Private tour — on your dates
18 Days Cycling Tour from Golmud to Lhasa
18 Days $1,998 per person Overview Itinerary Tips & FAQ Golmud Kunlun Mountains (4,767m) Hoh Xil Nature Reserve Kekexili Wildlife Tanggula Pass (5,231m) Nagqu Lhasa The Golmud to Lhasa cycling route is the most extreme Tibet…
- 18 Days / 17 Nights
- Golmud → Kunlun Mountains (4,767m) → Hoh Xil Nature Reserve → Kekexili Wildlife → Tanggula Pass (5,231m) → Nagqu → Lhasa
- Challenging pace
- Best: May to early October
- No Deposit — Ever
- Cancel Free Before Permit Issued
- Full Refund except $100 Permit Fee
- Bring 7, Your Spot Is Free
- Our Own Office in Lhasa, Since 1999
The trip at a glance
Total cycling distance: approximately 1,900 kilometres over 14 cycling days with two built-in rest days. Daily distances range from 80 to 170 kilometres. Altitude ranges from 2,780 metres in Golmud to 5,231 metres at Tanggula Pass. This tour demands serious training, altitude experience, and mental resilience — it is not designed for casual cyclists.
A fully equipped support vehicle travels with you throughout, carrying luggage, tools, and a spare bike. Your guide and driver are experienced with this specific route. What you gain is incomparable: two weeks of the most remote and beautiful landscape on the planet, seen from the saddle at the pace a bicycle demands.
- Golmud to Nachitai (90km)
- Nachitai to Kunlun Pass (4,767m, 80km)
- Kunlun Pass to Hoh Xil (90km)
- Hoh Xil (90km)
- Towards Wudaoliang (80km)
- Wudaoliang to Tuotuohe (100km)
Day by day
Golmud → Kunlun Mountains (4,767m) → Hoh Xil Nature Reserve → Kekexili Wildlife → Tanggula Pass (5,231m) → Nagqu → Lhasa
Day1
Arrive Golmud — Acclimatize
Arrive in Golmud (2,780m) by train or flight. Check into hotel and begin acclimatization. Bike assembly and gear check.
Day2
Golmud — Acclimatize and Prepare
Full rest and acclimatization day in Golmud. Pre-tour briefing and final gear check.
Day3
Cycling Day 1 — Golmud to Nachitai (90km)
Set out south from Golmud, entering the vast Qinghai plateau. The road climbs gradually as you leave the city behind and enter the open grasslands.
Day4
Cycling Day 2 — Nachitai to Kunlun Pass (4,767m, 80km)
The major challenge today is the Kunlun Mountain Pass (4,767m). The ascent is long and demanding. Spectacular views of the Kunlun range reward the effort.
Day5
Cycling Day 3 — Kunlun Pass to Hoh Xil (90km)
Enter the famous Hoh Xil (Kekexili) Nature Reserve — an uninhabited zone and haven for rare Tibetan wildlife including antelopes, wild asses and Tibetan foxes.
Day6
Cycling Day 4 — Hoh Xil (90km)
Continue through the surreal Hoh Xil landscape. The road is straight and vast — the kind of riding that stays with you forever. Wildlife sightings are common.
Day7
Cycling Day 5 — Towards Wudaoliang (80km)
Cycle to Wudaoliang, one of the highest permanently inhabited towns in the world (4,612m). The plateau landscape is both harsh and hauntingly beautiful.
Day8
Cycling Day 6 — Wudaoliang to Tuotuohe (100km)
Cross the Chumaer River highlands and reach Tuotuohe — the town at the source of the Yangtze River. A memorable milestone on the plateau.
Day9
Rest Day — Tuotuohe
Rest and recover at Tuotuohe. Time to service bikes and prepare for the highest section ahead.
Day10
Cycling Day 7 — Tuotuohe to Yushu Direction (100km)
Continue south along the G109 highway through vast uninhabited grasslands. Wild yaks are commonly spotted from the road.
Day11
Cycling Day 8 — Tanggula Pass (5,231m, 80km)
The highest point of the entire tour — the Tanggula Pass at 5,231m marks the border between Qinghai and Tibet. This is one of the highest road passes in the world.
Day12
Cycling Day 9 — Descend into Tibet (90km)
Begin the long descent into the Tibetan plateau proper. The air is thinner but the landscape grows ever more dramatic.
