Shimla to Manali Cycling Tour

Arrive in Shimla in the evening from Delhi. You can relax and then later spend the evening walking along the Ridge or shopping in the Mall.

Taxis will pick you up in the morning and take you to a safe starting point, generally Green Valley, as the roads are really busy in the morning. Once here you get to check your bikes and then start the challenge. The journey starts with about 1 hours ride uphill, which can be tough as this is the first day. After that the gradient eases up with gradual ups and downs all the way to the camp. The roads are narrow so you need to pay attention to the road. You will be camping tonight in a small village with a few shops.

You will really enjoy today’s cycling as most of it, is going downhill. The day starts with cycling on a relatively flat terrain. It is going to be dusty and hot if the weather is clear. This route offers some great views of the Himalayan peaks and that of apple orchards. The terrain from Narkanda onwards is a steady downhill on good road condition. Make sure you check your breaks and stay on your side of the road. Once you get to the bottom there is a round about where you keep to your right. The terrain now changes to gradual ups and downs once again, but the road continues to be tarmac. You will stop at Nirath (902m) and walk to the Temple of Surya Narayan and have lunch on the temple’s ground.
After lunch the terrain remains pretty much the same and isn’t too hard. You will be staying in a guest house tonight. If you need any shopping there are a few shops within 15 minutes walking distance.

You will have an early start today, as the roads get really busy in the morning rush hour in Rampur. The first leg of the journey begins with gradual uphill. Today you also enter the Kinnaur Valley, and see some amazing landscapes. The most awe-inspiring are the long stretches of road cut straight from the rock face and seeing the rocky overhang above you, as you cycle. You will have lunch along the road near Nigulsari and after that the road is fairly flat and narrow but metalled. There will be small patches of unmetalled road and it will be dusty so make sure you have a scarf or a neckerchief to cover your nose and mouth. Tonight’s campsite is beside the road in Wangtu.

It’s going to be a dusty ride to Rekong Peo. Whole day’s cycling is basically on a relatively flat terrain with occasional ups and downs. There will be long stretches of unmetalled road and you may be stopped in one or two places to give way to road works. You will continue cycling on the left of River Sutlej. On the way you will also see one of the biggest dams built on Sutlej in the Kinnaur Valley The Karcham Dam. You do not cross the bridge but continue straight on. You will pass through a few Gref camps here. To get to Rekong Peo you will have to take a connection road on your left and cycle up 6kms of steep slope (this is the only demanding bit of the day). You will have lunch here and then get a taxi/bus to kalpa which is another steep 7.5kms from here.

You start the day by cycling downhill nearly 15kms back to join the main highway. Here onwards the terrain is going to stay pretty much the same. Mostly flat, with gentle steeps and slopes. You also cycle past some apple and apricot orchards today. In Akpa after crossing the bridge, you will have to make a stop to get your Inner Line Permits checked which can take atleast half an hour. Once again there will long stretches of unmetalled road and places with ongoing road works. Always keep an eye open as this stretch of the journey is prone to rock slides and if you have to stop make sure you find a safe place to rest. Once you get to Puh, you’ll have to cycle uphill for 1.5 kms to get to the Guest House.

Today you will cycle through the village a small distance up hill and then downhill once again to join the highway. After a few kilometers of joining the highway you will cross the Dubling Bridge and go over to the left side of the River. You pass through a small village and apple orchards. After this the road again starts to get a bit rough. Then starts the first bit of Uphill Climb, there are a few loops that will take you up by maybe a 100m. .You will be cycling once again on roads cut out of bare rock face. You will then reach a tiny oasis of a village called Ka. You can rest here for a while as this place provides the only shade amid a burning amphitheatre of bare rocks. Once again there is a long stretch of flat and then another loops to climb You will stop for lunch just outside Nako. After that begins a small stretch of uphill into Nako.
In the evening you can walk around the village and take a tour of the 600- 700 years old Monastaries built here; and the Nako Lake, which is fed from a stream originating at Rio-Purgil. Rio-Purgil is revered by the locals as the protector of their village. Rio- means area or land and Purgil is the name of a God. The peak of Rio-Purgil is very rarely visible always hiding behind a thick blanket of clouds. Nako also provides an amazing starry sky on a clear night.

