The Manang Traverse

You will arrive at Kathmandu Airport, where a driver will meet you at the international terminal and transfer you and your bags to your hotel in Thamel — the main tourist hub of the city and your base for the start of the journey. On arrival you’ll be greeted and shown to your room. Depending on your arrival time, there will be a welcome dinner.

Breakfast is provided at the hotel. Afterwards the tour group sits down together to meet each other and go over the trip ahead. Once formalities are finished, there’s a test ride of the motorbikes and a tour around the city — our local guide will take you to historic landmarks, temples and traditional local food spots around Kathmandu.

Any shopping or essentials needed for the journey ahead are organised today. The hotel sits in the main shopping hub, so all the outdoor gear shops are within walking distance. You’re free to explore the city that evening, or we can organise a guided tour around if you’d prefer.

After a group breakfast, the group departs the hotel on the first leg of the trip. The ride takes us through the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley, with the first glimpses of the Himalayas appearing as we travel through farming towns and countryside. We reach Besisahar for the first night — the gateway to the restricted Annapurna range. The ride takes around 5–6 hours over 176km.

After breakfast we depart Besisahar and continue to the town of Tal. The road narrows here, with the first sections of dirt and unsealed surface, and the first of many bridges crossing the Annapurna region. We’ll stop along the way at scenic and historical spots — dramatic rock formations and waterfalls that have to be seen to be believed. We reach Tal in the late evening and stay in a hotel for the night.

After breakfast we depart Tal. This section is more demanding, with steeper and more challenging unsealed sections — some of the most rewarding riding of the trip for anyone who enjoys a challenge. Along the way you’ll see spectacular sights, including snow-capped mountains, rivers and forests, with the vegetation changing as we climb further into the range. This section takes around 3–3.5 hours to reach Manang.

After morning breakfast with the group, you’re free to sightsee and explore the Manang Valley. It’s a day of sightseeing and rest, giving everyone time to acclimatise before adventuring further. The Manang valley has a monastic way of life — exploring the villages you’ll see how the local people live in this region. Our guide and the local team can show you around and introduce you to many of the local people. There are ancient monasteries, lakes and rivers throughout the area, so there’s plenty to see and do.

Two options for these days:

• Option 1: A two-day trip on horseback from Manang to Tilicho Lake and back. On Day 8 you depart Manang towards Tilicho Lake with a local guide leading the way. Once you exit Manang, the route challenges your riding skill and fitness — narrow paths, river crossings and steep cliffs on both sides. Near the lake you and your guide walk the horses below the range to the night camp, at high altitude, where a meal and rest are provided. The next morning you depart camp and return to the main region by horseback before lunch.
• Option 2: If horse riding isn’t your thing, no need to worry — the Manang valley has a multitude of hikes, off-road riding, cultural sites, lakes and sightseeing to immerse yourself in instead.

After breakfast we depart Manang and descend the mountain to Chame, following the same route we took to arrive — though we can take alternate paths along the way to see other places if you wish. Once we reach Chame we stay and rest at the hotel for the evening.

After breakfast we depart Chame and make our way back to Besisahar. The descent gives us time to stop at places and landmarks we didn’t have time for on the way up, so if you spot something of interest, there’s room to stop. Once we reach Besisahar we rest and stay at the hotel provided for the night.

After breakfast we depart for Kathmandu — one of the more tiring sections of the ride, and depending on traffic, often the longest day. We’ll make sure to take rest stops along the way so you’re comfortable. This section offers plenty of scenic photography opportunities, with views of the Western Himalayas before the greenery returns all the way back to Kathmandu. Once we reach the hotel you can settle in, unpack and rest — plans for the evening will depend on what time we arrive, though an early night is most likely.

Depending on your schedule, this can be a rest day — a final day together as a group to celebrate the trip with some celebratory food and drinks, followed by departure to the airport the next day (or on Day 13, depending on flight schedules). On this last day you’re free to sightsee around Kathmandu, enjoy some fine dining, or simply rest and recover after the adventure. There’s always plenty to see and do in the city, so it’s worth taking in as much as you can.