Long isolated from the rest of the world, the Himalayan nation of Bhutan still maintains an aura of mystery. Bicycling in Bhutan rewards you with stunning views and pristine nature on good paved roads with little traffic. We start cycling from Thimpu after visiting Paro and head east to Punakha, stopping to visit dzongs (fortresses), monasteries, and temples, while absorbing the Buddhist culture.
I found Bhutan utterly magical and felt completely privileged to see and experience it by bike.
It was a perfect way to experience the majestic Mountains, beautiful Bhutanese people & their serene spiritual culture. Touring on a bicycle is the perfect pace to take in all the sensory elements that the country has to offer, while at the same time challenging your body!
DestinationsBhutan
Tour MeetsParo
Fly in toParo International Airport (PBH)
Group Size1-16 riders
SpiceRoads jerseyWater bottleVisa feesSupport vehicleGuide(s)Meals (as indicated)Airport pick upAirport drop offAccommodationSnacks and drinks
International flightsDomestic flightsAlcoholTips
This bike tour is a true classic with Himalayan mountain passes, sweeping descents, magnificent views, clean air, abundant culture and history in one of the most secluded countries in the world. We ride 190 km in 3 full and 1 half days of riding. The riding varies between some easier shorter days and one challenging hill climb to the top of a pass.
The accommodations are generally 3-star hotels with traditional amenities. We have attempted to keep the tour as authentic as possible and have tried to use local small accommodation wherever possible. Regardless of the location, every day you can be assured to get a comfortable room and a good night's sleep.
Biking Conditions: This tour is primarily on paved roads with very little traffic. The tour goes over one mountainous pass as well as valley flat-lands. There are a few challenging climbs as well as some fast, sweeping descents. Any portion of the ride can be skipped by utilizing our support vehicle.
Suitability: Cyclists should be in relatively good overall physical shape with at least a moderate degree of cycling experience. Being physically fit will of course be a huge asset, but, as the tour is fully supported, the van is always close at hand if needed.
Arrive in Paro where you will be picked up from the airport. We check into the hotel, and, in the afternoon, we’ll visit Paro Museum, which features local art, textiles, artifacts, and sculptures. We’ll also visit one of the major Dzongs located in Paro. In the evening, we’ll have a welcome dinner prepared in traditional Bhutanese style.
Udumwara Resort
Lunch, DinnerThere is a short morning transfer to Thimphu (approx 2 hrs), and then the rest of the morning will be spent visiting museums and the National Institute for Zorig Chusum (an arts and crafts school). In the afternoon, we ride to Dodina past small villages, farmlands, and dense forests. The end of the road in Dodina features two monasteries set back high amongst the mountains. The return is a gradual downhill to Thimphu. Later in the evening, you can explore the town well known for its handicraft shops.
Hotel GakyilBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 54km
+844m
-833mToday will be a major hill challenge, as we have a 5 km warm up before we start climbing for the next 18 km to the pass at Dochula, which is known for its spiritual energy and 108 Chortens that are atop the pass. Lunch at Dochula Café is the perfect place to take in the expansive views of the deep valleys and eastern Himalayas. After lunch, as we descend down the pass, we move from oak, maple, and blue pine forests into rhododendron, hemlock, and fir vegetation, and along with many monasteries that come into view to make this a downhill ride to remember.
Damchen ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 68km+843m-1750mToday is an enjoyable out and back ride with the outward leg being a gradual climb to Tashithang. We pass through lush forests famous for their rhododendron trees, which, if they are in bloom, make for magnificent views. This area is also well known for its bird life and wild orchids.
Damchen ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 62km+1781m-1792mThe ride is more leisurely as we take time to explore the beautiful and lush valley that surrounds Punakha. We will visit Punakha Dzong, one of the most impressive Dzongs in Bhutan which was built in 1638 and is all the more remarkable as it was constructed without the use of drawings or a single nail! The other major visit today will be to Chimi Lhakhang. Built in 1499, it is also known as the temple of the “Devine Madman” (Lama Drukpa Kunley) and of the disciple of one of the five great tertons (treasure discoverer), Pema Lingpa. This temple is also noted for its blessing of women who wish to bear children.
