Nepal Forever

Ten nights and around 467 miles in a loop from Kathmandu on a Royal Enfield, the shortest and cheapest Nepali route the operator sells, and deliberately kept below the high passes.

Patan opens it, then the descent to the Terai lowlands and Chitwan, where a safari day goes out among one-horned rhinoceros, monkeys and crocodiles, with a chance of tiger, leopard or sloth bear that nobody can promise. Tansen follows on mountain roads.

Pokhara comes next through the Aadhi Khola valley to Phewa Tal, the second largest lake in Nepal, with a boat trip or kayaking optional and a hike up to the Peace Pagoda, which looks out over the water and the Annapurna range together and is the best single view on the itinerary. Dhampus follows on a seldom-travelled ridge road in the Annapurna foothills.

Darechok comes next by way of Begnas lake, then a traditional house at Nuwakot with valley views, and Kathmandu through Shivapuri National Park, with Durbar Square and an evening in Thamel. A rest day at the end allows Boudhanath or Pashupatinath. Bike rental is included and the price is quoted per person. What this route trades away is Mustang and the altitude: nothing here climbs into the thin air above Jomsom, and the riding stays on surfaces a reasonably confident road rider can handle. What it keeps is the jungle, the lake, the foothill ridges and the Annapurna skyline, which for ten nights at this price is a fair deal, and it leaves the harder expeditions available for a second visit.