19th April 2024, 21:16
| #1 |
| BHPian  Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mumbai,Pune
Posts: 103
Thanked: 371 Times
| Mumbai - Bhutan - Mumbai Road trip on a 2017 BMW R1200GS This trip was on the mind for a couple of years, after having planned the trip last year, we dropped the plan a few days before the trip due to the extreme heat in the Month of May. This year however, we decided to venture on the trip towards end of March. A Road trip is always about the adventure and thrill of the Journey and not just about the destination. As group of four ( Parvez Patel Age 70 -2022 BMW R1250GSA, Khodaram Zandbaf Age 62 - 2017 BMW R1200GS, Darayus Dastoor Age 61 - 2022 Kawasaki Versys 1000 and myself Clement Thomas Age 48 - 2017 BMW R1200GS ); we started planning for the trip in the beginning of January 2024, a WhatsApp group was made and that was about it. It was not until 14 days before the trip that we really sat down and did some ground work on the possible routes and arrangements in Bhutan. One of the group member had his sister undertake the journey by air last year, so we decided to employ the services of the same travel company, to arrange our Hotel bookings , bike clearances and meet to us at the Indo-Bhutan border. Odometer Reading the day before the trip  Loading the Base attachment of the Moskomoto Reckless 80 setup  Initially, inside Bhutan we were contemplating renting Bhutan registered RE Himalayan, however thankfully better sense prevailed once we reached Bhutan. Some arrangements inside Bhutan are mandatory a brief list of requirement as as listed below: 1.A Bhutanese tourism department approved guide is mandatory to accompany tourist along with a Taxi and driver for the guide. 2.Passports or Voter ID is required to enter Bhutan. We used our Passports which was duly stamped upon entry. Tourist must pay a sustainability fee at Immigration of Rs1200/- head/ night of stay in Bhutan (For Indians, Srilankans and Maldivians). For all other nationalities, USD 250/- night must be paid as sustainability fees. 3.The tour operator has to present Proof of hotel reservations. All hotels for tourist have to be three-star and above. Travel insurance is also required which is set at Rs700/- per person for the duration of stay. 4. Original RC of the bike, Valid insurance, PUC , Original Valid Indian Driving license card, are the necessary documents for any Motor vehicle including Motorcycles. It is Preferable to have the motorcycle on your name otherwise you may need an authorization letter from the owner permitting you to ride in Bhutan. Rs 4500/- per Night of Stay in Bhutan for Motorcycle/Motorcar is to be paid in cash at the Regional Transport office in Phuentsholing. These documents have to be submitted to the RTO in Bhutan who will then issue the Route Permit . Indian Currency is accepted, and the exchange rate is 1:1 One very important point - Make sure you have your bank cards cleared for transactions in Bhutan ( generally on most Indian Bank issued cards - its written in the small print that the cards cannot be used in Nepal and Bhutan). You will require to call your Bank helpline number and ask them to allow usage of the cards in Bhutan. Please also ensure that you have sufficient INR currency at hand, as everything has to be managed by cash inside Bhutan. My bike is generally well kitted for long trips, but I did a small service at home only wherein I, changed the Oil, cleaned the K&N air filter, Cardan shaft removed and greased , Cardan Oil changed , Checked torque values on all crucial nuts and bolts and Tyre pressure checked. I have both Aluminium Panniers and Soft Luggage, and for this trip, I decided to go with the soft luggage basically to manage the weight ( Panniers tend to be heavier) Some very essential generic requirements on the motorcycle are as below: 1. USB Charging port 12V (My bike has 3 USB ports) 2. Aux Lights 3. Headlight guards / protectors 4. The Connected cradle to accommodate the phone is a very essential requirement when using Phone for Google map Navigation. 5. On a hind sight, I should have probably used a Tail bag instead of the dry bag in my Moskomoto Reckless 80 set up along with the two dry bag on the side. Pack one bag with all necessary travel essentials (preferably the tail bag) which should contain everything that you may require for the night stay at the hotel and you next day morning routine, The other bags can be left secure on the Motorcycle itself, this saves you time and effort to get back on the road the next morning. 