Meet the Great Beauty of China, Feel Poetry and Distance, Walking on the Land of the Motherland, One of the Series Comprehensive Chapter (4) G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line Self-Driving Tour Book (Part I).

With whom: With friends
Tour kinds: photography, self-driving, humanities, free travel
Updated: 2022.07.19

Meet the Great Beauty of China, Feel Poetry and Distance, Walking on the Land of the Motherland, Part 1 of the Comprehensive Chapter (4) G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line Self-Driving Tour Book (Part I).

National Highway 318 is a national highway in our country's East, Central and Southwest China, starting from People's Square in Huangpu District, Shanghai and ending at the China-Nepal Friendship Bridge in Nielamu County, Shigatse City, Tibet, with a total length of 5,476 kilometers, which is the longest national highway in China. Because National Highway 318 spans the eastern, central and western parts of China, encompassing plains, hills, basins, mountains, plateaus and other landscapes, including Jiangsu and Zhejiang water town culture, Tianfu basin culture, Tibetan cultural landscape, and has a thrilling, dangerous, stunning, beautiful, majestic and magnificent landscape from the Chengdu Plain to the alpine canyons of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it has been rated as "Chinese Landscape Avenue" by China National Geographic Magazine.

Tibet - Lhasa - Potala Palace Square - Potala Palace

Tibet-Lhasa-Potala Palace Square-Tibet Peaceful Liberation Monument

Tibet - Nyingchi - Bayi District - Gala Village Peach Garden

Tibet - Nyingchi - Milin - Suosong Village - Overlooking Nanga Bawa Peak

Tibet-Nyingchi-Lulang

Tibet-Bomi-Gangxiang Nature Reserve-scenery along the way

>G318 Sichuan-Tibet LineIt is the most beautiful, wonderful and thrilling section of National Highway 318, a Chinese landscape avenue. Historically, it was the ancient tea horse road, and in modern times it is the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and the Sichuan-Tibet Line is the abbreviation of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, which is the highway connecting Chengdu, Sichuan and Lhasa, Tibet. The highway starts from Chengdu, Sichuan, and enters Mangkang, Zuogong, Basu, Bomi, Nyingchi, Gongbu Jiangda, and Mozhugongka to Lhasa through Ya'an, Tianquan, Luding, Kangding, Yajiang, Litang, and Batang, with a total length of 2,149 kilometers.

Schematic diagram of G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line (download picture online)

Tibet-Gongbu Jiangda-Basuncuo

Tibet-Bomi-Palong Zangbo River

Tibet - Nyingchi - Milin - Suosong Village - Brahmaputra Grand Canyon

G318 The Sichuan-Tibet line is known for its steepness, complexity and uniqueness. There are endless mountains and endless rivers along the way. To climb over Zheduo Mountain (4298 meters above sea level), Gaoersi Mountain (4412 meters above sea level), Jianziwan Mountain (4659 meters above sea level), Kazila Mountain (4718 meters above sea level), Haizi Mountain (4685 meters above sea level), Zongbala Mountain (4370 meters above sea level), Rawu Mountain (4338 meters above sea level), Dongda Mountain (5130 meters above sea level), Yela Mountain (4658 meters above sea level), Anjula Mountain (4325 meters above sea level), Sejila Mountain (4720 meters above sea level), Mira Mountain (5,013 meters above sea level) and more than a dozen high mountain passes with an altitude of more than 4,000 meters; It also has to cross many turbulent rivers such as the Dadu River, Yalong River, Jinsha River, Lancang River, Nu River, and Brahmaputra River. The scenery along its way is ever-changing and colorful, and walking in it, you can experience the wonderful feeling of "different days across the mountains, four seasons in a day". It is also recognized as the most dangerous and difficult road in China, and the Hengduan Mountains area in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau through which it crosses is the most complex and unique alpine canyon area in the world, known as "the mind is in heaven, the body is in hell".

