Autoportal India

Feeling the road on two wheels is special, something most people only dream of. We, motorcyclists, live that dream day in and day out. Motorcycles are like the wind under our wings that makes us fly. The noise of wind whooshing past and through your helmet, and the dirt, bugs, and the fragrance of nature it brings with it, brings you closer to nature. Searing heat or biting cold, we face it all, and it brings us closer to nature. That is why I like motorcycles; they let you ‘taste the journey’.

I have been riding for quite some time and I have taken up my fair share of adventurous rides. Some were easy, some were not, but this one is simply right there at the top in terms of both difficulty and satisfaction. Because this one is about Sandakphu, Nepal- one of the most treacherous rides one can think of. No roads for kilometres on stretch, rugged terrain, steep inclines, scary declines; all in all, nature at its rustic best.

When I was planning for this ride, I was also aware of #xBhpJKSmartRides and it seemed like an interesting opportunity to showcase Sandakphu to the world. So, I contacted xBhp, shared my itinerary, filled out the form and waited. Soon enough, I got a positive response in the form of a go-ahead and I started my preparations. I have a Bajaj Pulsar NS200 which I rode to the nearest JK Tyre Steel Wheels to get the tyres installed and be on my way.

The tyres were from the Blaze RYDR series from JK Tyre and I have rarely seen more perfect sports touring rubber in my life; just what my Pulsar NS200 needed. More than that, it was the Smart Tyre kit that got me. A sensor wrapped around the wheel, the Smart Tyre App, and scanning the QR code on the box of the sensor once; that is all you need to get going and know all about your tyres’ vitals on your smartphone! Amazing stuff. Anyway, now that everything was ready, it was time to go!

At around 8 in the morning, I packed my bag, warmed up my motorcycle, and left from Siliguri. As I had a few litres of fuel in the tank, I decided to skip refuelling as fuel was cheaper in Nepal. The Nepal border is around 30 km away so I reached there in less than an hour. Once I reached there, I had to cross the Mechi Bridge to enter Nepal and before I could officially do so, I had to show them an ID proof, which in my case was my Voter ID Card. One can use a Passport too.

Once I crossed over from the Indian side and made my way towards the Nepal side, Nepal Police stopped me and asked the purpose of the visit along with a few other questions. Finally, I was allowed to enter Nepal. Having done that, the most important thing to be done next was to get a Bhansar (permit) made and for that there is the Customs Office of Nepal. I parked my bike there, carried my registration papers and went to the office to get the permit made.

In the office, there were four numbered windows. Counter number 1 was where I submitted my original RC and paid INR 30/- and in return, I got a paper which I submitted on counter number 2. There, the attendant scanned the paper and asked me to go to counter number 3. There, I had to pay INR 300/- for a two-day permit and once the payment was made, I was given another piece of paper which I had to get stamped at counter number 4. That was it and I was ready to go ahead.

The next thing I did was to get a SIM card from Nepal. Then I got the money changed from INR to NPR. Finally, I got some mobile data, got the internet up and running and now I was all set to set out on my journey. The first destination that I put in Google Maps was Suryodaya. It was around 55 km away but the ride was beautiful. On the way, I came across a beautiful valley called Kanyam and I clicked some pictures during a brief halt there. The road was surrounded by huge tea plantations on the mountain and the clouds loomed over the valley. It was beautiful.

After a while, I started toward my destination for the day. Upon reaching Suryodaya, I had some food; Momos of Nepal along with some local Chutney and then decided to get some rest to be in the best shape possible for the next day.

I knew that the day’s ride was going to be tough. That is why I was already on my way to Mabo by 9 AM. I took the Pashupati Nagar Road from Suryodaya to reach Mabo. The entrance to the road was through a very narrow lane as there was a temple on the road. The moment I crossed it and started making my way towards Mabo, I was greeted with mud, slush, and huge patches of rough roads with nearly no tarmac in sight. It was scary and thrilling at the same time to think that this was just the beginning of the adventure.

I rode for around 22 kilometres and it took me nearly two hours to cover that distance. But finally, I reached Nayabazar but it was a heck of a bad road. But then, my problems had not ended. In Nayabazar, I could not find any shops or homestays around me and so I decided to ride some more and reach as close to Sandakphu as possible.

