Footloose Bhutan

Whether you’ll arrive in Paro by Druk Air or overland at the Bhutan – India border at Phuentsholing, the route to Paro and from there to Thimphu follows the first road in Bhutan built in 1962.

The Paro valley is charming, with quaint settlements set amongst terraced paddy fields. The town still maintains simple way of life, its architecture continuing in style native to Bhutan, assuring cultural continuity of traditions of yesteryear. Even Paro’s international airport a height of 7,400 ft above sea level fits into the environment, not clashing with it.

The ride from Paro to Thimphu a pleasant 37 miles ride. The road follows the Thimphu River through a mixture of rice fields and forests of conifer. The gradient of the road is perfect for bicycling as there are no steep climbs or descents.

From Thimphu on your way to Punakha you will tackle the 14 mile, almost 2,000 feet of vertical rise to the first major pass, the Dochu La, with a crest at 10,000 feet. Leaving Thimphu the road climbs steeply through a forest of pine and cedar, draped with lichens high up to very top of  Dochu La, entering a magnificent temperate forest with an abundance of rhododendron and magnolia.

The views from the pass are magnificent, offering a panorama of the Eastern Himalaya, including all of the giant 7,000 meter peaks of the Lunana region in northern Bhutan.

The Central Road crossing the Black Mountains was completed no more than20 years ago, and its completion brought great changes to the lives of the people of central Bhutan. Heading eastwards we climb for 9 miles to the Pele La (10,560 feet). Looking back from the pass, it will be possible to see Chomolhari (23,997 feet) rising in Western Bhutan.

The Pele La is the second of the “five big passes” along your route. Pele La is traditionally known as the boundary between Western and Central Bhutan, and the landscape which spreads out on the far side of the pass is different from that on the western side. Amazing descent of 5,000 vertical feet follows from the top of the pass downhill almost all the way to Trongsa.

Beyond Trongsa, we will approach another pass, the Yutong La (10,880 feet). On the other side of the pass we have cross a minor pass of Kiki La, and then it’s all downhill to Jakar, the main town in Bumthang, beginning to catch glimpses of Jakar Dzong, sitting high above the town, as far as almost 13 miles away.

From Jakar onwards the journey continues eastwards, winding through more rugged terrain. By car the drive to Mongar, the next larger township, takes about 8 hours, with spectacular views en route. Although you are free to cycle as much as you may desire you will also have to be driven as the distance for the day is too long.

We bicycle through Ura hamlet, the last and highest of the Bumthang valleys. To get there the road climbs through amazingly open countryside, every now and then dashing back to a forest, otherwise fields of barley and pastures fill the views.

In clear weather there is a also a possibility of a brilliant view of Bhutan’s greatest peak, Gangkhar Puensum (24,596 ft) before arriving at the top of the Ura La, a pass of 11,810 ft before reaching Ura. At the far end of the Ura valley, the road begins to climb towards the Thrumshing La, Bhutan’s highest highway pass at 12,160 feet. The ascent, achieved over 19 miles, is quite constant, and the landscape, as you cycle through dense forest of conifer and rhododendron, is quite amazing.

Thrumshing La pass marks the border between Central and Eastern Bhutan and is the final of your high altitude climbs.

You will enjoy lunch at the top of the pass before setting off on what is considered as one of the most compelling and beautiful descents in the mountain biking world, a thrilling downhill ride of over 54 miles. From the pass, the road drops over 10,000 feet to the valley bottom at 2,000 feet.

After that comes the most hair-raising section of the road traversing Bhutan. Carved out of the side of a cliff, and navigating high above a steep drop for a great deal of the way, this road will affirm to be the most electrifying part of the Bhutan cycling expedition.

As soon as we arrive at Lingmithang at mere 2,000 elevation, the heat level will have considerably increased and you will feel like really having arrived in the tropics. After today’s astonishing all downhill run of 5 hours over some 54 miles, you will be left dumbfounded. Having completed steep plunge, you may want to load your bikes into the support vehicle for the remaining 17 mile uphill scramble to the small town of Mongar at elevation of 5,500 feet for our overnight halt.

There will be another great descent in store for us the next day, but first we must handle another climb. But remember, what goes up must come down and following 11 miles climb to crest of the Kori La at 7,840 feet, the first of two relatively “lesser” passes that you will have left ahead of you for the remainder of your adventure at his point. From the pass the road begins a rapid descent through corn fields and banana groves and, after 6 miles, reaches the start of the famous hair-pin curves at Yadi (4,800 feet). Thirteen miles of continuous bends later, we arrive at a bridge across the Sheri River (1,920 feet). With a drop of 5,920 feet, this will be the second longest descend of the biking adventure.

Next comes very amiable 20-mile ride along the Gamri River, with the bridge and check-post below Tashigang as our goal. Unfortunately past the bridge begins difficult 5 mile climb to Trashigang that will bring us to the closing stage of a certainly exciting day of biking.

Spend the night in a lodge in the center of town, though high on a hill in reality mere 3,520 feet above sea level. At Trashigang, we will have attained the easternmost point of our journey. From here, the road heads south for over hundred miles to Samdrup Jongkhar, Bhutan’s frontier town on the border with Assam, India.  Though we have to still cross couple small passes, we are undeniable descending into the plains and exhilaration mounts as we get near, having completed a cycling adventure of a lifetime.