Browse by theme
Tibet by Motorcycle
Riding into Tibet is one of the great road journeys left on earth — and one of the most tightly controlled. This page explains honestly what motorbike travel in Tibet involves, which of it we can arrange, and where the limits are.
What motorbike travel in Tibet actually involves
Tibet is a restricted region for foreign visitors, and a permit for a group of travellers in a vehicle is not the same thing as a permit for a motorcycle. Riding here means additional paperwork covering the machine as well as the rider, a registered guide and a support vehicle for most routes, and fuel planning across stretches where stations are hundreds of kilometres apart.
The riding itself is what people come for: long descents off the plateau, gravel over passes above 5,000 m, weather that changes within an hour, and traffic that ranges from the occasional truck to a herd of yaks across the tarmac. It is not a race, and anyone who treats it as one should not be here.
The classic journey — Kathmandu and Lhasa
The best-known ride connects Kathmandu with Lhasa along the Friendship Highway, crossing the Gyirong or Zhangmu border and the high plateau beyond it. Depending on the route, it runs roughly twelve to eighteen days and takes in Everest’s north face, Peiku Tso, Saga, Shigatse and the descent into Lhasa. The Nepali half is arranged by a licensed partner in Kathmandu. On the Tibetan side we arrange the permits, the guide, the support vehicle and the hotels through licensed local operators, so that everything on the ground is in place before you arrive. Whether your dates work comes down to whether the motorcycle permission is issued at all — that is the first thing we check, and we will tell you early if it cannot be done.
That journey needs a long, cold, physically demanding fortnight and a rider who is comfortable at altitude. We would rather say that plainly than have someone discover it at 5,200 m.
Where riding fits — the self-drive framework
Riding in Tibet sits inside the same framework as a self-drive convoy rather than alongside it: a declared vehicle permission covering the machine, a licensed guide, a support vehicle carrying fuel and spares, and the driving kept to the open plateau roads where it can actually be enjoyed. We have run self-drive journeys to Everest base camp before, and the discipline is the same in a lighter vehicle. How self-drive and riding are arranged explains the framework in full.
Shorter rides on the plateau
Not every rider wants two weeks. Shorter options run out of Lhasa into the surrounding valleys — the Yamdrok lake road, the pass roads north toward Namtso when they are open, and day rides on the quiet tarmac below the city. These are easier to permit and easier on the body, and they work well added to an ordinary Tibet itinerary for a guest who wants a few days on a machine rather than a full expedition.
How we arrange it
We do not own a fleet of motorcycles, and we will not pretend to. Riders are matched with a licensed Tibetan partner who supplies the machines, the mechanic and the guide; the permits, the support vehicle, the hotels and the logistics are ours. You get one contact for the whole trip, and a straight answer about what is possible for your dates and your experience.
Tell us how much riding you want to do, whether you are bringing your own machine or hiring, and what you have ridden before. We will tell you honestly whether this is the right journey for you — including when the answer is no.
Two wheels, two ways
Before you ask
What we can arrange
All of these are made to order and depend on permits and the season. Ask us early — the paperwork takes time.
Kathmandu to Lhasa by motorcycle
The classic trans-Himalayan ride on the Friendship Highway. Nepali stages with our Kathmandu partner, the Tibetan plateau with us, support vehicle and mechanic throughout.
Kathmandu · Gyirong · Everest north face · Shigatse · Lhasa
Three or four days riding out of Lhasa
The plateau in short form: quiet tarmac, a lake road and a pass or two, added on to a standard Tibet itinerary for riders who want a taste rather than an expedition.
Lhasa · Yamdrok Lake road · Lhasa
The G318 — Sichuan to Lhasa
The road that riders talk about, from the Sichuan side of Kham to Lhasa. Long days, high passes and the eastern Tibetan country in between.
Chengdu · Litang · Chamdo · Lhasa
Add riding to any private itinerary
Already travelling in Tibet by vehicle? We can put a machine and a rider-guide alongside for part of the journey rather than design the whole trip around two wheels.
Built around your existing plan
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners ride motorcycles in Tibet?
Yes, but it is a separate permission from the ordinary group travel permit, it covers the machine as well as the rider, and on most routes you need a registered guide and a support vehicle with you. It is arranged case by case and takes time. We will tell you at the outset whether your route and dates are realistic rather than take a booking we cannot deliver.
Can I bring my own motorcycle?
It is possible on some routes and complicated on others, because the machine needs its own paperwork to enter Tibet. Ask us with your route and dates and we will tell you what is required for the border you plan to use; many riders find hiring through our licensed partner in Lhasa simpler.
How much riding experience do I need?
For the Kathmandu–Lhasa route, a lot: long days, gravel, high passes and altitude. For the shorter rides out of Lhasa, an experienced road rider is fine. We will ask you plainly what you have ridden, and we would rather turn down a booking than put an inexperienced rider on a 5,000 m pass.
When is the riding season?
Broadly late April to October. The Friendship Highway is at its best from May to September, and the high passes are frequently closed by snow outside that window. Mid-winter riding on the plateau is possible in skilled hands but cold, short and unpredictable.
Before you send your inquiry
- No deposit — ever. Your dates are held with a free inquiry, and nothing is due until we confirm. On fixed group departures, book early to secure your seats.
- Cancel free before your Tibet Travel Permit is issued — full refund, every dollar.
- After the permit is issued: the USD $100 permit fee is non-refundable, everything else is refunded. Refunds within 7 business days.
- Bring a group of 7 and your spot is free (7+1).
- Single room supplement — free of charge for any group booking 5 rooms or travelling with 10 or more.
- Tell us your dates and route on the form below — you will have a written itinerary and an item-by-item quote within 12 hours, with no obligation to book.
- Prices depend on group size, hotel standard, season and how you travel into Tibet, so we quote each trip individually rather than from a price list.
- Hotel details — the exact hotels we use — come with your quote. Ask below for the standard you would like and we will match it.
- A Lhasa-based Tibet tour operator since 1999 — our own guides, vehicles and office in Lhasa, 7,200+ travellers from 40+ countries, 4.9★ on TripAdvisor.
We answer within 12 hours, Monday to Saturday.