Mountain Biking – Himalia Treks & Tours

Hindu Kush Mountain Biking

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 06:54:46 +0000

To discover the region of Chitral and Hunza by bike has its own charm. We start our trip from Islamabad to Peshawar through the beautiful Swat valley up to Dir by jeep. From here one can use the own horse power. The 3118 m high Lowari Pass and the 3720 m high Shandur Pass are highlights for bikers. The Chitral valley at an elevation of 1127 m, which is between the two passes has an exotic touch. The major attractions are the Kalash valleys. A population of 3000 strong Kafir Kalash people live in the valleys of Birir, Bumburet and Rambur. The Kalash are gay people, who love music and dancing particularly on occasions of their religious festivals. After the strenuous climb to Shandur pass one can relax on the magnificent plateau. We continue our bike ride to the dark blue Punder Lake. There we should try to catch our own troutfish for dinner. The following days mean “easy biking” towards Hunza.

Itinerary

Day 1	Arrival in Islamabad, overnight in hotel.
Day 2	Drive to Peshawar, overnight in hotel.
Day 3	Drive to Swat valley, overnight in hotel.
Day 4	Drive to Dir, overnight in hotel.
Day 5	After an early morning breakfast we start our bike trek over the 3118 m Lowari Pass to Drosh and drive to Chitral, overnight in hotel.
Day 6	Visit to Kalash valleys (Bamburet), overnight in tent.
Day 7	Visit to Rambur and Birir, overnight in tent.
Day 8	Bike to Reshun, overnight in tent.
Day 9	Bike to Mastuj, overnight in tent.
Day 10	Bike to Shandur Pass 3720 m, overnight in tent.
Day 11	Bike to Punder Lake, overnight in tent.
Day 12	Bike to Gupis, overnight in tent.
Day 13	Bike to Gakuch, overnight in tent.
Day 14	Bike to Sher Quilla, overnight in tent.
Day 15	Bike to Gilgit, overnight in hotel.
Day 16	Bike to Hunza, overnight in hotel.
Day 17	Bike to Gulmit and Burit Lake, overnight in tent.
Day 18	Burit Lake – Karimabad, overnight in hotel.
Day 19	Drive – Gilgit, overnight in hotel.
Day 20	Gilgit – Islamabad, overnight in hotel.
Day 21	Onward flight.

KKH Hunza Valley – China Bike Trip

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 11:32:26 +0000

Imagine cycling through a mountain paradise of peaks over 7,000 meters with glaciers almost touching the road and inhabited by people so friendly that it is not unusual to be offered tea as a gesture of hospitality when you stop for a break. Well, this tour offers this and more. The KKH is a dream ride and we aim to make it as easy as possible for you to take in the sights and experience the cultures along the way. Each day is designed for you to enjoy the cycling and to soak in the splendid panoramas.

Tour duration is 16 days. mountain biking through some of the world’s most breathtaking mountain scenery in the Karakoram and Pamir Ranges including, weather permitting, views of: Rakaposhi 7790m, Diran 7270m, Ultar 7388m, Muztagh Ata 7546m, Kongur 7719m, and many other peaks. Encounter the friendly and hospitable Hunzakut and Wakhi Tajik peoples of Gilgit – Baltistan, Pakistan, and the Sarakol Tajik, Kirghiz, Uighur, and Han peoples of Xinjiang, China. Experience the distinctly Central Asian flavor of the famous Kashgar Sunday bazaar.

Itinerary

DAY 01	ARRIVE AT ISLAMABAD
	Arrival at Islamabad airport and transfer to hotel.
DAY 02	ISLAMABAD-ABBOTABAD
	Drive to Abbotabad and then biking to Besham over night in hotel (6 to 7 hour biking).
DAY 03	BESHAM – CHILAS
	Biking to Chilas over night in hotel (8 – 10 hour bike).
DAY 04	CHILAS-GILGIT
	Biking to Gilgit over night in hotel (5-6 hour bike).
DAY 05	GILGIT
	Rest day in Gilgit or Sightseeing in Gilgit over night in hotel.
DAY 06	GILGIT-MINAPIN
	Bike to Minapin over night in hotel (5 to 6 hour Bike).
DAY 07	MINAPIN-KARIMABAD
	Bike to Karimabad over night in hotel (4 to 5 hour bike).
DAY 08	KARIMABAD-PASSU
	Bike to Passu over night in hotel (5-6 hour ).
DAY 09	PASSU-SUST
	Bike to Sust over night in hotel (5 to 6 hours).
DAY 10	SUST-TASHKURGAN
	Drive and Bike to Tashkurgan China over night in hotel.
DAY 11	TASHKURGAN-KARAKUL LAKE
	Bike to Karakul Lake 100 kilometer, over night in Yurt.
DAY 12	KARAKUL LAKE-KASHGAR
	Bike to Kashgar 200 km over night in hotel.
DAY 13	KASHGAR
	Situated at the foot of the impressive Pamir mountains, Kashgar was once the key trading post bridging the East and the West. Largely inhabited by the Uygurs, this ancient city is dotted with Muslin architecture and still retains the exotic feel of the Silk Road era. We will visit Kashgar’s lively markets, which attract thousands of people from the far corners of the region. They come here to sell, bargain, and trade everything ranging from camels to raisins. Our sightseeing tour will also include the Id Kha Mosque and the tomb of Abjak Hoja. Our tour includes the tombs of Abakh Hoja, the famous Eidgah Mosque and the most unique old town with typical Uyghur styled homes. We visit the various shopping alleys full of noodle shops, bakeries, teashops, blacksmiths and carpenters. Time has stood still – try a local taxi, which is a donkey cart.
DAY 14	KASHGAR-URUMQI
	Today we will have a free day, allowing you to explore Kashgar’s old quarter, home to a fascinating mix of ethnicities – Uygurs, Tajiks, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks – or visit one of Kashgar’s many other sights. In the evening we will take a flight back to Urumqi.
DAY 15	URUMQI-BEIJING
	Fly back to Beijing. Rest of the day free at leisure.
DAY 16	BEIJING DEPARTURE
	Transfer to Airport for homebound flight to departure from Beijing.

