Motorbike Tour Himachal Pradesh

This motorcycle trip to the heart of the Indian Himalayas promises magnificent landscapes. The wooded roads overlook the breath-taking mountains whose peaks peep out through the clouds at an altitude higher than 6000 meters. Himachal Pradesh truly mirrors cosmopolitan India and presents a unique cultural and natural diversity. We ride through typical Hindu villages abundant in Shiva temples. On this journey through the pages of history, we arrive at Shimla, the former summer capital of the British Empire and then at Dharamshala, the exile capital of the Tibetan government since 1949, henceforth known as "The Little Lhasa in India".

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(Subject to change depending on circumstances)

DAY 1 : Arrival in Delhi

Pick up at the airport and transport to a comfortable hotel in the heart of the city. Overnight stay at the hotel.

DAY 2 : Delhi – Chandigarh – Nalagarh

[6H – 240 miles - 385 Km] You start with an early morning drive in a private vehicle to Nalagarh fort (near the Shivalik hills). At the end of the afternoon, you visit the charming village. Overnight stay at the fort.

DAY 3: Nalagarh – Shimla

[4H ½ - 80 miles - 130 Km] In the morning, we get our first glimpse of the Royal Enfield 500cc motorcycles and are introduced to the driving rules of India. You get your Royal Enfield 500cc motorcycle and ride through the Shivalik mounts taking small roads up to the Chandigarh – Shimla junction. On the way to Shimla, you cross very beautiful scenery reminiscent of the Alps: well cultivated farms and terraces, apple orchards… Discover this hill station with its colonial charm. Overnight stay at the hotel.

DAY 4 : Shimla – Banjar

[4H ½ - 85 miles - 140 Km] Beyond Shimla, we have devised two itineraries to choose from depending on the condition of the road: • riding north-west and taking a state highway to reach the small mountain road up to Banjar situated in the beautiful Sainj valley. • going down to the Satluj valley before riding up to Jalori pass at 3000 meters and then reaching Banjar situated in the Sainj valley. Overnight stay in a comfortable family guest house.

DAY 5: Banjar – Manikaran

[3 H – 60 miles - 100 Km] You keep going North, taking a small mountain road to reach a state highway. You turn East near Bajaura, taking a mountain road that leads to Manikaran ("earring" in Sanskrit), famous for its hot spring waters, in the heart of the Parvati Valley. Overnight stay in a guest house. The site is a pilgrim destination for Hindus and Sikhs. In the Hindu tradition, this is the place where Manu regenerated the human race after the flood, thus making Manikaran a sacred place. The village contains numerous temples and a Gurudwara, the place of worship of Sikhs

DAY 6 : Manikaran – Manali

[2 H / 2 H ½ - 45 miles -80 Km] Retracing your steps up to Bajaura, you ride North on the state highway that leads to Manali in the heart of the Kullu Valley. Overnight stay in a guest house.

DAY 7 : Kullu valley – Manali

[3h30 – 93 miles - 150 Km] You visit the Kullu valley, known as the valley of Gods, famous for its shawls, fruits and last but not the least, an abundance of wild Hashish. You visit the Manali fort and Naggar temple before taking a sneak peek at the lives of the local people. Overnight stay in a guest house. Once known as Kulanthapitha, "the end of the livable world", the Kullu valley is famous not only because its Gods are close to the people, but also because of its welcoming inhabitants, its beautiful pine and cedar forest, its rich orchards and its excellent hashish. Nowadays, the valley is named the "Gods' valley" because of the numerous village deities and the temples scattered in the villages

DAY 8 : Manali – Mandi

[4H – 75 miles - 120 Km] You ride southwards on the road to Mandi. At the junction of the roads that run along the Kullu and Kangra Valleys and also from Shimla, Mandi is a big, old crossroad on the "salt route" to Tibet. Overnight stay in a hotel.

DAY 9 : Mandi – Dharamsala

[4H ½ - 80 miles - 130 Km] You head North-West, in the direction of Dharamsala. On the way, you visit the Chamunda Devi temple in Palampur, 30 miles (50 kilometers) before Dharamsala. Settle down in a hotel in Mc Leod Ganj, a Tibetan village. Overnight stay in the hotel.