Schematic diagram of the altitude of the southern line of the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line (download the picture online)

Tibet-Basu-Nujiang 72 turn

Tibet-Bomi-Bomi Taohuagou

Tibet-Gongbu Jiangda-mainstay

The G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line includes almost all types of landscapes such as snow-capped mountains, canyons, grasslands, forests, glaciers, lakes, rivers, etc., making it a sacred place for self-driving travel enthusiasts. Since the 90s of the last century, more and more tourism enthusiasts have begun to try to conduct their own investigations on this national highway in various ways. In recent years, the popularity of choosing to drive from the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line into Tibet has been higher and higher. "I must drive 318 in this life, all the way to Lhasa" has become a dream for self-driving travel enthusiasts. To be honest, there are really not many roads in this world that are worth facing without fear of hardships and hardships, but when you are lucky enough to set foot on the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line, you will meet countless figures rushing along the way. Some are pilgrims on foot, some are real men riding into Tibet, and more are self-driving tour enthusiasts driving various motor vehicles.Although this road is long and thrilling, no matter how difficult and dangerous it is, it cannot stop travel enthusiasts from moving forward.

Tibet - Lhasa - Potala Palace Square - Potala Palace Night View

Tibet - Gongbu Jiangda - Basuncuo - scenery along the way

Tibet-Nyingchi-Lulang

Tibet-Basu-Ranwu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve

Walk up, drive 318 in this life, all the way west to Lhasa!

First stop: Chengdu - Ya'an - Tianquan - Luding - Kangding (350 kilometers)

Chengdu, the starting point of the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line, is the capital of Sichuan Province, a national historical and cultural city, and has many places of interest. The bustling city and comfortable life are known as the "Land of Abundance".

Sichuan-Chengdu-Tianfu Plaza

Sichuan-Chengdu-Kuanzhai Alley

Sichuan-Chengdu-Food-Sichuan Hot Pot

Sichuan-Chengdu-Jinsha Site Museum

Starting from Chengdu, the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line started a long-distance self-driving tour of more than 2,000 kilometers. All the way west through Ya'an, Tianquan, Luding to Kangding, along the way there are Erlangshan Tunnel Observation Deck, the majestic Luding Dadu River, etc., if you are interested, you can take a look. If you walk about 50 kilometers from Luding to Moxi Town, you can go to Hailuogou Scenic Area, which is a good place to watch snow-capped mountains and glaciers.

Sichuan-Tianquan-Erlangshan Tunnel

Sichuan-Luding-Dadu River

Sichuan-Luding-Hailuogou Scenic Area-Snow Scenery

Sichuan-Luding-Hailuogou Scenic Area-Gongga Mountain-Rizhao Jinshan

Kangding is the capital of Ganzi Prefecture, and the place described in "Kangding Love Song" has both strong Tibetan culture and Han customs from the mainland, where you can feel the blend of Chinese and Tibetan cultures. The tourism boom in recent years has promoted the construction of the urban area here, and it is very convenient to live and eat. There are also attractions worth visiting, such as the largest mountain lake in northwest Sichuan - Mugecuo (Kangding Love Song Scenic Area). In addition, Kangding County is only 2,395 meters above sea level, as a gradual transition from plains to plateaus, it is the first choice for accommodation on the way.

Sichuan-Kangding-Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Museum

Sichuan-Kangding-Mugecuo (Kangding Love Song Scenic Area).

Tips

1. Chengdu is a famous tourist city, there are many scenic spots inside and outside the city, it is worth staying for some time to walk around, Experience the slow life of Chengdu people.

2. Hailuogou is located in Moxi Town, Luding County, at the foot of Gongga Snow Mountain, with a large glacier waterfall that is unique in the world, which is magnificent. If you want to turn into the Hailuogou Scenic Area to visit, you generally need to arrange more than one day.

3. Now the expressway from Chengdu to Kangding has been opened, which is much more convenient. Although it is fast to take the highway, the cultural landscape along the way is not as good as that of National Highway 318.

Sichuan - Luding - Hailuogou Scenic Area - Big Glacier Waterfall

Sichuan - Luding - Hailuogou Scenic Area - Hot Springs

Sichuan-Luding-Hailuogou Scenic Area-Gongga Mountain

Sichuan-Luding-Hailuogou Scenic Area-Gongga Mountain-Rizhao Jinshan

Second stop: Kangding-Xinduqiao (80 km).

