Overland Route 7: Kyrgyzstan – China – Tibet – Nepal

Arrival from Naryn (Kyrgyzstan) or Torugart Pass (Kyrgyzstan)

The journey goes to Torugart Pass (Kyrgyzstan / China) and on to Kashgar. Meet the guide at the Torugart Port. Customs paperwork. Onward to Kashgar.

Distance: approx. 170 km

Customs paperwork at the Office of Traffic Administration outside of Kashgar. Exhibition temp. Driver’s license, temp. license plate, vehicle inspection, etc.

Distance: approx. 100 km

Free day (weekend). Visit to the historic old town of Kashgar. Day of rest

Stopovers in Yengisar and Yarkant on the way to Kargilik. Yengisar is famous for its traditional knife production. Yarkant is known for its historic old town, the Ammanisaham Mausoleum, and the Altun Mosque. All three places are important oasis stops on the Silk Road.

Google Maps for the first 5 days:
https://goo.gl/maps/882PxNyk3n62

Distance: approx. 250 km

On this day, we ride from the “deep” of the Tarim Basin and the desert-like areas on the Silk Road up into the Tibetan mountain world with the first mountain pass on our journey that is higher than 4000 meters.

Distance: approx. 250 km

A long day driving across the Tibetan plateau.

Distance: approx. 500 km

Ali is the administrative capital of western Tibet. Between Ali and Lake Manasarovar, we visit the areas around Tholing with their spectacular views of the Himalayas.

Distance: approx. 230 km

This day’s travel brings you to the capital of the former Guge Kingdom. The desert-like landscape of sandstone creates a fascinating ambiance.

Distance: approx. 300 km

We visit the ruins of Guge and Tholing – A high point of our Tibetan journey. The kingdom that was here simply “disappeared” 700 years ago. To this day, historians are still speculating why. When there were weddings in Guge, archeological evidence indicates that up to 10,000 people lived in the city.

Today’s journey ends on the shores of Lake Manasarovar, in which the area most sacred to both Tibetans and Hindus is found: at the foot of Mount Kailash.

Distance: approx. 280 km

The sunrise at Manasarovar is one of the fantastic nature experiences on the Tibetan plateau! Around the lake, there are various monasteries that can be visited. We recommend driving to Darchen at the foot of Kailash and taking a pleasant walk down some of the pilgrimage paths. Here it is possible to take some lovely fotos.

Distance: approx. 80 km

Hike a part of the holy Mt. Kailash circuit.

Google Maps for days 6-13:
https://goo.gl/maps/c6DMf1DLZMz

Distance: approx. 480 km

Distance: approx. 110 km

Distance: approx. 60 km