6. Ensure you have good set of riding gear, this is non negotiable - I was using Klim Adventure Rally Pro Jacket , Klim Badland Pants , Rynox Gloves , Scorpion AT950 modular helmet, Rynox Dry Inner wear ( Not a big fan of this product- I found it to be a little uncomfortable as it sticks to your body after sweating, I rather prefer a cotton t-shirt inside in this heat). 7. All four of us were using Parani intercom, but pairing was not seamless as they claim and four of us could never get connected with each other. Only two of us could always remain paired. I am not entirely sure if we were pairing it the correct way , but it was very frustrating after having invested in a new intercom only to see it unable to connect all four of us. Other equipment's carried were : Sony Action cam with loop recording charged by the bikes 12v USB port, essential tools, a Puncture repair kit, a compact air compressor (12V supply from the bike), a jump starter , Cable ties (very important), straps, bungee chords, Essential first aid and medicines, Spare Brake pads front and rear, Spark Plug set, key fob spare battery, Emergency key. Throughout the trip, only regular fuel was used on my bike, however my friends used 95 octane where ever possible, but as we realized on the highways is not easily available. The only thing unanimously decided was that we will not be riding late into the night, and that , we should find a decent hotel with safe parking by sunset. Day 1: 24.03.24 Mumbai (MH)- Akola (MH) (583Km) As usual, group members were not exactly on time. By the time we congregated and started the trip, it was 6:15, getting out of Mumbai in the early hours of the morning was easy, however roads after Thane for about 30 -35 km is under repairs and have a lot of diversions. Lack of route planning meant that we were just following Google and it did take us through some villages. Not a very smart idea, and we decided that the route needs to be better thought out, We all decided that, we will stick to National Highways only , and if they are not available, only then take a State Highway. For the most part roads were good. We stayed at the Grand Jalsa resort off the highway at Akola. Our first group photo after setting out -Sugarcane juice somewhere enroute  Day 2: 25.03.24 Akola (MH) - Rewa (MP) (780km) After the previous days experience, we decided to only stick to NH, and the route took us via Nagpur, Seoni, Jabalpur, katni to Rewa. By far , the best National Highway in the entire trip, first NH53 until Nagpur (absolutely brilliant roads ) then NH 44 and NH 30 towards Rewa, The roads were so good that I could engage Cruise control at 100kmph and leave it for up to 15min on some stretches. The motorcycle being absolutely planted and stable , it just gobbles up distances effortlessly. We stayed at Hotel Chandralok , the hotel is owned by a Sikh gentleman and he is a bike enthusiast. Nice hotel and good food. The festival of Holi was around and this meant that traffic on the road was not as bad, but this would impact us the next day. Near Pench Tiger Reserve - Hydration stop  At Hotel Chandralok Rewa - Brilliant Hospitality specially for Bikers  Day 3: 26.03.24 Rewa (MP) - Muzaffarpur (BR) (530km) Started late from Rewa due to the good hospitality, Again sticking to NH as planned we made rapid progress, However , soon we realized a serious problem, It was Holi, and its a very big festival in Bihar. So big in fact, that everything, and I mean every damn thing is closed in the entire state of Bihar. This meant that Petrol would become an issue, and sure enough, three of the bikes were down to one line on the fuel gauges ( The GSA with 31ltr fuel tank was very comfortable / not concerned) and no petrol pumps were open, we had already started riding very conservatively but we were very concerned with our fuel situation. Towards late afternoon, we found a petrol pump which was closed, however there was a push cart next to the pump and they were selling petrol in Black, Selling 750ml whiskey bottles filled with petrol (say about 700ml per bottle) at Rs150/-. We bargained and were able to strike a deal for one bottle petrol at Rs110/- . We