
Downloadable Tour Application
Airfare
Arrangements
International
airfares are not included in the price of the tours. It is the
responsibility of the participant to make the necessary air travel
arrangements to the tour departure city. Contact Roadrunners for the latest information on the best airfares available for
your tour!
Insurance
All
tour participants must have travel insurance providing coverage
in the event of trip cancellation, lost baggage, and evacuation
(such as helicopter rescue) in the event of an accident. Motorcycles
provided by HRR are fully insured to local legal requirements for accident
and liability.
Passports
& Visas
Tour
participants must hold a current passport that is valid for at
least 6 months beyond the tour end date. For most nationals, Thailands Visa's are obtainable upon arrival at either Bangkok or Chiang Rai Airport. Nepal Visa's are also available upon arrival at Kathmandu Airport or from a Nepal Counsulate in your home country. India Visa's MUST be obtained from an Indian Embassy or Consulate from your home country before departure to India. No exceptions! Bhutan Visa's & Tibet Permits are arranged by Himalayan Roadrunners and are included in with the tour costs. For Tibet Tours, please notify HRR if you already have a China Visa in your passport and are planning on participating on one of our Nepal to Tibet Motorcycle Expeditions. This usually requires a bit of extra attention, its better not to have a China Visa to begin with. Please note a China Visa is useless in crossing the Border from Nepal into Tibet and can sometimes make it more difficult or even impossible! Since requirements
are different for each tour and country, please refer to the specific tour itinerary,
and/or contact Himalayan Roadrunners for more specific information! Sound complicated? Its not!
Tour Reservations
A deposit of USD$500 is required to secure a position on one of tours and this can be done using the Reserve Bike link on the homepage. If sending this deposit by bank wire transfer, please ensure that wire transfer fees are included or this fee will be added to the tour balance invioce. Unpaid transfer fees must be settled prior to all tour departure dates. Paypal is also an acceptable means to transfer tour deposits but again please ensure that the transfer fees are included! Upon receipt of your tour deposit, you will receive a confirmation by email. TOUR BALANCE INVOICES are sent 90 days prior to tour departure.
Driving
License Requirements
Tour
participants MUST hold a valid International Driving License endorsed
for motorcycle operation and valid for the country of the tour.
These can usually be obtained from your local Automobile Association
for a small fee. In the case of Tibet where China regulations are in force, International Driver Permits, while not recognized by China, are still required for the Nepal portion of the tour and as proof towards issue of temporary China Driving Licenses, now required by all foreign driving visitors, and arranged by HRR.
Medical
Requirements
A
thorough medical checkup is recommended before tour departure.
Immunizations are necessary for travel to the Himalaya and South
East Asia! Participants are advised to consult their nearest travel
clinic or doctor/GP for the latest uptodated recommendations for
high altitude travel and the destination country (s) of your tour.
Tour
Payment Security
In
full compliance with the EC Travel Directive (implemented under
UK statutory instrument 1992 No. 3288) all client funds are deposited
into a trust account and are only released to the company after
completion of the tour.
Ability
All interested partipants in a Roadrunners Motorcycle tour MUST have adequate motorcycling experience, which can be initially gauged by how comfortable a rider is in modern day rush hour city traffic on a regular sized bike (500cc and larger) While most of the tours are on paved roads, there is occasonal loose gravel, tight bends , etc and any off road experience is a real plus! While Roadrunners will from time to time work with new riders given advance notice, we are not motorcycle riding instructors nor do we wish to be! As of January 2008, our new road policy is a follows: If a rider comes off the bike a 1st time, Roadrunners staff & tour leaders are watching. A 2nd time coming off the bike, consulations and discussions with tour leader on exactly what is going wrong. A 3rd time off coming off the bike is forfeiture of the motorcycle with transportation provided in our sweep vehicles from behind! Sorry no exceptions to this rule.
Motorcycle
Damage Deposit
A
safety deposit of USD $1000. is required prior to tour departure
and will be refunded upon return of the undamaged mororcycle.
Deposits are easily made 1-2 weesk proirt to tour departure via credit card via our Reverve Bike link on the Homepage of this website. While HRR will make every effort to supply a back-up motorcycle and/or
spares in the event of a mechanical brakedown, HRR is not obliged
to replace a crashed and damaged motorcycle.
Age
Limitations
We
have hosted riders from ages 18 to 76! Riding experience and
state of health are the most important considerations for participation.
Riders under 21 years of age should be accompanied by a parent
or guardian. Senior riders should contact us to discuss participation
on the more demanding tour route itineraries, such as high altitude
travel in Ladakh & Tibet 13,000 - 18,360 feet.
Accommodations
Accommodations for all Roadrunners tours are the best catagory, the best situated, or the most culturally desirable, why stay in a concrete box when you can hang out at an all teak guest house with loads of character and one of the oldest lodges in a village ? New hotels do have their place and we do use them, depending on whats available. None of the trips operated by Himalayan Roadrunners utilize "cheap" accommodations as a business means, which abounds in SE Asia! We dont! and this is guaranteed. Check other operators carefully as nearly all do this. Tour
prices are based on double occupancy on a shared basis with another
member of the tour. A single supplement can be added to the tour
cost if participant requires single room accommodations. If a roommate
cannot be found for participant on a sharing basis, a single supplement
charge will be added.
Riding
Style
All
tours are guided by at least one western group leader. Most touring
is together utilizing a leader-sweep system to facilitate
route changes, lunch stops, and general accounting. A guide rides at the front, a staff mechanic rider is the last bike in line, and our support vehicles bring up the rear with first aid
equipment, spares and luggage.
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