BHUTAN - Thunder Dragon Ride (Bike)
A complete bike traverse of the land of the Thunder Dragon ~ Challenging climbs and endless descents ~ Taktsang Monastery, the 'Tiger's Lair' ~ Bhutan's colourful people ~ One of the best cycle tours in the world
10-11 nights hotels and lodges, 1-2 nights camping, 9 days INTERMEDIATE biking, 850 km/528 miles, 10% off-road, 100% vehicle supported, max. altitude - 3822m/12,540ft. All meals included.
intermediate
The classic bike ride across Bhutan is one of the world's most challenging cycle tours. At the eastern end of the Himalaya, sandwiched between India and Tibet, the 'Shangri La' kingdom of Bhutan is renowned for its colourful Buddhist culture and for the beauty of its unspoiled mountain scenery. A single spectacular road runs west to east across the country, traversing a succession of steep-sided and heavily wooded ridges. Presenting long climbs on easy-angled switchbacks, as well as mind-blowing descents that seem to last for hours, this largely deserted single-track highway provides the basis for one of the worlds' great bike journeys. Starting out from Paro and crossing several high passes, we accumulate a total of 15,500m/50,856ft of ascent and a staggering 18,200m/59,715ft of descent, en route to the eastern land border with India at Sandrup Jongkhar. Staying primarily in characterful lodges and with plenty of opportunity to meet the Bhutanese people, this is an unmissable adventure biking holiday. A sparsely populated country, Bhutan is often likened to Switzerland because of its small size, jealously guarded isolation and stunning mountain scenery. More than 90% of the population are hill farmers who live in small villages spread over rugged mountain country. Buddhist teachings and philosophy are influential throughout the kingdom, as they have been since the 7th century and a deep and traditional reverence for nature has led to Bhutan imposing some of the strictest standards of environmental preservation in the world. More than 65% of the land is still under forest cover and some of the rarest of Himalayan wildlife, such as the blue sheep, takin and golden langur, are quite common. It is often said that ‘‘even the most experienced cycle traveller will find Bhutan a revelation’’ and we cannot disagree. In this country known as Druk Yul, the 'Land of the Thunder Dragon’, the fortunate visitor will find a rare combination of harmony and accord, amongst incredible natural beauty. The air is clean and unpolluted, the mountains are magnificent and the architecture is inspiring. Bhutan is the least visited of all the Himalayan countries, as a direct result of deliberate Bhutanese government policy. In an attempt to protect the delicate sensitivities of its environment, and the sacred values of its peoples, the Bhutanese Government actively restricts the number of tourists allowed into the country.
SEMI-SLICK ADVENTURE. This trip has some long days and several tough climbs. There are 10 road passes to cross on this spectacular ride, the highest of which are the Pele La at 3822m/12,540ft and the Thumsing at 3800m/12,468ft. The total amount of ascent is in excess of 15,500m/50,856ft. What goes up must come down, and the descents are equally awesome, the longest involving 3259m/10,693ft of descent over 85km/53 miles, one of the longest in the world. The road generally is low gradient, narrow and almost traffic-free. We will be biking at altitudes between 600m/1969ft and 3800m/10,693ft and whilst these heights should not cause us too much of a problem, we will notice a marked difference in temperatures, from very pleasant and warm to cold and frosty on the highest of the passes. Winter clothing is recommended for the highest of passes and some of the descents will be cold! The average time in the saddle will vary between 6-8 hours each day, with at least 2 longer days of up to 10 hours (including stops), covering in excess of 100km/62 miles. Although the route is certainly all rideable in the time we have allowed, we will have a support vehicle throughout the trip and there will be the option to take advantage of this for anyone who is having an off day. We must stress that apart from the emergency tool kit that you would take on any day ride, you will not be required to carry any luggage.
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The trip pages are only a brief summary of the details available within our trip dossiers. It is important that you read the full day to day description and further information for this trip before making your booking.
Download a dossier for BHUTAN - Thunder Dragon Ride (Bike)
