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Getting to Nepal

All international flights land at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) in Kathmandu. There are no direct flights from Europe or North America, but connections are smooth through main Middle East and Asian hubs.

From Europe: Best via Qatar Airways (Doha), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul), or Emirates (Dubai). Journey time is typically 10-14 hours with one stop.
From USA/Canada: Connect through Doha, Dubai, or Delhi (18-22 hours total).
From Australia: Connect via Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia Airlines) or Singapore (Singapore Airlines). Around 14-16 hours.
Booking Window: Peak riding seasons (Sep-Nov, Mar-May) fill up fast. Book flights 3-6 months ahead for the best prices.

Visa & Entry Requirements

Most nationalities can get a Nepal tourist visa on arrival at Kathmandu Airport. It is one of the most straightforward visa processes in Asia. Indian citizens do not require a visa.

15-Day Visa: Approx. EUR 28 (Suitable if you are only doing the Lower Mustang trip).
30-Day Visa: Approx. EUR 46 (Recommended for Upper Mustang to give yourself a safety buffer).
90-Day Visa: Approx. EUR 115.
What to Bring: A passport valid for 6+ months, one passport photo, and crisp, clean cash in USD or EUR. Torn or heavily worn notes are frequently refused at immigration counters.

Mustang Registration & Fees

While Lower Mustang trails are highly accessible, Upper Mustang is a strictly regulated Restricted Area where independent entry is completely prohibited. You must be accompanied by a licensed guide from a registered agency.

Restricted Area Permit (RAP): Approx. EUR 46 per person per day. For our 14-day Upper Mustang expedition, this totals approximately EUR 460. This flexible per-day rate completely replaces the old flat fee system.
Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP): Approx. EUR 20 per person. Required for all riders since the route passes directly through conservation lines.
TIMS Card: Approx. EUR 18. This Trekker Information Management System card is only required if you aren’t flying directly in and out of Jomsom.
Solo Travelers: Solo trekking/riding in Upper Mustang with a licensed guide is now officially permitted. The old two-person minimum group rule has been permanently scrapped.
Who Handles This: Divine Descend handles 100% of the permit processing on your behalf. We just need your passport details and two physical passport photos in advance.

What Bike Works Best?

We strongly recommend bringing your own bike if possible. The trails in Mustang are loose, dusty, and highly rocky with long, sustained descents. Riding a bike you know and trust makes an incredible difference.

Ideal Setup: Trail or enduro full-suspension bike (29″ or 27.5″) with 140-170mm of travel, wide handlebars, and a reliable dropper post.
Hardtails: Doable on select lower pathways, but the rocky, high-frequency rough chunder on trails like Aloobari and Dadhunka will heavily punish a hardtail frame.
Tires & Brakes: Minimum 2.4″–2.6″ volume tires setup completely tubeless with fresh sealant (Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR or equivalent). Install completely fresh brake pads before you leave home—overheating brakes on long mountain descents is a real risk.
Flying with a Bike: Most international airlines accept bikes as oversized luggage for EUR 50-100 each way. Use a quality hard case, remove your pedals, turn down your bars, and deflate the tires slightly before check-in.

Packing & Clothing Kit

You will be riding in intense desert heat at midday and sitting at 4,000m when icy winds pick up. Strategic layering is absolutely mandatory.

Riding Protection: A high-quality trail or full-face helmet, full-finger gloves (temperatures plummet on descents), lightweight knee pads, and high-protection UV400 eyewear or goggles to block intense sun glare and flying trail dust.
Apparel Layers: Merino wool base layers (regulates temp and resists odors across multiple days), a lightweight fleece or insulated mid-layer jacket, and a packable waterproof wind/rain shell jacket.
Evenings: A heavy down jacket is absolutely essential for tea houses after dark when temperatures drop straight to near-zero above 3,500m.

Altitude Management

Altitude affects everyone completely differently—frequently hitting elite riders just as hard as recreational cyclers. Fitness level is not a shield; gradual acclimatization is everything.

The Rules: Drink 3-4 liters of water per day (more than you think you need). Completely avoid alcohol for your first 2-3 days at altitude. Never fly directly from sea level to Jomsom without spending a safety night adjusting in Pokhara or Kathmandu first.
Safety Guarantee: Our local crew is fully trained in Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) first aid. We monitor the group dynamically every single day. If someone shows critical symptoms, they descend immediately with a dedicated guide—no exceptions.

