KATHMANDU, Nepal–Foreign tourists who visited Nepal for scaling high peaks have now gradually lured towards mountain bike. Though mountain bike tour was a matter of rare glimpse until a couple of years ago, however, such adventurous activities are rampant across the country these days.
With the Nepal Tour Operator and Travel Agency (NTOTA) started out cycling packages, adventure tourists have now climb rocky hills via bicycles.
According to a stats of NTOTA, over 300 groups of foreign tourists had visited Nepal for mountain-biking in 2013 alone while the numbers of such adventurous tourist were as many as 200 in 2012.
Entrepreneurs say up to 40 foreigners on average opt for mountain bike spending over US$ 100 each day. According to them, mountain bike has succeeded to lure more foreign tourists after the government celebrated 2011 as Nepal Tourism Year.
Foreign tourist visiting Nepal mainly love to cycle through 12-day Annapurna Circuit, two week Manaslu Area, Upper Mustang, Lower Mustang, Muktinath, Kagbeni, and Mt. Nilgiri among other alpine areas. A total of 20 groups come to Nepal every year for the 19-day Lhasa-Kathmandu bike tour.
Mountain cycling was started in 1995 in Nepal.
