Thoughtfully Crafted Nepal Bike Tours and E-Bike Tours

Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia located between the latitudes 26° and 31°N, and longitudes 80° and 89°E. It is bordered by India to the south and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region to the north. It consists of three distinct topographical regions — a fertile subtropical plain to the south, a middle belt of hills varying between 1000 - 2500 m (3280 - 8200 ft) above the sea level, and a northern belt of perennially snow-clad peaks varying between 3,000 to 8849 m (9842 to 29,028 ft) above the sea level.

The highest mountain on earth, Mt. Everest is located in northern Nepal. The Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to endangered species including the tiger, the one-horned rhino and the Indian elephant is located in southern Nepal.

Most cycling in Nepal happens in the middle hilly regions, which is also where its major cities including the capital Kathmandu, and Pokhara are located.

Nepal is a low-income country with an average annual income of about $1,489 in 2023. This also makes it one of the cheapest countries to travel to for visitors.

Agriculture forms the backbone of Nepal’s economy, employing about 65% of its workforce, and contributing about 27% to its GDP. Foreign remittances by Nepalese workers abroad are also an important source of income. Tourism in Nepal has picked up over the last two decades, and today contributes around 9% to the country’s economy.

Nepal is a secular, democratic republic. However, religion plays an important part in the everyday life of the people, and until 2008, Hinduism was the state religion of Nepal.

Today, Hinduism continues to be the largest religion in Nepal, with around 81.3% of the population identifying as Hindus. Buddhism is the second most followed religion with 9% of the population following it. Islam, Christianity, and adherents of folk religions make up the rest of the population.

The cow, considered sacred in Hinduism, is the national animal of Nepal, while the colorful Himalayan Monal or Danphe is Nepal’s national bird.

The best time for cycling in Nepal is Spring (March to May) and Fall to early winter (September to December). The temperature during this time varies from 15 to 26 °C (59.0 to 78.8 °F). Days are bright and sunny, with little rainfall.

The best cycling in Nepal happens in the central Nepal region between Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Both Kathmandu and Pokhara are located in valleys. Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, while the larger valley within which it is located is called the cultural capital of Nepal. The entire Kathmandu valley has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of the numerous sites of historical and cultural importance located in the valley. This means that there’s plenty for a cyclist to explore in the vicinity of Kathmandu itself when cycling in Nepal.

The Pokhara valley, on the other hand, is situated in the shadow of the Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain in the world. Pokhara is also called the adventure tourism capital of Nepal due to the various adventure activities that use Pokhara as their base. The vicinity of Pokhara offers plenty of trails to bike through.

A great Nepal bike tour would ideally include these two end points, while traversing through the quiet back roads that connect the two valleys through scenic rural hamlets over an elevated tableland. At about 1200 m (3937 ft), the average elevation in this plateau region is just right, making biking a little challenging and offering great views without being overtly arduous.

1. It’s the Ceiling of the World

8 of the world’s 10 highest mountains are in Nepal, including Mt Everest, the highest mountain on earth. On a Nepal bike tour, you are most likely to spot 3 out of the top 10 highest mountains on earth — Dhaulagiri (8167m/26,795ft), Annapurna (8091m/24245 ft), and Manaslu (8163/26,781 ft). Imagine biking charming countryside roads with this massive, snow-clad giants quietly watching over you from the skies high above. That’s what makes cycling in Nepal so different from any other place on earth.

2. Diverse Terrain

The terrain in Nepal varies from being 150 m above sea level to the highest point on earth, Mt. Everest. All this within a landmass that is only 250 kms (155 mi) wide at its maximum. This makes cycling in Nepal an experience unlike any other place in the world.

3. It’s the Birthplace of the Buddha

Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born in Lumbini in Nepal c. 500 BC. A Nepal bike tour allows you to explore this mystical land which gave birth to one of the most influential figures in world history. In fact, when cycling in Nepal, you will never be too far from the spiritual realm. Historical temples, beautiful monasteries, and the sheer magnificence of the mighty Himalayas will always leave you awestruck and humbled. Doing a Nepal bike tour will allow you to truly understand the land and the people that led the Buddha to his spiritual path.

4. It’s the Amazon of Asia

Nepal is home to 915 bird species. That’s about 9% of all the bird species found on earth. It also has 4.2% of all butterfly species in the world, and 6% of all the rhododendrons on the planet. The rhododendron, in fact, is the national flower of Nepal and is depicted in the national emblem of the country. Finally, Nepal is where some of the rarest megafauna on earth thrive, including the snow leopard, the Bengal tiger, and the one-horned rhino. Due to this amazing biodiversity packed into its small land area, Nepal is called the Amazon of Asia.

5. Experience a Diverse and Unique Culture at Close Quarters

Nepal is home to more than 135 ethnic groups, including Gurkhas, Tibetans, Brahmins, Bhutanese among others. Among these are the famous Gurkhas, renowned for their bravery in battle, and their service to militaries worldwide including the British and the Indian army, each of which maintains a special Gurkha regiment. Each ethnic group has its own unique culture, cuisine, and costumes, and a Nepal bike tour allows you to absorb this diversity at close quarters.

At Art of Bicycle Trips, we believe in experiential travel. Our tours combine cycling with cultural activities and nature exploration.

An average day on tour includes 4-5 hours of biking, with the rest of the day reserved for local experiences such as exploring local attractions, interacting with local communities, visiting monuments and museums, learning local crafts, trying local cuisine and more.

Each guided Nepal bike tour is led by an expert trip leader who is also a local. For groups of more than 4 members, we have 2 trip leaders to take care of our guests. ABT trip leaders are a repository of local knowledge, routes, customs, cultures, and cuisines. By employing only local guides, we also help generate employment opportunities for local communities.

All hotels on tour are carefully chosen for their character, comfort, and cuisine, and each hotel becomes an experience in itself that guests can enjoy.

A support vehicle accompanies guests at all times, and if at any point a rider does not feel like biking any further, they can always load their bike and sit in the support van.

Our tours are all-inclusive, which means meals, permits, fees, transportation and other additional costs are included in the price of the trip, unless otherwise stated.

We pride ourselves on the degree of customization we provide on each tour, and are always happy to accommodate any special requests from our guests relating to the tour.

Due to the terrain and the altitude, we provide mountain bikes and e-bikes on our Nepal bike tours. All our bikes are of the latest make, well-maintained and in excellent condition.

Nepal is one of the most mountainous countries in the world with around 75% of its area covered by mountains. However, we’ve designed our Nepal bike tours to be accessible to a wide range of cyclists. Our Cycling Nepal’s Backcountry: Kathmandu to Pokhara bike tour is classified as Moderate to Challenging on our difficulty scale. This means that the terrain consists of rolling hills with a few challenging climbs. Most of the cycling on this tour happens on an elevated plateau located 1200 m ( 3937 ft) above sea level.