Food & Tea House Life

Lodging: Accommodation is in traditional local tea houses and family-run lodges. These provide simple, clean, twin or single rooms with solar-heated hot showers available in most locations. It is authentic, rustic, and cozy.
The Menu: Dal Bhat (high-calorie lentil soup, rice, and fresh vegetables) is the absolute staple fuel with unlimited free refills. Lodges also serve noodles, pasta, eggs, momos (dumplings), and fresh local apple pies. Vegetarian and vegan diets are easy to manage; true gluten-free options are incredibly difficult in remote zones.
Water Safety: Never drink local tap water. You must order filtered or boiled water directly from the tea houses. Always carry backup water purification tablets.

Money & Cell Connectivity

Cash: The Nepalese Rupee (NPR) is best for daily trail use. Cards are accepted in major Kathmandu and Pokhara hotels (expect a 3-5% surcharge), but remote Mustang is entirely cash-only. Withdraw all the cash you need in the cities; ATMs in Jomsom are notoriously unreliable or completely non-existent.
Connectivity: Pick up a cheap local Ncell or NTC SIM card using your passport at the airport on arrival. Data plans are incredibly fast in the cities, but signal drops out completely once you go above Kagbeni into Upper Mustang. Enjoy the off-grid experience!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a professional rider? Absolutely not. Our expeditions are engineered for experienced recreational mountain bikers who ride regularly, can comfortably handle a big enduro day back home, and feel stable navigating loose, rocky, and variable singletrack.
What is the typical group size? We run tightly controlled groups of 4-10 riders maximum. This keeps trail logistics safe, smooth, and highly personal.
Is medical travel insurance mandatory? Yes, 100% mandatory. Your policy must explicitly cover mountain biking and helicopter medical evacuation up to 5,000 meters. Emergency helicopter extractions from deep inside Mustang can cost between EUR 9,000 and EUR 18,000 out of pocket without valid insurance coverage.

Upper Mustang Details

Ride The Forbidden Kingdom

Until 1992, no outsider was allowed in. The walls are still standing. The chortens still guard the passes. And the trails untouched, raw, sky-high are still waiting.

Upper Mustang doesn’t just feel remote. It feels like riding somewhere the modern world forgot to reach.

Duration: 14 Days
Difficulty: Intermediate – Advanced
Best Season: Sep-Nov/Mar-May
Max Altitude: 4,100 m (Dadhunka Pass)
Group Size: 4-10 Riders

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 – Kathmandu – Arrival: Land in Kathmandu, get picked up by the team, and settle in. An evening stroll through Thamel to pick up last-minute supplies, then a welcome dinner with a full briefing for the expedition ahead.
Day 2 – Kathmandu Enduro: Warm up the legs on Kathmandu’s trail network a proper enduro day to shake off travel and find your rhythm. The evening is for culture: heritage sightseeing through the city’s ancient squares, followed by dinner.
Day 3 – Fly to Pokhara: A short mountain flight to Pokhara, one of Nepal’s most beautiful cities. Warm up ride along the lakeside trails or take the day easy the lake has cafes, restaurants, boating, kayaking, and paddleboarding on Fewa.
Day 4 – Fly to Jomsom – Lupra Pass & Muktinath: Early morning flight into Jomsom through the Kali Gandaki Gorge. Straight to the trailhead for Lupra Pass (4,000 m) – loose, flowy singletrack deep in the valley. Lunch in Kagbeni, ancient village sightseeing, and if legs allow, another descent from Thorong Phedi down to Muktinath.
Day 5 – Into the Kingdom – Lo Manthang: Drive deep into Upper Mustang to Lo Manthang, a 646-year-old walled settlement with a 15th-century palace, ancient monasteries, and six-metre-high earthen walls that have kept the outside world at bay for centuries. Take the evening to wander no rush, no agenda.
Day 6 – Lomanthang to Tange: After breakfast, drive to the trailhead and start the Dadhunka Pass trail at 4,100 m. A 1 to 1.5-hour hike-a-bike earns you the longest descent of the trip into the village of Tange for the night.
Day 7 – Free Ride Day – Tange: Tange is an isolated village so deep inside Upper Mustang that it’s rare to see any sign of life. Today is yours explore the surroundings on the bike, rest, or simply sit and take in a silence most people never get to experience.
Day 8 – Tange to Kagbeni: The ride back south, from the remoteness of Upper Mustang into the familiar canyon trails of Lower Mustang. Kagbeni marks the boundary and the return to the world.
Day 9 – Lupra Pass & Dumba Lake Ridgeline: Back on Lupra Pass for one more run, then lunch and a drive to the Dumba Lake ridgeline trail an elevated line with wide valley views and a very different character from everything that came before.
Day 10 – Chema Lake Trail: Drive to the trailhead and hike 1.5 to 2 hours up to Chema Lake (3,690 m) – easy to moderate, with views of Mt. Nilgiri opening up as you climb. Rest, snacks, coffee at the lake, then ride all the way down. Drive to Jomsom.
Day 11 – Aloobari Trail to Marpha & Drive to Pokhara: A long, gravelly descent on the Aloobari trail-switchbacks, loose terrain, and the kind of sustained riding that makes your forearms remember it for days. Drop into Marpha village, then drive back to Pokhara.
Day 12 – Pokhara Lakeside & Evening Flight to Kathmandu: A proper rest day on Fewa Lake boats, a cold drink, no itinerary. Evening flight back to Kathmandu.
Day 13 – Kathmandu Sightseeing: A day for the city: Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square. Centuries of Newari architecture, temples, and street life. A last dinner in Thamel.
Day 14 – Departure: Transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport. Fourteen days. A forbidden kingdom. Trails that most riders will never find. You found them.

