HMB TIBET TOURS
1. Plateau to Pass 
2. Kathmandu to Lhasa
Trans Himalayan Expedition
Hurry Up!!! Lhasa-Kathmandu 23days tour Booking opened for 6th July 2008, bring 3 pax & get US$150 discount on tour price
3. Mt Kailash via Simikot
Mountain Biking & Jeep, Mountain Flights > Trans Himalayan Treks > Kailash Kora

**non-biking 20-day Yatra (pilgrimage) - Specials

1. Plateau to Pass 
Around Lhasa & beyond

The tour is designed for those with less time to complete an overland biking trip and at the same time want to capture the essence of the country. Its a 9-day (Fly in Fly out) tour that covers the classic features of Lhasa and it's surroundings.

We start with four days in Lhasa City as we visit the Potala Palace, Sera Monastery, Jokhang and the sacred kora. By the fourth day a ride to Ganden, in the east, will offer a bonus, with both a casual cruise following the Yarlung River and a challenging climb for those willing. On departing Lhasa we throw in the most classic ascent of all of the five passes between Lhasa & Kathmandu, The Khumbala' at an impressive 4794-m altitude (15,728ft) with 28kms of switchbacks. This will put the icing on your Himalayan biking experience. Upon claiming the pass the clear turquoise waters of Yamdrok Tso Lake plus views of the Himalayan chain of white peaks displayed before you will be a deserving reward in itself. From here we return to the tranquility of the Yarlung Valley as we head back to the airport for your return to Kathmandu plus another aerial view of The Great Mother Goddess - Everest (Chomolungma).as an added bonus.

See our calendar for Tour Dates

2. Kathmandu to Lhasa 
Trans Himalayan Expedition

North of India and Nepal, north of the ice rampart of the Himalayas, lie the uplands of Tibet. Long sealed to outsiders, Tibet became a land of mystery and fantasy, penetrated only occasionally by Westerners whose tales of an unique Buddhist culture and grand peaks and plains only added to its allure.

This land of contrasts and superlatives became accessible to visitors in the 1980's when China began to permit travel to various parts. Despite various political upheavals it has weathered, Tibet retains much of the aura that so intrigued the early travellers: Fascinating monasteries, friendly people, and an ecological wholeness that fortunately, still persists even though it's new occupiers are doing much to damage it. There are valleys, turquoise lakes, and paths cutting through raw highlands swept by relentless winds that no expedition has ever beheld.

HMB's regular departures are generally of 21 days and the Everest Base Camp is a 'not to be missed' inclusion to our tours. Standing before the exposed shear North Face of Chomolungma (Mt. Everest) at 5500m (18044ft) from Everest Base Camp is a memorable experience few ever forget.

Our program allows for sufficient time to get the best views available.

HMB offers two styles of tour that are unique to us. The All-inclusive or Bare-Bones styled tours are offered and cater for those that wish to have all the logistics of this challenging tour arranged in luxury of fully support camping or for the 'pioneer biker' the bare essentials of what is required on a budget price. 

No matter which tour is chosen HMB arranges all the permits & visa's, transport, transfers, itinerary, guide and flights. 

The Himalayas is HMB's homeland and that's why we run more biking tours to Tibet per year than all other bike tour operators combined. Being on-the-ground we can monitor and be aware of road conditions, weather, political issues & government policies within 24hrs..... that daily awareness is invaluable in understand what's needed to make a excellent tour to Tibet.

For geographers, Tibet, the largest and highest plateau on the earth, is surrounded by the most extensive jumble of mountains found on any continent. Stretching, for almost 1900miles (3000 kms) and forming it's entire southern boundary is the Himalayas, and along it's western extremity is the equally rugged Karakoram. Between these two ranges are found all fourteen of the world's 8,000-meter peaks (26,250ft), including Mt Everest. In Northern Tibet the plateau is a high, arid expanse known as the Chang Thang, the "Northern Plains", while Eastern Tibet is bounded by a succession of mountains (known in Chinese [Chi.] as the Hengduan Shan) where three of Asia's largest rivers cut deep, parallel gorges on their journey from the plateau to the sea.

