Anyone visiting Kathmandu a few decades ago found bicycling in the city and surroundings easily and enjoyable. Due to air pollution and traffic congestion, this no longer holds. However, there is no reason for visiting bikers to despair, because bicycling has taken off, now on trails and country roads in the hills and mountains. Most main trekking routes can be biked, but for those who dislike the idea of lugging their bikes over high passes and narrow and steep trails, there are good alternatives and splendid routes.

Some long-distance routes follow country roads and footpaths and can keep you going for a two-week holiday without crossing your path. Specialist biking tour operators offer dramatic and ingenious tours with bike maps and service vehicles – even starting, for instance, in Lhasa and running downhill to Kathmandu. The old trekking route between Pokhara and Kathmandu – before the cars arrived – has been restored for biking purposes. Some areas are especially suitable for biking tours, such as the Kali Gandaki Valley and Mustang. Mountain biking is increasingly featured in guidebooks on Nepal.

Downhill and regular mountain bike races are organised regularly in Nepal. There is a downhill run at Hattiban at the southern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, and also a famous Kathmandu Valley Rim race route. To find a bicycling tour that fits your interests and abilities, and to obtain suitable equipment, it is essential to conduct some advanced research.