"Kusuzangpo"

This tour is a revival of our long Little Tibet tour from 1995.

It's known as Little Tibet because we remain in the Indian Himalayas, yet the landscape is just as spectacular as in Tibet proper – or perhaps even better. In Little Tibet, we can travel without having minders watch our every move, and the Tibetan exiles still live as they did before the annexation of Tibet by China.

The tour will take us through the Sutlej and Spiti valleys to the very roof of the world. It's an otherworldly landscape.

We start in Nagar, riding through Kulu Valley, and over the Rothang Pass into Spiti Valley.

In September 2008, we ran an explorer tour to check the road conditions and prepare for the new 2009 tour.

The ultimate mountain range -

and a very special motorcycle.

The single cylinders of our Royal Enfield Bullets – Indian-made British heavy metal – are chugging away happily.

The bikes are relics of India’s colonial past that are still rolling off the production line today, almost unchanged over the past 60 years. The Bullet is a brand-new classic that, more than any other motorcycle, makes the journey itself our destination.

Nearly all of the roads are paved and in surprisingly good condition – and that in a region that was virtually untouched by tourism until just a few years ago. Nepal is sandwiched between northern India, Tibet and spectacular Himalayan peaks.

The Palace Tour – the finest hotels

Cruise Rajasthan on a Royal Enfield Bullet or in our jeeps. The Land of the Princes, this is perhaps the most fascinating region on the subcontinent.

Once the home of the Rajput warriors, Maharajahs and Mogul rulers, Rajasthan is still the land of 1,001 Nights.

The intense hues of the men’s turbans and women’s clothing are a dazzling contrast to the broad desert landscapes. Mighty fortresses line the ancient caravan routes between distant desert horizons and rugged mountain ranges.

Fairytale palaces, oriental markets, extravagant artistic treasures and extreme contrasts even by Indian standards are guaranteed to fascinate even the most jaded traveler.

Tropical Goa, southern India and Royal Enfield motorcycles –

It's a combination that promises biking adventure unlike anything you’ve experienced – country roads and winding mountain tracks, hot curries and fresh seafood, 500cc in your single cylinder and 625ml in your Kingfisher Lager bottle to wash down the dust at the end of the day.

We have two different tours in our program:

• The TROPICAL GOA & SOUTH INDIA TOUR (South India Classic)
  A 15-day holiday with a 10-day motorcycle tour accompanied by an English-speaking German tour guide and a bike mechanic with a support jeep, approx. 1,500 km
  
  
• The LONG TRAIL TOUR (South India Special)
  This tour is geared toward experienced riders looking to clock higher mileage – covering over 2,000 km in ten days is quite an achievement in India!
  
  Click here for the description of the Long Trail tour

Goa Bike & Beach Holidays

Tropical biking holidays in Goa have long been a popular way for European and North American riders to escape the grim winter weather in their home countries.

We can arrange motorcycles, comfortable accommodations near the beach, airport transfers and any other organizational matters for you.

We have everything you need to combine your beach holiday with tours around Goa and southern India: 500cc Enfield Bullets, scooters, and light, easy-to-ride Honda motorbikes, mountain bikes and jeeps for day trips.

We also organize excursions over several days and guided motorcycle and jeep tours through southern India.

Bhutan

Tucked away in the mountains between India and Tibet, centuries of religious isolation have shrouded it in mystery. Legends describe it as Shangri La, the Himalayan home of the gods and the enlightened. The last Buddhist kingdom is gradually opening to tourism, yet only around 10,000 foreigners are permitted to visit Bhutan every year, and individual travelers are not allowed in.

Sikkim

From Darjeeling, the tour will first take us to Sikkim, a region which was only made a state of India in 1975. Sikkim is bordered by towering mountains, including Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), the third-highest peak in the world.

Our 3 Lakes of Ladakh Tour is founded on our 14 years of experience with motorcycle expeditions in Ladakh. You can expect new tracks, passes and highlights never before offered on an organized motorcycle tour.

This is the first tour to take on seven extremely high Himalayan passes - we'll be hitting altitudes of over 5,000 meters five times and tackling the three highest passes in the world!  

The route covers all of the highlights of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Ladakh, as well as the three most beautiful Himalayan lakes in the border region to Tibet - all at altitudes of more than 4,500 meters.

We'll spend 11 days on the road in Ladakh and round out the tour by visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra. In the first year, the entire 14-day tour will cost only €2,390.00 per rider, including rental of a new electric-start Bullet with gearchange on the left, accommodations in double rooms or two-person tents, and domestic flights from Delhi to Leh and back.

