We are considering a 2 week guided tour to the Himalayas. If you had 14-16 days, who would you sign on with and where would you go?
I would appreciate input from anyone with experience with a tour company.

been to nepal 16 times, and married 2 diff girls from there, at diff times of course. dont use a company. just go for it, lots cheaper. go to ktm, visa on arrival, spend 2 days max, it sucks, fly over to pokhara, where my wifes from, pleasant home hotel in lakeside is decent and $7/nite double. hike up sarankot and peace pogoda, but your time is way to short. id hike to annapurna base camp if only that much time. no need for guides, lotsa hotels/food along way and everyone speaaks english. you could hire a porter in lakeside for about $5-10 a day to carry stuff, they're usually nice and no worrys.

Hi Worthydog,

I've ridden East to West along the route ( May to July 2010 ) and it has some of the most amazing scenery.

In Bhutan you need to engage a tour company, I can recommend the one I used that specialises in bike type travelers, the other places you can be basically free-range BUT note there are security issues in Nepal that don't make it to the media.

I'd be happy to pass the info I have including the travel journal, email bergrider@hotmail.com .

Cheers and safe travel.
Frank.

Thanks Guys. Wildlands, unfortunately, I have about 2 weeks and that's it. I have travelled without guides before and that's great but with the short time I have and the delays that could come from paperwork issues, hassles with local authorities, and security, I am interested in getting a guide to handle details and make the most of my limited time.

Bergrider, I will email for more info, thanks

Can anyone give me some input on what part of the area would be the most memorable? Bhutan? Nepal? Tibet? Kashmir? where would you go with 14 days in country?

Hi Wdog,

I've been to Tibet and Nepal (about 5 years ago). Both are spectacular, they are quite different in terms of scenery. I think given the limited time, you are best to go to Nepal. Tibet is a bit more of a challenge to get to, both in terms of flights, and in terms of bureaucracy, I've also heard the chinese have imposed some restrictions on travelling in Tibet (although you would probably be ok in a tour).

Nepal would be easier to get to, most people speak english, there are loads of tour companies, and its really really cheap!!

In two weeks you would probably have time for a couple of nights in Kathmandu (It is pretty crazy, but I loved my time there!!), if you want to go trekking in the Himalayas then one option would be to head to Pokhara and do the Annapurna Santuary - that would probably take about a week, 8 days or so trekking. You can just stay in Teahouses along the way - take a sleeping bag with you, they have all the food in the teahouses.
You could also head to Chitwan National park, which is quite fun and laid back. Go on some river cruises, elephant rides to see the rhinos, and jungle walks - you might see a tiger - one of our friends did and also got charged by a rhino!
We did a rafting trip up near the Tibet border (on the friendship highway) which was also brilliant. We organised that in Kathmandu.

I agree with Wildlands1, it is easy to do most things independently. Another option is to fly to Kathmandu and organise something there with a local agency. Otherwise someone else might have some suggestions for tour companies. Shame you don't have longer, its a wonderful country with lovely people and the Himalayas are absolutely stunning!!

If you do go to Kathmandu, I would reccomend booking your first nights accom and get them to come out to the airport to pick you up or get them to tell you how much it will be - you will get mobbed...

Have fun!

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Pardon me for asking, but are you looking for a riding tour? Or one which helps you trek, shop, see the sights, etc.? Surely answers will be different for motorcycle tour operators, if any....and you seem to be attracting answers which assume you want to go trekking.

Mark

You are right Mark, we are going to moto tour, not trek. Unfortunately, we have 14-16 days total. It's always time and money. At this point, time is in shorter supply, unfortunately. maybe it will be different one day.

I have been reading around and it appears tours can be obtained in 3 basic areas:
1. Bhutan/Sikkim
2. Tibet/Nepal
3. Ladakh/Kashmir

which of the 3 would you experienced hands pick for 2 weeks?

does anyone have experience with Himalayan Roadrunners?

Three years ago I did the Ladakh tour going up to Ley with HC Travel, it was excellent. Two years ago I did Ktm in Nepal to Lhasa in Tibet and back to Ktm via Everest with Parikrama Tours based in Ktm, again excellent.

I've seen riders out there from from HR and they've not said anything bad but I don't know of them personally.

thanks hit the road, any others?

Moved to Singapore about 8 months ago from the states... I don't do guided trips, with the exception of a weekend in Vietnam where I was extremely short on time, but have had good experiences with companies in the locations below, and most of them do guided tours.

If you're ok with dirt roads & rough/off-road riding, just returned from 10 days in Cambodia. Highly recommend it... 10 days was a little short, but 2 weeks would be about right. I had an XR400, and the girl I was with was on an XR250 - we did the southern half of the country from Phnom Penh to down along the coast, then up to Siem Reap, and back to Phnom Penh. If its a guys only trip, and you want a little more extreme, the northern half is the way to go. Amazing people, amazing temples & sights, amazing food.

For rough/off-road, There is one place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with Honda XR400's. You can get XR250's in Hanoi, Vietnam. And all the way up to XR650's in Ventiane, Laos.

For highway riding, I found a small shop run by some french guys with Kaw 650 sport/street bikes in Bangkok, and there is a bed & breakfast up north in Chiang Mai with a BMW1100. There is a company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with a good selection of street/sport bikes, all the way up to the CBR1100's. Good selection of BMW street & enduro's up to 1100cc in Tokyo, Japan, and Honda enduro's up to 650cc in Manila, Philippines.

Leaving for a week of skiing in Kashmir this week, and hoping to do some recon on motorcycle availability in both Delhi and Kashmir along the way.

If you're interested in details for any of the locations listed above, let me know.

Good luck!

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Pawan Tuladhar is a personal friend of our family. He can advise and help you. He has a trekking company in Kathmandu. Sara Pedersen

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Sara

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Did you end up taking your trip? If so, where did you go? I'd like to hear your impressions.

I am going on a 14 day trip in Bhutan starting October 2, 2011. Since you have to be guided while in Bhutan, I'll be accompanied during that time. The tour finishes in India and I am renting the bike for another week and I plan to ride around Sikkim. Anyone have recommendations for West Bengal?