The roads were still as bad but I am grateful that my bike was shod with Blaze RYDR tyres that generated enough traction for me to safely deal with the terrain. More so, because of the boulders and rocks and the absolute beating that the tyres were dealing with, it was important to keep tabs on the health of the tyres which was made easy by the Smart Tyre technology from JK Tyre. I was already on my way from Nayabazar but after a while, Google Maps stopped working too. No tarmac, no Maps, and not a lot of vehicles on the road either.

I just had to rely on locals to help me with the directions. Finally, I found a place where there was one shop on the roadside. I had not eaten anything since the morning so I decided to get some sort of breakfast. I had some Wai Wai Noodles, a famous delicacy of Nepal. With that, I also had a conversation with the shop owner who told me the directions to reach Sandakphu via the Nepal route.

He told me to ride to Jamuna Village and from there, he asked me to take another route and stay at Mabu village which was pretty far from where I was. By the time I started towards Mabu, it was already noon. After riding for around 19 km through mud and slush, I reached a junction point, Jaubari. From there, I took another route to Jamuna Village to reach Mabu. Had I continued straight from Jaubari, I would have reached the Indian roads and I would have been fined INR 15,000/- as it is not allowed to ride the Sandakphu road on the Indian side.

After changing the path, I was riding to Sandakphu on the Nepal side. A few km into the ride and the weather suddenly changed because of the increasing altitude. After riding for about 40 more kilometres, I finally reached the Mabu Village. I decided to rest there as it was already 4 PM and I had been riding for a while. I booked a decent homestay and retired to rest up for the next day’s adventure.

Day 3

This was the most exciting day of my trip. I could barely sleep and so, I was up around 6:30 AM and already prepping for the day’s ride. On this ride, switching on the Bluetooth on my phone had also become a ritual so that I could put the JK Treelcare app to good use and keep an eye on the health of the tyres. Everything checked out and so I headed out. For breakfast, I only had some tea and biscuits as I wanted to keep my meal light for a ride like this.

The road had been bad until now but as I continued on my way up, it kept getting progressively worse. But the Blaze RYDR tyres held their own and they could maintain a decent amount of grip even in such tough conditions. They were amazing on the tarmac and that is why it was quite surprising to see them keep up with the bad roads too.

After 2 hours or so of very intense riding, I reached Kalpokhari. It was a beautiful spot as you can see two roads running in parallel from there; one of them belongs to India and the other to Nepal. As mentioned earlier, two-wheelers are not allowed on the Indian side and that is why I was riding on the Nepal side. From here, I could also see Sandakphu top but it was still far out so I buckled up and decided to continue to my destination.

The incline was getting harder and harder to deal with as there was no tarmac but just dirt and loose gravel. It took all that I have learned about motorcycling and all my focus to make it through this terrain. Finally, I was just 3 bends away from Sandakphu. Predictably, these three were the most challenging ones. Nearly 65-degrees of incline as far as I could tell and absolute mayhem of a road. Somehow, someway, I managed to make it and it was all worth it.

It is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The view of Kanchenjunga, the rustic beauty of the place, and how small it made everything below seem; it is an experience that is very hard to define in words. Even more so when the journey ensured that you were tested thoroughly to ensure that you deserved the sights. I spent a considerable amount of time just sitting there and revelling in the beauty of nature that I got to witness. After drinking in the beauty of Sandakphu, I made my way to Illam.

From Illam, I started on my way to India. It was around 11 in the morning and this was my last day in Nepal which made me a little sad. But then, I was also happy to have finally achieved my dream. The journey was around 125 km and after what seemed like a very long time, I was riding on tarmac roads. To add more fun to it, I had a fair few twisties to have some fun. After having tested the Blaze RYDR tyres on broken roads, I was certain about their performance on the tarmac and they did not disappoint. The grip that the tyres offered was astonishing and I had a lot of confidence in attacking corners.

After riding for about 45 minutes, I reached Fikkal and then from there I made my way to Suryodaya and then Kanyam. All this while I rode along the beautiful valley which made the ride even more enjoyable. Finally, I reached Charali from where I took a left for the Indian border, Kakarvita, and within a few kilometres, I was at the border. Showed my Voter ID card there and gained entry to my home country after a beautiful and unforgettable ride to Sandakphu in Nepal.