Great arc of the great Shangri-La - 21 days
Difficulty: Challenging to Hard
Average riding per day: 70km(40mile) to 80km (50mile)
Average altitude: 3100m(10200ft)
Highest altitude: 4500m(14800ft)
Shangrila, most people know this name from a mythological novel called “The lost horizon” written by an American named Hilton. In Tibetan language, Shangrila means holy land or a secret land far from modern civilization, means Utopia. But in fact, Shangrila does exist. It is a big region include eastern Tibet, northwest Yunnan, northwest Sichuan, southeast Qinghai and southeast Gangsu. We call that “The great Shangrila”
This trip starts from Lanzhou—one of a very important city of the Silk Road, head south to northwest Sichuan, then follow the Traverse mountain all the way to northwest Yunnan ,and end trip in LiJiang.
Here is the day by day itinerary:
Day 1, Group meet in Lanzhou
Cruising in Lanzhou, visit a big Mosque. Warm up on bicycle.
Day 2, Lanzhou—Xiahe
Total distance: 259km(160mile)/Riding distance: 100km(65mile)
Average altitude:2000m(6600feet)/highest altitude:2400(7920feet)
Drive out of the heavy traffic section all the way to Linxia city. Start cycling from Linxia, cross grassland and arrive Xiahe. Xiahe owns on of the six biggest Yellow Sect Tibetan Buddhism monastery called Labrang. We will visit it in the afternoon, 300 monks practice in a huge hall will be a big surprise if we got good luck.
Day 3, Xiahe—Langmusi
236km(150mile)/80km(50mile)
2400m(7920feet)/3000m(9900feet)
Drive to Hezuo and start cycling, grassland becoming bigger and bigger. Langmusi located in a valley on the border of Sichuan and Gansu. Nomads even riding horses on the street, some times compete with bicycle riders for fun. Never mind, they are friendly.
Day 4, Langmusi—Tangke
146km(90mile)/146km(90mile)
3000m(9900feet)/3600m(11000feet)
Ride on a back road deep in a pasturing area, follow the Yellow river up stream. Tangke is on the first bend of Yellow river.
Day 5, Tangke—Aba
153km(95mile)/80km(50mile)
3200m(10000feet)/3900(13000feet)
The courser in this area maybe make our bikes shamed, however, our “horses” don’t need any time to eat grass…
This road is still a back road, we can see lots of black yak-hair nomadic tents. Marmots crossing the road often, they never have any sense of traffic rules.
Day 6, Aba
30km(20mile)/30km(20mile)
3200m(10000feet)/3200m(10000feet)
Discover in Aba, it is a religion center of Amdo Tibetan nomads, there are 52 important monasteries in this county. We will visit a couple of them, and we have chance to be guests of a living Buddha.
Day 7, Aba—Rangtang
148km(90mile)/80km(50mile)
3200m(10000feet)/3700m(12000feet)
It’s a long riding day, but the landscape is so amazing, when will climb up to the first mountain pass in the morning, we could see the whole holy town is in the golden sunshine. Wild animals might cross the road sometime—they have no sense of traffic rules. Road keep going with the head water of Dadu river, people live along the river make life by part herding part farming and part of gold mining. They believe a very old branch of Tibetan Buddhism—Jolang sect, and only there.
Day 8, Rangtang—Luhuo
138km(85mile)/80km(50mile)
3400m(11000feet)/4000m(13000feet)
This section is seldom traveled by westerners, Luhuo is famous for it’s forests, and it used to be a very important county for logging, and Tibetan there built houses by using lots of huge log, each one might be more than a house, more like a castle.
Day 9, Luhuo—Ganzi
84km(50mile)/84km(50mile)
3400m(11000feet)/4100m(13500feet)
A hard mountain pass is Luoguo which has three tops to torture us.
Tibetan nuns could be seen when we climbing up form a small village,
they always curiously stop you and ask you strange questions, like
“How could you change your eyes into blue?”Khampa people are
more open in this area, some times they even want to have a photo with you by dressing up traditional long gown.
