Mountain Bike Tour Cost in Nepal 2026/2027: From a Day Ride to 19 Days in Mustang

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday and third-generation Himalayan guide. TAAN Member #1586.

People write to me about mountain biking in Nepal with one of two questions. Either "how much is a day on a bike out of Kathmandu" or "what does the Mustang ride really cost once everything is added up". Both deserve a straight answer with real numbers, so here are ours, from a one-day downhill to the nineteen-day ride through Upper Mustang, with what is inside the price, what is not, and where the money actually goes.

All prices on this page are what we charge in September 2026 and they hold for 2027 departures too. They are per person, in US dollars, and they drop as your group grows. We do not put strangers together to make a group, so the price you see for two riders is what two riders pay.

Mountain bike tour prices at a glance

Those are the prices for a group of two to four. A group of five to eight pays less per head, and a group of thirteen or more less again: the day ride falls to US$99 on budget, the five-day tour to US$449, and Mustang to US$2,149. The full band table is on each tour page. Every tour needs a minimum of two riders, because a guide, a support jeep and the permits cost the same whether one person rides or two.

What the three tiers mean on a bike

The tier changes three things: the bike, the vehicle behind you, and how you sleep and eat. It does not change the guide or the route.

The bike. Budget puts you on a hardtail with front suspension and disc brakes, a sound bike for the Nagarkot road or the valley rim, and the one I would give my own cousin. Standard gives you a hardtail from our newer fleet. Luxury gives you a full-suspension bike, which on the rocky Mustang descents is the difference between enjoying the afternoon and surviving it. In cost terms the bike is worth about US$25, US$35 and US$55 a day to us, and that is built into the price, not charged on top. A helmet, tools, spare tubes and a pump ride with the guide on every tier.

The support vehicle. On the day ride a jeep follows every group, whatever the tier, because the bikes have to get up to Nagarkot at five in the morning and someone has to carry water and a spare wheel. On the five-day and nineteen-day tours a support jeep runs with every luxury group. On budget and standard it joins once a group is bigger than eight riders. Below that on those tiers you ride with the guide and your bag goes ahead by vehicle where the road allows.

Rooms and meals. Budget is a shared room and, on the road, you buy your own meals, which in the Kathmandu valley and Mustang costs about US$20 a day. Standard and luxury are private rooms with attached bathrooms wherever a village has them, and three meals a day with tea, coffee and soft drinks. Luxury adds fruit and nuts with meals and pays for the hot showers, charging and wifi that lodges bill separately.

What the price does not include

Your flight to Nepal, the visa on arrival (US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days), travel insurance, tips, and hotels in Kathmandu before and after the tour. Insurance is the one people skip and the one I will not let you skip. Mustang tops out above 4,000 metres and a fall on a gravel descent is a real possibility, so the policy has to cover mountain biking, not just "cycling", and helicopter evacuation up to 5,000 metres. Ask the insurer in writing.

How much does the Nagarkot day ride cost, and why?

US$199 for two riders sounds like a lot for a day on a bike, so let me open it up. The pick-up is at five in the morning, with a jeep carrying two people, two bikes and a guide up to the ridge at Nagarkot for the sunrise. That jeep then follows you for the rest of the day, thirty-five kilometres down through Telkot and Changu Narayan into Bhaktapur and back across the valley to your hotel. A vehicle for that many hours, with thirteen percent VAT and the bank charge on top, is the single biggest cost of the day. Then the guide, the bike, the temple entry at Changu Narayan and lunch in Bhaktapur old town on standard and luxury. Split it across a group of five and the price drops to US$119 on budget, because the jeep is already paid for. That is why I always suggest bringing a friend.

How much does the five-day Kathmandu tour cost?

From US$499 on budget to US$1,699 on luxury. The route is the rim of the Kathmandu valley: Kathmandu to Kakani, along the ridge to Chisapani, across to Nagarkot, down to Balthali and back to the city, roughly 170 kilometres over five days with about 630 metres of climbing on the first day and long rolling ridges after that. Four nights in lodges and resorts on the rim. This is the tour I recommend if you have a week in Nepal and want to ride rather than trek, because you are never more than two hours from a hospital and there is no altitude to think about. The gap between budget and standard, US$400, is the private room, the newer bike and eleven meals. The gap to luxury is the full-suspension bike, the support jeep the whole way and the better resorts on the ridge.

How much does the Mustang mountain bike tour cost?

US$2,549 on budget for a group of two to four, US$4,399 on standard, US$7,299 on luxury. Nineteen days from Kathmandu, of which thirteen are on the bike. You ride from Pokhara up the Kali Gandaki through Beni, Tatopani and Marpha to Kagbeni, then into the restricted area through Chele and Tsarang to Lo Manthang, up towards the Kora La on the Tibetan border, and back down the east bank through Dhi, Tangge and Chhusang to Jomsom. Then a drive to Pokhara and Kathmandu. It is the best long ride in Nepal and one of the best in Asia, and it is not cheap, so here is where the money goes.