DAY 10 : Dharamsala

Visit to Dharamsala (Mc Leod Ganj). Overnight stay in a guest house. In May 1949, the new communist Chinese government signed a treaty which extended the Chinese sovereignty to include Tibet. That very year, the army of the People's Republic of China walked into Lhasa, following a brutal policy that resulted in over 1.2 million Tibetan victims and a large number of people being sent to labour camps. Since then, almost 90% of the monasteries have been destroyed under the cultural revolution and any pro-independence opinion has been smothered. In 1959, under threat, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal head of Tibet decided to go into exile to India. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have followed him and live in Dharamsala, Darjeeling, Kathmandu and even in the West. Mc Leod Ganj has become the capital of the Tibetan government in exile and the place of residency of the Dalai Lama. His Holiness (real name) "Tenzin Gyatso", received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for initiating the dialogue to restore peace and freedom in Tibet.

DAY 11: Dharamsala – Chamba

[5 H ½ - 90 miles - 150 Km] Riding on small roads, you reach Chamba, a small laid back town, dominating the Ravi River, to the North West of Dharamsala. The last part, from Dalhousie to Chamba, is beautiful and picturesque. The panoramic view of the fields and the villages dotting the side of the mountain is unforgettable. Transport to the hotel. Visit to the city and its twisting tiny alleys. Overnight stay in the hotel.

DAY 12: Chamba – Dharamsala

[5 H ½ - 90 miles - 150 Km] Ride back to Dharamsala along the same route. Overnight stay in a guest house.

DAY 13 : Dharamsala – Pragpur

[4 H ½ - 100 miles - 165 Km] This is the last stage of the journey. You leave the city of refuge for Tibetans behind you, and ride down south, crossing Kangra Valley before reaching Pragpur. Overnight stay in the hotel. Kangra valley lines the Dhauladhar range, « The white mountain ». The Dhauladhar is impressive, dominating the valley with its highest peak reaching 4550m. The most important range is the Pir Panjal, "reject" of the Great Himalaya.

DAY 14 : Pragpur – Delhi

[7/8 H – 230 miles - 370 Km] You take a long road to Delhi in a private vehicle. Transport to and overnight stay in a hotel.

DAY 15 : Delhi – International Airport

Enjoy a free morning in Delhi. Only one or two rooms are reserved in the hotel for the afternoon for storing the luggage and taking a shower before leaving for the airport late in the evening. Transport to the international airport in the evening. The capital of India, founded on the site of seven historical cities, is now composed of the old town and the new, two halves of an exciting and chaotic unit. The fortified citadel and the Red Fort remind one of the strength and elegance of the great Mughal Empire. The lively Chandni Chowk, known for its dealers in gold and silver, the Jama Masjid mosque, the largest in India and the Raj Ghat where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated are very interesting. New Delhi is a vibrant city, with multi-storied buildings, boulevards, fountains and large parks. You can visit the minaret of Qutub Minar, the mausoleum of Humayun and Connaught Place where the mix of vendors, displays of silk, cinemas and restaurants perfectly reflects the essence of the national capital. NB: Schedules of the stages are given as a rough guide. The itinerary may change a bit from one year to another according to the natural state of the roads.

Standard

Simple, clean and comfortable, our selection of host homes, will give you a welcome worthy of its name. It is truly a heaven of peace, surrounded by lush mountains. You would also have the delight of tasting traditional cuisines.

Superior

You will appreciate the comfort of our Hotels having traditional Tibetan architecture and which are embellished with tastefully decorated rooms. An extraordinary night at the Nalagarh Fort at the foot hills of Shivaliks.

Click below to download the detailed program

Prices include:

• A Royal Enfield 500 (2009 model / availability) with full mechanical assistance and spare parts.
• Transport facility as appearing in the program, by private vehicle.
• An English-speaking tour leader and an expert mechanic of Royal Enfield motorbikes.
• Fuel expenses.
• Assistance by a local team: mechanic (and support vehicle driver for groups of at least 4 participants).
• A support vehiclefor groups of at least 4 participants; Side luggage carriers for groups of less than 4 participants.
• Lodging: in standard hotels or guest houses, in double bed rooms on a twin-sharing basis.
• If you wish to stay in a single room (extra), please inform your travel advisor at the time of registration.
• Meals: Full board except main meals in Delhi.

 

Prices do not include :

• Compulsory insurances, such as repatriation assistance which covers you in case of a motorbike accident in India – legal assistance.
• Visa fees
• International Flights. Contact your travel advisor for help.
• Recommended insurances for flight delays, baggage claim, cancellation of trip…
• A refundable security deposit of $500 for the motorbike. In case the bike is damaged, the amount required to fix the damages shall be deducted at the end of the journey.
• International Airport Taxes.
• Tips.
• Drinks and personal expenses.
• Entry fee for various monuments, temples etc. thereby giving you the option of not visiting them. Entry Fee ranges from $40 to $60 per person for the whole journey