This is a 13 day bike tour in Eastern Tibet with a few other travels.
July 18th
We met up at the University of science and technology in Chengdu in the morning to head out for the long ride west. We stopped in Kangding for lunch and then Tagong for dinner. It was getting dark when we left there and its hard to see in the dark so we stayed in Bamei for the night.
July 19th
We continued on our second day for another long drive heading north west to Zhuqing near border of Tibet. The roads were pretty decent at least with pretty views around. We got to Zhuqing in the evening and a couple people biked into town before we got there. We got a hotel and had dinner and settled in for the long bike ride back.
July 20th
We all headed out in the van in the morning after taking a look around town. Zhuqing is really beautiful and has several monasteries, stupas and scenery to check out. We then headed out in the van for a bit because there is a big pass thats under construction. Luckily the guys were able to bike thru the tunnel that’s under construction but not open to vehicles yet because going over the mountain was horrible with all the trucks and construction. We got to Maniganga and had lunch and met a German couple I met before in Chengdu who were on a long distance cycling trip. Then we continued on to Xinluhai lake, which is one of the most beautiful places on the trip. We set up tents to camp. Only a couple of us ate dinner and drank some beers. It seemed like most people felt sick because of elevation sickness since its over 4000 meters. I gave people some medicine for that which helped over the next day or two. There was much more mosquito’s at the lake then I expected.
July 21st
We got up and headed back on the road having lunch again in Maniganga and then we continued down to Cuo axiang town, making for a short day. Cuo a town had a nice vegetarian restaurant across the street from our hotel and behind that a large monastery and temple complex on the hill. Down the road a few kms uphill is a hot springs that the Polish woman visited. We also took a look at the area but the hill going down to the water was quite steep and it was raining so we headed back.
July 22nd
Some people took a look around and then everyone biked down the road with amazing scenery around on the way to Ganzi. We stopped for lunch in some small town and continued to Ganzi where my friend Dave and his son were waiting at the DzachuSama Hostel & Cafe, which is run by an American family. Super nice hostel and great food. Would recommend.
July 23rd
Manju, the American Indian guy biked up the pass and most of the others took the ride. He was the only one who biked the entire trip pretty much. We had lunch by Kasha lake which is a nice spot. They continued biking to Luhuo where we got a hotel and had dinner. Behind our hotel was a hotel.
July 24th
In the morning I went to the market to buy some meat to marinate for a bbq I planned for the evening. I was thinking of camping that evening but it was raining so most of the people didn’t end up biking which wasn’t a bad idea. The road is a little narrow and busy in that area compared with the days before. When we got to Dawu we found a nice hotel and had the bbq on the roof.
July 25th
The weather was a little better today with occasional showers. From Dawu the road goes up to a pass and Dragon grassland which is a beautiful area. Its where I thought to camp but it was cold and high elevation. We continued to eat in Bamei and then to Tagong where we will take the day off tomorrow.
July 26th
We took the day off so people could relax and check out monasteries and or hike around. I took a few people over on a back road that was supposed to be nice but it was under construction so we went to the nunnery which is pretty nice and has good views. Then we headed back to town to eat and people explored on their own. We stayed at my Czech and Tibetan friends hostel called the Khampa Cafe & Art Center on the second floor next to the main square.
July 27th
We took off and backtracked towards Bamei and then over towards Danba. We stopped and took a break where there is a great view of Mt Yala. Its then downhill for about 80 kms to Danba through some narrow canyons. Instead of staying in the city of Danba which isn’t that nice, we stayed just outside at a nice hotel that had draft beer.
July 28th
The bike ride goes slowly uphill and was pretty tough with headwinds. Luckily the cyclists got through but there was road construction so we weren’t able to get through until 5. We took a look around Danba area at the famous Himalayan towers and we also found a nice waterfall just down the road from there. We finally got through and got to a guesthouse near Dawei.
July 29th
We decided to enter the four sisters park and go into Shuangqiao Valley, one of three valleys in the park. Its the only one a bus can enter the valley. We didn’t have time for a long hike to do the other two so this was a nice way to take the bus in and walk back a bit. Really nice scenery. It was drizzling a bit but at least we had some nice views. We continued on in the van to Wolong town near the panda base.
July 30th
We checked out the Wolong National Nature Reserve before hitting the road and heading back to Chengdu. A great trip. We had great weather expect for one day and everyone had a great bike ride and trip.
