Six days on two wheels through the national park — Thimphu to Dochula, the Laya trail, Phobjikha and Gangtey.
Highlights
Dochula Pass at 3,100 metres
The Laya ridge descent
Phobjikha glacial valley by bicycle
Gangtey and the black-necked crane country
What is included
Licensed cycling guide and mechanic per group
Giant or Scott mountain bikes, helmet and full kit
Support vehicle, luggage transfer and refreshment stops
Five nights in hotels and a Phobjikha farm lodge
All meals, permits, SDF and park fees
Emergency support vehicle on every riding day
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Paro to Thimphu, and the bikes The drive east and a morning spent on the machines: frame sizing, gearing checked against the day's climbs, and a shakedown ride on the riverside path below the capital at an easy pace. Most guests ride a few days a year at most; the shakedown exists to make sure nobody meets the Dochula climb on a…
Day 2 — Thimphu to Laya over the Dochula The hard one, done early. Out of Thimphu before six, up the Changlimithang valley road to the Dochula Pass at 3,010 metres — 900 metres of climbing over 28 kilometres, with the 108 chortens at the top as the reward — then off the tarmac and onto the Laya trail. The surface changes to rough track al…
Day 3 — Laya down to Phobjikha A big descent, which is harder work than it sounds and is why the support vehicle matters today. Twenty-eight kilometres down the Chhu Tare track through the Gasa district, from 3,700 metres to the valley floor at 2,300, on loose track in places, with a stop where the snow walls stand in the upper…
Day 4 — Phobjikha to Gangtey The best riding day of the trip and almost entirely flat. Twenty-six kilometres along the valley floor on a wide gravel track, with the Phobjikha river on one side and the black pine-covered ridge on the other, past the Crane Sanctuary, and up the short spur to Gangtey. Total ascent under 200 metre…
Day 5 — Gangtey to the Paro valley A long rolling ride out, fifty-five kilometres from Gangtey west through the Rukha valley and over to the Chhuzom junction, where the road meets the highway from Paro and Thimphu. Three climbs, each shorter and gentler than the Dochula. The last hour is on tarmac and feels almost civilised after fo…
Day 6 — A final valley ride, and departure A last ride out along the Paro river through the apple orchards to Chhuzom, an easy hour in the morning, bikes returned by midday and the transfer to the airport in time for the flight.