The day begins with an uphill of about 2kms. Once you have crossed the vicious Malling Nallah, a steep downhill of about 15-20kms proceeds. Make sure you check you brakes once again before starting this stretch. The road is metalled but narrow, with bare rock face on one side and a sheer drop on the other and the bends are very tight. Once you reach the bottom Sumdo is about 8 kms away. The road is generally flat with few rough patchs. We make a stop at Sumdo to get the Inner Line Permits checked and have lunch. You are only a few kms away from the Tibet border here. Infact, the river (Pare Chu) joining the Spiti river on your right flows in through Tibet although it originates in India.
Tabo is 28kms away from here. The ride here onwards is quite easy. The road is mostly metalled. If lucky you might be able to see some wild life. As you get closer to Tabo the Valley starts to widen.
In Tabo you can visit the Tabo Monastery which was built in 996 AD by Lochen Rigzin Zangpo, also renownwed as the Great Translator of Ratan Bhadgra from Sanskrit to Bhotti. You have already seen one of his work in Nako. His speciality in monastary building was the provision of a GonKhang (Meditation room). Internet is also available here.

The first part of today of today is cycling up to Shichiling which is 30kms from Tabo. The road is mostly flat with occasional ups and downs and a few stretches of rough road. At Shichiling you will get on Taxi/bus and go to visit the Dhankar Monastary. It is about 1100 yrs old. The monastery is dedicated to Maitreya Buddha (Future Buddha). The place offers magnificent views of the valley. You will have lunch further down but in Dhankar. You ride back to Shichiling and get on your bikes. Rangrik is 30kms from here. The second part of today’s journey is going to be an easy one as the road is mainly flat. The campsite is 2kms from the town of Kaza, the biggest town of the valley. Rangrik campsite is one of the best campsites on this journey.

You will have a lazy start to the day with breakfast served around 9am. After washing up and relaxing you will have the opportunity to visit another old monastery. Ki monastary, is about 15km from the camp at the height of 4100m. This monastery is also dedicated to Maitreya Buddha and the current presiding head of the monastery is Rimpoche Rinchen Zangpo the 19th. Here you can see some magnificent art work and Thanka Paintings brought over from Tibet nearly 600 years ago. After this we will go further 5kms up to the Kibber Village, the World’s Highest Motorable village. It is a decent sized village with traditional houses. Once again you are very close to the Tibet border so don’t be surprised if you see army officials around.
Lunch would be back at the camp. In the afternoon you can go in to Kaza. Internet, Atm and phone facilties are available here. There is also a fantastic German Bakery for all the cake lovers.

The first challenge is getting to the road. A small stream to cross from the campsite, and then walk up the gravelly slip road on to the highway. The road today isn’t too bad; it has some long stretches of un metalled surface and is dusty but not too many climbs. The journey is very scenic. You will pass through some very beautiful villages like; Hull, Pangmo and Kyato. After a few kilometers from Kyato you will decend a bi to cross the bridge over to the left side of the Spiti River and then begins a grueling climb hill. It’s quite dusty on this stretch. About a kilometer from finishing the climb you will stop for lunch on the outskirts of Kyato Village. The road here onwards is an easy ride. Loser is the last village you will see today. You can stop here for refreshments. Then begins a gentle uphill of about 8 kms to the campsite.

You start your day with an uphill climb of about 10kms to Kunzum La Pass 4551m. All travelers through here perform a respectful circuit of the stupas strewn with fluttering prayer flags at the top before continuing forward. The road now creeps down towards a bridge and two stone Dhabas at Battal. The road is pretty much flat after this, rocky and dusty. On a few occasions you will be required to cross streams and run over the road; be careful when doing this and walk if not safe to cycle. Though the distance isn’t much to Chattru it will be a long day as the roads can be difficult to cycle on. It is a rocky terrain but the landscape makes up for all the pain.

The road goes up gently to Gramphoo about 16 kilometers from Chattru. Then you start the steep climb towards Rohtang Pass. It’s alright to take your time. It’s a good idea to keep your wind proofs ready as Rohtang can be very windy and freezing even on a sunny day. Depending on the weather conditions you can have lunch here or go further down to Marhi and have lunch there. Your brakes would be checked again at this point to ensure safety. Marhi is on a 15km decent from Rohtang, this stretch of 15km is one of the worst in the entire journey as there is road work going on. Please get off your bike if it gets difficult (Better than falling in the mud). You can have a well-deserved break in Marhi. Get reenergized and then complete the last leg of the challenge. Before starting please check your brakes again as now onwards you are just going downhill. Once you reach Manali you will be transferred on a bus to your hotel.