The Himalayas represent not just the mightiest mountain range in the world but also include some of the prettiest scenery and untouched, unexplored roads that are both spectacularly beautiful and challenging to ride. The West-Garwhal loop is a three-night, four-day adrenaline-filled adventure for any medium to advanced rider.
per person
Dehradun to Chakrata. The ride starts from Dehradun at an altitude of 650M above sea-level. We pull out early at 6:30 AM, taking advantage of the sparse traffic and head towards the popular mountain resort of Mussoorie at an altitude of over 1900M. This 32 KM stretch of set of switchback roads climbs offers a delightful riding experience, especially to first-timers on the mountain. Being the first hill up from the plains, the winding road offers many vista-points to snap memorable scenes. We reach Mussoorie in about an hour, stop for a cup of Hot Tea or Coffee and continue riding, descending the rear face of the mountain. Read More
We start out promptly at 9 AM after a full breakfeast, heading owards towards Sankri via the towns of Tiuni and Mori on the banks of the Tons river. Today’s ride traverses a road with sparse traffic but is nonetheless deceptively difficult because of the mixed terrain and continuous elevation changes. The road rises gradually up from Chakrata, to an elevation of 8,500’, cutting towards the left of the Devban forest area visited the previous afternoon. In many places the road is in fairly poor condition, making the ride a fairly technical ‘offroad’ excursion that requires continuous focus and concentration. Read More
Wake up early and talk to a slightly elevated spot about a 1.5KM from the hotel to catch spectacular views of sunrise against the backdrop of the 6000M+ Swargrohini and other mountain ranges. These are rare sites for those who don’t often visit the high mountains. We spend the morning in and around town and the more adventurous among you have the option of traversing India’s longest zipline, a 750M ride down the mountain, starting at 2200M. We then embark on a very technical and reasonably treacherous ride from Sankri to the last motorable village in the country: Taluka. Read More
The Sankri-Dehradun stretch, done either way, has rightly been called ‘the prettiest drive in the himalayas’, a worthy title indeed. We start out early on this final 200KM+ ride after our usual sumptuous breakfeast, always bearing in mind the extra energy and constant hydration required in the mountains. After the initial 18KM run down from Sankri to Mori, a reasonable test of our ‘offroad’ capabilities as on the way up, we get to a spectacular 34-KM stretch from Mori to the town of Purola through a particularly beautiful pine-forest with flowing bends tailor-made for motorcycling. Read More
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The ride starts from Dehradun at an altitude of 650M above sea-level. We pull out early at 6:30 AM, taking advantage of the sparse traffic and head towards the popular mountain resort of Mussoorie at an altitude of over 1900M. This 32 KM stretch of set of switchback roads climbs offers a delightful riding experience, especially to first-timers on the mountain. Being the first hill up from the plains, the winding road offers many vista-points to snap memorable scenes. We reach Mussoorie in about an hour, stop for a cup of Hot Tea or Coffee and continue riding, descending the rear face of the mountain. An equally exciting road combined with sharp switchbacks keeps riders honest, high-levels of concentration being required at all times. We stop for breakfeast at the small town of Kempty Falls, copiously hydrating ourselves taking in enough calories to compensate for the higher burn at elevated altitudes. Traversing the flowing road down the mountain, we divert from the main routes north towards Chakrata, situated between the Tons and Yamuna rivers. Embellished by the sun-kissed Himalayan ranges, the beauteous hill station of Chakrata is seated at an elevation of 2,118 metres above sea level about 100 KM from Dehradun. This secluded hilly town is cradled in the Dehradun district and is an ideal weekend getaway for the Bikers. Dotted by the coniferous forests, Chakrata is everyone’s delight as it is far away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Sparse traffic makes riding a breeze with spellbinding views of large mountains as far as the eye can see, entailing more than a few stops to soak in the beauty. Our stay in Chakrata is at the Snow View resort, a heritage building built by the British in 1836. After a much-needed lunch and hydration break, we rest up for an hour and head out at 3 PM for a special 32-KM roundtrip offroad-ride Devban (“God’s own forest”), a mountain-top located in the midst of a beautiful forest at an elevation of over 3000M. The more adventurous can traverse the final 1KM trek to the peak on foot, being rewarded with a panoramic view of multiple 6000M+ mountain peaks including Swargarohini, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Chaukhamba, Kaala Nag, Nanda Devi and Trishul. Returning to the Snow View resort, choose between spacious rooms with wood and coal-fired fireplaces or enjoy the night camping in available luxury tends close by. After a much-needed night’s rest, be sure to have a sumptuous breakfeast as we move to another thrilling, adventurous day. The high-elevations combined with the constant exertions of an Adventure motorcycle require and intake of significantly more calories, mainly in the form of carbohydrates from the local vegetarian diet, as well as constant water-hydration.