Deosai Bike

admin — Fri, 09 May 2014 14:53:07 +0000

Bicycling on the winding roads of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindukush valleys would heighten your experience as you will have an occasion of a tidies uphill paddling and then abruptly ride downhill, passing through alpine forests, open valleys, along the rivers and lakes and lush meadows. Meet friendly people on the way as you may be offered with a local taste of tea and perhaps food. We can arrange your bicycle tour with a van to follow you so that you may at any time climb aboard the vehicle in case you are tired or the weather disallow you to continue bicyclin.

This trek is for real mountainbike freaks, physically well prepared people! Experience in mountainbiking is a must.

Itinerary

Day 1	Arrival in Islamabad, transfer to the hotel.
Day 2	Drive to Chilas. 15 hours jeepdrive. Overnight in hotel.
Day 3	For a short time we follow the Karakorum Highway (KKH) by Jeep to Jaglot. From there we start to make our first experience on the road by bike. On the way our cook will offer us lunch. Overnight in camp in Doyang, a beautiful campsite next to the Astor River.
Day 4	Dayon – Astor. The road is rough. Many rocky parts are to overcome. We camp next to Astor.
Day 5	Astor – Tarishing. The track is again strenuous. It needs a lot of power and concentration. The scenery is wonderful. In Tarishing we camp overnight.
Day 6	If the weather is good, we trek to the Nanga Parbat BC. The view to this grandious mountain is wonderful. Camp at the Herlikoffer BC.
Day 7	Nanga Parbat BC – Tarishing, overnight in camp.
Day 8	A superb downhill part is waiting for us. Through a green valley full of flowers and sprinkling water we bike to Chilim. Overnight in camp.
Day 9	Chilim – Chackor Pass 4100 m -Shaucer Lake. The steep ascend to the pass (about 1000 highmeters) is strenuous. Along the track there are wonderful flower meadows.
Day 10	Restday. At the blue lake, with a beautiful view of the Nanga Parbat we enjoy our time and let our legs relax.
Day 11	Shaucer Lake – Barapani. This day is a special enjoyment on a rather good bike road.In Barapani,after crossing the bridge, we set up our camp. With a little luck we may observe bears. This part already belongs to the National Park of Deosai plains.
Day 12	Barapani – Deosai Top. We continue our route on a good bike track, crossing a lot of waterpools and small rivers. In the afternoon we have the possibility to visit a Pakistani dairy. Overnight in camp.
Day 13	Deosai Top – Satpara Lake. Our longing to the superb downhill got an end.Downhill for the next 20 km! The road is narrow, rough and demands a lot of concentration. The difficult ride is pure enjoyment! Overnight at Satpara Lake.
Day 14	Satpara – Skardu. Today we reach again the civilization. Shower and washing day. We can visit the amazing bazaar or relax in the garden of the hotel.
Day 15 – 16	Skardu – Kaplu. A long but very beautiful road partly metalled, leads us along the Indus and the Shiok river to Kaplu, a village, where we can see the old traditional tibetan houses and the people living with their culture. We are spending the night in a hotel at the top of the village with a beautiful view to the Shiok valley. It is possible to go a few kilometers further, to have a gleam of the magic Masherbrum mountain 7800 m.
Day 17	Kaplu – Skardu, by jeep or by bike. Overnight in hotel.
Day 18	If the weather allows us, we have a splendid flight to Islamabad. Otherwise we take the way back on KKH via Chilas. Overnight in hotel.
Day 19	Reserve day
Day 20	Onward flight