India and Nepal on a rented bike
 

Hello, guys.

I had to give up a planned trip to South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana due to the high costs of the motorcycle hire there postponing the trip to May, so I was thinking about a cheaper trip for my holiday period of November (18 total days).
I was thinking about renting a bike in New Delhi and tour part of India + Nepal.
I've read many threads here on the HUBB, and now I was liking to know if the following driving times sound feasable or not, considering that most probably I'll rent a Royal Enfield:


New Delhi to Pokhara: 2.5 days of riding;
Chitwan National Park (Nepal) to Varanasi (India): 1 full day
Varanasi to Agra: 1.5 days
Agra to Jaipur: half a day
Jaipur to New Delhi: half a day


The other days will be used for local sightseeings + flights to and from Delhi.

I have already received a quote from Tony Bullet Center (where also a friend of mine rented a 350cc Enfield last year), but he only rents Enfields.
Does anybody else rents Honda Hero or some other reliable bikes?
I am a good rider but a terrible mechanic, so I'd stick to a bike that will allow me to respect my schedule as much as possible.


Thanks you all for your suggestions about my riding times and the type of motorcycle to choose.

India/Nepal
 

You have a major problem, once entering Nepal from India you can not return to India for 60 days.:nono: (I spent 3 months riding a Enfield around Nepal/India this year) My suggestion is rent in Kathmandu, ride to Pokhara (1 day) on to Chitwan then on to Varanasi, Now it will take a minimum of 3 days to get to Varanasi from Chitwan. What I would do is forget either India or Nepal & just do one. We spent one month in Nepal & we wished we could spend at least another month there.:thumbup1: We rode from KTM to a place called Muktinath in the Annurpaura Mountains, which was just great. I would tend to do Nepal over India if it was me.:innocent:
If you want info on where to get a bike in Nepal let me know ?

Thanks
Paul

Thanks a stack, Paul, I did not know about the rule of the 60 days, this sends my entire plan to hell... doh :taz:
The fact is that I wanted to tour both of the Countries as I don't know when I'll be able to go back to that area again.
The motorcycle rental I found in Kathmandu is Bikemandu.com, they replied very fastly and I read that they provide Enfields in good shape.

But... are you really sure about this 60-days rule? :(

Hero impulse
 

If your looking to hire a Hero impulse try here : Motorcycle Rental India, Motor Bike Rental, Motorcycles Rent India - Royal India Bikes

I haven't used them myself.

Cheers
Chris

In november 2011 it was, that's for sure, and it was big pain in the *ss. We came back home for a wedding and we needed a special endorsement from the Embassy in Madrid to be able to get in again. I am a very patient person, very perseverant, but I would never repeat it unlees absolute need (I said that my father was getting is backbone operated, which was also truth). Iran visa took me 2 months to get, it was worth it, but this, no way!

Go only to Nepal, no doubt. Any bike will do, we rented a 150cc Pulsar and went 2 up and it was more than enough. We too, would have spend another month in Nepal, everything is superlative there.

Happy travels,

Esteban

Nepal
 

Nic, Yes unfortunately it is true, but you can start in Nepal go to India then back to Nepal. Bikemandu is the guy that I rented mine off ! Very nice bloke X Gurkha, I used his green 500cc classic & was a great bike. If you want a copy of a film I made of our trip "Road to Mustang" send me your address and I will send it to you. I think after you see it you maybe happy just staying in Nepal ! It is awesome !!!:thumbup1:

Thank you all for your replies, extremely helpful!

I'll remake the plan according to your suggestions and experiences.


See ya on the road,

Nick

I already asked Bikemandu.com about 15 days ago if they allow to ride to neighbouring Countries but the answer was "no", you rent in Nepal and stay there (they told me that a Carnet de Passage would be involved + high costs, also...)

Do you maybe know some other hiring Companies that allow to cross the border without the hassle of the Carnet?

I was going to point you to Hearts and Tears in Pokhara, maybe they could help (nice couple), but their eb site does not work and I just read elsewhere they did shut down, a pity.

Does it have to an Enfield? What about a 220cc Bajaj Pulsar (if you want more power)? There are very few Enfields around, but many more Pulsars, so more spares in case something gets broken. You can rent them easily in Thamel St. in Kathmandu or in the Jonction in Pokhara (owners of souvenir/cloths/North FaKe gear shops who rent bikes as well, no insurance, nothing, though). I think more choice in Thamel.

