Tibet Transport (3)

Highway Route
2412kmLhasa<—87km—>Yangbajain<—75km—>Damxung<—164km—>Nagqu<—138km—>Amdo<—89km—>Tangula Mountain<—100km—>Yanshiping<—91km—>Tuotuo Riverside<—150km—> Wudaoliang<—269km—> Golmud<—484km—> Caka <—196km—> Daotang River<—103km—>Garze

How to get there
Long-distance coaches, which depart from the Long distance Bus Station, ply in Damxung, Lhasa, Sog county, Golmud, etc. Because of the developed transportation network, there are more vehicles in this part of the highway than in other highways stretching into Tibet, and the traffic is not limited by the climate of different seasons. It is likely to get a hitchhiking if you wait at dusk at the parking lots of the bus station inn or just at the roadside.

Best time for tourists

May to September is the best time for tourists, except for the rainy season of July and August when landslides happen regularly and make it very dangerous to travel through the road.

Tips

1. The altitude is high in Wodaoliang and Tangula pass and it is chilly there and snows often. Enough winter clothing should be prepared. Medicines against altitude reaction, such as Rhodiola rosea, should also be taken with you. If you are not definitely confident about your physical condition, to take some bottled oxygen along is advisable. "Huoli Oxygen", a kind of bottled oxygen, can be bought in Xining or Golmud. Price: RMB 20 yuan.

2. Avoid any strenuous exercises when the bus passes through the Tangula pass and lets off all the passengers for them to have a rest. Some tourists who come to the Plateau for the first time may not feel any altitude reaction because they are too excited. If they skip and jump at the pass, they will suffer from shock because their hearts are over-loaded suddenly. Because the journey is mostly spent on the vehicle, enough solid food and drinking water should be prepared.

Xinjiang-Tibet Highway (Yecheng-Burang)

Xinjiang-Tibet Highway (Yecheng-Burang) is also called the national highway 219, with a total distance of 2,743 km. It is the highway with the highest altitude in the world. The highway starts from Yecheng, a city in southern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, passes by Gar county in Tibet and reaches Shiquanhe town, which is located in Ngari prefecture, Tibet, then the highway winds south to Burang county, where China borders India and Nepal. The highway turns east to converge with the China-Nepal Highway, and then extends to Xigaze and finally stretches into Lhasa. On its way the highway winds its way among several mountains, five of which soaring more than 5000 meters (16400 feet) high above the sea level. Among them the highest is Jieshan Daban Mountain, which is at an altitude of 6,035 meters. When you cross over the mountains, you can sense the grandness as you see the great mountains dwarf the surrounding ones. And it is easy to appreciate the spectacular view of the heavenly holy mountain Kailash, which is also called the "center of the world", and to feel the overwhelming charm of the holy lake Manasarovar.