As you descend from the clouds over the majestic Himalayas, you will see the bustling city of Kathmandu where we will start and finish our adventure. A Himalayan Heroes representative will be waiting for you as you exit the airport. They’ll accompany you to your hotel not far from the tourist haven of Thamel. After lunch, we’ll visit Pashupatinath Temple where you’ll see corpses cremated in a traditional Hindu ceremony on the banks of the Bagmati River. Later in the evening, we will have a welcome dinner at an authentic Nepali restaurant to get to know one another, have the first of many culinary masterpieces and be entertained with a cultural show.

Today is the day the adventure starts proper. The traffic in Kathmandu is similar to that in a lot of developing countries so we try to avoid it the best we can by getting an early start. A quick breakfast while the support team load the backup vehicles with your luggage before a refresh of the rider briefing and getting the keys to your motorcycles.

Keep your wits about you as we head west out of town and along the Trishuli River towards our first stop Bandipur. With a rich trading history dating back to the mid-1700s, this mountain village still retains an authentic old-time cultural atmosphere even though trading has long gone.

An easy day with not a lot of ground to cover will allow us time to take some detours and cross some of Asia’s longest suspension bridges. A great way to confront your fear of heights… unless it’s windy…then it’ll only make it worse!  There will be some free time in the afternoon for you to explore the town and its watering holes. Plan what you’ll do when you get back in a week’s time. Maybe canoeing, site seeing or even some parasailing.  

As the roads become challenging, rough and unsealed with many river crossings for the next 6 days, we ask people to pack lightly, taking only what is necessary until we return. Starting out on sealed roads, we’ll end up on some great dirt road routes that provide fantastic mountain vistas, picturesque terraced farmlands and an opportunity to walk on one of Nepal’s famous suspension bridges. There is a continuous change in the topography with every twist and turn until our arrival at Tatopani.

A short ride through some of the most amazing landscapes of the adventure will see us tackle a large river crossing in Lower Mustang. The road to our hotel is spectacular as we travel through a number of remote villages. Muktinath is part of the Annapurna Circuit, and you’ll encounter many trekkers from across the globe here making their way to Chulu East Muktinath is the highest elevation we reach and while you might be short of breath walking around the village exploring, it is unlikely you will suffer from altitude sickness. 

We head back down to Kagbeni on the Kali Gandaki River, show our restricted permits and the checkpoint and enter the Ancient Kingdom of the Upper Mustang. The roads are twisty and totally dirt from here on in. We cross the river at Chele and continue North, passing through a few small villages towards Geling.  

We say our adventures are mind-blowing and this section is one of the reasons why. Riding into Lo Manthang is one of the best experiences a motorcyclist can have. The river below, the mountains above and the Sky Caves of Nepal in front of you. The Mustang caves are a collection of some 10,000 man-made caves dug into the sides of valleys. Several groups of archaeologists and researchers have explored these stacked caves and found partially mummified human bodies and skeletons that are at least 2,000–3,000 years old. Explorations of these caves by conservators and archaeologists have also led to the discovery of valuable Buddhist paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and numerous artefacts belonging to the 12th to 14th centuries, but no one has yet understood who built the caves and why they were built. The site is currently listed as a UNESCO tentative site since 1996.

As early as 1,000 BC, the caves were used as burial chambers. During the 10th century, the region is thought to have been frequently battled over, and consequently, placing safety over convenience, families moved into the caves, turning them into living quarters. By the 1400s, the caves functioned as meditation chambers, military lookouts or storage units as people moved into villages. In 2010, a team of mountaineers and archaeologists uncovered 27 human remains in the two biggest caves near Samdzong. The relatively intact skeletons – dating from the 3rd to the 8th centuries, before Buddhism came to Mustang – had cut marks on the bones. Scientists believe that this burial ritual may have been related to the Bon-Buddhist practice of sky burial. To this day, when a citizen of Mustang dies, the body is sliced into small pieces, bones included, to be swiftly snatched up by vultures.

Although we only travel a bit over 100kms, it’s going to be a big day. We’ll start early and head back down the valley, stopping at Kagbeni for a short visit to the local monastery where many Yogis come to isolate themselves in the caves overlooking the village to practice their meditation and rituals. We’ll then continue on to Kalopani via Marpha

Although we only travel a bit over 100kms, it’s going to be a big day. We’ll start early and head back down the valley, stopping at Kagbeni for a short visit to the local monastery where many Yogis come to isolate themselves in the caves overlooking the village to practice their meditation and rituals. We’ll then continue on to Kalopani via Marpha. 

