To the Gateway of Tibet

We climb up Sutlej Valley on the famous Hindustan-Tibet road. At the end of the leg, we leave the main valley and take a narrow track that winds its way deep into a rocky gorge, ultimately opening up into a scenic alpine valley until we reach Sangla, a beautiful village at 2,500 m altitude.

We ride through Sutlej Valley and carry on towards the Tibetan plateau. As we ride up towards the northeast, the lush green landscapes make way for more stark, barren scenery with the Sino-Tibetan border not too far away. On the last part of this leg, Upper Himalayan landscapes unfold before us.

We push on into Spiti valley. We cross many villages en route where Buddhism is ubiquitous, before we arrive at Tabo in time for lunch. Still heading north, we reach Kaza, the “capital” of Spiti at 3,600 m altitude.

We have a rest today and only take the bikes for a short ride. We visit the impressive Dhankar Gompa, a monastery perched high up on a ridge, before heading to the tiny village Lallung. We head back to Kaza for lunch.

Another short but action-packed riding day, which leads us to the high-altitude village of Kibber (4,200 m). En route, we stop off to visit the wonderful Kye monastery, a few miles away from Kaza. We visit Kibber, a village surrounded by mountains that tower over 5,500 m altitude.

We head back down near Kaza and continue northwest. We cross the Kunzum pass (4,600 m), which separates Spiti and Lahaul. We take a rest at the pass to admire the colourful Tibetan flags fluttering in the wind and the breathtaking beauty of the glaciers surrounding us. On the last part of this leg, we take a bumpy track to Chandra Tal Lake at 4,200 m altitude, an unforgettable moment!

The most trying day awaits us with lots of tracks and rocks. We head back down to Chandra Valley before crossing Rohtang pass (3,900 m), a border between two worlds: on one side is stark Tibetan beauty and on the other, the lush Kullu Valley, known as the “Valley of the Gods”. The road down to Manali (at 2,000 m altitude) is impressive with its endless hairpin curves.

We visit the lush and charming Kullu Valley. Your tour leader will adapt the riding day according to your fatigue and what you want to do. We pass traditional villages and orchards. Then we go back to Manali, where some souvenir shopping is in order!

You can have a free day in Manali, where you can make any last-minute purchases and take one last walk in the Himalayan foothills. In the evening, we take a “Deluxe” night bus to Delhi.

Your bus is expected to reach at around 7.30am this morning so plan your flight accordingly. Depending on your flight schedule, you may have time to visit the bustling Indian capital, do some shopping or visit one of the Royal Enfield stores. You are transferred to the airport, where our services end.