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Bike Tour - Bhutan
The road well and truly less travelled
Riding across Bhutan and into Assam with a group of motorcyclists on a fleet of Enfield bikes
There is something exciting about travelling virtually unexplored roads and leading the first antipodean group across Bhutan and out into the little-visited Indian state of Assam last October was a real buzz.
Starting the trip in the bustling West Bengal capital of Calcutta (now officially Kolkata), we headed north by train to the foothills of the Himalaya where we picked up our fleet of Enfield bikes.
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After much hilarity and some serious cursing at the right-hand, upside-down gearbox and left-side foot brake during our practice session, we left the sanctuary of the hotel car park and headed north-east into Bhutan.
The riders were a mixed bunch, including a statistician who calculated we rode about 2000 bends a day in the west, two engineers who predictably checked out every bridge construction, a teacher who could be calculated to keep the peace and a barrister from Wellington, New Zealand, whose often expressionless face belied a lightening fast wit.
The next 12 days of the 24-day tour were entirely within the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Every day held a riot of laughter, new experiences, wonder, joy, occasional frustration and many hair-raising moments. | | | |  | | | | | | |  South African Motorcycle Adventures – visit www.samatours.co.za the home of the ultimate motorcycle experience. See sunny South Africa from the seat of a motorcycle. Experience the best the region has to offer View tours packages now>
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| | The weather in October and November is as good as it gets in the Himalaya with autumnal hues set against cobalt blue skies. Except on high passes where unpredictable mountain weather can suddenly turn cold or clouds form out of nowhere, it is warm and sunny with near perfect visibility. Any other time of the year brings atmospheric and climatic problems such as bitter cold, monsoon rains and/or poor visibility.
The western sector of Highway One (Bhutan’s only highway) offers some of the most twisty mountain riding in the world. After Bumthang and crossing the Thrumshingla Pass at 3750m, we were officially in Eastern Bhutan. Climate, customs and the facial features of the people change markedly as you head further east and south. The topography of the road also changes dramatically.
Pretty much gone are the torturous tight bends and high passes, but there is no room for complacency, or “lolly-gagging”. The road clings precariously to the side of the mountain, following each curve and undulation as it descends 2800m in two hours before returning up to run just below the ridgeline. The sheer rock faces and vertical forests on one side and tremendous drop-offs on the other can be a little unnerving. While the riding is exhilarating and the panorama heart-breakingly beautiful, it can also be potentially treacherous if you lose concentration.
However, at least the traffic flow is not great and with a Bhutanese “road captain” riding five minutes ahead, obstacles are removed and oncoming traffic is alerted so potential problems and risks are greatly minimised.
The eastern border with India comes as something of a surprise. The only thing that divides mountainous Bhutan from the Indian plains is the small town of Samdrup Jongkhar. One minute you are riding down a steep mountain road, the next you are in a town and minutes later you are cruising through the level agricultural plains of Assam. Very strange.
Back in the hilarious chaos of India we headed to Guwahati, the capital of Assam and then due west to stay in a wildlife sanctuary before returning to the foothills and riding up through the tea gardens to the hill station of Kalimpong and thence to Sikkim. Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain was the backdrop to the grand finale of the tour – two days of R&R in the famous and immensely charming hill station of Darjeeling.
Follow the Yellow Road
As well as Bhutan & Northern India, Saffron Road Motorcycle Tours runs trips to Rajasthan, Vietnam, Mongolia and Tibet.
Website: www.saffronroad.com
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