Expedition Highlights

Lo Manthang a 646-year-old walled kingdom at 3,840 m, unchanged for centuries.
Dadhunka Pass (4,100 m) – hike-a-bike rewarded by the longest descent of the trip.
Tange Village one of the most isolated inhabited places you will ever stand in.
Lupra Pass singletrack loose, flowy, and high above the Mustang canyon floor.

Lower Mustang Details

Dust, Desert & Deep Culture

Carved by wind, worn by yaks, ridden by very few. Lower Mustang is ancient desert terrain at altitude canyon walls, mud-brick villages, and singletrack that existed long before mountain bikes did.

You don’t just ride this place. You move through a thousand years of history on two wheels.

Duration: 13 Days
Difficulty: Intermediate – Advanced
Best Season: Sep-Nov/Mar-May
Max Altitude: 4,100 m (Lupra Pass)
Group Size: 4-10 Riders

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 – Kathmandu Arrival: Touch down in Kathmandu, meet your crew, unpack the bikes. Tonight is for welcome dinners and first impressions tomorrow the riding begins.
Day 2 – Nagarkot Enduro: Your legs warm up on the hills above Nagarkot, with panoramic Himalayan views and a full day of enduro trails to shake off the jet lag. Back at the hotel by evening, bikes prepped and ready for what comes next.
Day 3 – Fly to Pokhara: A 25-minute mountain flight to Pokhara, then a relaxed spin along the lakeside trails of one of Nepal’s most beautiful cities. Your bikes go ahead by shuttle you take the rest of the day.
Day 4 – Into Mustang – Jomsom & Kagbeni: An early morning flight through the Kali Gandaki Gorge, with Annapurna and Dhaulagiri filling the windows. Land at Jomsom (2,736 m), breakfast at the bazaar, and your first ride into Kagbeni.
Day 5 – Lupra Pass & Jharkot: Drive to the trailhead at Lupra Pass (4,100 m) and drop into loose, flowy singletrack through the valley. Lunch in Kagbeni, then on to the ancient 14th-century village of Jharkot and its red-walled Buddhist Gompa.
Day 6 – Sacred Ground Muktinath & Thorong Phedi: Morning at Muktinath Temple, where Hindus and Buddhists worship side by side. Ride the Lupra Pass again – this time for the silence and the mountains then descend from Thorong Phedi (4,000 m) back to Muktinath (3,800 m).
Day 7 – Gyu La Pass & Apple Country: Up to Gyu La Pass (4,077 m), down through apple orchards to Kagbeni. In season, you stop to pick apples straight off the tree.
Day 8 – Jomsom to Chema Lake: Push bikes up to Chema Lake (3,690 m) for mountain views, fresh coffee, and snacks on the ridge. Then a full downhill run back to the shuttle.
Day 9 – Alu Bari Trail: The day starts with Mt. Nilgiri (7,061 m) in your face and ends with a long technical descent into Marpha Village switchbacks, rocky sections, and one of the best lines of the trip.
Day 10 – Ride & Drive to Pokhara: Forest trails and mountain roads lead you halfway out, the vehicle takes you the rest. The Mustang is behind you now. Pokhara awaits.
Day 11 – Pokhara Rest Day: Fewa Lake, a boat, no agenda. In the afternoon a short flight back to Kathmandu.
Day 12 – Kathmandu Sightseeing: Durbar Square, Patan Museum, Swayambhunath Stupa. Culture, history, last-minute souvenirs, and a final dinner.
Day 13 – Departure: Breakfast, transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport. Fly home a different rider than when you arrived.

Expedition Highlights

Riding Lupra Pass at 4,100 m with the Himalayas on every horizon.
Muktinath Temple sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists, remote and unforgettable.
Descending through apple orchards in Kagbeni Valley in October.

Ready to experience this yourself?