| TAG |
TIBET OVERLAND - Sichuan to Tibet |
| 1 |
Arrival in Chengdu, Sichuan. Airport pick-up and transfer to our hotel.
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| 2 |
Sightseeing in Chendu and a visit our the Panda breding center. We get our Tibet permits and drivers licences. |
| 3 |
On the way to China´s tea capitol Yaan we stop in an old chinese village
for Lunch and a little stroll. |
| 4 |
We leave the plains behind and ride our Zipstars up to an altitude of
2600m. Kangding, our stay for the night used to be a trading post
between China and Tibet for centuries. |
| 5 |
On our way from Kangding to Yajiang we reach almost 5000m today.
Deep gorges and the frst Yaks. |
| 6 |
Further along the ridge of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and deeper we dive
into the tibetian culture towards Litang at an altitude of 4100m. The
short ride gives us enough time to visit the Chöde monastery built
during the reign of the 3rd Dalai Lama. |
| 7 |
There is a good chance that some of us had problems with the altitude
therefore the night in Batang at 2490m will give us time to recover.
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| 8 |
Along wild gorges and across 5000m passes we ride up to Dzogang
(3800m) |
| 9 |
Picturesque villages and Chorten which remind of Ladakh along of
course with a few passes await us today.
|
| 10 |
Pine forests, the spectacular sundzom valley fanked by snowcoverd
mountains and rugged moutains which could make you feel like in Utah
or Arizona... where there not the Buddhist monasteries.
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| 11 |
Passes, forests, monasteries and a holy „Bon“ mountain as well as a
few 7000m mountain giants delight us today.
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| 12 |
We reach the Brahmaputra (Yarlung) – valley and with it the oldest tibetian settlements.
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| 13 |
Good road contitions provided we might make a turnoff the Lhamo-
Latso oracle lake today on our way to Tsetang.
|
| 14 |
We leave the Yarlung-valley after about 100km and wind us up the
road to Kamba La (4794m) and after a Lunch Stop we travel on to Karo
La (5010m)pass. A glacier almost touches the road here. Along the
turquise waters of the holy Yamdrok-Tso we ride to Gyantse.
|
| 15 |
Before leaving Gyantse today we visit the Pelkor Chöde monastery, and
the Kumbum Chorten, the only walk-in Stupa in Tibet. We have Lunch
in Shigatse and get a frst impression of Tibets second largest city
before we head on to Sakya.
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| 16 |
From Sakya back to highway 318 and across the 5.220m Gyatso La pass to Shegar. |
| 17 |
A few kilometers
after Shegar we turn off the Friendship Highway and wind up to the
Pang-pass (5120m). Weather provided we can enjoy a great Himalyan
panorama from Kanzendonga to Xishpangma. At Mt. Everest in
between!!! We stay the Rongphu monastery guest house at 4980m.
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| 18 |
We get up early in the morning and depending on the regulations, ride
our bikes or get driven up to the Everst Base Camp. Be sure to have
enough memory and fresh batteries for your camera!! Later on we head
back to Shegar.
|
| 19 |
Again we cross the Gyatso-La but this time we turn north after Lhatse to
take a less travelled road back to Shigatse where we will stay for the
next 2nights.
|
| 20 |
The 1447 built Tashilunpo monastery is the home of the
Panchen Lama. It is without doubt one of the most impressive of all
tibetian monasteries and not just for it´s gold covered roofs and the
giant Buddha glad with 250kg of gold.
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| 21 |
We head back to Lhasa on the northern leg of the Friedship Highway.
Time to say goodbye to our ZipStar bikes.
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