The tour no longer involves long, tiresome bus or train trips.

The dates for 2011 are set and we've already received our first bookings.

TOUR PROFIL

Challenging.

Solid riding skills, a sense of adventure and flexibility are a must when taking part in our Himalayan motorcycle expedition, which covers around 1,200 km and considerable altitude differences. Road conditions vary from freshly-paved to rough tracks.
While we never actually leave the road, off-road skills can come in handy on some of the tracks we use. It's also important to note that it's virtually impossible to predict the weather and road conditions in the Himalayas during the months in which the rest of India is experiencing the monsoon.
Landslides and abrupt weather changes can force us to change our tour program on very short notice. You can certainly look forward to adventure.

.
Adjusting to the altitude: Our tour starts in Leh at 3,500 meters, so it will be essential to take a couple of days to adjust to the altitude. After two nights in Leh, we'll move on to two nights in Alchi on the western Indus at around 3,000 meters. In our experience, everyone will have recovered from any mild altitude-related symptoms - headaches, dizziness or sleeplessness - by then. In the past five years, we haven't had any cases of true altitude sickness among any of the participants of the similar Zanskar & Ladakh tours.

TOUR SERVICES:

• domestic flights from Delhi to Leh and back
• all airport transfers
• accommodations in double rooms, generally with showers and WC en suite
• roomy 2-person tents with awnings (proper beds or comfortable thermal mats will be provided)
• large dining tent for group breakfasts and dinners, separate latrine tent
• breakfast and evening meals (tea, coffee and bottled water are included, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks are not)
• hot lunches and bottled water in the support vehicle during the tour
• all road and bridge tolls and admission fees for the entire program
• Enfield Bullet 500cc rental motorcycle with comprehensive insurance (EUR 500.00 deductible) and touring gear; all bikes are 2007 to 2009 models with electric start and gearchange on the left
• fuel, oil and replacement parts
• English-speaking guide for the entire duration of the tour
• support jeep for luggage
• second 4WD vehicle for crew, tents and kitchen
• experienced motorcycle mechanics
• reserved seat in support jeep for all pillion passengers
• excursion in a private AC minibus from Delhi to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal with accommodation in a 4 or 5-star hotel at the end of the tour

Day 1: Arrival at New Delhi International Airport during the night, transfer to the domestic terminal of Indira Gandhi Airport with the free shuttle bus. Check-in will be followed by a breathtaking one-hour early-morning flight in an Airbus or Boeing across the Greater Himalayas to Leh and a transfer to our basic but attractive garden hotel in Leh's old town. Time to acclimatize and take an afternoon walk to Shanti Stupa, followed by our welcome dinner in a local beer garden.

Leh, no riding today (3,550 m) Hotel Bijou in Leh - Hotel Bijou in Leh

Day 2: After an introductory meeting, our warm-up ride will take us to the most famous monasteries in Ladakh - Hemis and Tikse - in the upper Indus Valley. Dinner will be served on the panoramic terrace of a local restaurant.

Leh , 90 km Hotel Bijou in Leh

Day 3: The tour starts with a relaxed ride down through the western Indus Valley, stopping off at the ruins and temples of the old royal palace of Basgo and the mighty Snake Buddha statue at Likir Monastery. Our day's destination is the oasis of Alchi. We'll spend the night in a charming guest house in an apricot orchard near the oldest monastery in Ladakh, now a museum of cultural history with outstanding temple murals that have been restored by students of the Technical University of Aachen/Germany. Dinner in the garden restaurant.

Alchi, 80 km ( 3.100m) Guest House oder Deluxe Tent Camp

Day 4: Today's day tour takes us down the Indus Valley and up the endless hairpins of the Fatu La Pass that winds its way up to 4,000 meters. On the way back, we'll be stopping off at the imposing Lamayuru Monastery, a symbol of Ladakh. Once again, we'll spend the night in Alchi.

Alchi, 130 km Guest House or Deluxe Zelt Camp

Day 5: Today we'll be taking our Bullets up narrow mountain tracks to the remote Yang Tang village and across a nameless mountain pass to Hemis Supachen, an ancient, holy juniper forest. It's back to Leh in the afternoon - time to relax in the garden of our Bijou Hotel or shop in Ladakh's only town and bazaar. Dinner's in the beer garden!

Leh, 90 km Hotel Bijou in Leh

Day 6: Today, we're going for serious altitude! It's time to cross the truly breathtaking 5,360-meter Chan La Pass and follow a rough mountain road to the luminous blue-green magic of Pangong Lake. We'll spend the night in a basic resort with a sweeping view across the lake to the Tibetan shore.

