Overland Route to Tibet

For those with a spirit of adventure, driving a four wheel vehicle to Tibet
may provide you with the experience of a lifetime! Such an expedition
is demanding and requires participants to be in good physical health,
time is required to make the journey and it's costly. Anyone considering
this journey should be advised that a lot of courage and determination
are required!
There are five major road routes to Lhasa. They are the Nepal-Tibet
Friendship highway, Sichuan-Tibet highway, Qinghai-Tibet highway,
Xinjiang-Tibet highway, Yunnan-Tibet highway.
Qinghai-Tibet Highway
Xining - 123 km - Daotang River - 196 km - Caka - 484 km - Golmud -
269 km - Wudaoliang- 150 km - Tuotuo Riverside - 91 km - Yanshiping
- 100 km - Tanggula Mountain - 89 km - Amdo - 138 km - Nagqu - 164
km - Damxung - 75 km - Yangbajain - 87 km – Lhasa, 1937 km in
length.
Sichuan-Tibet Highway
Northern Route: Chengdu – 394 km – Kangding – 267 km - Luhuo – 95
km – Garze – 207 km – Dege – 111 km – Gyamda – 228 km – Chamdo
– 480 km – Baqing – 256 km – Nagqu – 164 km – Damxung – 162 km
– Lhasa, 2121 km in length with the highest point at Queer Mt. of
4916m. also could via: Chengdu – Ya’an – Kangding – Xinduqiao –
Luhuo – Garze – Lhasa.
Southern Route: Chengdu – 147 km - Ya'an - 163 km – Luding – 62 km
– Kangding – 149 km – Yajiang – 308 km – Batang – 104 km – Markam
– 158 km – Zuogong – 107 km – Bongda – 94 km – Baxoi – 217 km –
Bomi – 233 km – Nyingtri – 127 km – Gongbo Gyamda – 206 km –
Mozhugongka – 73 km – Lhasa, 2140 km in length with the highest
point at Litang of 4700m.
Yunnan-Tibet Highway
Kunming - 353 km – Dali - 166 km – Lijiang - 145 km – Zhongdian - 152
km – Deqen - 103 km – Yanjing - 111 km – Markam - 359 km - Baxio -
450 km - Nyingchi - 420 km – Lhasa, 2300 km in length.
Xinjiang-Tibet Highway
Yecheng - 69km - Pusa - 88km – Kudidaban - 83km – Mazadaban -
339km - Sweet Water Sea - 110km – Jieshandaban - 177km –
Duomaping - 143km - Rutog County - 87km - Shiquanhe town - 331km
- Parga - 334km- Zhongba -145km – Saga - 293km - Lhaze -
157km – Xigaze - 337km – Lhasa, 2743 km in length

Recommend Itineraries

-newline"> For most travellers, visiting Tsang means a straight shot from Lhasa to the Nepali border, with stops at Gyantse, Shigatse and Mt Everest. This journey
takes about eight days if done at a reasonable pace.
From Lhasa, head out on the Southern Friendship Hwy, which takes you over the Kamba-la pass to the shores of Yamdrok-tso, then on to
Nangartse and Gyantse. You’ll need a full day in Gyantse before you can move on to Shigatse. West of Shigatse the next obvious stop is Lhatse,
but there are two worthy side trips on the way - Sakya Monastery and Phuntsoling Monastery. From Lhatse it’s on to Baber and Shegar, a key
stop before heading on to Everest Base Camp (EBC). Back on the main highway there is old Tingri and Nyalam before you finally reach the
border town of Zhangmu. The best hike in the region is from old Tingri to EBC (or vice versa), which will add another four days to your journey.
If you are in a hurry, it’s quicker to take the Northern Friendship Road when travelling between Lhasa and Shigatse but going this way you’ll miss
Gyantse, one of the highlights of Tsang. Any way you go you’ll find good facilities along the way and relatively easy drives as the Friendship Hwy is
entirely paved. The exception is the Everest region, which has dirt roads and basic accommodation.

