Sichuan Tibet Highway Tour

Early morning, we will pick you up at your hotel in Chengdu city. Here it goes the very beginning of your Sichuan-Tibet Highway tour. Hooray~~ Today’s journey will pass by Ya’an and Luding, to finally arrive in Kangding. Ensconced in a steep river valley at the confluence of the swift Zheduo and Yala Rivers and towered over by mighty Gongga Shan (7,556m). Kangding (2,616m) is famous throughout China for a popular love song that the town’s surrounding scenery inspired. The town has long been a trade centre between Han & Tibetan cultures, with the exchange of wool, herbs and bricks of tea from Ya’an wrapped in yak hide. It also served as an important staging post on the road to Lhasa, as indeed it does today.

Stay overnight in Kangding

Kangding is nestled in a deep river valley at the point where the fast-flowing Yala meets the raging Zheduo which roars its way right through the town center. More poignantly, Kangding has for centuries also been the point at which two very different cultures converge. 

Mugecuo is one of the larger alpine lakes in Northwest Sichuan. Surrounded by mountains and forests, it is also embraced by dozens of small lakes, so it's also known as small Jiuzhaigou.

Paoma Mountain is located on the outskirts of Kangding City, beside the Zheduo River and the Five Colors Sea. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, grand horse riding events are held here, which are very lively.

Stay overnight in Kangding

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Today, we are going through Xindu Bridge then to Litang. Xindu Bridge is a highlight on the Sichuan-Tibet highway. It's also called photographers' paradise, as well as the world of light and shadow. The beautiful natural scenery, trees, grass plants, dotted Tibetan-style dwellings, cattle, and sheep attract tourists to come here to take pictures of splendid moments.

Litang is famed as the birthplace of the 7th and 10th Dalai Lamas. Litang lies at an altitude of 4014m, so it's called the world's high city. Litang is more like a hidden paradise, where you can feel the magnificent grassland and worship Tibetan Buddhism.

Stay overnight in Litang

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From Litang to Batang, the altitude drops from 4014m to 2589m, and the surrounding scenery has also changed from green grasslands to bare mountains. One of the highlights is the alpine lakes in Haizi Mountain in Batang County, and the largest lake on Haizi Mountain is the Sister Lake. Besides the Sister Lake, another recommended spot is Cuopu Valley, which is surrounded by mountains and gorges. There is a square kilometer area covered with hot springs, on the slopes, beside the highway, in the forest, in the fields, under the cliffs, and by the river.

Stay overnight in Batang

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From Batang to Markham, enjoy the scenery all the way! You will enter Tibet’s territory today. Congrats! You made it, halfway through your journey already. For centuries, Markham has been a strategic crossroads town on the salt and tea trade routes between Tibet and Sichuan.

Stay overnight in Dzogang

From Dzogang to Pomda, the road condition is good. Known as Bangda in Chinese, Pomda is 4390 meters above sea level and is the intersection of the southern and northern Sichuan-Tibet highways. It used to be the obligatory stop of the famous "tea horse road" in the past. It is located on the 318 national roads between Dzogang and Basu.

After passing Pomda, you'll not only experience the precariousness and desolation of the Nu River Grand Canyon and the "72 turns of Sky Road", but also enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the idyllic scenery between the canyons. After getting out of the canyon, you will find that the sky is getting clearer and the horizon is getting wider. You will see snow-capped mountains and a big Ranwu Lake, and the Ranwu Town is near.

Stay overnight in Ranwu Town

From Ranwu to Bomi, you can also visit Laigu Glacier and Midui Glacier. Laigu Glacier is one of the three largest glaciers in the world. Melted ice and snow flow into Ranwu Lake, which is the source of the Parlung Zangbo River. Midui Glacier is the most important marine glacier in Tibet. It is one of the three major marine glaciers in China and the lowest in the world. All the way, besides glaciers, you will see the dense alpine forest, deep gorges, clear streams, blue sky, snow peaks, high waterfalls, etc. You will arrive at Bomi County in the evening.

Stay overnight in Bomi

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Drive from Bomi to Nyingchi, with a total distance of 230 km. Along the famous National Highway 318, there are a series of stunning plateau scenery. En route, you will pass by Guxiang Lake which is a beautiful park, and get through Tongmai Bridge which is a natural barrier, the gorgeous tiny rural village of Tashigang and Lulang Forest. Lulang Forest is the highlight of this part. It's 3,700 meters above sea level and located on Sichuan-Tibet highway, about 80 kilometers away from Bayi Town, Nyingchi. Lulang is a typical long plateau mountain meadow. From the viewing platform of Lulang, you can see the famous Namcha Barwa Peak.

Stay overnight in Nyingchi

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A hard ride today from Nyingri to Lhasa for about 8 hours or so, en route, visit the beautiful Draksumtso Lake. Draksum-tso Lake is a sacred lake of the Nyingma (Red) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Continue ahead until you reach the Mila Mountain Tunnel. Mila Mountain is the last high mountain on 318 national Sichuan-Tibet Highway before entering Lhasa, with an altitude of 5,013 meters. In the afternoon, you will arrive in Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

In the morning, your guide will meet you at the hotel and first take you to visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by the 33rd King - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and rebuilt later by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now it's a museum and world heritage site. 

In the afternoon, you will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

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In the morning, we will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama. There are a lot of towering trees, exotic flowers and plants in the garden, as well as many collections of cultural relics, Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, murals, etc. They are all very precious treasures.

In the afternoon, you are heading to Drepung Monastery, which means Monastery of Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, also the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

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Your tour ends today. Our guide and driver will collect you from your hotel to transfer to Lhasa Airport/Railway Station for your next destination.