Choosing your first route

Be honest about volume first. If your longest rides are an hour or two on the flat, start with a route built around short days — three to four hours of riding, gentle climbing, and a bed every night. The Brooks & Trouts route exists for exactly this. It's designed not to break a first-timer.

Then think about altitude separately from fitness — they're different problems. A strong rider from the plains can still struggle at 2,500 m, because the air gives back less regardless of how fit you are. The valley loops (Lakes & Meadows, the Golden Belt) keep you mostly under 3,000 m. You can experiment with your beginner skills, like camping in the wild or on requested private land. The Great Himalayan Bikepacking Trail spends days above that and asks for a real acclimatisation plan. If you already have good scores in handling long distances and bikepacking, then try this. Keep in mind that these are the Himalayas, and they will require you to have a strong mindset.

Advice for someone who has never done this before: use the routes as a ladder, not a menu. Brooks & Trouts is the first rung — talk to our team to help you select the route, or go for support in the beginning. Lakes & Meadows and the Golden Belt are a clear step up in distance and sustained climbing, and the GHBT is the high crossing they build towards. Ride a rung, then climb. The trip planner on the main page maps your level and your travel month to the route that actually fits.