Cara and I organise bike rides in the Indian Himalayas, an area that's home to some of the most stunning mountain vistas in the world.

This year, the Spiti trip wound its way from Shimla to Kaza via the hill station of Manali. We'd originally planned to ride in the opposite direction, but a burst dam in Tibet closed Kinnaur Valley for the season, diverting us through the Himalayan foothills around Jalori and Kullu. Picking up a network of unmapped backcountry tracks and quiet backroads, we roller coastered up and down in the midst of the summer heat. After a little r&r in Manali, we then crossed the barrier of Rohtang pass (via a 52km climb, no less) into the High Himalayan range.

This part of the gallery focuses on Spiti; a raw, rugged region bordering Tibet. The going here can be challenging - rough jeep tracks are chiselled through the rockface and alongside the Chandra river, and hurdles include icy cold stream crossings, babyhead rocks and a beating hot sun. Dividing the Chandra and Spiti Valleys, 4500m Kunzum La pass is marked by multi-coloured prayer flags and a small, windswept temple. En route lies Chandra Tal lake, a high altitude pool of water, encircled by singletrack, reflecting the soft hues of the mountains around.

Spiti Valley itself is typified by burnt blue skies, whitewash traditional villages, billiard flat plains and age old Buddhist monasteries perched on rocky bluffs. Traffic is most likely to come in the form of a goat tailback, with a daily bus bouncing its way through. Grassy meadows punctuate this desert-like landscape, mottled with mineral deposits and gouged by glaciers. It's certainly dramatic stuff.

Here's the pictures from our ride - for more information on the area, see http://www.out-there-biking.com/