Riding Over Mt Everest?

I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip around the world (Australia -> South Africa) and would like to go through/over the Himalayas (Tibet -> Nepal) getting as close to Mt. Everest as possible. I did a search on here and google about other people's motorcycle journeys and found nothing.

Just as a note, I'm a small guy and will be riding a small bike. Something in 200-400 range and will be packing lightly. Also I know this would be a very challenging and dangerous part of the trip and want to prepare as much as possible before going.

Here is a map of the overall Aus -> SA potential route. This is still a pretty rough outline.


I did some research and found some trails or small roads that go pretty far up Mt. Everest at least on the Tibet side of the peak.

Coming from Tibet, there is a small road that goes off G318 and seems to go up to the Mt Everest on this side the mountain. I made a map on Google Maps that shows the potential path. You might have to zoom out a little. Also, look at the satellite photos and in terrain mode.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msi...=0&ll=28.01221,86.855764&spn=0.12215,0.051584

Is this path up to the pin "Top for Us. Drop Begins" possible on a motorbike?

Then, is getting from the pin labelled "Top for Us. Drop Begins" to the pin "Mt Everest Base Camp II" possible? It's about 2.5 km and drops about 600m and the firs half km is pretty steep looking.


Thanks in advance and this site is excellent!

I seriously doubt you will get that close to the base camp but I've never been there before either, I would just think there is some control of what gets to use the pathways to base camp.

Just have to go as far as you can ride and find out.

Goodluck

John

I doubt it too. I'm pretty sure there would be restrictions or something to stop a rider, but I was unable to find anything that explicitly said no motorbikes allowed. Maybe they don't need to say it because the terrain is just too bad for bikes and you'd be stupid to take one up there.

I don't want to go up then have to come back down. I'd prefer to go another way and not have to back track too much.

Hi<
I went overland by truck from Kathmandu to Lhasa...1998. Awesome. I do believe on the Tibet side you can get fairly close to Everest base camp definitely not on the Nepal side unless things have drastically changed in the last few years. I have a very good contact in Nepal that may be able to give you some info. He is one of the partners in Peak Promtion...a trekking company that David Breashers the film maker uses. His name is Mahadev Sharma and you can mention my name Clive Rayman in Toronto, Canada. This is his email: mahadev_sharma@hotmail.com
www.peakpromotionnepal.com
Hope this is of help.

When are you planning to do this? Depending on whenm I may be interested but first I am doing Central and South America and then may ship my bike to Australia or Africa from South America.

What was your path from Kathmandu to Lhasa? That must have been absolutely amazing.

Why don't you think it's possible to get close to Everest on the Nepal side? The road/path conditions don't allow for it?


Thank you very, very much for the contact info for Mahadev Sharma. I will absolutely contact him about this. You're amazing.

As of now my planned departure is summer 2014. Kind of far off to begin planning, but better early i guess.



Also, I've added a more pins on the route from Base Camp II on the Nepal side on what looks like a path down the mountain. Can any here tell me more about this potential path?

Track down Chanderjeet, one of the mods here. I believe he knows that part of the world.

Ah yes, Chanderjeet. I've read his RR's. Very good. I've just contacted him. Thanks for the tip!

Have the route written in my diary which is in storage...but at the time there was only one road from Kathmandu to Lhasa. It took 5 days and at one point we had to change vehicles as there was a rock slide blocking the highway. Yes it was an amazing journey and I would actually like to do it again on a motorcycle.

You can get base camp Nepal side...it's just ahard hike. When I was there there were there no roads for vehicles....just tracks, pathways for humans and yaks.....having said that these days an enduro bike may be able to do it. Mahadev would be able to give you that info.

After South America which I should complete by April...that will give me a better idea of if I'll do that route and when.

The closest you can get to Mt. Everest without actually getting a climbing permit is till Base Camp. There was one Japanese fellow who rode his motorcycle their once but I am not sure if now they allow vehicles to go there because of all the environmental causes. I am sure though that some people go there in their 4wd trucks regularly but from the Chinese / Tibetan side. Driving / Riding is not possible from Nepal's side.

As far as the riding in Indian Himalayas goes, you will be only able to plan once you have a confirmed date of riding here.

http://www.asiasafari.com/motorbike/tibet_everest_bike_tour.html

I understand that the guys above do it, so I know you can get there.

You can also check out these Aussie guys who were planning to go there but got cut off recently because there was a protest by a couple of do-gooder americans at base camp and as a result the Chinese military closed off the whole area.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Continental-Drift

Your enthusiasm is great and as you do more research you will find all the issues with your route and you will adjust it accordingly. That's the way planning works... I mean I was planning to ride all 50 US states when I first started planning 3 years ago, now I am 10 months into riding around Europe... so go figure right, we all get there in the end :)

Anyway, China is very difficult, your double entry there won't really work, unless you are loaded. Think about $15,000 dollars to hire the compulsory government guide etc. just for the China bit, most guys who do this split the cost between half a dozen riders to make it actually affordable... otherwise getting a foreign bike in, well forget about it.

