SpiceRoads Offers Sikkim Cycling Tour as Alternative to Tibet

Because the Chinese authorities are no longer issuing foreigners with entry permits to Tibet, SpiceRoads Cycle Tours has had to cancel two Lhasa to Kathmandu tours and is instead offering a 10-day cycle tour to Sikkim in northeast India.

Sikkim is bordered by Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan, and the influence is seen in the people, the majority of whom are ethnically Nepali, and the two predominant religions of Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism.

Stops on this cycle tour include the 200-year-old Tibetan Enchey monastery in Gangtok and the Rumtek Monastery, which dates back to the 16th century and is lead by the 16th Karmapa who fled Tibet in 1959 and took over Rumtek as his main seat in exile.

Throughout the ride the Kanchenjunga mountain range of five peaks and includes Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world with an elevation of 8,586 m (28,169 ft), is ever present, another reminder of the snow-capped peaks of Tibet.

The Cycling Sikkim's Tea Trails route is 330 kilometres over six days of cycling and takes breaks to make a wish at Sikkim's holiest lake, sample tea from local plantations, and ride a toy train in the colonial hill station of Darjeeling.

SpiceRoads does warn interested cyclists that the riding will be strenuous, as it will consist of exhilarating descents down into valleys and then climbs up over passes (none higher than 2,100 m).

The tour costs US$1,950 with an additional $175 for bike rental, and starts and ends at Bagdgora airport in Sikkim.

The price includes accommodation, most meals, drinks and snacks while riding. SpiceRoads Cycle Tours has three fall departures and is offering a 10% introductory discount for 28 October - 6 November, 25 November - 4 December and 23 December - 1 January tours.

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