Day 10, Ganzi
100km(62mile)/0km(0mile)
3300m(10000feet)/3500m(11500feet)
One day research in Ganzi by support vehicle. Or have one day rest.
Day 11, Ganzi—Xinlong
103km(65mile)/103km(65mile)
3200m(10000feet)/3250m(10000feet)
A rolling road goes along the Yalong river—One of the major tributary of the Yangtze. It’s a warm valley with breezee on your face, a very nice relax riding day.
Day 12, Xinlong—Litang
130km(80miel)/50km(30mile)
3600m(12000feet)/4300m(14000feet)
This section is really hard, out of Xinlong, after crossing a bridge of the Yalong river, road becoming rough and muddy. But the country sight is so nice, people there use very short hoes for farming, they bend really hard for working. I don’t why they don’t use a longer shaft? Litang is a high altitude city(4100m), nomads there are mixture of a big family of Mongolian Keshik and local Khampa. Because of that, Litang gets the best horse riders in the Great Tibet. We will stay with a local reach family in the evening, they make the best butter tea in western Sichuan.
Day 13, Litang—Daocheng—Yading
210km(130mile)/80km(50mile)
3600m(12000feet)/4200m(13500feet)
Today we have a big mountain pass to cross, huge moraine are everywhere along the road, you can choose some of them to do a little bit bowldering.
Day 14, Yading
Hiking day
Yading is a national park where the three holy mountain stand: the Avoloketchisavara, Manjushri, Charnodorji. We will have a one day trek to have a view of them.
Day 15, Yading—Derong
230km(140mile)/70km(43mile)
3400m(11000feet)/4000m(13000feet)
Because of the distance is too long and the road all paved by cement. We will drive all the up hill road and cycle all the down hill section. And also, the most beautiful view is all on the down hill sections.
Day 16, Derong—Benzilan
95km(60mile)/70km(43mile)
3000m(9900feet)/3400m(11000feet)
Today we will get into Yunnan province, and the Yangtze area. It’s more dry in Yunnan part, huge cereus wild growing in the canyon. Benzilan is a small town, but most of the local people have lived there because of the Tea-Horse trading road, they worked as stablemen. Their caravans even have been to India or further.
Day 17, Benzilan—Zhongdian
83km(50mile)/60km(40mile)
3000m(9900feet)/3600m(11000feet)
Cycle along the Yangtze, cross two mountain passes to Zhongdian, Zhongdian located in a wide valley between the Yangtze and Mekong.
We will visit the “lesser Potala Palace”—Gardan Songzanlin Monastery in the afternoon.
Day 18, Zhongdian—Sanba
120km(75mile)/80km(50mile)
2500m(8200feet)/3200m(10000feet)
A tough day witch is about 80KM long and 4 mountain passes on the way, but very beautiful view on every passes, on May we could see lots kinds of rhododendron. Along this 80KM, we could see three kinds of ethnic group: Tibet, Yi and Naxi. They have different architecture style, different dressing and live style. But the were all very important on the Tea-Horse trading road in the history.
Day 19, Sanba—Walnut grove
50km(30mile)/50km(30mile)
1800m(5900feet)/2400(7900feet)
Today we have two short continuous mountain passes to conquer. After that we will have a very long down hill road all the way to Daju, a small town built on the Yangtze riverside terrace. And then we drive 10KM to walnut grove. Start trekking, down to the most grand section of the Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Day 20, Walnut grove—Qiaotou—Lijiang
114km(70mile)/60km(37mile)
2000m(6600feet)/2600m(8600feet)
Cycle through the Tiger Leaping Gorge, drive to the First Bend of Yangtze. Keep on cycling to Lijiang. Naixi Ancient Music Performance in the evening.
Day 21, Trip end.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Group size USD/person
1 $4400
2 - 8 $2650
The price includes:
* A hotel/guesthouse room based on double occupancy, private room available with extra charge;
* Food;
* A transportation/support vehicle;
* A professional English speaking guide who will be riding with you and singing fork songs;
* A nice mountain bicycle rental.
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