bought 6ltrs each, enough to propel us until Patna. This entire fuel fiasco meant that we wasted a lot of time trying to find a petrol station. Contrary to popular belief, Roads were very good initially via Hanumana, Mirzapur, Mughalsarai, Mohania, Arrah, Patna towards Muzaffarpur , NH30, NH135, NH35, AH1, NH319, NH922, NH22. We got some traffic on the outskirts of Patna. As dusk set in we stopped for the night at Hotel The Premier in Muzaffarpur (BR). Don't even ask how rubbish that hotel was, but nonetheless a place to stay the night. Near Mirzapur - road side eatery  Highway services after a Toll plaza  Day 4 27.03.24 Muzaffarpur (BR) - Bagdogra (WB) (438km) Started later than planned, got very heavy traffic to exit the town, following NH only as planned, The roads were, for the most part, good. Towards evening, we were tired and decided to stop for the night at Bagdogra. Route taken was Darbhanga, Phulparas, Forbesganj, Araria, Purnia, Dalkhola, Kishanganj, Islampur, to Bagdogra. That is NH27 all the way. The section of road after Dalkhola until Kishanganj was no so good with some potholes . The night was spent at Orbit Hotel, which had decent facilities with food. Near Purunia - The best and simple Dhaba food experience during the trip  Day 5 :28.03.24 Bagdogra (WB) - Jaigaon (WB) (158km) We had a leisurely breakfast and left the hotel late since this was the last leg to Bhutan, we took the most scenic and stunning northern route , surprisingly the roads were excellent and through some densely forested areas with tall trees on both sides, after which started the tea gardens, we crossed the famous Coronation Bridge on the Teesta river, which is a sight to behold, towards evening we reached Jaigaon. At Jaigaon , as we were approaching the border the roads were very bad with chaotic traffic. We have a friend who is business man and an avid motorcycle rider at Jaigaon , so we had a good evening tea and snacks while we waited for our Guide to take us into Bhutan After the immigration process, we proceeded to Hotel Gardhen, Since Parvez was tired and exhausted, he decided that he will not be riding the motorcycle inside Bhutan and instead sit in the car with the Guide and Driver, and to give him company Khodaram also decided that he will also not ride inside Bhutan. Both the bikes were left at Jaigaon with our friend and only Darayus and Myself got our bikes into Bhutan. As mentioned in the beginning, we were contemplating renting Bhutan registered RE Himalayan, but when we saw the bikes on offer, we quickly changed our mind and decided to use our own bikes. The difference between Jaigaon and Phuentsholing is stark and you will be amazed how clean and quite Bhutan is . Tea Gardens in West Bengal  The Famous Coronation Bridge on River Teesta  Indo Bhutan Border stone - demarkating India and Bhutan  Entering Bhutan Immigration - Pedestrian Entry with Mr Parvez  Jaigaon/Phuentsholing Border Entry gate to Bhutan  Bhutan Phuentsholing side after Immigration clearance  Welcome given by the Bhutanese tour guide at our Hotel  Day 6 : 29.03.24 Phuentsholing - Thimpu (150km) We checked out of the hotel at 9:00am and went to clear immigration which was a time consuming process, Indians make for the bulk of the tourist who visit Bhutan, Immigration clearance took about 1.5hrs. Then we went to file the route plan and clear the paper work for the two motorcycles which we intended to ride, it was also a slightly lengthy procedure which took about an Hour to complete, we paid Rs22500/- per bike for the 5 nights route plan inside Bhutan. Formalities completed, we started our trip to Thimpu. The quality of the roads are excellent and they are completely built and maintained by Border Roads Organisation, the roads are totally winding in nature and is a real pleasure and fun experience. On the way we stopped at Takthikoti canteen operated by BRO on the invitation by Chief Engineer of Project Dantak, towards evening we reached Thimpu and checked into Hotel Nordenma. One of the fellow riders knew Kelly Dorji ( Actor and Model ) , he invited us to his Restobar in Thimpu called Grey Area, we had some great food with impeccable hospitality from Kelly, A huge thanks to him for inviting us. Enroute to Thimpu - Kawasaki Versys 1000 and the BMW R1200GS  At Takthikoti GREF Canteen courtesy of the CE Project Dantak  