can enjoy a free day in Delhi. Your room is available until 10 am. You are transferred to Delhi international airport according to your flight schedule, where our services end.
You're taken to Agra from New Delhi in a private vehicle with driver. During 2 or 3 days, visit the fabulous Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and the Red Fort of Agra.
2 days to discover the sacred town of Varanasi. An English-speaking guide shows you around the Buddhist city of Sarnath, one of the four holy Buddhist cities. As the sunsets, you take a stroll along the Varanasi ghats and attend Aarti, a daily worship ritual. On the second day, you take a boat tour at sunrise, visit the University, Bharat Mata Mandir and the rest of the city.
“Absolutely fantastic. The pre-trip organization and communication was stellar. The itinerary and accommodations were well planned and our guide, mechanic, and support driver collectively allowed for a trip where any risk of stress was quickly replaced with nothing but pure delight. I took the Spiti Valley tour ("Gateway to Tibet") which offered otherworldly views and rich cultural exposure. The remote area was particularly enjoyable as even when compared to other Himalayan routes there was very little traffic... truck or otherwise (The last thing I want to do is to go to a remote location to be stuck endlessly maneuvering around slow trucks). I sing the praises of Vintage Rides at every possible opportunity. I've ridden motorcycles all over the world either independently or with a tour group and this trip was tops! I wish I had sooner discovered Vintage Rides and they will certainly be my choice again. Vive la Moto! (If you like to see the video of the trip it is at advmotorbike dot com under "global moto"... it will say in image more than my words can convey!)”
“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.”
“My group of 12 friends had a wonderful experience riding in the Himalayas with Vintage Rides. From the fantastic Pierrey our tour guide to the work done by the backroom staff to ensure this unique experience went without a hitch, this a very experienced and highly recommended company to put your trust in for such a journey. Will definitely use them again at some time in the future - perhaps Mongolia.”
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