Your hotel is located in Patan Durbar Square a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is your rest day for adjusting to the new time zone as you explore the area rich in history. Located only a short walk down ancient narrow roads are the Taleju Temple (a magnificent Hindu temple), the Sundari Chowk (a water tank built in 1647 for the king), the Patan museum and many other things that feel like discoveries. Local shops with traditional religious paintings and artwork are worth exploring as well.

Patan is located outside the busy tourist areas of Kathmandu offering an immediate immersive experience into Nepal. Enjoy local foods (The only place to try Newar cuisine!) and sites, or hang out at our quaint hotel with an adjoining coffee bar and rest up. It is important for your safety that you are rested and ready to go when we finally get on the bikes.

It doesn't make sense to travel halfway around the world and not see everything you can. It's not mandatory, but we have arranged to tour the most interesting sites in Kathmandu. We will see the popular "monkey temple", the burial site of Pashupatinath and more. You will also start learning about traffic patterns and local "rules" that will be critical to your safety once you enter traffic. This is our last day in Kathmandu so you will need to packed up and ready to go for the morning.

Our flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara is supposed to be a short easy flight, but... this is Nepal. Expect to have a delay in Kathmandu that will turn an easy commuter flight into an all day adventure.

Once we arrive in Pokhara you will meet your guides and support team, get to know your bike and relax by the lake or enjoy food and shopping before getting your ride briefing.  This will be the last day you travel without your motorcycle until we return to Pokhara.

"Trial By Fire" is the theme for the day. All your observations of traffic are now going to be put to use. We will ride out of Pokhara through "chaotic" traffic as we work towards the winding rivers and quaint villages ahead. Today's route is the perfect training ground to build confidence in your riding as you bond with your new steed.

As we ride towards the gateway to the Upper Mustang (Jomsom) we will likely cross multiple suspension bridges enroute and will traverse along many high cliff roads, shared with buses and Jeeps. This will test the resolve of even the most fearless rider. Have no fear... if you don't feel safe riding, you can walk the bridge and one of your guides will take your bike across for you. However you must get to the other side... this is the way to Jomsom!

Climb to the famous Vishnu temple of Muktinath, perched at 12,000' (3700m) in the Annapurna. The thin air will keep your bike gasping for air as it slowly climbs its way up the mountain. At the top you will need to park the bike and finish the journey on foot as you climb hundreds of stone steps to the temple (also gasping for air).

After a bite to eat, we will drop back to a lower altitude (Kagbeni) where we will rest for the night and allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude.

We ride to the very end of the road - any farther and we'll end up in China. Lo Manthang is an ancient Tibetan city, built in the 15th century and restricted from visitors until 1992. It has preserved its remote Tibetan culture and language. Along the way, we will pass along the world's deepest gorge (Kali Gandaki Gorge), an alpine forest, and into the high-altitude deserts that lead us into the ancient, walled, forbidden city of Lo Manthang.

This is a free day and you get to choose how to spend it. Explore the authentically-preserved medieval city by getting some butter tea and meeting the locals. If you still feel like riding your bike, there will be a short expedition to Chhosur Caves. These sky caves are five stories tall with 40 rooms hand-carved out of the rock. Various "windows" offer an unparalleled view of the valley as you contemplate what it must have been like to live here.

A day of rest or a day of exploration... your choice.

Today we start our trek back towards Pokhara as we follow the trail of the mythical demons and dragons towards the natural red cliffs of Dhakmar. Ancient and functioning monasteries dot the region and you will ride along the longest Mani, or prayer wall in the Mustang region before arriving to our accommodations in Ghami.

Pokhara is a modern expat city with a huge variety restaurants that are the perfect end to one of the best adventures money can buy. You will have arrived as an individual but you will depart as friends - some of our groups are still chatting to this day.  Celebrate your accomplishments, laugh over the challenges, and get a massage to finish the trip of a lifetime.

Though it is nothing like the local towns you have been immersed in, Pokhara is a place to find any souvenir you could want to share your memories with your friends and family. Freshen up in a hot, modern shower and get your mind ready to return home.

We will head to the airport in the afternoon as a group to fly back to Kathmandu - once again, enjoy the delays and uncertainty of transportation but now you will be well-versed in hurry up and wait. Settle into your hotel and we will have one final dinner together as we say our goodbyes.  Christina and I will have a special thank you that you won't forget. 

We will ensure you have a ride to the airport well in time for your departure flight. The airport is easy to negotiate although lines can be long at certain times of the day. Say goodbye to your new friends, have one final Nepali coffee and set your sights back home.