With Actor and Model Kelly Dorji at his Restobar - The Grey Area  Day 7: 30.03.24 Thimpu Local sight seeing Started the day visiting the Buddha Dordenma , Simply Bhutan, Royal Takin Preserve (Takin is the national animal of Bhutan), Bhutanese Cuisine at a authentic restaurant, and some local shopping. Buddha Dordenma at Thimpu- Angels look mesmerizing  Day 8: 31.03.24 Thimpu - Punakha (73km) Again a day on the motorcycle, with excellent roads and breathtaking scenery, The two of us on Motorcycles would take off using google map and reach the pre determined meeting point. as discussed with the guide, driver and our two other friends. We stopped at Dochula Pass which is monument with 108 stupas in memory of the fallen soldiers. The bikes always generate a lot of interest among the public where ever we stop, At Dochula, we saw a lot of tourist , specially a group of "Ladies only" tourist group from various parts of India, we ended up meeting the same group a few times more along the trip in the next couple of days. We also met a group of three German riders who rented RE bikes locally and were exploring Bhutan. Onwards we rode to Chime Lhakhang " The Divine Madman temple", whilst there, we witnessed a freak accident, burning down and gutting the Monastery which was being newly constructed for the Monks, we chipped in to help in any way we could to remove combustible material from the immediate vicinity. This put us behind schedule to visit a few more places in Punakha, We later went to our Hotel and called it a day. We stayed at Hotel Lobesa , it had beautiful view out side the windows , a good balcony and big rooms, by far the best hotel we stayed at in Bhutan. Punakha Fort  Punakha Fort Entry - Note the large honey bee comb  Day 9: 01.04.24 Punakha - Paro (115km) Started after breakfast , since we missed a few sight seeing locations the previous day due to the fire at the Monastery, we went to the Punakha fort. This is an impressive structure with unmistakable Bhutanese architecture, a sight not to miss is the school of Trout fish which you can see from the bridge leading to the fort, after spending some time at the fort we were on the road again back along the same road for most of the way. Stopping again at Dochula pass, the cafe is very good and since the sky was a bit more clear than the previous visit, we were able to see a few of the tall Himalayan mountain peaks at a distance. The highlight of the day was our invitation from the Chief Engineer of Project Dantak to visit the Head Quarters. We were deeply honored and thrilled to have received his Invitation, we had a very good interactive dialogue with the Chief Engineer, who was kind enough to explain the various aspects of the BRO's mandate in Bhutan, the history behind the entire project and the Museum. We were presented with a coffee table book consisting of the entire history of Project Dantak. Deeply honored and a Salute to our soldiers who work in such extreme terrains. We then took to the road leading to Paro, as usual the roads were brilliant with swooping curves every turn. Paro is a beautiful town located in the Valley, this is also the town with the International Airport. Towards evening we reached our Hotel. We stayed at Hotel Ratna Vara , a decent hotel, However, food could have been better. We retired early as next day was the big trek to Tiger's Nest. Day 10: 02.04.24 Paro Local sight seeing We left the Hotel early to the Tiger's nest base, but before that we stopped and had a refreshing breakfast at a local diner. Tiger's nest by far symbolizes Bhutan, its a must do trek for tourist arriving in Bhutan. Its by no means easy, and definitely not for the faint hearted, and you need to be relatively fit to attempt such a Trek. The base camp is at 7300ft and the Nest is at 10500ft , the trek itself is about 5.5km, Parvez, the oldest among us chose to sit this one out, We started climbing at about 8:40am and finally reached the summit at about 12:00, spent about an hour in the temples on top, the view of tiger's nest from any direction is breathtaking and beautiful. The trek consist of trails and steps both paved and stone steps. The cafe midway is a good place to rest your legs and re-energies. The trek down was also quiet daunting , by the time we reach the base it was about 2:30pm, we were all tired and decide to head back