Words and Photos by Otso Ambassador Cory Wallace
The 220 km Annapurna Circuit in Nepal was at one time one of the legendary hikes in the World. It still can be, but with a motorable road for approximately 90% of the way it’s more of a biker’s dream nowadays. For a long time it was one of the most rugged roads I had ever been on but over the years it has become smoother and very suitable for today’s modern gravel bikes.
Setting out from Kathmandu on March 31st with 4 Belgium friends, and Usha as the head guide, we were off on a two week gravel bike packing adventure! Having just received my new OTSO Waheela C gravel bike, I was excited to test it out in the rugged Himalayas.
The first 4 days of the ride were spent riding the lowland backroads through the Nepal Mid Hills from Kathmandu. We’d average around 75 km & 2000 vm of climbing per day, spending nights in Nuwakot, Arughaut Bazar, Gorkha and Besisahar. This part of the ride was hot, winding and climbing our way through the dusty and very quiet backroads to the gateway of the Annapurna Circuit. The riding and environment was unique from what we would be experiencing in the Himalayas. It was a great way to introduce the Belgians to the country, passing by traditional villages and seeing the rural, fairly non touristic part of the country.
From here the real adventure kicked off with a tough 65 km ride up one of the most beautiful gorges in the World to the village of Chame at 2700M. This was a big day often riding on roads hanging off cliffs, passing by large waterfalls, meter by meter inching deeper into the mammoth Himalayas. As we ascended we started to feel the cool fresh mountain air we had all been craving, a nice relief from the very smoky and hot lowlands. The next day was a short 30 km ride into the Manang Valley, now in the heart of the mountains with the 8000 meter giants surrounding us. The road conditions have improved drastically over the years now providing a pretty smooth rolling gravel surface, with lots of options for detours on side trails to visit hidden villages in the valley.
Once in Manang village at 3450 meters, we settled in for 3 nights of acclimation in what is considered one of the paradise trekking villages of the region, full of natural beauty, rich culture and stunning views. The first day it snowed, allowing us to really soak in the local energy and get in a proper rest day while eating fresh Yak Meat and drinking sea buckthorn juices. The next day was a bluebird, with still a few inches of snow on the ground as we set out to take our gravel bikes up to Ice lake at 4600 M. It was about 20% rideable, mostly hike a bike, climbing the steep mountain trail to the hanging lake. The 1100 meter single track down to the valley below was one to remember and the first real test for my Otso gravel bike. With a small 40 mm Fox suspension fork, a Wolftooth Resolve dropper post, and 2.2 Maxxis Rekon race tires, the bike descended like a hardtail. Back in Manang we all loaded up on Dhal Bhat (local dish of rice, beans and a curry) before hitting the beds early to get some rest before heading off to Thorong Phedi (4500m) in the morning.
The trail to Thorong Phedi is 16 km of pure single track bliss, 90% rideable, mostly on a smooth gravel surface. Looking to get some extra training in, I took off on a solo mission on the Waheela C towards the famous Tilicho Lake @ 5000 meters. It was a great singletrack ride, before turning around at the dangerous rock fall area and rejoining the main track towards Thorong Phedi. This part of the ride was smooth sailing before an unexpected snowstorm mid way, making the 2nd half of the ride a white out as snow blanketed the trail. Reaching Thorong Phedi, the goal was to get some food in the bodies, rest up, and try to dry stuff out before heading over the 5416 M Thorong La Pass.
Thorong Pass is no doubt the queens stage of any tour around the Annapurna Circuit. Most groups head out in the cold and dark around 4 am, while we opted to wait until 6 to take advantage of the light and warmth of the rising sun. The climb to the pass is relatively short at 5.5 km, with 900 meters of vert, but the trail is steep and the air is thin! Up here the relative Oxygen available in each breath is about half of what is available at sea level. We took our time and enjoyed every moment of the day, reaching the 5416 m summit around 11 to soak in the stunning atmosphere. Next up was the epic 2500 vertical meter descent down to the the medieval village of Kagbeni in the mustang valley. On mountain bikes this descent is unreal, on gravel bikes it’s still 95% rideable but with a few of the setups the other riders had we took our time to insure their safety, eventually reaching Kagbeni just before dinner at 5pm. What a way to spend a day in the Himalayas!
Kagebeni is famous for a number of things, one of them being a teahouse called Yac Donalds. Here you can get a Mchappy meal consisting of local Yak meat, veggies, buckwheat bread and sea buckthorn juice as well as local apple cider. It’s the highlight of any trip to the Mustang.
The next day was pretty straightforward riding through the dry Mustang valley, before dropping down the Kali Gandaki gorge, the deepest ravine in the World with Annapurna (8091M) on one side and Dhaulagiri (8167M) on the other. The destination this day was Tatopani, sitting at 1300 meters, well known for its hot springs. A good place to relax the bodies and enjoy some local apple ciders to unwind after a great tour around the Annnapurna Massif.
The final day is usually a hot 120 km mostly paved ride through the lowlands to Pokhara. My buddy Christof and I had a bit of energy to burn so we set off to ride up and over Ghorepani hill (2900M), down 6km of trekking trail, and then met the others in Kande. This was a 15 km shortcut but with the added 1500 meters of climbing, and rugged mountain descending, it was a bit longer time wise. Joining the others, we would finish off the trip with a group ride into the lakeside tourist hot spot of Pokhara. It just happened to be Nepali New Years, celebrating year 2081. Going into the future to celebrate with the locals was the final icing on the cake to the journey!