Your next issue is the idea of going from so far North to extremely far south over a long period of time. Covering areas like the himilayas, siberia, the stans and the scandanavian countries requires you to plan so that you are riding them in the warmer parts of the year, assume you are either Australian or South African, given your route planning, hell unless you are from the Yukon in Canada there is very little chance that you are used to living in the kind of weather you will encounter on that route, let alone ride in it.

Finally, I doubt it is possible to cross over through the area you have described. Your issue with a straight Europe to Australia route are either, coming through China and paying the price to have to go with a guided tour. The other way through is through Pakistan/Iran - I believe that is the only possible route - but has its own dangers.

Even if you could get over the mountains through Tajikstan. You would arrive into Kashmir at the top of India... where I understand there is often conflict.

I can't give you any feedback on the African part... happy planning

It would be great to learn more about your route, but I can understand your hesitation to get the journal from storage. Storage is always a hassle.

I am wondering the same thing about the Nepal side. On google maps they have a trekking path mapped out, but can a bike even go over it and is it allowed. I don't know exactly - more research is needed.

Is riding not possible on the Nepal side because the paths/roads are physically too small or do government regulations forbid it? I have seen a number of site that advertise motorbike trips in Tibet up the mountain and then back down, but none that actually go over it and come down the Nepal side. Perhaps, as I am learning, it is just too difficult and dangerous.

This site didn't seem to work. Any other links/info on their trip?

You're absolutely right. Things will change whether I like it or not. But that is part of the joy of life.

Really? $15,000 to get a person and a bike into the country? Or is that because you have to hire a guide for the entire time you're riding in the country? Or do you only need a guide for Tibet?

Yes, planning the trip so I hit the various areas in the warmer times is important. I'm from the States and have lived in various places for a number of years were the high and low temperatures have ranged from about +40C to -35C. I've experienced some extreme weather, but you're right, proper gear is essential and it would be even more difficult on a bike.

I'm really interested in seeing Kashmir, but I don't want to get caught in conflict there (or elsewhere). Maybe the answer would be to fly the small distance from somewhere in Kashmir to somewhere in Tajikistan. Thus avoiding the Pakistan/Iran route and a double entry into China.

Northeastern DR Congo could be very challenging and dangerous, too... there´s a reason, why Africa these days is mostly "eastern" or "western" route, and not many possibilities in between. But I´m not really an expert on those areas, just advicing to do some more research on that.

Also going thru China from Nepal to Laos is gonna cost you BIG TIME. And you are not likely to find transport from Papua Indonesian side to Papua New Guinea, and onwards to Australia. Unless you are very rich of course!! The most common way on those parts is to put the bike on a freight ship from Timor Leste to Darwin.

Edit: Mali-Algeria-Morocco is definitely "no-go", and border Algeria/Morocco is in fact closed. You must go towards the Atlantic coast, and then head north.

Yeah I estimated the cost at about that because some others

Here is a quote from a HUBB thread.

"You mention China as ramping up the cost and you are right. NAVO the Chinese tourist guide company quoted 80,000 Yuan ( UK pounds = 8,000) for an english speaking guide, driver and guide vehicle for a period of 28 days. This includes the documents for the vehicles and licences BUT does not include cost of accommodation, meals, fuel along the route. "

You can see the whole thread here...

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...-travellers/aus-uk-through-china-vise-65786-4

Your route would at least take this much time, plus add extra cost for a double entry - easily 15k USD.


If you have lived in those extremes I think you will have more chance at dealing with the cold.

I think you would have to fly the bit you are suggesting.

Try this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Continental-Drift/295235653852940

Yea my route through Africa hasn't been thought out super thoroughly. I just know I want to go to Accra, Kampala, Johannesburg and the eastern part of the continent to see the wildlife. The path I take to see those places isn't extremely important, but I don't want to get caught in violence in Egypt/Tunisia/Libya/elsewhere.

I did more research on Papua New Guinea and it looks like someplace I'll probably not go to. It seems to be relatively dangerous and lacking country wide motorcyclable infrastructure. I want to go to Darwin so the Darwin -> Timor Leste -> Indonesia route looks more appealing now.

Holy Cow. $8,000? Is that to go anywhere in China on a foreign bike or is that only for the guide, etc in restricted areas (Tibet)?

Thank you for the new link for Continental Drift. Pretty Cool!