Where the Mustang price goes

Permits. The Upper Mustang restricted area permit is US$50 per person per day, charged for each day you are inside, with no minimum any more since the old ten-day flat fee was dropped. On our route you are inside for about nine days, so roughly US$450 of your price is the permit. Add the Annapurna Conservation Area entry at NPR 3,000 and the TIMS card at NPR 2,000, about US$38 together. All three are included in every tier and we arrange them; the restricted permit can only be issued through a registered agency with a licensed guide, which is the real reason there is no self-guided option in Upper Mustang.

The guide. A licensed mountain bike guide for nineteen days, plus his food, lodging and transport back to Kathmandu. He is the person who knows which of the three tracks out of Tsarang is rideable this month, and he is not optional.

Transport. Kathmandu to Pokhara and back, Jomsom to Pokhara by road at the end, and the support jeep on luxury, or on any tier once the group passes eight riders. Vehicles in Nepal carry thirteen percent VAT, and a jeep going up the Kali Gandaki road is charged at the off-road rate, so this line is larger than people expect.

Lodges and food. Eighteen nights. In Mustang the lodges are simple and clean, and above Kagbeni the choice is small, so the luxury tier buys the best room in the village rather than a different kind of hotel. Three meals a day on standard and luxury for thirteen riding days, and in Upper Mustang food costs more than anywhere else in the Annapurnas because everything comes up by jeep or mule.

The bike. Thirteen riding days at US$25 to US$55 a day depending on the tier, and the tools and spares to keep it going, because there is no bike shop north of Jomsom.

Can I bring my own bike?

Yes, and many serious riders do. Airlines charge for a bike box, typically the price of a second checked bag, and you will need to reassemble it in Kathmandu, which our guide can help with. If you ride your own bike we take the bike cost off the price; that is something we settle when you book rather than a line on the website, because it depends on the tier and the tour. Spares for anything unusual should come with you. Kathmandu has decent bike shops for common parts, Pokhara less so, and Mustang none.

Is a mountain bike tour cheaper than a motorbike tour?

On the same route, no, and people are surprised by that. The motorbike tours cost a similar amount because the bike hire is more, the fuel is on top and a mechanic rides with the group. Mountain biking replaces those with a support jeep and more days, since you cover less distance in a day. What changes is the experience: on a motorbike you do the Lower Mustang road in eight days; on a mountain bike Mustang takes nineteen and you feel every metre of it. If you are choosing between the two, read my motorbike tour cost breakdown next to this page.

When is the best time to ride?

For the Kathmandu rides, October to April. The monsoon turns the ridge tracks to mud from June to September and the views go. Mustang is different: it sits in the rain shadow of the Annapurnas, so it rides well from March through November, and the monsoon months of July and August are actually a good time there, with green fields and the Tiji festival earlier in the season. Winter closes Upper Mustang above Kagbeni for most people because the lodges shut and the wind is brutal.

How fit do I need to be?

The day ride is mostly downhill and a normal weekend rider manages it without trouble. The five-day tour has a proper climb on the first day and long days after, so you want to be riding regularly at home. Mustang is a different thing. Thirteen days on a bike, riding days at 3,000 to 4,000 metres, gravel and sand and river crossings, wind every afternoon. You do not need to be a racer but you need to be a fit, confident rider who has done multi-day trips before. We keep Mustang groups small and we ride at the pace of the slowest rider, and the support jeep means anyone can sit out an afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

Is the price the same for a private tour? Yes. Every tour we run is private, so your group of two pays the two-to-four price and nobody is added to it.

What is the deposit? Ten percent to confirm, the rest in Kathmandu. The deposit is not refundable but you can move your dates once, free, within a year, with at least 72 hours notice, seven days for Mustang because of the permit.

Do I need a permit for the Kathmandu rides? No. The day ride and the five-day valley tour need no trekking permit. The entry fee at Changu Narayan is included on standard and luxury.

Can a solo rider book? Not at the listed price. The minimum is two, because the jeep, guide and permit cost the same for one. If you are alone, message me and we will work out what a solo departure costs honestly rather than pretend it fits the group price.

What bikes do you use? Hardtails with front suspension and hydraulic disc brakes on budget and standard, full-suspension trail bikes on luxury. We size them to you when you book; tell us your height.

Permit fees quoted here are the Department of Immigration's restricted area rates and the Nepal Tourism Board's published park entry fees, read in September 2026.

Shreejan Simkhada is the CEO and co-founder of The Everest Holiday, a family-run trekking company in Kathmandu, and a third-generation Himalayan guide. TAAN Member #1586. Every booking helps fund our Nagarjun Learning Center.