Damchen ResortBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Ride 25km+958m-969mWe leave Punakha early for the drive back to Paro. It will take about 4-6 hours depending on road construction, but we will ensure that there's time to visit the Tiger's Nest (Taktsang Monastery), a highlight of the tour. Perched on a cliff, it's a hike to reach and, before reaching it, one must cross a bridge that fords a large waterfall that drops 60 m (200 ft) into a sacred pool, not easy for those with a fear of heights. First built in 1692, this monastery is scared to Buddhists all over of the world.
Udumwara ResortBreakfast, Lunch, DinnerThe tour concludes as we transfer you to the airport for your travels onward.
BreakfastDisclaimer: The adventure cycling tours we operate often go beyond the beaten track, and the countries where we ride are not always predictable. Due to these reasons, it is occasionally necessary to reroute or update itineraries. Our guarantee is that we will not change a trip unless for safety or to improve it. Our listed hotels are always accurate at the time of writing, but should we have to change any hotel, it will always be for a similar or better one.
Bikes are included for this tour and are well-known makes of hybrid or mountain bikes (depending on the tour) with lightweight alloy frames, 24- to 27-speed gearing, v-brakes, and Shimano components and front suspension.
Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.
Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.
You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.
IMPORTANT: On our "Mystical Bhutan" tour we will be crossing into India via the N.K Darranga border in Assam. An Indian e-VISA is NOT accepted at this border crossing, and you must get a tourist visa physically stamped into your passport from an Indian embassy before you come on the tour. See here for more details but please contact the Indian embassy/consulate closest to you for assistance and more information. Do not leave this to the last minute as it may take up to a week or more to complete.
We recommend that you visit a travel medical doctor and ask about the following vaccinations: typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. As there are some high altitude passes you may consider bringing Diamox – but please consult a physician first.
An umbrella, or light rain gear, should never be too far when traveling in Bhutan. During any month of the year it could, and will, rain. There are two optimal times of the year to travel in Bhutan. The months of March/April offers a period of warmer temperatures and bright skies. During August/-October is even more popular because of the cooler temperature and cloudless and crisp skies. Bhutan has a fairly mild climate year-round.
The hotels listed are our first choice and where we hope you will stay, however, during festivals or other major events there is a chance we will have to substitute another hotel.
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Meals are a mixture of Bhutanese and western cuisine, with the local food being mainly rice with vegetables with chili being used as a vegetable, not a flavoring – so beware! Local cheese is also popular and also quite tasty. Lunch will tend to vary between a packed lunch and some hot meals when local restaurants are available. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere, but is NOT included in the price.
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for travelling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveller of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$20 a day, for incidentals.
The Bhutanese currency is the ngultrum and is pegged to the Indian rupee. As the rupee and ngultrum are traded at par, rupees are generally accepted in Bhutan and may be occasionally given as change. Bhutan is a cash economy. Don’t count on using your Visa and Mastercard, but there is an America Express office in the capital, and Amex is accepted in a few rare instances. Your best option is to change dollars or euros into ngultrums at the airport as the exchange rate is the same as in the banks in town. You can also change your money at the hotels in Thimphu, but the rate is not as good. You'll mainly need money for handicraft souvenirs and drinks as everything else is included in the tour.
If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:
Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.
You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.
There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.
From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).
If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.
Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.
We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.
The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.
In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.
In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.
The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.
If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).
If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).
Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.
If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.
The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary
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Amazing trip to Bhutan with Spiceroads that facilitated with its great staff. An excellent combination of cycling, visiting sites, eating local foods, meeting local people and learning about the Bhutanese culture.