First Level – Beginner Stage: 300 Kilometers
The beginner stage involves trips of around 300 kilometers—within a distance that allows a round trip in one day and reception of mobile phone signals. Drive on rural roads with not-too-steep slopes and manageable road conditions. Turns can be sharp, but avoid cliffs. It’s best to have an experienced off-road driver accompany you. A spare tire and tow rope are essential.
Second Level – Intermediate Stage: 1000 Kilometers
After completing roughly three trips totaling over 1000 kilometers, you can move to the intermediate stage. Trips at this level are around 1000 kilometers, and it’s ideal to travel with companions who have off-road driving experience. The equipment you carry should be more comprehensive than in the first stage, including spare parts prone to wear such as spark plugs and high-voltage ignition coils. Always pay close attention to your fuel level—once it drops below half, fill up the tank whenever you see a gas station, as it’s common to drive hundreds of kilometers without finding one.
Third Level – Advanced Stage: The Long March
After completing two off-road trips over 1000 kilometers each, you’re ready for the advanced stage. Currently, the more remote off-road routes in China mainly include Tibet, Xinjiang, and the Northeast. Many travelers even combine Tibet and Xinjiang, further enhancing the true spirit of cross-country adventure.
Essential Handbook for the Long March
1. It’s best to travel with two or three vehicles and make sure to equip them with vehicle-mounted radios, which cost about 1500 yuan each. The convoy shares one channel, allowing calls to be heard within 50 kilometers. This is especially useful on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, where there’s no mobile signal amidst the mountainous terrain—you can share road conditions, call for help, etc. They can also serve as a chat tool to tell jokes and relieve driving fatigue.
2. Be sure to carry two spare fuel drums with a total capacity of 40 liters. Remember, once you leave larger towns, there are no Sinopec or PetroChina gas stations. Fill up whenever you see one. Running out of fuel or having to beg truck drivers for some is a terrible experience.
3. Don’t hesitate to spend money on essential upgrades—install a winch, tow ropes, and extra tires. These will be crucial for helping each other in dangerous or rough road situations, and they might even save lives when climbing steep paths or escaping hazards.
4. If possible, equip your vehicle with a GPS device to know which mountains you’re crossing, what lakes you’re passing, and how far you have to go.
5. Be bold but cautious. When facing dangers, observe patiently and wait. Ask local drivers familiar with the area for advice. Don’t act recklessly—remember, “those who drown are often good swimmers.”
6. Whenever you reach a major city, take time to have your vehicle thoroughly inspected at a large repair shop or 4S store—check the chassis, engine oil, etc. This is for the safety of both your car and your life.
7. Bring all necessary vehicle documents, including the vehicle registration, driver’s license, and receipts for road maintenance fees, insurance, and vehicle taxes. The 5,000-kilometer National Highway 318 leads all the way to the border, and checkpoints are strict—missing even one document will stop you.
8. Vehicles that have been modified or customized for style are not allowed on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The car’s color and appearance must match exactly what’s shown on the original registration. That’s why “Big Grey Wolf” and others spent 900 yuan at the DMV to replace the photo on their registration with one of their modified vehicle.
9. Nepal only has diesel and gasoline, and the gasoline comes with no octane rating. Prepare some fuel cleaner tablets—put one in your tank after refueling to slightly purify the fuel.
Eat Well:
Traveling through the plateau lets you enjoy a variety of wild mushrooms that flourish after rain and wild fish from alpine lakes:
1. Baxoi’s “Fragrant Restaurant” – Cold Rabbit-Ear Mushroom Salad: In the lower-altitude regions of the Himalayas, one of the world’s top three wild edible mushrooms—the rabbit-ear mushroom (named for its resemblance to musk deer fur)—grows abundantly. The Monba people wash it, tear it into thin strips, and mix it with salt, scallions, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and homemade bean paste for a refreshing cold salad. The aroma intensifies the more you eat. We bought a long string of dried rabbit-ear mushrooms to hang in the car, filling the air with their fragrance. For picnics, stew them with canned pork, and the rich aroma will feel almost intoxicating.
2. Bomi’s “Delicious Fresh Shop” – Multi-flavored Double-Lipped Fish: In the high-mountain valleys along the Parlung Tsangpo River, cold-water fish such as schizothoracin, double-lipped fish, and “Zhamu fish” thrive. The riverside restaurants in Bomi make a “multi-flavored double-lipped fish” dish by first simmering the fish into a broth, then adding various herbs and spices. When the soup thickens, it’s served—a delicious and tender dish you could easily finish by the bowlful.
3. Clear-Stewed Prairie White Mushroom Soup: Throughout the grasslands along the route, Tibetan children and women sell freshly picked white mushrooms. Buy a pack and have it cooked at a restaurant—for example, a pork rib and white mushroom soup, great for boosting circulation and nourishing the body. However, it’s safer to order wild mushrooms at restaurants; self-picked ones may be toxic if misidentified.
4. Batang’s “Old Qi Snack Shop” – Ashiang Rice “Stir-fried Corn”: Corn is harvested when 70% ripe, then slow-roasted before being pounded into flat pieces with a wooden mallet. Add a bit of salt and garlic, and eat it like our local flatbreads—it’s bursting with flavor.
Sleep Well:
1. Accommodation prices along the route range from 100 to 300 yuan. To ensure restful sleep and recovery, choose county-level hotels with spacious and secure parking lots.
2. Before booking a room, it’s best to inspect it with the staff. Some rooms have strong butter tea odors that can keep you awake all night.
3. Those suffering from severe altitude sickness should stay at hotels that offer oxygen supply equipment, just in case.
D1: Kangding – “Country Renjia” Motel, 80 yuan/room, T: 0836—3124149.
Day 2: Batang, Batang Hotel, 140 RMB/room, T: 0836-562259.
Day 3: Baxoi, Baxoi People's Government Guesthouse, 0895-4563038.
Day 4: Bomi, Bomi County Hotel, 0894-5422313.
Days 5–7: Lhasa, Himalaya Hotel, 380 RMB/room. T: 0891-6321111
Day 8: Zhangmu, Haixia Hotel, 160 RMB/room, T: 13709086688
Day 9: Kathmandu, Hotel Manang, 25 USD/room. T: 977-1-4700993.
Tibet Geographic Magazine Xingzhe Wuyu Outdoor Forum (http://bbs.xzwyu.com)