Nepal Lower Mustang

Day 1 - Flight departure  
Departure from Schiphol. The flight is probably with Indian Airlines via Delhi.

Day 2 - Arrival - Kathmandu
During the morning we arrive in colourful Kathmandu. Our hotel is in the centre of Thamel. The rest of the afternoon you can explore the neighbourhood, or take a rest after the flight on the hotel terrace. The Thamel district is packed with cafes, shops and small restaurants. In the vacinity you find Durbar Square. Here you can wander for hours among the historic buildings and palaces. In the course of the evening you'll acquaint yourself with your motorcycle.

Day 3 - Kathamandu - Stay, day trip Bhaktapur 
This is the first time we will join the hectic traffic of Kathmandu. Fortunately, it's not all that fast but it is very important to stay vigilant at all times. We leave the city along a network of narrow streets. Today's destination is the King City of Bahktapur, located about 18 km east of the capital. Just beyond the ring road of Kathmandu the traffic soon eases and gets much calmer and clearer. Especially Bhaktapur still has a substantially intact city centre which dates back to the 17th century. Parts have been restored but the city still has a timeless character of centuries ago. Bhaktapur is the former capital of the current Kathmandu Valley. We ride back to Kathmandu along a nice back road. Here we visit the Swayambhunath Stupa, also known as the monkey temple. Legend has it that Kathmandu Valley was once a lake and the monkey temple was once an island on that lake. From the top you have a beautiful view over the city. The temple is still a place of pilgrimage for both Tibetans and Nepali. The temple is filled with Buddhist stupas, Buddhas, drawings, texts and a lot of gold, but the rituals performed by the visitors are particularly interesting.

Day 4 - Kathmandu - Khurkot
Up to Bhaktapur we follow the same route as yesterday. But this time we ride on. The first stop is Dhulikhel, an old town that was once a trading post on a route linking Tibet to Nepal. Here we stop for coffee. After Dhulikhel we come to the junction: left to Tibet. We go right towards the southeast. This winding road follows the last part of the river. Very few tourists visit this area, so it’s really nice to stop off at the small villages on the way. We end the day in Khurkot, at a three road junction. Accommodation here is fairly basic.

Day 5 - Khurkot - Jiri
After a local breakfast we drive to the northeast. The high snowy peaks of the High Himalayas appear ever closer. During the morning we follow the twisting and turning river. After lunch we come to an unpaved road. This is a beautiful area with stunning views. By the end of the day we arrive in Jiri, and here we stay for two nights.

Day 6 - Jiri - Stay 
Jiri is at the foot of the High Himalayas, the beginning of the Tibetan plateau. This is a protected area called the Gaurishankar Conservation Area. In this high part of the Nepalese Himalayas many snow leopards still survive. Today we make a daytrip on the bike to explore this region. If you’d rather walk in this unique environment you can do that also of course.

Day 7 - Jiri - Nagarkot 
A long day today. We leave early. The first part is still dirt road. Again with stunning views of the white peaks of the Himalayan, especially this early in the morning. The dozens of switchbacks make it a wonderful start to the day. Then follows a paved road that takes us to the Araniko Highway which runs from Kathmandu to Tibet. We follow this for a while before turning off onto a unpaved road to the north. The road can be very bad, depending on the weather. It is a wonderful and exciting end of the day. We are now at an altitude of 1,955 and again with splendid views of the white peaks of the Himalayan plateau.

Day 8 - Nagarkot - Nuwakot 
Nagarkot is not far from Kathmandu. Today we have two options, completely unpaved or a good asphalt road. Both of them climb and wind their way northwards. The first part from Nagarkot to the extreme outskirts of Kathmandu is unpaved, regardless. Then comes the choice. Do we take an unpaved road through the Shivapuri National Park, climbing up to nearly 3,000 meters. Or the paved road meandering it’s way gently through the mountains. The further up the road you climb the more views you have over the underlying valley. There are rice terraces on every mountainside, as far as the eye can see. In the small villages along the way you see women in traditional  dress with rings through their noses and men with typical Nepalese headgear. Although the surface is completely asphalted the road is very bad in many places. This is also called the 'Trout' route, because of the many trout farms along the road and restaurants offering the fish. Either way, at the end of the day, we end up in Nuwakot. Here we stay in the fabulous Famous Farm. A magnificent house with fantastic views.