We start out promptly at 9 AM after a full breakfeast, heading owards towards Sankri via the towns of Tiuni and Mori on the banks of the Tons river. Today’s ride traverses a road with sparse traffic but is nonetheless deceptively difficult because of the mixed terrain and continuous elevation changes. The road rises gradually up from Chakrata, to an elevation of 8,500’, cutting towards the left of the Devban forest area visited the previous afternoon. In many places the road is in fairly poor condition, making the ride a fairly technical ‘offroad’ excursion that requires continuous focus and concentration. We take several hydration and photo breaks to soak in the scenery in the midst of the serene mountains and reach our mid-morning break venue, located at an elevation of 8200’ before noon. Continuing on, we enter a series of twisties and switchbacks, often on fairly ‘offroad’ sections, as the road traverses two mountain ranges with elevation changes as the road descents to the base of one mountain and up another, making for exhilarating motorcycling in the midst of serene, peaceful and mighty mountains. The road gets substantially better about 30 KM after lunch and we finally reach the small town of Tiuni, situated at an elevation of 3,400’ by the banks of the Tons river, where we break for a late lunch. The stretch from Tiuni to the town of Mori is fast, flowing and scenic, running by the banks of the Tons river. About mid-way through this brilliant stretch, five kilometers after the town of Hanol, we come across a pine-forest by the Tons river where you have the opportunity to ride your adventure bikes as you want since the area is officially off the main road. Riding in the midst of the pine-trees is a special experience though one needs to be quite careful of the slippery terrain and ensure you ride within your capabilities, not getting carried away. After a leasurely offroading break we continue on, reluctant to leave this mesmerizing place by the roaring Tons river. It’s another 20 kilometers to the small town of Mori, down at an elevation of just 1100’, where we take a small tea-break while our bikes are topped up with petrol at the local general store. From Mori, down at an elevation of just 1100’, we begin our final, relatively steep 18KM stretch to Sankri, at 6000’. The road is fairly bumpy and this entire section can rightly be considered another of our many ‘offroad’ rides, requiring riders to frequently ride standing-up as is the norm on adventure bikes. Just before we reach Sankri, the magical views of the 6,400M Swargrohini I, II and III peaks appear toward our left. With its continuous elevation changes and concentrated riding, together with the Hanol pine-forest excursion, this day will be a bit tiring at the end, a tiredness that you’ll welcome when you look back at the experience. We reach Sankri by evening 6, check into comforting “Wild Orchid Inn” Hotel and rest for the night for another upcoming adverntiure on a short but thrilling ride to the village of Taluka the next morning.
Wake up early and talk to a slightly elevated spot about a 1.5KM from the hotel to catch spectacular views of sunrise against the backdrop of the 6000M+ Swargrohini and other mountain ranges. These are rare sites for those who don’t often visit the high mountains. We spend the morning in and around town and the more adventurous among you have the option of traversing India’s longest zipline, a 750M ride down the mountain, starting at 2200M. We then embark on a very technical and reasonably treacherous ride from Sankri to the last motorable village in the country: Taluka. This short, 11-Km stretch is on an entirely unpaved road with no railings, often with steep drop-offs on one-side. The road is plied regularly with Bolero Jeeps ferrying Trekkers from Sankri to Taluka, which is the starting point for many of the country’s most popular, scenic and challging treks, including Har Ki Dun (27KM one-way, up past 4000M), Bali Pass (4700M), Maldaru Lake (4400M) and many others. Although quite short, this 11KM stretch takes an average rider the better part of an hour, requiring concentration and focus. The less experienced among you will want to make several stops, especially to allow Jeeps past and traverse carefully through the ever-present Cattle and not a few goats and other assorted animals. The better part of the trail is often close to the outer edge of the road, requiring steady nerves. This is Aventure riding at its best. The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been built specifically for terrain such as this and you will come to appreciate its excellent design, especially the 17/21 front-rear wheel combination and the narrower tires for better traction. Depending on the time we start out, lunch may optionally be arranged at Taluka. Those that bring along their trekking boots can explore the start of the spectacular Har Ki Dun trek, with the trail hugging the roaring Tons river, followed by a mini-climb up to a meadow above Talluka town, under the guidance of our experienced local guides. The area is quite pristine and spectacularly beautiful, especially if one explores the trails. The return journey from Taluka to Sankri is just as technical and focused, with the mountain now to our left so we are not as close to the unprotected drops on the right side of road on the return. Riders do need to be aware, however, of overhangs from the mountain hitting their helmets(!) a feature that once again requires focus and concentration, making one realize that this really is an adventure and not a cushy, luxury ride! Returning to Sankri and time permitting, some of you might want to practice your downhill riding skills with another short, less technical ride down the road form Sankri to Mori on your own, or just chill out in some of the quaint cafes in town and explore the local area, in preparation for our final day ride back to Dehradun via Mussoorie.
The Sankri-Dehradun stretch, done either way, has rightly been called ‘the prettiest drive in the himalayas’, a worthy title indeed. We start out early on this final 200KM+ ride after our usual sumptuous breakfeast, always bearing in mind the extra energy and constant hydration required in the mountains. After the initial 18KM run down from Sankri to Mori, a reasonable test of our ‘offroad’ capabilities as on the way up, we get to a spectacular 34-KM stretch from Mori to the town of Purola through a particularly beautiful pine-forest with flowing bends tailor-made for motorcycling. We stop in the middle of the pine-forest ride for the de-rigueur photo session, soaking in the fantastic scenery. Continuing on, the road follows the side of the mountain with the river Sat-Yamuna below. Constant, flowing bends interspersed with moderate straight sections make for an entertaining ride, with a temptation to step on the gas, a temptation that must be constantly kept in check bearing in mind the many inexperienced drivers and tourists that ply this route, not to mention the over-enthusiastic ‘pahari’ hill-drivers of commercial buses. About 20KM past Purola, we reach the small town of Naugoan, from where we pick up the main Yamuna river. The road widens at this point, making the ride a little more relaxing as we continue on to the small down of Damta, a favourite stopping point for lunch at one of the many local restaurants. We continue to follow the Yamuna with constant elevation changes along the mountainside until we reach the turnoff for Mussoorie. The run-up to Mussoorie is a brilliant 25KM stretch of winding alpine road via Kempty falls with spectacular views on all sides. After a short stop for hydration and more photos, we continue on to Mussoorie and begin our final, 30KM winding mountain-road run down to Dehradun, bringing an end to a memorable day’s riding in the beautiful Himalayas.