Day13
Cycling Day 10 — Towards Nagqu (90km)
Cycle through the vast Changtang grasslands approaching Nagqu — the largest town in the northern Tibetan plateau.
Day14
Rest Day — Nagqu
Rest and recover in Nagqu. Visit the local market and yak nomad culture.
Day15
Cycling Day 11 — Nagqu towards Damxung (120km)
Long cycling day south from Nagqu into increasingly dramatic landscape as the Nyenchen Tanglha mountains appear on the horizon.
Day16
Cycling Day 12 — Damxung to Lhasa (170km)
Final long cycling day into Lhasa, descending through the Kyichu valley. Arrive in Lhasa — an emotional and triumphant completion of one of the world’s great cycling challenges.
Day17
Lhasa — Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Celebratory day exploring Lhasa’s iconic landmarks as a reward for completing the epic ride.
Day18
Lhasa Departure
Transfer to airport or train station for departure. End of your extraordinary cycling adventure.
Meals: Breakfast Tibet Permit — Required for All Visitors Every visitor to Tibet must hold a Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit. It is mandatory, cannot be obtained on arrival, and differs by nationality. We handle the full application once you book — please allow at least 15 days before your departure date.
Common Questions How fit do I need to be for the Golmud to Lhasa cycling tour? Is the support vehicle always present during the ride? What is the toughest cycling day on the Golmud to Lhasa route? What is the best time of year for this cycling route? Do I need to supply my own bicycle? No — high-quality mountain bikes, helmets, and basic safety gear are included in the tour price. If you prefer to use your own bicycle, contact us to discuss transport arrangements. Most participants on this route use the provided bikes, which are specifically maintained and tested for plateau conditions.
What is included
Included
- Tibet Entry Permit and Alien’s Travel Permit
- All entrance fees for tourist sites listed in the itinerary
- Professional English-speaking guide and cycling support driver
- Support vehicle for luggage transport throughout the ride
- High-quality mountain bike rental
- Helmet, basic cycling safety gear and spare parts kit
- All accommodation listed in the itinerary
- Tourist accident/casualty insurance
Not included
- Single room supplement — free of charge for any group booking 5 rooms or travelling with 10 or more.
- Flights or trains to/from Tibet
- Meals not specified in the itinerary (approximately USD 3–15 per meal)
- Tips for guide and driver
- Personal cycling equipment (padded shorts, gloves, cycling shoes)
- Bicycle repair parts beyond normal wear
Photos from this route
Questions travellers ask
How fit do I need to be for the Golmud to Lhasa cycling tour?
This is the most demanding cycling tour we offer and requires serious preparation. You should be comfortable cycling 80–120km per day on consecutive days and have some prior high-altitude experience. Cycling at altitude (4,000–5,200m) is significantly harder than at sea level — even strong cyclists feel the difference. We recommend a minimum of 3 months of structured training beforehand. Contact us and we will advise on a preparation plan specific to this route.
Is the support vehicle always present during the ride?
Yes — a fully equipped support vehicle travels with the group throughout the entire route. It carries all luggage, spare bikes, tools, food supplies, and emergency equipment. You are never more than a few kilometres from the vehicle at any point. If you cannot complete a section due to exhaustion, altitude sickness, or mechanical failure, you board the vehicle and rejoin the ride at any point — no penalty, no pressure.
What is the toughest cycling day on the Golmud to Lhasa route?
The Tanggula Pass day (Day 11) is the most demanding — a sustained climb to 5,231 metres, the world’s highest paved road pass. At this altitude even experienced cyclists feel the effects of thin air significantly. The Kunlun Pass on Day 4 (4,767m) is also a major challenge. Both days have full vehicle support alongside you throughout.
What is the best time of year for this cycling route?
May to October is the viable cycling window. May and September offer the clearest skies and most stable weather with cold mornings and warm afternoons — generally the best months. June through August are warmer but bring afternoon thunderstorms on the plateau. October risks early snowfall on the passes and rapidly decreasing temperatures.
Do I need to supply my own bicycle?
No — high-quality mountain bikes, helmets, and basic safety gear are included in the tour price. If you prefer to use your own bicycle, contact us to discuss transport arrangements. Most participants on this route use the provided bikes, which are specifically maintained and tested for plateau conditions.
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.
