Overland Route 15: Mongolia – China – Tibet – Pakistan

Mongolia – China (Takeshikenzhen)

Border crossing. Meet your guide at the border. Fromalities at the border. Stay near the border.

Formalities at the traffi administration. You will receive your temporary Chinese driving license and number plate after the vehicle check.

Distance: approx. 345 km

Distance: approx. 415 km

Turpan is an oasis city located in the Uighur autonomous region of Xinjiang, China.This place has been for centuries the centre of a fertile oasis (grape production, among others) and an important commercial city on the Silk Road.

Distance: approx. 430 km

Visiting day in Turpan.Cultural influences are multiple here. The encounter between the culture of the West and that of the East is perfect. The caves of the thousand Buddhas of Bezeklik, the ruins of Jiaohe and Gaochang are very beautiful witnesses of the rich history of the region. The Flamboyant Mountains are among the sites to visit during your visit to Tourfan. A stifling heat emanates from it but the places have become very popular following the famous novel The Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en. The Emin Minaret is the oldest Islamic tower built in Xinjiang. It is located in the very city of Turpan.

Walk to the Mazar Village of the Tuyugou Valley, this village is known as the oldest village in the Uygur. Visit the desert park near Shanshan and Hami Hui Kings Tomb…

Distance: approx. 410 km

Drive to Dunhuang in the morning. Visit Dunhuang Caves, Moon Fountain and Mingsha Sand Hill in the afternoon.

Distance: approx. 490 km

The city of Jiayuguan has a population of about 300,000. It is located at the entrance to the Gobi Desert and near the Qilian Mountains. Jiayuguan, one of the province’s first cities, has a history dating back more than 600 years. The city was then a strategic gateway on the ancient Silk Road.The Jiayuguan Fort marks the western end of the Great Wall of China.The Great Hanging Wall is the other jewel of the Great Wall of China to be found in the city of Jiayuguan. Because of the 45 degree inclination of the walls, one would think that the walls fell suddenly from the sky…

Distance: approx. 370 km

Located 65 kilometers from Zhangye, the caves and temple of Mati, or Matisi, were established under the Northern Liang dynasty, about 1600 years ago. The temple is embedded in the mountain which itself is pierced by many caves. It preserves more than 500 Buddha sculptures and more than 1200 square metres of frescoes.

Distance: approx. 280 km

Qinghai Lake is not only the largest lake in China but also an extraordinarily salty lake, at an altitude of 2,205 meters. A paradise for ornithologists and cyclists, this bluish vastness is a beauty. Around the lake, villages are there to remind us of the cultural mix so specific to the Qinghai region.It is an important pilgrimage site for Tibetans and attracts many believers. They go around the lake, but it takes about eighteen days on horseback and twenty-three on foot. To the west of the lake is an island, with a temple called “Mahādeva”, i. e. the heart of the lake, which was the residence of about twenty monks.

Distance: approx. 410 km

Distance: approx. 660 km

Distance: approx. 830 km

Distance: approx. 250 km

Distance: approx. ca. 200 km

Distance: approx. 270 km

Distance: approx. 250 km

Distance: approx. 190 km

Distance: approx. 260 km

Distance: approx. 270 km

Tagesetappe: ca. 290 km

Distance: approx. ca. 60 km

Distance: approx. ca. 290 km

Distance: approx. 230 km

Distance: approx. 500 km

Distance: approx. 250 km

Distance: approx. 245 km

Distance: approx. 295 km

Distance: approx. 130 km (in China)