Cycling Tibetan Sichuan, China
- maxroving
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
I left Shangri La behind and started my ride up to the Tibetan Plateau. As per usual, I scouted maps and satellite images for the least busy roads possible. I picked the S214 heading northeast, and it certainly was the right choice: There were stretches were I wouldn’t see a single car for hours, and only a handful of people per day who lived in small, quiet villages in the valleys. I enjoyed the solitude as I climbed up to 4000m for the first time on this trip, despite having to cope with the constantly changing weather. Mornings were usually sunny, but during the day clouds would move in which would often result in rain, snow or hail in the evening.
It felt great to be back in China’s Tibetan region (having been here 1.5 years ago, when I cycled from Chengu to Golmud), with all that it has to offer: Stunning landscapes, picturesque villages, empty roads, and locals that are a little more outgoing than the average Chinese person. I had now crossed from Yunnan into Sichuan, and while both these areas were historically part of Tibet, the Kham region to be exact, they were not incorporated into the Tibetan Autonomous Region (T.A.R.), so foreigners are free to visit them without having to be accompanied by a tour guide.
As I make my way across the mountains, I cycle through stunning gorges and pass by some of the most idyllic villages I’ve seen. The combination of the traditional Tibetan architecture, the small crop fields and the rugged mountains as the backdrop simply asks to be photographed. The town of Xiangcheng is my last stop before I start the big climb up onto the plateau, and towards the ‘City in the Sky’, Litang.
The first climb takes me over a 4430m pass, and after spending the night in the small town of Sumdü, I head out early the following morning, as I’ll have to climb over two passes above 4600m. Fortunately I was blessed with a strong tailwind, which felt like it was the first one in weeks, so I got to enjoy the rugged & vast plateau, despite encountering a snow storm on the second pass. The following day I reached Litang, also referred to as the ‘City in the Sky’. I spent the evening exploring the Ganden Thubchen Choekhorling monastery, which is one of the most important monasteries of the Gelukpa sect, the largest of all the Tibetan Buddhist sects.
The following day I left Litang and its imposing monastery behind, and continued my trip on the Tibetan plateau. My initial plan was to cycle towards Xining in the Gansu province, however due to an unexpected drop in temperatures, and because I forgot to pack (or lost) my spare brake pads, I had to cut my trip short. Instead I cycled towards Yajiang, from where I would then take a bus to Chengdu in order to avoid cycling on the overcrowded G318, which is ‘China’s Route 66’ and very popular amongst tourists.
On the way to Yajiang I cycled along a massive water reservoir, and the steep terrain meant that there were a lot of tunnels. After spending a night in the home of a Tibetan lady who kindly invited me and fed me a bunch of local food, I continued, although not for long: On the final stretch to Yajiang I was stopped by the police, who insisted on taking me through the last few tunnels, as some of them were under construction. They then helped me buy a bus ticket to Chengdu, where my Yunnan/Sichuan bike tour would find its end.
Up next my plan was to head to Mongolia, and on the way I finally found my way to Beijing (on my fifth visit to China), where I checked out the Forbidden City. But I still haven’t seen the Great Wall, so I guess I’ll have to come back to China one day.
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