18 Days Cycling Tour from Golmud to Lhasa

Transfer to Lhasa downtown after arriving at the Lhasa Gongar airport or the Lhasa train station. Relax with free time after your arrival in Lhasa to acclimatize to the high altitude.

We will begin our biking journey as we cycle from Golmud to our first high pass, the Kunlun Mountain Pass (elevation 4767 meters). This 160-kilometer part of your tour will take around 3 to 5 days, as the road conditions are tough with many uphill slopes.

We will begin our biking journey as we cycle from Golmud to our first high pass, the Kunlun Mountain Pass (elevation 4767 meters). This 160-kilometer part of your tour will take around 3 to 5 days, as the road conditions are tough with many uphill slopes.

This part of our biking tour covers around 109 kilometers and 1 to 2 days should be enough as the road conditions are much better in this area. You won’t wan to miss the roadside hot springs when riding through the Nachitai Area. The pure, unspoiled water of the hot springs there is really well worth trying. There are comfortable hotels In Wudaoliang, providing us with a good chance to rest and relax here on the 5th night of our journey.

This part of our biking tour covers around 109 kilometers and 1 to 2 days should be enough as the road conditions are much better in this area. You won’t wan to miss the roadside hot springs when riding through the Nachitai Area. The pure, unspoiled water of the hot springs there is really well worth trying. There are comfortable hotels In Wudaoliang, providing us with a good chance to rest and relax here on the 5th night of our journey.

With an average altitude of around 5000 kilometers, this tour is also an arduous one. Rough highland climate dominates this area with frozenly cold at nighttime and strong wind at daytime.

Get up early in the morning and nourish your aching body with the breath-taking sunrise, which dances over the horizon in Tuotuo River.

Cycle from Yanshiping to Tangula Mountain Pass and stay overnight in Toudaoban.

aThis section is mainly off-road. Scenery is getting progressively more beautiful.a

Continue your journey on to Nagqu, an important town that serves as a hub of Northern Tibet. On this two-day section of your trip, you will cross the Qiangtang prairie, where you will enjoy a magnificent pastoral view with herds of sheep and Tibetan yaks grazing against the backdrop of seemingly endless green grassland.

Continue your journey to Nagqu, an important town in Northern Tibet. You will cross the Qiangtang prairie, where you could enjoy a magnificent pastoral view, like groups of sheep and yaks grazing on the endless green grassland.

Scenery along this section is fantastic with snow-capped mountains, vast green grassland, and flocks of sheep. You can either cycle into Namtso Lake or take the jeep if you just want to make a day trip. There is a high-pass- LaChenLa 5190m. Namtso Lake is the Heavenly lake, which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake.

It is fantastic to spend a night at lake shore.

Scenery along this section is fantastic with snow-capped mountains, vast green grassland, and flocks of sheep. You can either cycle into Namtso Lake or take the jeep if you just want to make a day trip. There is a high-pass- LaChenLa 5190m. Namtso Lake is the Heavenly lake, which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake.

It is fantastic to spend a night at lake shore.

Enjoy the clear morning at the lake shore. You can trek along the lake shore to Tashi Dor Island to explore the meditation caves. Then head for Yangpachen.

The trail is dotted with green grass and swift current, and the main summit of Nyenchen Thanglha Mountain stands at the far distance, which looks towering and saintly. You might reach Yangpachen at around 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm. As Yangpachen is famous for its geothermic hot spring, you can enjoy a bath at the hot spring.

This is the final leg of your cycling trip. Enjoy the beauty as you approaching the holy city at the roof of the world. The route from Yangpachen to Lhasa is mainly composed of down slope, as it is new-repaired recently, most of that is even and plain. But you need to check the brake of your bicycle and control the speed as there are still many twists on the way.

You will see a sign writes "Welcome to Lhasa!" Congratulations! You have finished your cycling adventure! Stay overnight in Lhasa.

This is your 2rd day in Tibet, so you should be physically ready for Potala Palace—the palace with a lot of steps.

Climb up to Potala Palace, Tibet’s iconic landmark. You’ll see a lot of precious decorated statues, Buddhist scriptures and murals inside. Your guide will reveal to you the interesting history of the palace.

Visit Jokhang Temple (elevation 3,700 m), said to be the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. You will see many pilgrims prostrating themselves near the temple. Take part with locals in the 20-minute walk with prayer wheels, clockwise around Jokhang Temple. Take a stroll round Barkhor Street and see some Tibetan handicrafts.

Tip:
There are 1,080 steps up to Potala Palace and climbing steps on the plateau is not easy. If it’s too demanding physically, you don’t have to climb all the steps, and your tour guide will adjust your route accordingly.

Enjoy a hotel breakfast, and visit Norbulingka in the morning; formerly the summer palace for the Dalai Lamas. Nowadays, Norbulingka is a beautiful public park and a good place to see locals camping and picnicking in summer.

Watch a monks’ daily debate in Sera Monastery (elevation 4,000 m), the second most important monastery in Tibet. The debate not to be missed is held at 15:30 every day, except Sundays. Monks are happy to live in the monastery and study Buddhist scriptures there.

Later you will visit Drepung Monastery, renowned as the site for the annual Shoton Festival. If you visit in early August, you will have a chance to see for yourself this largest of Tibetan festivals.

General rules for visiting temples in Tibet: Cameras are not allowed in the temples or in the debate field, but taking photos with a cell phone is ok. When visiting a temple, your shoulders should be covered, and you should not wear shorts. Walk clockwise when visiting Barkhor Street.

Your guide and driver will take you to Lhasa’s airport/train station on time for your departure and escort you to the correct security gate. Relax and leave any hassles to your tour team.