Many, many travelers flee India to Nepal to find it a heaven of peace, nice people, good & safe food and as cheap as its southern neighbour. Lots to see, from the Himalayas to jungles and amazing historical cities in Kathmandu Valley. So I would not worry too much.

Good luck,

Esteban

After all of your replies, I decided to extend the stay in Nepal and reduce the one in India.

Just some doubts:

1) I saw that somebody among you (Paul, if I recall well) rode Pokhara to Muktinath: are three days enough to go from Pokhara, visit and be back to Pokhara again?


2) India: I decided to fly Kathmandu to New Delhi to avoid the 60-day rule (also the Italian Foreign Office wepage talks openly about this rule but I really did not see it when reading their page about one month ago... doh), rent the Enfield in Delhi and limit my India 2012 to Delhi-Agra-Delhi with visit to the two cities.
Is it feasable to ride Delhi to Agra in half a day?
I planned 4 total days on Indian territory: I would not like to skip it, as I don't know when I can be back in this area again in the future and I really wanna visit the Taj Mahal.
Taj Mahal or bust! :mchappy:


So, my plan, final plan, for my 16 full days among India and Nepal by motorcycle would be this:


RIDES AND VISITS IN NEPAL (10 full days)

Kathmandu and its valley;
Pokhara;
Chitwan National Park
Pokhara - Mutkinath - Pokhara


RIDES AND VISITS IN INDIA (4 full days)

New Delhi
Agra


What do you think of all of this?

Nepal
 

Yep, you can ride Pokahara to Tatopani (Stay at Trekkers Inn) to Muktinath (Stay at Bob Marley) to Pokhara in a day (should be no drama if you can ride a bit) Pokhara (Stay at Sacred Valley, but book in advance) definitely go paragliding from Sarangot. If in Kathmandu I'll put you in contact with my mate Sherap Sherpa he owns Wild Tracks Nepal (Royal Enfields) he will take you out for a traditional Nepalese dinner & a great time !!!!bier (He can also rent you an Enfield in India & can be trusted):thumbup1:
From Pokhara go to Chitwan & continue on the mountainous road back to KTM.
KTM to Pokhara you can do in a day also. I can send suggested Itinerary for 10 days if you want including places to stay & what to see. Just let me know ?
Also Hearts & Tears don't exist anymore.:nono:

Cheers
paul

Pokhara-Muktinath-Pokhara in just one day? Isn't it too much?

I thought to ride Pokhara to Muktinath in one day, then a full day to visit the place and the surrounding area and a third day to ride back to Pokhara...
Three days in total.
Or maybe did I misunderstand what you wrote?

No just ride to Tatopani first day, then leave early visit Marpha for an
Hour then to mukiinath as there are things to see on the way !
I will PM you an itinerary.

OK, thanks a stack!

We made a loop starting from Pokhara south following the Siddarta Highway to Tansen (left late, so got there at night, I'd just avoid it otherwise), to Lumbini (Buddah's birthplace, they are building a complex full of Buddist temples, interesting, it will be amazing when finished, I hope, then eastwards to Chitwan national Park; really worth it; if elephant trek, get state owned elephants, no point, much nicer, we were told so by a couple of biologists as well), then north towards Bandipur (nice village with traditional nepali houses) and back to Pokhara. Not many kilometers, we are not iron asses, but good fun.

So, in your case, I might start going from Nepal to Chitwan, then Lumbini to Siddarta Highway (named because of Siddarta Gautama= Budda) which is a really beautiful ride, much more this way, going more uphill towards the Annapurna region. Then road to Jomson to Mutkinath (don't know it, though), then Pokhara for a rest and some Western cuisine if you feel like (lasagna?). And then back to Kathmandu Valley. Don't miss places like Bakthapur (beautiful old town) or Patan for their artistic value, if interested in ancient architecture. I heard there's a great ride northeast to a higher place where you can see the Everest, but Cannot remember the name, we did not do it.

Just an idea. Hope it may help you.

Happy travels,

Esteban

PS: btw, if you want a taste of what India will be, go around Lumbini complex to the very end and find a small village, a dead end. It looks like an Indian village. We stayed in the only one place, much cheaper, but I do not recommend particularly.