KE Adventure

• A complete bike traverse of Bhutan the land of the Thunder Dragon
• Challenging climbs and endless descents make the perfect cycling holiday
• Taktsang Monastery, the 'Tiger's Lair'
• Meeting Bhutan's colourful people by bike
• One of the best cycle touring holidays in the world

The classic bike ride across Bhutan is one of the world's most challenging cycle holidays. At the eastern end of the Himalaya, sandwiched between India and Tibet, the 'Shangri La' kingdom of Bhutan is renowned for its colourful Buddhist culture and for the beauty of its unspoiled mountain scenery. A single spectacular road runs west to east across the country, traversing a succession of steep-sided and heavily wooded ridges. Presenting long climbs on easy-angled switchbacks, as well as mind-blowing descents that seem to last for hours, this largely deserted single-track highway provides the basis for one of the worlds' great bike journeys. Starting out from Paro and crossing several high passes, we accumulate a total of 15,500m/50,856ft of ascent and a staggering 18,200m/59,715ft of descent, en route to the eastern land border with India at Sandrup Jongkhar. Staying primarily in characterful lodges and with plenty of opportunity to meet the Bhutanese people, this is an unmissable adventure biking holiday. A sparsely populated country, Bhutan is often likened to Switzerland because of its small size, jealously guarded isolation and stunning mountain scenery. More than 90% of the population are hill farmers who live in small villages spread over rugged mountain country. Buddhist teachings and philosophy are influential throughout the kingdom, as they have been since the 7th century and a deep and traditional reverence for nature has led to Bhutan imposing some of the strictest standards of environmental preservation in the world. More than 65% of the land is still under forest cover and some of the rarest of Himalayan wildlife, such as the blue sheep, takin and golden langur, are quite common. It is often said that ‘‘even the most experienced cycle traveller will find Bhutan a revelation'' and we cannot disagree. In this country known as Druk Yul, the 'Land of the Thunder Dragon', the fortunate visitor will find a rare combination of harmony and accord, amongst incredible natural beauty. The air is clean and unpolluted, the mountains are magnificent and the architecture is inspiring. Bhutan is the least visited of all the Himalayan countries, as a direct result of deliberate Bhutanese government policy. In an attempt to protect the delicate sensitivities of its environment, and the sacred values of its peoples, the Bhutanese Government actively restricts the number of tourists allowed into the country.