Nature loves bicycle because no harm to nature comes from the bicycle!

Leg 3: Pokhara to Lumbini

Day 35 / May 31 – Pokhara to Waling

While Kathmandu was all about cultural and historical sites, Pokhara is a destination for adventure sports. I stayed for 12 days and managed to tick many activities off my bucket list. More on that in a separate post.

Rolling terrain all along. Fairly good roads.

Distance: 67.40 km
Elevation: 961 m
Time: 7 hours 41 minutes
Hotel: Venus
Route: https://www.strava.com/activities/7230572786

Day 36 / June 1 – Waling to Tansen

It was rolling terrain for about 50km, while the last 15km were uphill. My initial plan was to go to Bhutwal and stay, but while planning the route I read about interesting things to see in Tansen like the museum, Durbar Square, tower, etc., so I changed my mind and decided to stay there.

Distance: 65.55 km
Elevation: 1,504 m
Time: 9 hours 37 minutes
Hotel: Pauwa
Route: https://www.strava.com/activities/7236956825

Day 38 / June 3 – Tansen to Lumbini

After spending a day in Tansen, I left for Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. It is downhill for 25 kilometers till Bhutwal; thereafter, the journey is on the recently constructed 4-lane Siddhartha highway. Since there is no tree cover, it gets hot if you travel after 10 a.m.

On the way, I passed the newly built Gautam Buddha International Airport, which was inaugurated on May 16th on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti. Flights to India hadn’t yet started.

Distance: 83.93 km
Elevation: 293 m
Time: 5 hours 34 minutes
Hotel: Holy Birth
Route: https://www.strava.com/activities/7246895599