A vehicle-supported mountain bike tour in excess of 2000 kilometers through one of the most remote regions in the world.

Briefly: Duration 25 days, beginning in Kashgar and ending in Beijing. 20 days strenuous cycling at high elevations from Kargilik in Xinjiang Province through the Kunlun Mountains and across Western Tibet to Lhasa. Each cycling day consists of 3 to 6 hours mountain biking with the remainder of the day spent riding in vehicles to cover the vast distance. If time permits, when we have reached Tingri, we will drive and/or cycle in toward Everest Base Camp for views of Mt. Everest.

Difficulty level: Strenuous. Cycling at high elevations on rough, rocky road/track surfaces in extremely remote territory. Average cycling altitude above 4000 meters (13,123 feet). Maximum cycling elevation 5100 meters (16,732 feet). Previous experience traveling at elevations above 4000 meters recommended; as well as experience mountain biking on rough, rocky, and rutted surfaces required* (see notes below).

Trip dates: 
Please contact us to arrange a trip.
Recommended months to do this trip: May, June, Sept., Oct.

Background and Summary:

Experience Lhasa, the Karakoram Mountains, the Himalaya, Western Tibet, the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Thefocus of this tour is cycling some of the most remote regions in the world from the Western Chinese province of Xinjiang through Western Tibet to Lhasa. This vehicle-supported cycle tour lets you experience Western Tibet like few explorers ever have. Weather permitting, you will have views of peaks such as: Nanda Devi 7817m, Kailash 6714m, Gurla Mandahata 7728m, Dhaulagiri 8167m, Shishabangma 8012m, and Everest 8848m. Cycling off a 5000 meter Karakoram pass for a 20 kilometer descent or cruising the doubletrack across the Tibetan Plateau can be an exhilarating and unforgettable experience. On this tour we also make contact with the local inhabitants sampling regional cuisine and chatting with the Uighurs and Tibetans along the route.

This trip begins in the far western Chinese region of Xinjiang in the ancient Silk Road city and oasis of Kashgar.

Kashgar is well known for its Sunday bazaar and old town area which has an authentic Central Asian flavor with blacksmiths, tin smiths, musical instrument makers, potters, rug sellers, hatters, tailors, and makers and sellers of many other items of everyday use. The Kashgar Sunday bazaar is perhaps the largest and longest running Sunday bazaar in Central Asia with a 2,000 year history. As many as 100,000 people come in from surrounding areas to buy and sell animals and goods.

From Kashgar, we drive to the city of Kargilik (Yecheng). From Kargilik we spend 20 days cycling and driving south and east through the Kunlun and Karakoram Mountains up onto the Tibetan Plateau and through Western Tibet. In Western Tibet the population is sparse and most of the Tibetans we will see are either shepherds or on a pilgrimage to Kailash. If we have time, after we have reached Tingri, we will drive and/or cycle in toward Everest Base Camp for views of Everest before continuing on to Lhasa. We spend two days visiting sites in the Lhasa area including: the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor pilgrim circuit (an area of Tibetan shops, teahouses, and hawkers). On day 25 of our trip we arrive in Beijing (via Chengdu). After a night in Beijing, the trip ends.

It should be noted that the route this itinerary follows from Xinjiang through Western Tibet is over rough roads which at times are no more than primitive double track. In some areas rock slides and road blockages are common. There are several river crossings where there are no bridges forcing travelers to ford in vehicles or on foot. For the reasons stated in this paragraph, this trip description and the brief itinerary below should be viewed as "statements of intent" and not "contractual obligations". We will do the best we can to see that the itinerary is followed as closely as possible, but there are factors beyond our control (i.e. government action or natural causes) that may force us to alter this itinerary.

*Note about difficulty level: In addition to having previous experience traveling at elevations above 4000 meters (13,123 feet), participants should be in very good physical condition when joining this trip. Cycling at elevations over 4000 meters will tax the body much more than cycling the same distances and terrain at lower elevations. Because of these high elevations, in order for the participant to fully enjoy the trip and to be safe, he/she needs to be as prepared as possible.

On this trip, participants bring their own mountain bikes or we rent bikes. It should be noted that wearing a bicycle helmet at all times while cycling is required on all of our cycling trips. Trip participants also need to be experienced “off-road” mountain bikers. They don't need to be expert riders, but do need to be experienced to negotiate the rough, rocky, and rutted roads and tracks on this trip. With 20 days of cycling in a remote region far from good medical care, all participants will need to ride conservatively drawing on their experience and skills to negotiate this route. Cycling through the Kunlun Mountains and then Western Tibet on the Tibetan Plateau is challenging, but the rewards make it an unforgettable experience!


 

Tibetan Traverse Mountain Bike Tour in brief:

• Day 1: meet in Kashgar
• Day 2: drive to Kargilik (Yecheng), Xinjiang
• Day 3-8: cycle/drive to Ali, Tibet
• Day 9-16: cycle/drive from Ali to Tengri
• Day 17-20: cycle/drive to Rongbuk and return
• Day 21: cycle/drive to Shigatse
• Day 22: cycle/drive to Lhasa
• Day 23-24: tour Lhasa area
• Day 25: fly to Chengdu and on to Beijing, hotel, end of tour