Our rendezvous point for this mountain bike adventure is the bustling and exotic Kathmandu airport. Once all our flights have arrived from all four corners of the globe, we pack the vans and head approximately 15km out of Kathmandu to the serenity of Shivapuri Hill Cottage. We get settled in with a few beers and some well-deserved food, and chat over the trip ahead.  Our first full day together starts on our sun-draped terrace, eating breakfast, building bikes and guessing what lies ahead of us. With satisfied stomachs we load the van and drive 30 minutes deep into the heart of the Shivapuri National Park, where we unload the bikes and give our group their first taste of Nepalese singletrack! And what an introduction! At the foot of this trail we take a tour around the world famous Buddhist Stupa, called Boudhanath, which must be walked around in a clockwise direction. On returning to the cottage we are treated to our evening meal on the terrace, and with fires glowing we fill the group’s minds with stories of tomorrow’s trails.

We start the next day by taking our shuttle up to a high mountain village on the north side of Kathmandu, where we catch our first glimpse of the Himalaya mountain range in the distance, and the group starts to feel the draw of the mountains. We ride a winding, technical singletrack back to Shivapuri and another delicious home-cooked meal. This morning we pack to leave the stunning hill-top cottage behind. Our luggage goes on to our next destination and we ride up through the Shivapuri National Park, and over the back side to descend down fantastic wooded trails to the historic and very picturesque town of Bhaktapur, where after dinner we take a guided tour of the city and its numerous temples and Stupas.

And to find out what happens next you are going to have to read our full trip itinerary!

For further information and trip dates please see our Nepal tour pages on our website or contact us!

We will be heading to Oaxaca in late October and early November for two more tours to sample more fabulous food, mountain biking and of course the colourful ‘Day of the Dead’ (Dia de los muertes) celebrations. This spectacular festival takes place on  2nd November on the second last day of our mountain biking tour in Mexico, and Oaxaca is known as the one of the best places in Mexico to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

To find out more information and experience this culinary mountain bike tour in Mexico for yourself visit our website www.mountainbikeworldwide.com/bike-tours/mexico

Sweet singletrack in the mountains of southern Spain
On this mountain bike adventure tour you’ll experience the real Spain. In the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras region of southern Spain you’ll ride the dry, rocky, singletrack trails that have connected the collection of white-washed mountain villages for centuries, and you’ll be welcomed as a long-lost friend, with the offer of excellent local food and drink.

Check it out and join us for some sun, singletrack and Sangria! Mountain biking in Spain

And to whet your appetite here are some pictures from our last tour in Spain.

What do you think? Share if you like it!

H&I Adventures and our new worldwide tours have made the ‘what’s hot’ section!

The picture used in the feature is of our local guide riding deep in the heart of the Mustang region of Nepal in the deepest valley in the world, the Kali Gandaki Valley.

If you have ever dreamed of riding in Nepal, or Mexico, or the Sierra Nevada in Spain…

Join us this year!

Mountain biking in Oaxaca, Mexico

Happy new year mountain bikers!

We hope you had a fantastic night and made some interesting and exciting resolutions over a glass of wine.  We had a great 2011 and enjoyed the company of many fantastic customers, worked with lots of very professional people, and rode our bikes in some of the best locations around the globe.

We are looking forward to working hard in 2012 to continue offering you world-class mountain biking tours, and the challenges and awesome adventures that come from that.

If you have been considering a tour with H&I Adventures then 2012 might be the year for that trip. We have our Scottish favourites: Torridon and Skye, and Coast-to-Coast tours; and two new adventures aimed at the beginner to intermediate rider: the Cairngorms adventure tour, and our Tastes and Trails of Scotland tour.  To add to that we have introduced some amazing tours in Spain, Mexico and Nepal – exciting new countries, but the same high quality and life-affirming experiences that we have been delivering in Scotland for the past five years.

We always love to hear from our customers and followers, and you can connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and Google+, and of course, via email or on the telephone: +44 (0)1463 239716 and toll free from US/Canada on 1 888-228-50-35

We look forward to riding with you in 2012!