Read again, 8000 GBP, that is about $13,000 USD. Yeah, that is to go anywhere in China with a foreign bike because you re not allowed in the country with a foreign bike, without a guide, period. In China it is extremely expensive to own a bike that is greater than 250cc's, you rarely see them. Owning a bike over 250cc's is the equivalent of owning a Porsche in the states.

The only way to ride cheap in China is to go there, buy a bike under 250cc and only travel around China, you wont be able to take the bike out of the country.... actually that would be a hell of a lot easier. But I am sure you will still get some issues from the police.

PNG is rough, especially in the highlands... I wouldn't go there on a bike. Think tribes throwing logs across the road to trap cars. Expats up there that work for mining companies live in compounds and drive around with security. Too much risk of someone high on beetlenut slashing you with a machete eh.

Jackson's suggestion of buying a bike in China exclusively for China is probably your best bet.
You can reduce the cost a little bit by getting a group together (see this thread on HUBB doing something similar - sorry, don't know any ADV threads off the top of my head)... but whichever way you look at it, China on a foreign bike is expensive. Most people choose the detour option, but obviously this may interfere with your Everest plans.

I have not crossed into China on my bike, but it is my understanding, that you have to hire a tour company in China to handle all the paperwork for you. And they will arrange you the guide to come and meet you up at the border. You pay for the tour company´s services (probably pretty much a fixed amount per head, even if you stayed only 1 day in China) and the guide´s costs you will pay by day, so those depend on how long you will travel there. If you have a group, you may be able to share those guide costs. The guide will not travel as a pillion on a motorcycle, but may travel as a passenger in a car, so if you only have bike(s), then the guide will need a car, the rental of which you also have to pay.

From Kyrgyzstan via China to Pakistan on the Karakoram Highway seems to be a relatively used route, because it only requires a short stay in China, so guide costs may be smaller.

Also how many provinces you will be visiting inside China, will affect the costs, because it involves more paperwork (.....BUT do note, that just lately several travellers have reported, that inter-provincial travel in China is currently forbidden, so that could have a big impact on anyone´s plans to cross from Nepal to Laos, for example!)

But do note this: riding from Europe to South India, for example, should be totally possible (*) without having to use any guides, or paying ridiculous amounts of money (that kind of money does go a LOOOOOONG way in a cheap country like India, BTW!!)... and then you can ship the bike across the Bay of Bengal to Bangkok, for example (and there are no ferries, so don´t dream about that option!) In fact I did exactly that 4,5 years ago, sent my DL650 on an open crate from Chennai by air to BKK via Kuala Lumpur, and that cost me roughly 600 euros total (plus my own flight ticket Chennai-BKK was about 200 euros). Sending from India is a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare, but still 100% do-able, and I guess you should just take it as an experience in itself........ just like Indian traffic LOL!!

(*) Iran & Pakistan visas could be tough for certain passport holders, though.

I can't remember where on here I read it, but someone said don't go where they don't want you. With those kinds of prices China doesn't seem to want normal foreigners traveling in their country. From the research done I think I'll be skipping China. The Nepal side of the Himalayas will be awesome.

That's exactly what I read. Easier just to skip it.

Thank you for the HUBB thread. I read it all and it seems to confirm I'll be skipping over China. Real shame.

Great info! I've been quite interested in India (and many other places obviously) for some time. It reallyhelps that it is cheap. After some adjustments (with more to come I'm sure), I planning on skipping a few places and jumping around by air but still seeing a ton of cool things! The below path is still rough:



Does anyone have any recommendations on how to adjust the route to see more cool stuff?

Yeah, once you get to the bottom of Italy, catch a ferry over to Croatia and spend some time exploring the Balkans, Bosnia/Montenegro/Croatia etc. - you wont regret it.

Then on your way up to Scandanavia, check out Switzerland/ and or Austria on the way through.

Ethiopia to Morocco most definitely WILL NOT happen.. Google "sahara" to get you started on that one! And unless you like the idea of getting kidnapped by armed groups linked to Al-Qaida, familiarize yourself with the whole situation before you go. The threat is real.

Otherwise that new plan looks more realistic, though there are still some other smaller problems with it. Like only 1 possible border crossing for foreigners vehicles between Pakistan&India (east from Lahore).. and I can almost guarantee, that you will not get your foreign vehicle into Vietnam, unless you pay very big money to arrange it with a tour company (bit like China). Freighting across the Bay of Bengal usually happens from Kathmandu or Chennai, could be done from Delhi as well. Seems that Nepal is easier to send from, than India. Haven't heard of anyone doing it from eastern states of India. Bangladesh might be a possibility, too, but could be laborous to arrange I think.

Even though you might not be able to do everything you'd like to, that would still be one hell of a trip.