to the hotel. In the evening , we went out for a bit of souvenir shopping . Tiger's Nest - A Bhutan trip - "must do trek"  Midway Cafe - A place with great view of the Tiger's Nest- With Mr Khodaram  The Rhododendron tree , the flowers are simply beautiful  The Final few steps to the Tiger's Nest Monastery  A Selfie with the "Ladies Only" Tourist group from India whom we bumped into multiple times during the trip  Day 11: 03.04.24 Paro - Phuentsholing We had a leisurely breakfast and then headed back on the road to the border town of Phuentsholing. We again had the same invitation to refresh and recharge at Takthikoti GREF canteen which we accepted. Reached Phuentsholing towards evening , and headed to the same Hotel (Hotel Gardhen). Parked the bikes and came out to Jaigaon to have tea at our friends place. After that we Headed back to the Hotel in Phuentsholing , retired early since we planned an early start of the return road trip back. Day 12: 04.04.24 Phuentsholing - Darbhanga (BR) (530km) The previous nights food did not seem to go down well with my gut. I felt sick in the stomach, and threw up a few times in the night. My friends did not think I was fit enough to ride, but , that was not a choice. The friend in Jaigaon was also riding with us for a few hundred kms on his Triumph Tiger 800, he offered to take me to a hospital on the way. By 10:00am my condition had worsened, I had thrown up about 5 times and was feeling severely dehydrated, I spoke to a Doctor friend , she prescribed Tab Ondem and a Antibiotic to fight the food poisoning. The tab immidiately helped and I was feeling a lot better, thus deciding to continue as much as possible, took the same roads back so we knew that the roads were good. By night fall we were in the town of Darbhanga and decided to stop for the day at Hotel Garcia International, It was a very nice hotel and we had a nice peaceful night. Day 13: 05.04.24 Darbhanga (BR) - Hanumana (MP) (500km) I felt a lot better in the morning, starting by about 8:30am roads were good as we were taking the same road back, the afternoon heat was too much and we were stopping often to hydrate and stretch our legs as we were having cramps. Passed UP in the evening, it was very sad to see the lack of any hotels after Mirzapur, by nightfall we had passed Mirzapur but could not find any hotels, so we kept pressing ahead, it was only after entering MP we saw a newly built hotel, we took the rooms even though it did not have any AC, it was about 9:30 pm by the time we reached the hotel, had dinner and retired for the day. We stayed at the Highway Treat hotel. Day 14: 06.04.24 Hanumana (MP) - Nagpur (MH) (598km) Road were as good they could be , made rapid progress. These bikes on such wonderful roads are really a treat and a dream ride. The skies were overcast and that also meant that heat was a little lesser than usual. Reached Nagpur by sunset and called it for the day. Day 15: 07.04.24 Nagpur (MH) - Wadner (MH) (370km) Since we were not in a tearing hurry to reach , we took it easy with the riding, the day time heat had again started to rise, roads were excellent and by early evening we decided to stop for tea at a road side hotel which had just newly launched, since rooms were available with AC we decided to stay put there. Stayed at Hotel Gurukripa. Day 16: 08.04.24 Wadner (MH) - Mumbai (MH) (520km) Started around 7:30am and took a slightly different route than when we had left from Mumbai, using NH53 passing through Bhusawal, Jalgaon, Dhule then onto NH60 towards Malegaon, Nashik, Igatpuri, Thane and Mumbai. NH60 was good but every intersection has multiple speed breakers and as such have to slow down. The real agony was the poor condition of roads leading to Thane which starts about 30km before Thane and the afternoon traffic with the scorching heat was really unbearable. Finally reaching home by 6:00 pm . The Epic round trip was about 5500km , on hindsight we could have accomplished this trip in 2 weeks, but with a group of riders, we have to cater to the pace at which everyone is comfortable. The Bikes which accomplished this trip were the real gems, each of the motorcycles did not miss a beat or give us any kind of mechanical trouble. The benefit of shaft drive was amply apparent as the Versys chain needed to be lubed before the return trip. The superior comfort of the