Day 7: Time for some double-pass action! After crossing the Chan La Pass, we'll descend into Shakti Valley. From there we have a steep climb - the recently-opened road leading up to Wari La Pass at 5,300 will demand our undivided attention. Cresting the pass, it's a wild ride down into the vast, arid expanse of Nubra Valley, where we'll visit the ancient, remote Diskit Monastery. Today's destination is Hunder, an oasis where we will have dinner and spend the night in the Snow Leopard Guest House with its cozy garden.

Day 8: We have a half-day ride through the broad valley to the hot springs of Panamik, followed by an afternoon riding camels through the sand dunes of Hunder. Dinner is once again in the peaceful garden of the guest house.

Nubra Valley, 110 km Snow Leppard Guest House in Hunder

Day 9: The summit! It's time for the world's highest motorable road, the Kardungh La Pass (5,604 m)! Later, we'll return to our "headquarters", the Hotel Bijou in Leh. The afternoon is free to relax or shop, or visit the Shanti Stupa at sunset. Dinner at the only Italian, or the best Tibetan place - the choice is yours.

Leh, 160 km Hotel Bijou Leh

Day 10: Today we'll ride out into the eastern Indus Valley to Mahe Bridge. After passing the Inner Border Line checkpost, our route once again starts ascending. After cresting Namshang Pass (5,050 m) we'll reach the land of the Tibetan nomads, with Tsomori Lake shimmering turquoise in the distance. Our comfortable tent resort is near the Korzok village and monastery. Time to enjoy the lake and the view to Tibet on the other bank. A hearty Ladakhi dinner will be served in the resort's restaurant tent.

Day 11: No riding today. We'll explore the old monastery and hike to the tents of the nomads in the rugged valley just behind Korzok. If you're up to it, take a cool dip in Tsomori Lake. We'll have plenty of time to take in the gorgeous landscape and atmosphere in our comfortable lakeside camp.

Day 12: On bone-dry trails through desert valleys - it's time to eat some dust! Our route takes us past sulfur springs and over the windswept, 4,900-meter Pologonka Pass. Our day's destination is Tsokar Salt Lake, a nature reserve and home of the shy wild mongoose and rare birds. Our camp is roughly 2 km from the lake, near the only fresh-water spring. Tonight is our last night in a basic tent resort - sleeping in a "thousand-star hotel" at 4,600 meters - an unforgettable experience.

Day 13: Today we'll be tackling the world's second-highest road pass, the Taglang La (5,390 m). The leisurely ascent is followed by a spectacular ride through a rugged gorge, descending nearly 2,000 meters to the Indus river. We'll return to Leh in the early afternoon, bringing us to the end of the bike tour. Last chance for a stroll through the bazaar, and in the evening it's time for a farewell dinner in your favorite place.

Leh , 120 km Hotel Bijou

Day 14: We'll catch a plane to Delhi in the early morning and take an AC deluxe coach from the airport directly to Agra (200 km, 5 hours). In Agra, we'll check into a 4 or 5-star hotel near the Taj Mahal and take it easy for the rest of the day. A buffet dinner is available in the hotel.

Agra  4 or 5-star hotel

Day 15: We're out before breakfast to see the world's most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal, at sunrise. After breakfast and a stop at Agra's monumental Red Fort, we'll take our AC bus back to New Delhi, arriving at our favorite tandoori restaurant in time for our farewell dinner. After dinner, it's off to the bar or one of the available hotel rooms to freshen up a bit.

Day 16: Independent travel to your home or next destination. no hotel

Latest News : Due to the huge successs of our new "3 Lakes Of Ladakh" Tour we will not operate this expedition in 2011 and 2012  

Wild Zanskar and the Best of Ladakh

This tour is a mystical "river journey" from Leh to the wild Zanskar Valley, hidden in the remotest reaches of the Himalayas.

From Leh, we start by following the holy Indus downstream to the west. After crossing the Fotu La pass (4,094 m), our route takes us through barren, rocky valleys and passes to the mouth of the Suru river near Kargil, the gateway to Zanskar Valley. From Kargil, we'll head south into Baltistan’s Suru Valley. Our route takes us up the wild, rugged valley on a steady climb to Penzi La pass (4,400 m) the only road into Zanskar. We'll be passing enormous glaciers on our way into the valley. We'll slowly work our way up the rough tracks to our destination in Padum – literally the end of the road.