What this ride is
The Annapurna Circuit on a mountain bike is the classic trek turned into a long mountain bike ride. You ride up the Marsyangdi from Besisahar through Tal and Chame to Manang, rest a day at 3,540 metres, push up past Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi, then walk over the Thorong La at 5,416 metres while porters carry the bikes, and ride the far side down to Muktinath. From there the Kali Gandaki gives you two long descending days, Muktinath to Marpha and Marpha to Tatopani, before the last roll into Beni and the jeep to Pokhara. Twelve days from Kathmandu, nine on the bike, about 290 kilometres.
Is this ride for you?
Yes if you have done multi-day mountain bike trips before, you are fit enough to ride five or six hours a day for a week, and you can push a bike uphill for two days without hating it. The road above Chame is rough jeep track and the days above Manang are mostly pushing, then the pass day is a long walk at altitude with the bikes on porters' backs. If that sounds like an adventure, this is your ride. If you want to stay on the bike all day every day, look at our Kathmandu valley rim tour or the Mustang ride, which have no pass to walk over.
How high, how hard
The high point is the Thorong La at 5,416 metres, crossed on foot on day eight. You sleep at Manang for two nights to acclimatise and at Thorong Phedi at 4,525 metres the night before the pass. The altitude is the serious part of this trip and we treat it seriously: a rest day, a slow pace above Manang, an oximeter every evening, and the guide's call on the pass day is final. Graded strenuous.
The riding
Besisahar to Manang is jeep road, rough in places, climbing all the way, with river crossings and waterfalls in the lower valley and the big peaks appearing above Chame. From Manang the trail is single track and pasture and you push more than you ride. The descent from the pass to Muktinath is steep and loose at the top, rideable for a confident rider lower down. Then the Kali Gandaki: a wide gravel road down one of the deepest gorges in the world with Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri on either side, and the afternoon wind at your back if you time it right. It is fast and dusty.
Bikes and support
Every tier includes a mountain bike, sized to you, with helmet, tools and spares. Budget and standard ride hardtails with front suspension and hydraulic disc brakes. Luxury rides a full-suspension bike, worth having on the descent from the pass and the Kali Gandaki. Porters carry the bikes from Manang over the pass to Muktinath on every tier, hired locally in Manang because that is where the people who know the pass in snow live. A support jeep follows luxury groups on the road sections, Besisahar to Manang and Muktinath to Beni, and joins any group bigger than eight riders.
Best time
October and November are the best months, clear, dry, the pass usually open, and warm enough in the Kali Gandaki. March to May works too, with more wind and a chance of late snow on the pass. December to February the pass is often closed by snow and we do not run the ride. The monsoon, June to September, makes the lower valley unrideable.
Riding as a group?
Bring your own group — friends, a riding club, your workplace, or a cause you are raising money for — and any of the three comfort levels can run as a private group on your own dates. Private or group, the price per person is the same; we never put strangers in your group. The more of you there are, the less each person pays:
| Group size | Budget (per person) | Standard (per person) | Luxury (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | US$2,475 | US$3,300 | US$5,565 |
| 2-4 people | US$1,700 | US$2,550 | US$4,270 |
| 5-8 people | US$1,375 | US$2,215 | US$4,360 |
| 9-12 people | US$1,660 | US$2,515 | US$4,615 |
| 13-20 people | US$1,680 | US$2,530 | US$4,650 |
The organiser rides free. Get fourteen or more paying riders together and whoever organised the group joins the ride free. The one thing the organiser still pays is their own flights and permits, since those are fixed costs we pay out for every person and cannot absorb, and we cover the rest. Your departure is guaranteed on your own dates, and we never merge you into another trip.
Planning a group ride? Message me on WhatsApp with the tour, roughly when, and how many of you, and I will send you a price and a plan.
Annapurna Circuit mountain bike, the short answer
Yes, you can mountain bike the Annapurna Circuit, but not every metre of it. Our tour is 12 days from Kathmandu, nine of them on the bike, about 290 km in all. You ride up the Marsyangdi from Besisahar to Manang, sleep two nights at Manang at 3,540 m to acclimatise, and sleep at Thorong Phedi at 4,525 m. On day eight you cross the Thorong La at 5,416 m on foot while porters carry the bikes, then ride down to Muktinath and along the Kali Gandaki to Marpha and Tatopani, with a jeep from Beni to Pokhara.
Grade and season. Graded strenuous. October and November are the best months. March to May also works, with more wind and a chance of late snow on the pass. We do not run it from December to February, when the pass is often closed, or in the monsoon.
Cost. From USD 1,700 per person on Budget, USD 2,550 on Standard and USD 4,270 on Luxury, for two to four riders. The price per person falls as the group grows.
Insurance. Buy it at home and make sure it covers trekking to 5,500 m. A helicopter cannot reach the Thorong La itself, so rescue from the pass happens from lower ground. That is why we go slowly above Manang, check your oxygen level every evening, and why the guide call on pass day is final.
Annapurna Circuit Mountain Bike Tour at a glance
| Duration | About 12 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu |
|---|---|
| Route | The Annapurna Circuit by mountain bike, over the Thorong La (5,416 m) |
| Style | Guided mountain-bike tour with support |
| Difficulty | Strenuous; a high pass and long days |
| Region | Annapurna Conservation Area |
| Permits | Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) and TIMS, which we arrange |
| Best months | October to November and March to April |
Compare our three packages
| Feature | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | USD $1,700 | USD $2,550 | USD $4,270 |
| Meals on the route | Not included | Three meals a day with tea or coffee | Three meals a day with fruit and nuts, soft drinks, tea and coffee carried by your porter; wifi, hot showers and charging paid by you |
| Rooms | Shared lodge rooms | Twin rooms, attached bathroom where one exists | The better rooms in each village, private with attached bathroom where one exists |
| Pokhara hotel | 1 night, tourist hotel with breakfast | 1 night, tourist hotel with breakfast | 1 night, good hotel with breakfast |
| Bike | Hardtail, front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes | Hardtail from our newer fleet, gloves on request | Full-suspension bike, gloves, energy snacks on riding days |
| Porters | Porters carry the bikes over the Thorong La | Bike porters over the Thorong La, plus 1 porter per 2 riders for your bags | Bike porters over the Thorong La, plus 1 porter per rider for your bag |
| Support jeep | Not included | Not included | With the group on the road sections, carrying bags and spares |
| Transport | Local bus and jeep | Shared tourist vehicle throughout, bikes carried | Private jeep throughout |
| Free gear | Sleeping bag and down jacket | Sleeping bag, down jacket and duffel bag | Sleeping bag, down jacket and duffel bag |
Why book with us
We are a Kathmandu company, registered in 2016, TAAN member 1586, three generations of family guides, and we run this ride ourselves. Prices are per person and drop with your group size, ten percent deposit and the rest in Kathmandu. Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center.
Secure payment by Himalayan Bank.