GS/GSA is also something I wish to highlight, the suspension is truly an engineering marval. Without a doubt, the BMW GS/GSA is one of the best motorcycles ever made. I wish here to thank my fellow riders for such a great trip , memory etched for ever in my mind. Before I conclude, I have to say that our Highway systems has seen a remarkable improvement, they were simply fantastic. One take away for any one planning a road trip - stick to the National highways for as long as you can before you consider altering to SH or any other roads. Last edited by Turbanator : 20th April 2024 at 22:22. Reason: Edited to caption the photos. Removed reference of Alcohol and pic. |
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19th April 2024, 21:25
| #2 |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mumbai,Pune
Posts: 103
Thanked: 371 Times
| Re: Mumbai - Bhutan - Mumbai Road trip on a 2017 BMW R1200GS A Few more photos for your viewing pleasure With Mr Darayus a memorable couple of weeks on two wheels  Enroute to Thimpu  Enroute to Thimpu - On Arguably the best purpose built motorcycle  Enroute to Thimpu Mr Darayus and Self  At Takthikoti GREF Canteen  At Takthikoti GREF Canteen  AT Takthikoti GREF Canteen - Putting down my thought in the Visitors Book  Enroute to Thimpu  One of the Few waterfalls on the route to Thimpu  Hotel Nordenma Thimpu  Entrance to the Buddha Dordenma Statue Thimpu  At the Buddha Dordenma  A quiet moment at Buddha Dordenma  At Simply Bhutan Experince center  At Simply Bhutan  With Three German Bikers on Rented RE Bikes at Dochula Pass  At Chime Lhakhang " The Divine Madman temple"  Restaurant in Punakha  Punakha Fort  Punakha Fort in all its Magnificence  Mr Khodaram with the Buddhist Monks at Punakha Fort  With CE Project Dantak - Truly an honor to spend some time with him  Receiving a souvenir from CE Project Dantak  At Head Quarters Dantak  CE explaining the History of the Project  With Mr Anil, Road trip back tp Mumbai somewhere in the forest of Jalpaiguri  All the bikes in formation, a nice photo opportunity  William Tell is aiming for the Apple on the head of Mr Parvez  Finally After an Epic trip - Odometer on arrival back home  A small Bhutan sticker to highlight the achievement  Last edited by cjt2012 : 20th April 2024 at 17:31. |
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20th April 2024, 20:23
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| Team-BHP Support   | |
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21st April 2024, 12:38
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| BHPian  Join Date: Jun 2022 Location: Bengaluru
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22nd April 2024, 07:20
| #5 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: KA21
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| Re: Mumbai - Bhutan - Mumbai Road trip on a 2017 BMW R1200GS Quote:
Re-lived my drive to Bhutan in 2018. And, things seem to have become much more expensive compared to pre- covid times. Finally, wish to earn this sticker sometime during ownership of my motorcycle. | |
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22nd April 2024, 09:28
| #6 | |
| Newbie Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Mumbai
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| Re: Mumbai - Bhutan - Mumbai Road trip on a 2017 BMW R1200GS Quote:
Your travelogue of the Mumbai to Bhutan road trip was incredibly captivating! Reading about your adventures reminded me of my own journey to Bhutan, and I couldn't help but feel the excitement all over again. Thank you for sharing your amazing experiences!  | |
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22nd April 2024, 11:16
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| Newbie Join Date: Jun 2023 Location: Pune
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22nd April 2024, 16:20
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| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: New Delhi
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24th April 2024, 15:51
| #9 |
| Newbie  Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Kochi and Dubai
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26th April 2024, 20:37
| #10 |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mumbai,Pune
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