Journey to Everest

What sort of support do you provide ?

We provide a vehicle with bike racks for transporting riders and bikes. The vehicle will follow the riders and provide support during the ride. The van is equipped with tools, spare parts, snack foods and drinks to keep you on the road.

Can distances be altered ?

Yes - we have full support on this trip and you can decide to ride a shorter distance each day.

What is the weather like ?

We've picked the best months to ride in Tibet.

May is mid spring with sunny clear days (and great views of Everest) but chilly at the top of passes.

July is the warmest month but some days Everest is obscured by clouds and it can rain heavily.

September is mid autumn with sunny clear days (and great views of Everest) bit chilly at the top of passes.

Expect temps ranging from -2 (tops of pass)- 25 degrees. Possible rain at anytime in the mountains.

What are the roads like ?

Simply awesome. Many have been newly constructed in the past 5 years.

How will altitude affect me ? How can I prepare for it?

We are traveling to some of the highest roads in the world so the potential for altitude sickness is a concern for many riders. Our trip is designed to allow you to slowly acclimatize over the 13 days and give your system the best opportunity to adapt. We start at the lowest point in Tibet (2949m) and take it easy for the first few days. At altitude this high it’s important not to push your limits till you have acclimatized - this can take anything from 2 days to 10 and its different for each rider.

On our past trips we have had beginner level riders through to highest level amateur racers. Fitness level nor aptitude for cycling are indicators of how well you will go at altitude - everyone is different and science does still not understand exactly why. None of our guests in 4 years of running trips to Tibet have developed serious altitude problems. There have however been some riders that needed to take a day off the bike or get into our support vehicle for some time as they were exhibiting the tell tale signs. We carry oxygen in our support vehicles and always have a vehicle on standby to take a rider to lower altitude if major issues arise.

The best thing you can do to prepare for altitude riding is to ensure that you arrive in Tibet well rested and without a cold. Doing as much training as you can before you come should help you get more out of riding at altitude and you can also do a session in a local altitude training chamber to test the oxygen saturation levels in your blood at a simulation of 5,000m. This can be a good indicator of how well you’ll perform in Tibet. Talk to our team if you have further concerns or questions.

• Hotel – 11 nights in the best hotels available in the areas we visit – these range from 3 star to 5 star
• All meals throughout the trip
• Services of trip leader, guide, local support staff
• Support Van - providing backup support during the ride
• Tibet Travel Permit & other necessary permits (Everest region) for foreigners
• Entrance fees to Potala Palace, Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, Tashilhunpo Monastery, Mount Everest Park fees.
• Medical Supplies: oxygen bags/bottles; basic 1st-aid kit
• Supplies of bottled drinking water
• High quality handbook (100 pages) available as an e-book
• Coordination meetings & Pre-departure briefings via wechat group
• GPS files for each day’s riding – available for both Garmin / Wahoo devices and Smartphones
• Airport transfers in Chengdu and Shigatse

Not included :

• Airfare to Chengdu and return to your home destination
• Domestic Airfare (Chengdu-Linzhi & Lhasa-Chengdu) – budget 3300RMB (around €450), which we will need to book for you due to the requirement of the Tibet permit
• Visa for China
• Personal consumption – snacks, alcohol , souvenir etc
• Tips for Tibetan guide and drivers (budget US$3-5 per day per rider)
• Bike packing (we can do this for an extra fee if required)

• Intermediate to advanced cycling skill – experience in climbing / descending and long distance riding (contact us if you are not sure).
• Ability to undertake basic bike maintenance (change your own tubes, pack and unpack your own bike)
• Follow all road rules
• Follow instructions from ride leader at all times
• Ride safely
• To understand that there is a daily time schedule which riders must stick to. If you are too fast you may have to wait or if too slow/ mechanical or other issue you may need to get into our vehicles to catch up with rest of group
• To have undertaken adequate training before the ride so as to not excessively slow down the whole group (if this is the case you may be asked to get into the van/bus at various times to stay on schedule)

Rider speeds

We do our best to group riders of similar abilities together so we suggest selecting a trip which fits your level of experience, fitness and speed.

