Photos:Mats Petterson

The kingdom of Nepal opened its international borders to visitors in 1951 after almost a century and half of complete isolation from the outside world. For an adventure destination, Nepal is hard to beat. With ancient history, fascinating cultures and the great scare of the Himalayas dominating the skyline, few can deny the overwhelming allure of this enchanting country.

Nepal's population is extremely diverse. Culturally, it is almost impossible to pigeon-hole the enormous mosaic of ethnic groups in Nepal. Isolated villages have developed unique practices and traditions over the centuries which distinguish them from villages of similar clans. The cultural make-up can however be broken down into two very broad camps, people of Tibeto-Burman origin from the Himalayas, and those of Indo-Aryan origin from the Indian sub-continent, represented by the Buddhist and Hindu religions respectively .

With magnificent mountain vistas and enormous cultural diversity, mountain bike in Nepal really is an unique experience. Nepalese are incredibly friendly people, and their special hospitality is an endearing feature of travel in this culturally diverse kingdom.

The climate in Nepal is governed by the monsoon which comes up from the Bay of Bengal. The monsoon lasts from June through to mid-September. We do not operate any trip during this period; the best period for mountain bike is from mid-October to end-April. During the winter daytime temperatures reach 20-25 deg with excellent views of the mountains and at night, temperatures drop to 5-10 deg.

All nationalities except Indians require a visa for Nepal. Visas are obtained on your arrival at Katmandu's airport, you just need a passport sized photo, it costs 30US dollars and is valid for 2 months.