Kathmandu to Lhasa
Trans Himalayan Expedition

The Tibetan Plateau is a land of unparalleled superlatives: it is the largest and highest plateau on our planet, averaging 15,000 feet (4500m) in altitude. It is buttressed along its southern flank by the world's greatest mountain range, the Himalayas. For many people, Tibet conjures images of barren windswept plains, and while this is true for regions of Northern Tibet, other regions are rich with diversity. The plateau is dotted with thousands of lakes and extensive grasslands are utilised by nomadic herders to graze yaks. Large tracts of forest in Eastern Tibet are regarded by China as their second most important source of timber. The glaciers and snow melt of the Tibetan highlands initiate four of Asia's greatest rivers, including the Indus, the Brahmaputra, Karnali & Sutlej including several major sources of the Ganges, the Salween, the Mekong, the Yangtse, and the Yellow Rivers.

This tour guarantees to be a high point (in more ways than one) in any mountain biker's life. This rugged, remote and beautiful country lies hidden behind Mt. Everest and many more of the world's highest peaks in the Great Himal range. 

Only a few brave cyclists have dared to ride along its inhospitable plateau and forge a passage through these mystic lands into Kathmandu via Everest Base camp. The reward being the longest downhill in the world as you enter into Nepal, dropping an unimaginable 4500-m over 156kms. At a breathless average altitude of around 4450-m (14,596ft) this expedition is not for the faint of heart but made for the pioneer in spirit that is fit and feels at home on a bike. With 15days of biking over 1104kms you'd want to be!!

The riding is not technical and is 90 percent on dirt roads and suited to those that also enjoy road riding.

HMB also hires current model (Trek, Giant & Bianchi) mountain bikes with front suspension bikes which can remove the hassle of getting your own bike half way around the planet to make such a tour.

See our calendar for Tour Dates

3. Mt Kailash via Simikot
Mountain Biking & Jeep, Mountain Flights > Trans Himalayan Treks > Kailash Kora

" In a hundred ages of the gods I could not tell thee the glories of [the Himalaya]…… there is no mountain like [the Himalaya] for it are Kailash and Manasarovar"
……... from the Hindu Epic Ramayana

This tour is a near circumamulation of the Nepal and Tibetan Himalayas from 
200-m to 5630-m.

Few expeditions can rival such an epic trip into the heart of the Himalaya and few mountains in the world can rival the grandeur of Mt Kailash at 22,028ft or 6714 m. Starting from Kathmandu, Nepal we complete all visa's and permit requirements to make the journey into the restricted Dolpo region in Nepal's far North West & Tibet. Supplies packed, flights arranged, Sherpa crew already on their way and trail pack horses awaiting us, we make two domestic flights to reach Simikot nestled just south of the Tibet border which marks the start of our trek.
Weaving through the Himalayan barrier we'll meet with bikes and additional supplies & support vehicles that have travelled overland to meet us just beyond one of the most sacred pilgrimage destinations in Asia. The legendary snow shrouded dome that is revered by four religious groups and known to the Buddhists as Gang Rinpoche (Precious Jewel of the Snow). It is here that four major rivers (the Indus, the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), the Karnali, and the Sutlej originate in the four cardinal directions from Mt Kailash and flow through Asia.

After trekking to the Tibet border we bike to the fringe of  Mt.Kailash and complete the 3-day Kora, this act, in additional to being one of the wonders of this tour, is said to ensure your enlightenment this lifetime. Not a bad reason to make the tour!!

Back on the bikes we start our traverse to the east along the Semo Tsangpo River towards Lhasa, until just pass Saga were we head south and cross two major Himalayan passes (the Lalungla 4795-m and Yarle Shungla 5050-m) before starting the "World's Longest Downhill" into Nepal with a rapid 4400-m descent. Lush forests, the raging Bhoti Kosi, a thrilling descent & a deluxe river camp will greet you over the few days as you bike into Kathmandu to complete your circumamulation of the Himalayas and  become one of the few to have ever made such a journey of immense distinctions.  

See our calendar for Tour Dates

hmb@bikeasia.info

Ph : 977-1-4212860
Fx : 977-1-4212861
P.O.Box: 12673
Kathmandu, Nepal

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