Fri 19 th April: Jomsom – Tatopeni

We set off from Jomsom over sandy and rocky tracks alongside the Kali Gandaki river. Today’s ride is 100% off road over rolling hills. We pass through various villages including Marpha, a picturesque place with white-washed houses and cobbled streets, that is well known for its apple production. The next section is easy riding, following a jeep track to Kalopani, a beautiful village set below the Dhaulagiri Himal. From the village there are panoramic views of Dhaulagiri, the Nilgiri peaks and Annapurna I. After about 25 km we reach Kalopani (2,530 metres) which means ‘black water’.

From there the route is downhill at first. We cross a suspension bridge and ride through pine forest to reach Ghasa. The trail then goes steeply down to the Rupse waterfall, one of the biggest along the route. Beyond, the trail is much easier, passing through Dana village and crossing rice paddies to Tatopani (1,190 metres), a small town on the north bank of Kali Gandaki River. Tatopani means ‘hot water’ in Nepali and the village took its name from the hot springs nearby. At this point we have ridden 48 km.

Sat 20 th April: Tatopeni – Beni – Pokhara – Kathmandu

The trail follows the Kali Gandaki River through the World’s deepest gorge to reach Beni. (830 m). This is an easy ride through stunning scenery. The remainder of today’s route is 100% on-road which will be a relief after the last couple of days of dirt tracks. We leave Beni, headquarters of the Parbat District, and head back into the tranquil countryside. We continue following the Kali Gandaki river in order to reach the Baglung Highway towards Naudanda, an attractive village perched on a hilltop and surrounded by steep rice terraces. From here we ride to the Sarangkot viewpoint (1,592 metres) which offers the most spectacular panoramas in the Pokhara area. We can marvel at the views of Annapurna (8,019 metres), Manasalu (8,165 metres), Ganesh Himal (7,446 metres), Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres) and Machhapuchhre (6,993 metres). We now have a final steep downhill ride back to Pokhara with lakeside views en-route. We bid farewell to our bicycles here and transfer by road back to Pokhara. From here we fly back to Kathmandu for our final night of the tour when we can celebrate the end of this epic cycle ride.