Day 9 - Nuwakot - Bandipur
This morning we take another beautiful route. From Nuwakot to the main road that runs between Kathmandu and Pokhara. The first part is unpaved and has beautiful views. Then we come to the main road. We ride toward Gorkha, which lies halfway between the busy road linking Kathmandu and Pokhara. And despite the busy traffic there’s no denying that the views of the high snow-capped peaks on the right hand side of the road are breathtaking. The road mainly follows the fast-flowing river that you see far below you. For every rapid that forms as a consequence of a major turn in the river, there will be a new name, and you're sure to see whitewater rafts coming through. Along the way we see the Manakamana cable car that takes you in 2.4 minutes across the 2.8 kilometers to the Manakamana temple located at an altitude of 1,034 meters. From here you have stunning views of the snowy Himalayas. We follow the main road and end the day in Bandipur. This village is located slightly off the main road.

Day 10 - Bandipur - Pokhara
Back on the main road to Pokhara we turn north after 17km. A beautiful road leads us alongside the fast flowing Marsyangdi river. After 20 km we turn off westward onto an unpaved road. This will be an adventurous route through tiny remote villages and more than once over some exciting suspension bridges. The road can be quite poor and depending on the weather also full of puddles in several places. The support car cannot follow this route. We’ll meet up again on the road just before Pokhara for the last stretch to the final destination. Pokhara is a quiet town, beautifully situated by a lake.

Day 11 - Pokhara - Tatopani
For most people the next few days will be the most impressive ones of the tour. Our goal is the area called Lower Mustang. Mustang is a part of Kathmandu which has had many Tibetan influences as a consequence of its difficult accessibility. It is the area north of the highest mountain range in the country, the Annapurna. We ride out of town and immediately follow a unpaved road that winds its way slowly upwards. We make a small? detour and visit the longest suspension bridge in Nepal. It is 350m long and stretches across a huge gorge. For those who are brave enough, go to the other side for some great pictures. Then we move on to Tatopani. "Tato" means  "hot" in Nepali and "pani" translates as "water" so in Tatopani we find natural hot springs! It's a great way to spend the last night of the tour, to relax and to share stories.

Day 12 - Tatopani - Muktinath
Today we enter the protected area of the Annapurna circuit. It is a short trip. But the area is so impressive that we take as long as possible to get there. We are now surrounded by the white peaks of the Himalayas. The state the road is in very much depends on the effects the rainy season has had. The condition of the road is a question that comes up every year. Landslides also have a major impact. Mukthnath is a small mountain village where many treks begin or end. The village is 3750 meters up and is inhabited by typical Nepalese mountain people. Overnight accommodations are limited and basic. But the impressive views make up for it.

Day 13 - Muktinath - Kalopani
In the morning we take in the beautiful surroundings of the village before we follow the same route back again. There are no other possibilities. And yet, everything looks very different approached from the opposite direction. Kalopani is also a small mountain village on the way back to Pokhara.

Day 14 - Kalopani - Pokhara
We enjoy another day of white peaks and gorgeous views. When we are outside the protected area, we could ride back via a dirt road to Pokhara. But maybe it's also nice to arrive in Pokhara with time to enjoy some of this pleasant town and experience a peaceful sunset at the lake. We leave the bikes in Pokhara. These are later transported back to Kathmandu.

Day 15 - Pokhara - departure
We leave for the airport to catch the internal flight to Kathmandu and from there the flight back home.

Day 16 - Arrival - home