This superlative motor bike tour from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital,  to and from Lhasa, its Tibetan counterpart, is one of the most amazing overland tours in Asia, incorporating high passes  with spectacular Himalayan views, the turquoise waters of Yamdrok Tse lake, ancient Buddhist Monasteries, a 12th century hermitage, ruined fortresses, a visit to Everest Base Camp, and certainly the longest, steepest downhill run in the world, which embraces an adrenalin-pumping narrow road, passing through clouds and fraught with potential hazards, thus requiring extended biking experience and practised skill.

Beginning in Kathmandu, a hustling, bustling city bursting with predominantly Hindu temples and shrines, the biking route follows the 115km Arniko Highway, through stunning scenery, as far as the Tibetan border. In most sections the highway is situated in fragile mountainous terrain, and since its construction in 1966, the road has been frequently damaged by natural events such as river floods and landslides, which means that it is, sometimes, still a challenge to negotiate its course, particularly as it snakes northwards. After crossing the border, conditions are still demanding, but they improve noticeably as the road approaches Lhasa.

Lhasa is a rapidly changing city, where ancient traditions are dwindling, so this tour affords what is probably one of the few remaining opportunities to observe a unique Eastern culture and, albeit fleetingly, to be part of an every day lifestyle in stark contrast to that of the West. The road on the arid, but beautiful, Tibetan plateau, perched on the roof of the world, passes through quite stunning and unforgettable landscape, where ancient ruined fortresses and simple Tibetan stone houses seem to have grown out of the rocks themselves. The far horizon is pure mystery, displaying endless dun-coloured valleys, where the idea of a hidden Shangri La seems entirely probable.  
The on- and off-road route of this strenuous tour puts even the sturdy Bullet through its paces, and the echoes of the rapid gun fire of the engines, as the machines wind their way through the twists and turns of the valleys, will remain with their riders long after the close of this unique motorbiking experience

Altitude Chart