Today is a well-earned day of leisure. Spend it recovering from the night before or visit the local shops, take a canoe ride on the nearby Phewa lake or catch a cable car to the World Peace Pagoda or even visit one of the five museums and if you’re feeling adventurous then you could go parasailing.

Starting early, we head east alongside the Trishuli River as it winds its way towards Kathmandu. Reminiscent of the rice paddies of Vietnam and Thailand, the farming land between you and the river is busy with people working hard to make a living. We ride through some small villages, returning the vigorous waves directed at us while trying to soak in the stunning views that the terraced farmland present and descend upon the mayhem of Kathmandu. Upon arrival at the hotel, we’ll have time to hit the town and celebrate our fantastic achievement with dinner at a local Nepalese restaurant with great food and atmosphere. 

After breakfast, we get transferred to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport for an early morning flight to Lukla (2880m). This 45-minute flight provides a magnificent entry to the trek as it highlights the snowline of the Himalayan Range in the north and the rugged landing at the Lukla airport which is said to be one of the most spectacular flights in the world.

Upon arrival, we meet the Sherpa team who’ll distribute the equipment to the Porters and Dzhopke (a cross between and cow and a Yak used to carry loads). During this break, you are welcome to explore this bustling town on top of a hill with rows of houses, hotels, and shops lining both sides of narrow cobbled streets.

The trek starts by following the trail leading to the northwest direction, which immediately descends from the end of the village on a trail through the open hillside. The trail is well defined with many shops and lodges catering to the trekkers. We cross a recently constructed suspension bridge (100 meters long) at the very beginning of the journey. From there we follow the regular trail passing small villages of Chaurikharka (2713m) and Ghat (2550m), with shops and restaurants on the way until we descend to the river at Phakding (2652 m).

Leave the main village and follow the trail on the left bank of the Dudh Koshi River. It is a pleasant walk for the first half of the day as one passes through agricultural countryside, small wayside villages, and a monastery. We cross the Dudh Koshi at Benkar where there are tantalizing glimpses of the snow peaks Kusum Khangaru (6369m) and Thamserku (6623m). Just before lunch, there is a steep climb of about 20 minutes to arrive at Monjo for Lunch.

After lunch, we trek up to the check post to check the permits and enter into the Sagarmatha National Park. Descend for 10 minutes and then cross a suspension bridge to arrive at Jorsale (2800m). We then pass through several small villages surrounded by beautiful pine forests. This is a busy trail with our first good views are of the west ridge of Kusum Khangaru (6339m). Follow the Dudh Koshi River, crossing a rickety suspension bridge, which is in a dilapidated condition, and then slowly climb up a very steep trail to Namche Bazaar. Near half waypoint, we enjoy our first views of Mt. Everest (8848m), Nuptse (7879m), and Lhotse (8383m) – the big three. The climb takes nearly 3 hours as the altitude makes breathing a little difficult. Although we arrive at a gate with a sign saying, “Welcome to Namche Bazaar” it is a tad misleading as it takes another 20 minutes to arrive at the main town.

Upon arrival at Namche Bazaar (3447 m) we check into the lodge. This prosperous town is the largest in Khumbu. Mt. Thamserku (6648 m) and Kwangde Ri (6624 m) loom above the east and west of the village. The sacred mountain Khumbila (5707 m) dominates the skyline along the west.

Explore around the Everest View Hotel to see Mount Everest and a day trek to Khumjung Sherpa.

After breakfast, we trek to Lukla. From Namche Bazaar head towards the southern end of the bazaar and descend steeply all the way to the confluence of Dhud Koshi and Bhote Koshi river, cross the great bridge again, and then continue back to Jorsale where we leave the national park before continuing to Monjo. From here we pass the village of Monjo and It is interesting to watch others starting enthusiastically on the trek ahead as we head down to the village of Phakding. Today we retrace our steps along the Dudh Koshi, crossing to the western bank at Benkar. It is a beautiful and easy walk through blue pine and rhododendron forest, back-dropped with views of Kusum-Khangaru (6179 m). In the afternoon we ascend out of the river valley back to the airstrip and our lodge accommodation at Lukla. We’ll stay overnight in surely what is one of the most surreal villages on the planet. Two weeks in Nepal is nearly at an end and the celebrations with our Sherpa companions will be epic.

We’ll catch an early morning flight back to Kathmandu for some last-minute shopping etc before being transferred to the airport for your trip home.