Number 5 –  Mexico, Oaxaca region,     Number 4 – Scotland, Isle of Skye,

Number 3 – Scotland, Torridon region,   Number 2 – Spain Alpujarra region,

And number 1 goes to – Nepal, and the Mustang region,

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Heading off for a week’s mountain biking in Spain is the ideal way to start our winter riding season, away from the sub-zero temperatures of Scotland. On landing at Màlaga airport, our driver is there to greet us and transfer us to our hillside accommodation and base for the week in a stunning traditional village called Fondales.

At our accommodation we’re welcomed by our enthusiastic local guide and host who shows us around, then leaves us at the pool area to build our bikes in preparation for tomorrow’s ‘tester ride’. After dinner and a few beers everyone sits around talking about past biking experiences and guessing what the week has in store for us. There’s a healthy amount of nervous energy in the air.

Next morning we arrive at the meeting point 35 minutes ahead of schedule – we’re keen! Our local guide arrives just on time, cool and calm to announce, ‘You are the best group this week!’ The only group this week, he means. He’s trying to sweet talk us. Our first day’s riding is fantastic! As a ‘tester ride’ it has lots of climbing to assess the group’s fitness, three or four different descents to ascertain their ability and a couple of café stops to start the coffee league table. The coffee league is long debated at each café, and even continues onto the trail, but we never did get another coffee all week to beat the first one in Pitres.

To find out how the rest of the trip went, follow this link to our full trip information!

Or if you require further information contact us!

It’s early October and the mountain biking season in Scotland is drawing to a close, but we are busily packing our bags again, this time heading to central America and more specifically the Oaxaca region of southern Mexico. This area of Mexico is more famous for its culinary delights than its mountain biking, but we know better!

We leave the Highlands of Scotland on a dark and wet October night, sitting in the van chatting about how we are looking forward to some dusty singletrack with the sun on our backs, salivating at the thought of sinking our teeth into the world-famous food and drink of the Oaxaca region. Our flights and transfers all go according to plan and before we know it we’ve arrived in Mexico City. First thing in the morning the whole group assembles around the breakfast table, chatting excitedly about what’s to come. Once we’re fed and watered we climb into the van for our trip south to Oaxaca City, where
we set about exploring this stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site. That evening we set our taste buds alight with the first of many amazing culinary masterpieces that we enjoy during the trip, then look over some maps of the area we’re about to explore on our mountain bikes.

The next morning we are up bright and early, building bikes and packing day bags for our début ride in the Sierra Norte, but first we are going to visit the impressive Zapotec archaeological site of Monte Albàn, which flourished around 750-800AD with over 40,000 inhabitants. After soaking up the history we head for the hills and saddle up for the first ride of the week – and what a ride! We set off from a village tucked away high in the Sierra Norte mountains and weave our way along ancient Zapotec hunting paths until we pop out at our woodland cabins and home for the rest of the week. Our kit is already there waiting for us and the fire is crackling away in the corner, so we unpack, settle in and open a beer.

To find out how the rest of our trip went, you can read the full trip diary on our trip itinerary!

For further information on this mountain bike tour in Oaxaca, Mexico, please visit our website or contact us!

Here at H&I Adventures we have been delivering exceptional mountain bike tours in Scotland for the past five years, and now we’re spreading our wings and launching into the worldwide mountain bike tours market with three truly mind-blowing destinations: the Sierra Nevada in Spain, Oaxaca in southern Mexico, and the Himalaya of Nepal.

H&I Adventures owner Euan Wilson says, “The main driving force behind our decision to expand is our customers; they’ve been suggesting for a while that we add other countries because they want to explore the world on their bikes, but they also want guaranteed level of service that only comes with a trusted tour operator. Now we can give them both!

“We have been very careful to select destinations that offer a choice of skill level and budgetary options for our customers, and support our commitment to responsible adventure travel. We work closely with the local communities in each of the remote areas we experience to ensure that our adventure tours provide revenue for the people and environments that give us so much pleasure along the way.”

To find out more on mountain biking in the far reaches of the Mustang region of Nepal, or the culinary heart of Mexico, visit our new website at www.mountainbikeworldwide.com or contact us on info@mountainbikeworldwide.com

And we look forward to welcoming you on one of our amazing new tours!