A level - Experienced rider with annual mileage somewhere in the 5000 - 10,000 km range. Able to hold an average of 35+ km/h on solo rides and riding a few times a week.

B level - Experienced weekend rider with 5000km of annual mileage. Able to hold an average of 30 km/h on solo rides.

C level - Beginner rider with experience climbing / descending and riding in groups. Prepared to train extensively before the trip.

The trips are optimized for:

13 - 24 May: A + B

In the past riders from A to C level have joined the trips without issues. The route for each trip is the same. The A/B trips are focussed on pushing the limits in terms of both distance and climbing in Tibet where as the B/C trips are more focussed on enjoying the culture and landscape at a moderate pace.

The route for each of our trips is the same. The A/B trips spend more time on the bike and the B/C trips ride reduced distances and less metres of ascent (by being transported some of the journey by Serk vehicles)

You are welcome to join any trip you wish regardless of your level. However be aware that trip will be optimised for the Rider Speed level indicated. Therefore if you are too fast you may have to wait at certain points of the day or if too slow you may need to get into our vehicles to catch up with rest of group.

If unsure please contact us for advice.

Travelling to Tibet is not easy for foreigners on top of that we are travelling by bike so its even harder. There are strict rules and regulations we need to abide by. Unfortunately not everyone is eligible to get a Tibet Travel Permit so please check the conditions below. If you have any questions / doubts let us know.

1. Travel on the same plane into Lhasa

The permit conditions are that we must all travel into Tibet on the same plane. This means if you are travelling from Australia or the UK you will need to arrive in China first and catch a connecting flight to Tibet. We will all meet in Chengdu and fly together into Tibet. So when checking flight details you’ll need to fly into Chengdu China.

2. Chinese visa

For those living outside of China

Everyone requires a valid Chinese visa to travel to Tibet. This is on top of the Tibet Permit. The visa needs to be issued BEFORE Serk apply for the Tibet permit and must be valid for the period of travel to China and Tibet. We need a copy of your Chinese visa 6 weeks before the start date of the trip so you’ll need to process it as early as possible. Serk will provide support to obtain your visa.

For those living inside China

If you are living in China currently and your Visa is due to expire before the end of the trip you may need to renew it early. Serk need at least 6 weeks before the trip at a minimum to process the permit. If you have issues with these dates let us know and we can attempt to accomodate your individual visa situation. If you have a working visa you also leave approval letter from your employer before applying for the Tibet permit. Consult us if you are confused !

3. Passport expiry date

You need to have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months from date you intend to travel to Tibet. Once the permit documents have been submitted you can not change passport numbers - we’ve tried this before and it does not work !

4. No diplomats

If you have a diplomatic passport you are unable to travel to Tibet as tourist. Sorry.

There is a risk that the Government changes policy and cancels all foreign access to Tibet. This may happen if there is a political uprising or a foreign group does something to annoy the government on Tibet. In the case of this occurrence there is only partial refund. As we need to pay all Permit and travel fees up front to the approved tourism agency, and some booking fee we can’t guarantee how much. It’s up to the tourism agency and depends on the situation. We will do our best to get max refunds. Cancellation policy is written below.

Cancellation Policy

There is a lot of logistics organisation and admin work that goes into organising a Tibet trip. This takes a lot of resources early on and therefore we have a cancellation policy to reflect this. We understand that sometimes shit happens and you can’t make it on the trip. We do our best to facilitate as much refund as possible and help you to find a replacement rider to minimise your losses.

Cancellation at least 3 months before trip starts

80% refund of deposit

Cancellation at least 2 months before trip starts

25% refund of the full amount

We will however endeavour to try to find another rider to fill your spot if you need to cancel at the last minute. This happened to 2 riders last year and we successfully found replacements to minimise the loss to the riders that cancelled.

Cancellation 2 months or less before trip starts

No refund.

We will however endeavour to try to find another rider to fill your spot if you need to cancel at the last minute. This happened to 2 riders last year and we successfully found replacements to minimise the loss to the riders that cancelled.