Tour Information
Our Bhutan highlights motorcycle tour begins in Calcutta - with a flight that touches down at Bhutan's only airport in Paro, surrounded by Himalayan peaks at an altitude of 2,300 meters. Our adventure in the saddle can begin the same day.
Riding a motorcycle in Bhutan is different
Straight roads hardly exist, and we've counted an average of 10 curves per kilometer. The roads are quite empty, and the capital city of Thimphu doesn't even have a traffic light! Our motorcycle tour of Bhutan takes us along small mountain roads in varying conditions, and the ride never gets boring – beautiful landscapes soon cure us of the urge to ride hard. We kick back and savor the pure joy of cruising on our Bullet motorcycles at a relaxed 30 to 70 kph. Our Bhutan bike tour is structured to allow enough time to get to know the countryside and the residents of the villages along the roads.
Bhutan tour motorcycles
We ride new 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet Motorcycles featuring electric starters, 5-speed gearboxes with the gearshift on the left, front disk brakes, large, rugged leather saddlebags, crashbars and twin horns. If you would like to ride a Classic Bullet with a kickstarter, 4-speed gearbox and gearshift on the right, we can arrange that as well.
Minimum number of participants
6 riders. As is always the case when traveling in exotic countries without advanced tourist infrastructure, it may become necessary to alter the Bhutan Motorcycle Tour program on the spot due to unforeseen circumstances.
| Day | Tour Route in Detail | Destination | Altitude | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flying independently to Calcutta. | |||
| 2 | Early morning flight to Paro, transfer and time to relax at the hotel, afternoon warm-up bike tour to Drukgyel and to the Taktshang monastery viewpoint. The town itself is rather small, as most people live in the surrounding countryside, working the most fertile soil in the country. The road from the dzong to Paro is lined by very large chortens. The royal palace of Ugyen Pelri, built by Paro Penlop Tshering Panjor around 1930, is barely visible on the right. We'll be spending the night in the Resorts, cosy and rustic, with the option to enjoy the traditional Bhutanese "Hot Stone Bath" and the scenic Paro town and Dzong view from the bar and terrace. | Paro | 2300 | 60km |
| 3 | Today we'll take a short motorcycle tour of the Paro Valley in western Bhutan to the imposing ruins of the Drukgyel Dzong fortress monastery. The day will also include time for sightseeing and shopping in the town of Paro, a settlement that was not established until 1985. As is so often seen in Bhutan, there is no village near the dzong. The houses along the main street are built in the traditional style and are painted with colorful patterns. The ground floors usually contain small shops typical of mountain villages that stock the basic essentials for the inhabitants. Alternatively, we can organize a memorable trek to the renowned Taktshang monastery (the "dragon's nest") – a Bhutanese national treasure with a stunning vista. (a 2-hour, 500-meter climb) | Paro | 2300m | 150km |
| 4 | Today we’ll be doing a fantastic climb up to the Cheli La pass (3,990 m) on our motorcycles. This is Bhutan´s highest road ! We'll then take the new main road into Thimphu, Bhutan's capital city. (2,400 m, approx. 50,000 inhabitants) Our accommodations for the night are in a rustic and cosy , scenic located local Resort. A speciality dinner is lined up for us in the evening, followed by a little tour of the capital's pubs, if you're up to it. | Thimpu | 2600m | 120km |
| 5 | A short sightseeing tour in the morning and time to change money and shop – at 11:00 am it's time for our next motorcycle ride through the mountains. Just out of Thimphu, the road begins a steep, twisty climb to the Dochu La pass at 3,450 meters. The top of the pass is visibly marked by a large Bhutanese chorten and prayer flags. The road down from Dochu La into the Punakha Valley and on to Wangdi Phodrang goes on for some distance, descending 1,700 meters to the valley floor. In Punaka, we’ll visit the largest and mightiest dzong in Bhutan and spend the night at the Singye Lodge (approx. 100 km). Via Dochu La (3,140 m) to Wangdue Tzong, then Punaka. |
Punaka | 1600m | 100km |
| 6 | We’ll then climb back up the winding Pele La pass (3,300 m),From there we'll ride through the Black Mountains to the incomparable Phobjikha Valley – the winter habitat of Tibetan cranes and location of one of the largest fields of dwarf bamboo. We´l have lunch at a local guest house and then there is time for a short hike through medieval villages and to the dzong. The long descent ends near the imposing Chendebi chorten, where we stop for a tea , coffee and a brief Photo shoot.After another hour of winding our way through the mountains on our bikes, we’ll catch our first glimpse of the dzong. Eight kilometers outside of Trongsa, the road takes a tight bend to the left around an outcrop and presents us with one of the most breathtaking vistas in Bhutan. Dinner and Overnight in the cosy Resort. |
Trongsa | 2180m | 120km |
| 7 | After Breakfast we visit Trongsa dzong, a fortress built in 1648, sprawls down a steep hillside. Like nearly all towns in Bhutan, Trongsa is dominated by a dzong that dwarfs the surrounding buildings. Than we saddle the Bullets and we'll cross the Yotong La pass (3,425 m) on our way into the picturesque Bhumthang Valley. En route, we'll stop briefly to visit the Chumey Yathra weavers. (approx. 160 km, 6 hours in the saddle!)We'll spend the night in the splendid Resort ( with attached beer Brewery ) . | Bhumthang | 2580m | 90km |
| 8 | From Bhumthang, we'll be heading east. Foreigners may be few and far between in western Bhutan, but virtually none make their way into the regions we'll be seeing today. On the way to Mongar (1,800 m), we'll be crossing the Tumsi La, on of Bhutan's highest road passes. During the motorcycle ride, we can observe the changes in the beautiful surrounding vegetation as we climb through the various climate zones. But first, we'll visit Ura, a village that is not typical for Bhutan. The houses are all built very close to one another, all facing in the same direction. (approx. 140 km). Overnight in the stylish Hotel in Mongar. | Mongar | 2200m | 180km |
| 9 | Today we're going to cruise on our bikes to Tashigang via Drametsi. We'll cross the Korila pass (2,490 m) and wind our way through refreshing evergreen forests in the Yadi Loops. From the hot Kanglung Chu valley, we'll ride up to the quiet little mountain town of Tashigang (approx. 150 km). Our romantic hotel is is built like a small fortress and has more atmosphere than actual creature comforts, but we'll hardly miss them considering the spectacular views | Tashigang | 2300m | 120km |
| 10 | Today we'll tackle the last leg of the Bhutan Motorcycle Tour, from Tashigang to Samdrup Jonghar. 30 km into the day, we'll reach Bhutan's only university in Kanglung. Later, in Khaling, we'll visit weavers, practitioners of a craft that's very popular here in eastern Bhutan. For the rest of the ride, we'll once again experience Bhutan as a true paradise for bikers, with endless winding roads through the mountains. We'll enjoy the view during our picnic lunch, then slowly descend to Samdrup Jongkhar, a town on the border to the Indian state of Assam, at an altitude of only 200 meters. And that's the end of the bike tour! Dinner will be served at Hotel a basic place, but the best one in town. | Samdrup Jongkhar | 600m | 180km |
| 11 | Today we return to India. Our AC deluxe bus will take us 130 km through the lush plains to the Assamese capital Guwahati on the Brahmaputra river. From there, we'll transfer straight to the airport for a short flight to Delhi in the afternoon and have our farewell dinner at the famous "Crossroads" Tandoori speciality restaurant in Delhi. Also we provide rooms in the attached Hotel till the airport transfer. | Coach Transfer to Guwahati - Flight to New Delhi | 180km by Coach |
