SINGALILA RIDGE TOUR INFO

A warm mountain biker’s welcome to you all. We look forward to riding with you on one of our upcoming tours. Our Singalila Ridge Tour trails feature everything you would expect from world-class mountain biking, loads of grin factor fast flowing singletrack, massive climbs and even bigger descents, technical sections, drop offs and rock gardens all set amongst breathtaking Himalayan scenery.

Who should come?

Our MTB tours are designed by mountain bikers for mountain bikers so it is genuine trail riding. The riding will be tough with some carrying. Distances are rarely over 50 km a day but as we get to altitude; above 2500 meters; things get tougher and fitness plays an even greater part.  The trails are technical in parts so experienced mountain bikers familiar with red and black trails will have loads to get their teeth into. However, if you have a more intermediate mountain biking experience, like a challenge and want to work on your skills we can build up your riding ability as the tour progresses

Flights

Our Singalila Ridge tours use Kolkotta/Calcutta airport for pick up and transfers. Emirates are usually the best with 30kg weight baggage allowance.

What’s Included

All Accommodation

All Transfers*

Breakfasts

Lunches

Packaged drinking water*

Guiding

*If your flight arrives/departs on any other day except stated arrival/departure dates we can arrange for a cost-price pick up or drop.

Not Included

Personal travel insurance

Snacks, soft drinks etc

Personal expense

Tips, gratuities

Evening meals

India Visa 

You can apply for an E-Visa with a 60 day stay-limit

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html 

If you are visiting India for a longer duration then a 6 month tourist visa could be worth considering but they are more expensive.

http://www.vfsglobal.com/india/uk/

Medical

Get in touch with your GP well in advance of your departure for latest information on vaccinations and any other medical considerations.

For riding above 3000m there is a risk of being affected by Acute Mountain Sickness. Our itineraries are designed to enable everyone to acclimatise to these altitudes, but you should be aware that it is still possible for you to be affected..

For additional information please visit: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries

You might want to consider bringing your own personalised 1st aid/medical kit to supplement our medical and 1st aid supplies.

Insurance

Get insured. It is a condition of our trips that you are adequately insured. Policies must cover cycling. If your usual insurance doesn’t cover cycling then consider specialist coverage. We need a copy of your insurance ready for us on arrival or you can send us on a copy via e-mail prior to the trip.

Accommodation

All nights in the major towns like Kurseong, Darjeeling etc are in outstanding mid-range hotels and guesthouses. For nights spent on the Singalila Ridge, excellent teahouse accommodation is available with rooms simple yet clean and cosy having attached western toilet and hot water available in a bucket system. However, on some occasions, guests may be required to share a common toilet or washroom. All rooms are available on a single or double basis.

Food

There is a wide and excellent choice of western and Indian dishes available in all the larger towns. Meals in the trekking huts/tea houses are excellent using whatever local produce is available that day so expect tasty and nutritious Nepalese delights like Momo, Thukpa and vegetable curries, rice, chapatti with occasional meat dishes.

Vehicle Support

We will have vehicle support on the majority of the tour for those who have had enough of the climbs can recover in the vehicles. The backup vehicles will carry all sleeping bags, evening clothes, rucksacks etc so you only need to carry your daypack. We will have porters and donkey caravans to transport your equipment in the more remote areas.

Weather

Days should be clear and sunny, near 20-25C; night times will be cool to cold with temperatures dropping to 3C and below. So bring those extra warm clothes.

Baggage

Your bags need to be of the soft pack variety i.e. rucksack or sports bag to allow them to be easily carried by porters, donkeys etc. No hard cases, please. Your bike bags/boxes will not be travelling with us on the 5 days spent on the Singalila Ridge.

Bringing Your Own Bike/Bike Kit

As ever make sure your bikes are in tip-top condition before bringing them out. If you are unsure a part will survive the trip then replace or get it serviced by a bike shop. Performance bike parts are hard to obtain in India but we do have small stocks of spare parts. 

Let us know in advance what bike you are bringing out and if there is anything specific to your bike that we might not have spares for.

Bringing your own bike then bring

Spare Mech Hanger

2 spare sets of brake pads

2 Tubes

Spokes

Multi tool

Trail Pump

Tyre levers

Hydration pack with space to store extra cycling layers. 

A waterproof in case of showers. 

If you have any doubt on what you need to bring out with you as spares then just let us know. 

Bike Rental 

We have a range of great bikes available from Nukeproof so contact us now for details with bike hire from £250 for the full tour.

 Please bring your own pedals and compatible shoes if you renting one of our bikes and are riding SPD. All bikes are  supplied with saddles which might be a bit on the sporty side so it could be worth bringing your own if you have a comfortable saddle that your are used to. Please also bring your own ride kit/helmet/gloves etc.

Cycle Wear 

We would  recommend bringing both long sleeve and short sleeve tops, temps can vary day by day, We would also recommend shoes that you can also walk in so non-exposed cleats and non- aggressive tread patterns works best; so comfortable for photo stops, the odd walk out to view points and tackling the more tech sections if you don’t fancy riding them. 

 Kit to bring

Warm evening clothes, duvet jacket or heavy duty fleece.

Hydration packs should be of a large size to provide storage space for unneeded and extra clothing as temperatures can vary through the day.

Head torch

Full finger riding gloves 2 pairs

Universal electric plug

Sleeping bag or sleeping bag inner

Good quality waterproof jacket

Mix of long sleeve and short sleeve riding tops in case of sunburn

Universal electric plug

High factor sun-cream

Sunglasses

Lip salve

Sandals/flip flops

Finances

ATM’s are available in all our destinations. Visa is the most widely accepted. Food items, snacks, gift items are all well priced so expect to pay £5 for an evening meal or just over £2 for an alcoholic drink.

Airport exchange rates are usually very poor so if you are exchanging money here then just change small amounts. There are money changing facilities near to our arrival hotel in Kolkotta.

Tipping

Our Mountain Bike Kerala do not expect tips but our riding guides, drivers and local staff would greatly appreciate them if the service is excellent. For  a rough guide then consider from £50 to cover riding guides and back up team and £2 per day for hotels/trekking hut staff etc if the service and food has been great.

Connectivity

All days except for the 4 nights spent in trekking huts  have phone and internet connectivity. 

Local Time

India’s Timezone: (GMT +05:30)

Electricity/Battery Charging

India’s Electricity: 230/240 volts AC, 50 Hz. 2 pin type.

There are recharging facilities at all the hotels and usually for short periods on nights spent in trekking huts. The electricity supply is not 100% reliable but it is usually only off for short periods of time. If you have camera/Gopro etc then consider bringing extra batteries or a power bank for charging.

Shop 

We have a great range of MTB clothing available including long sleeve and short sleeve tops, t-shirts, buffs, shorts and socks all in our great looking shop. All our riding gear is designed and made by our in-house Greenfrogindia team and is available both on tour and from our  online shop so you can buy anytime before or after the trip. Look out for these and our great range of cycle-recycle products including sleek looking wallets, passport holders, pouches and phone protectors made from reclaimed innertubes.