Mountain biking from Pokhara, a rough guide to rough ground
The ride down from Sarangkot, the Begnas back roads, and the multi-week Himalayan routes for riders who mean it.
By the Lakeshore team · 5 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Nepal is a superb place to ride a bike and a hard place to ride one casually. The hills are steep, the traffic on the main roads is unforgiving, and the good riding is on trails that were made for feet and hooves.
Pokhara is the best base for it in the country, because you can be on dirt within twenty minutes in any direction. We don't run bike trips ourselves, so this is simply what's here and what to know before you rent something.
Sarangkot down, the obvious one
Get a jeep to take you and the bike up to Sarangkot at 1,592 m, then ride down. There are several lines. The road is fast and dull, and the trails through the villages are neither.
You drop roughly 800 m to the lake, and it gets technical in places, with steps, loose ground and drops. This is no descent for beginners. The local riders who make it look easy have been doing it since they were children.
Put it together with sunrise at the top and it makes an excellent morning. Watch the light come up, drink a tea, and ride down before the day heats up.
Gentler riding
The friendliest riding near Pokhara is east toward Begnas and Rupa, on rolling back roads and farm tracks at low altitude, past villages and lakes to stop at. It makes a whole day out with no serious climbing.
The valley floor around Pokhara is flat, and a bike is a good way to get to the old bazaar, the caves and Begnas without a taxi. The road north toward Ghachok and the Machhapuchhre foothills climbs steadily on a decent surface, so you get mountains without technical ground.
The serious routes
People ride the Annapurna Circuit as a multi-week mountain-bike route, over Thorong La, which mostly means carrying the bike over the pass instead of riding it. The trip is well established, and it's hard.
Upper Mustang by bike is the other classic, on jeep track and old trail through the rain-shadow desert. It needs the same restricted-area permit and agency arrangement as trekking there.
Both are specialist trips with support vehicles and mechanics. If that's what you want, we'll put you in touch with the operators who do it properly. We don't run them and won't pretend to.
Renting, and what to check
Lakeside has plenty of bikes for rent, from good full-suspension models to things that shouldn't leave the shop. Check the brakes and tyres yourself before you pay, and ride it round the block.
Take a helmet. Shops offer them inconsistently, and on the Sarangkot descent a helmet is non-negotiable. Take a basic repair kit too, since within half an hour of leaving Lakeside you're a long way from a shop. For cyclists, traffic on the Prithvi and Baglung highways is the main hazard in the whole country. Get off the main roads as quickly as you can and stay off them.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Can I hire a bike for a day?
Easily, in Lakeside, by the day or the week. Look it over before you pay, especially the brakes and tyres.
Is the Sarangkot descent suitable for a novice?
The road, yes, with care. The trails, no, because they're steep, loose and stepped. Ride the road first and look at the trails before you commit.
Do you organise bike trips?
No. We'll happily recommend the operators who specialise in it, and we won't take a cut. If you'd rather walk, ask us.
Best season for riding?
October to April. The monsoon turns the trails to mud, and the leeches find you whenever you stop.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates, and we'll tell you whether Sarangkot Sunrise is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830