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Details for cycling Lhasa to Shangrila, Yunnan created July 2007. One of the toughest rides in the world.

The tally including cycling to Everest base camp: 18 passes over 3000 metres including 14 over 4000 and 5 over 5000 metres Total altitude climbed 25000 metres max elevation 5254.

See the Contour charts with Kilometre post data and Distance data

Km Post Route 318 from Shanghai (kilometre posts are a rough guide since they are not 100% accurate often missing) Altitude taken from Garmin GPSmap 60CSx Notes Dirt
4635         Lhasa, the paved road goes all the way to km marker 4112!        
4632         Bridge over KyiChu        
4622 3662 Police checkpoint outside radio transmitters        
4572         Start of Gyalmashing valley        
4563 3809 Town Meldro Gungkar        
4540         Village (shops)        
4509 4371 Pass Bottom Village Rutok, expensive hot springs;        
        4901 Turnoff the Lake        
4484 5009 Pass 'Mi La'        
4456 4290 Truck stop Plenty of Hotels resturants        
4452 4225 Hot Spring 5 yuan person in 2007        
4422 3880 Food        
4403         Village Tibetan (shops etc.)        
4366 3458 Vehical Checkpoint & Weighbridge        
4360 3435 Town Gongpo Gyamda        
4358 3435 Town Gongpo Gyamda        
4312 3293 Town Namtse Zampa        
4292 3175 Village        
4266 3107 Food        
4249 3056 Food in front of army base        
4235         Town Bayi, the road actually goes around through the old town. No police station or barrier seen. Plenty of Shops.        
4230         Town Bayi, the road actually goes around through the old town. No police station or barrier seen. Plenty of Shops.        
4218 2971 Pass Bottom military checkpoint with barrier        
4214 3005 Town Nyingchi, (Chinese LingZhi) the road leads directly past the police station. Small guest room on road ask locals        
4212 4546 'Serkhyem La' pass        
4182 3383 Village Lunang; many restaurants        
4135         Tongyuk bridge        
4112 2293 Dirt> Sealed all the way From/to Lhasa Dirt 25Km 15 km Very rough Km Posts lost 17 km here
4103 2067 Village PaiLong food
4102 2033 Lowest point between Lhasa and Zuogong
4098         Dirt<
4097 2103 Village Tongmai Resturants Hotels
4090 2148 Dirt through Slide zone 4km 4km Dirt
4086 2192 Dirt through Slide zone 4km
4068 2461 Village with Clinic        
4008 2721 Town Bomi; good bakery in town!        
4006 2721 Town Bomi; good bakery in town!        
3965 3034 Village Food        
3931 3293 Dirt road 34 km dirt
3898 3860 Dirt Road > through Parlung Tsangpo gorge        
3878 3876 Pass Bottom TOWN Rawok        
3857 4448 Pass 'Ngajuk La'        
3793 3266 Town Baxoi (Pasho)        
3790 3266 Town Baxoi (Pasho) there is no drinking water available between Baxoi and bottom of Gama La        
3765 2929 Dirt road through desert landscape - there is no drinking water available between bottom of Gama La and Baxoi 53km dirt
3754 2793 Pass Bottom of Ngajuk La Pass Nakchu Rampa bridge over Salween there is a small mountain stream for drinking water between bridge and bottom of Gama La
3749 2863 Pass Bottom of Gama La pass
3740 3267 Village with truckstop (water available!)
3712 4554 Dirt<
3709 4638 Pass 'Gama La'        
3696 4130 Pass Bottom Town Bamda        
3656         Town, bridge over WiChu Small Shop        
3632         Town Yarzhong Resturants        
3590 3794 Town Zuogong big town. There is a Bypass road. Lots of food shops (inside north Side), etc. Was asked by PSB What are you doing here?        
3588 3794 Town Zuogong big town. Lots of food shops, etc. Was asked by PSB What are you doing here?        
3586         Police checkpoint barrier        
3584 3784 Pass Bottom of Tangda La and turnoff for the small road along WiChu river; the track begins at a white chorten. From there, it is two-and-a-half days of riding on a challenging small track through the WiChu valley to BiTu. Hiking from there on.        
3579 3949 Dirt<        
3556 5082 Pass Tangda la        
3517 3494 Pass Bottom Deng Ba village Resturant.         
3503 3910 Pass (Jyo La Pass). (Chinese JueBa Pass)        
3478 2659 Pass Bottom Juka Bridge over the Mekong River (2800 m). Truck stops before bridge, and also 5 km Police Checkpoint. 345km Dirt between Km post 3579 route 318 and 1836 Route 214
3441 3910 Pass (Lao La ) (Chinese LaWu Pass)        
3429 3919 Pass Bottom North Markam checkpoints        
3424         Town South outskirts of Markam (Mangkham) (4000 m)
3424         2007 Road under constuction 114 km from the Tibet Border expected to have sealed road by November 2008        
3372         Small store run by monks Nearby Monastery taken over by Police
3383 3524 Pass Bottom
3359 4200 Pass Hong La 2007 Road under constuction 114 km from the Tibet Border To Markam
3317 2585 Pass Bottom Turnoff for Hot springs below on Mekong river expected to have sealed road by November 2008 Kmposts removed Guessed positions by bicycle computer
3315 2724 Top of Climb
3313 2612 North Yanjing checkpoint (approx).
3309 2612 South Yanjing checkpoint (approx).
1760 2274 Tibet border; Kilometre posts change Route 214 1760 Route 318 3299
1760         2007 Road under constuction 114 km to Markam expected to have sealed road by November 2008
1782 2246 Food 345km Dirt between Km post 3579 route 318 and 1836 Route 214
1798 2143 Town Foshan: food, a truckstop and a PSB station
1813 2107 Road maintenance camp
1824 2081 Pass Bottom Village ADongHe Falling rock zone
1834 2512 Resturants
1836 2575 Dirt>
1852 3459 Village Feilaisi (Meilixueshan Viewpoint); guesthouses, restaurants, basic supplies        
1851 3557 Pass Feilaisi        
1865 3477 Town Deqin and Pass Bottom        
1890 4042 Cobblestones >        
1898 4352 Pass Yakou (4292 m, according to the sign) 500 metres of isolated pavement        
1901 4167 Pass Bottom        
1905 4319 Pass Xueshan Shuolalaka        
1909 4222 Pass Bottom Cobblestones 43 km minus 10 if you take the old dirt road
1911 4312 Pass Baima        
1912 4314 Old dirt road no traffic good camping        
1922 3952 Old dirt road no traffic good camping
1933 3427 Cobblestones <
1945 2824 Village DongZhuLin Restaurant, basic supplies, hotel - Last village until Deqin!        
1947 2750 Pass Bottom        
1953 2768 Village Dongzhulin Monastery & Hotel        
1967 2119 Town Benzilan        
1982 2002 Bridge Posts change on South side of river losing 3 km Village. Restaurant, basic supplies, hotel?        
1980 2031 Pass Bottom        
1983 2059 Village ShangQioTou Resturants hotels        
2008 3144 Pass Top        
2010 3150 Village Nixi Restaurant, basic supplies        
2017 3039 Pass Bottom intersection Take uphill road        
2030 3591 Pass Top        
2037         Pass Bottom        
2047 3292 Shangrila (Elevation 3250 m)        

Thanks goes to http://www.mountainbike-expedition-team.de/Tibet/EastTibet.html for the original file created in 2005 that Emi and I updated and added extra information to and http://www.geocities.com/graydonandjoanne/yunnan-tibet.html for some data from Zuogong to Shangrila.