Travellers’ tales: Himalayan mountain biking

We arrived in Kathmandu in October 2024, aiming to conquer Nepal’s iconic Annapurna Circuit Trek (ACT). A Nepali friend living in the UK had helped us out by introducing us to his nephew, Sagar Dulal, of Freewheel Adventure Nepal. A minibus transported us and our bikes to Pokhara, a bumpy six-hour journey.

The circuit, which rewards you with jaw-dropping views of snow-covered mountains from day three onwards, takes backpackers an average of 21 days to complete. It took us 12 days on our bikes, riding around 30km a day – which was hard work on such rugged terrain.

We were able to carry our own kit in small backpacks. We had warm accommodation and hot meals throughout the circuit, so had no need for the usual bikepacking gear.

Our main worry wasn’t completing the distance, as we are all regular and fit cyclists, but how we’d cope with the altitude. Sure enough, we were out of breath climbing the hotel stairs on the first day.

But through careful planning, including a two-day base at Manang (3,540m), we were able to ride high and return to sleep low. We all managed to cross the Thorong La pass, the highest point on the circuit at 5,416m!

The ACT has a variety of routes. You can take ‘easy’ jeep tracks or 1,000m or longer technical descents with tight switchbacks, stairs and drops! The choice is yours and is easy to coordinate with local guides, who can plan a route to suit all cyclists.

It’s one of the best places to ride a mountain bike in the world. Don’t be put off by fears of where to go or the altitude or weather. The conditions in autumn were excellent.