Highlights in Lhasa

  Follow monks, mendicants and fellow pilgrims around the
Barkhor, Lhasa’s fascinating medieval pilgrim circuit.
  Join the shuffling lines of awed pilgrims around the glowing
shrines of the Jokhang, Tibet’s holiest temple.
  Go down into the bowels of the Potala, the impressive but
spiritless citadel of the Dalai Lamas.
  Take in a prayer meeting or some monk-debating at Sera
and Drepung, two of the largest and most intact of Tibet’s great
monasteries.
  A day out to Ganden Monastery and test your sin on its
fascinating kora.
  Explore the traditional whitewashed architecture, teashops
and craft workshops of Lhasa’s backstreets on our Old
Town Walking Tour.
  Track down one of Lhasa’s off-the-beaten-track
temples, such as the Meru Nyingba Monastery or Tengye Ling.
  Get a taste of the northern Changtang at the turquoise
waters, snowy peaks and nomads’ tents of stunning high-altitude
Lake Namtso.
  Marvel at the turquoise waters of Yamdrok-tso, one of
Tibet’s most sacred lakes.

What is Aliens' Travel Permits (PSB's)

Tibet  is  slightly  more  complicated  when  it  comes  to  travel  permits  than elsewhere in China. An Alien Travel Permit (usually just called a ‘travel permit’) is  granted  by  the  PSB  (Public  Security  Bureau)  for  travel  to  an  area  that  is officially closed.

Tibet  PSB  will  not  issue  travel  permits  to  individuals  and the travel permits are usually only obtainable through tour operators,  for  organized  tours  by  four-wheel-drive  car.  A  single  permit  is normally issued to all the people who are traveling together, the permit naming just  one  of  them  and  stating  how  many  others  are  accompanying  him;  the passports,  or  at  least  photocopies  of  passports  and  visas,  of  all  persons traveling must be presented in order to obtain a permit.

If you want to do an overland tour from Yunnan, Sichuan or Xinjiang province to Tibet, your Entry Stamp to China  is required  to apply the PSB before your tour starts.

Tsamda Hot Springs

The odourless, iron-rich springs are about 12km west of Tingri, and are piped directly into the pools of the Tsamda Snow Leopard Hot Spring Hotel (dm Y40, d Y200-280). Most travellers are not very impressed with the public pools, but you can rent a private room with bath for Y50 for a couple hours if the place is not busy. The private bath is a bit rough, too, and stained red in places from the iron in the water, but it’s just the thing for cleaning yourself off after a day or two at Everest Base Camp.

The hotel makes for a better stop than Tingri. There’s a common room on the 2nd floor with outstanding views, and some pleasant easy walks around the nearby hills. And the hot-spring water, despite the basic setup, is actually very good quality and the perfect temperature for  soaking in.

A amazing food that keep you away from high altitude illness

Scientific researchers of former Soviet Union Tadzhikistan Mountain Institute, through research, has found that black sugar has pretty good effect on preventing high altitude illness. Those who go to a place with an altitude of more than 3600m can almost avoid high altitude illness by having 30g black sugar each day. While, those who don’t have black sugar or only have fine white sugar have a much higher risk of high altitude illness. The scientific researchers believe that there might be comparatively more active substances in black sugar which make it pretty effective on strengthening people’s ability to guard against high altitude illness.

Who is the first mankind stand on the top of Mt. Everest

There is a photo famous of the world because of recording of the first man to climb Mount Everest on 29 May 1953. In this picture, Nepal guide Tenzing Norgay stood on the peak with an ice on his hand over head which surmounted a flag flutter. And the one who took this picture is the world's first successful ascent -- New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary.



Hillary was born on July 20, 1919, whose father was a veteran. During World War II, he joined the Air Force. After the war he became a climbing obsession. Once, during he and George Los climbing the Alps, the sudden idea of mount Everest expedition came out. The idea got the world's support of Mountaineering Association at that time.



In 1953, after the success of climb Mount Everest Hillary was living in Everest Base Camp, George Los witnessed the process of Hillary and Norgay return to the Base camp. He recalled: "It was Edmund exposed weary smile, then all of a sudden sitting on the ice said with his usual tone: 'OK, we conquered the guy.'"



After the mount Everest expedition, Hillary was later knighted by the Queen, but he once wrote in his book: "(was knighted) for me is an extraordinary honor, but what I did not match that I deserved, I even could not believe myself have get canonized. "



Hillary established a foundation named after his own name, the Foundation is currently invested in Nepal and established 27 schools, two hospitals and more than a dozen clinics. Hillary's family is also engaged in the work of the Foundation, in 1975, his wife and daughter to participate in Foundation activities in Nepal killed in a plane crash.

Nowadays, tours to Everest base camp is become more and more easy for people who want to experience the feeling of climbing the highest peak of the world.