Not far from leaving Kangding, driving along the Sichuan-Tibet line, driving the car to climb the slope and coming to the Zheduo Mountain Pass at an altitude of 4,298 meters. This is the first alpine pass with an altitude of more than 4,000 meters to be crossed on the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line, known as the "geographical dividing line", which is the entrance to the plateau, also known as the "first pass of Kangba". Since the opening of the Erlangshan Tunnel, Zheduo Mountain has become the first challenging mountain on the Sichuan-Tibet Line, and after the National Highway 318 passes through the pass, it goes all the way down into Xindu Bridge.

Sichuan-Kangding-Zheduo Mountain Pass

Xindu Bridge (3459 meters above sea level), the legendary "photographer's paradise", However, we have been here more than once, and we really haven't found any particularly beautiful scenery, maybe it's because of the passage of time or the wrong season.

But in any case, Xindu Bridge is still a place worth stopping here. Because this town has developed into a post station that connects and communicates with the southeast and northwest, and there are indeed many places around it that are worth visiting.

Sichuan-Kangding-Xinduqiao

From Xindu Bridge, go north to Provincial Highway 215 to Daofu, only three dozen kilometers to Tagong Township, you can visit Tagong Grassland, Tagong Temple, and look at Yala Snow Mountain from the Yala Snow Mountain Observation Deck. Along the way, the grasslands, snow-capped mountains, temples, and villages are very beautiful. If you go a little further to Bamei Town, there are fewer people and beautiful Bamei Grassland, and you can also go to see the unique China Moshi Park.

Sichuan-Kangding-Tagong Grassland

Sichuan-Kangding-Tagong Grassland-Scenery
along the way

Sichuan-Kangding-Tagong Grassland-Overlooking Yala Snow Mountain

Sichuan-Daofu-China Moshi Park

From Xindu Bridge to the south to Kowloon, you can go to Yaha Pass and Zimei Pass through Jiagenba, which is a good place to look at and see Gongga Mountain up close, and along the way you can also visit Calcified Slope and Quanhua Beach, two attractions that are rarely reached by tourists in Kangding's private collection, which can not only experience the original landscape of hiking and climbing, but also enrich the knowledge of the journey.

Sichuan-Kangding-Calcified Slope

Sichuan-Kangding-Yaha Yakou-Overlooking Gongga Mountain

Sichuan-Kangding-Quanhuatan

Sichuan-Kangding-Zimeiyakou-overlooking Gongga Mountain

Sichuan-Kangding-Zimeiyakou-Overlooking Gongga Mountain

Tips

1. When parking and taking pictures at the high mountain pass, pay special attention to wind protection and warmth, and it is common for wind and snow to blow on the high mountain pass. In addition, the temperature difference on the plateau will also be large.

2. Xindu Bridge is not a scenic spot, but it is loved by countless people. Although it is just a small town, it is very convenient to stay and eat in many places, and it is a bit lively to come and go during the peak season, so it is a good choice to stay here and play around.

3. The road conditions from Jiagenba to Yaha Pass and Zimei Pass are poor. There are inns near Quanhuatan for food and lodging, but the conditions are average.If you want to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Gongga Mountain Rizhao Jinshan at Zimei Yakou, you generally need to stay here.

Sichuan-Kangding-Xinduqiao

Sichuan-Kangding-Quanhuatan-scenery
along the way

Sichuan-Kangding-Quanhuatan

Third stop: Xinduqiao - Yajiang - Litang - Batang (370 km).

Starting from Xindu Bridge, we crossed Gaoersi Mountain, which is known as the second pass of Kangba, at an altitude of 4,412 meters, and not far down the mountain is the Yajiang River at an altitude of only 2,530 meters, because of the low altitude here, some tourists will choose to stay here.

Continuing to cross the Yajiang River is a long climbing section, and after finally bypassing the eighteen bends of the peak and loop, there are several alpine passes waiting for you to climb, namely Scissors Bay Mountain (4659 meters above sea level), Xiong Zongka (4281 meters above sea level), and Kazila Mountain (4718 meters above sea level).

Sichuan-Yajiang-318 National Highway

Sichuan-Yajiang-Scissorswan Mountain-Tianlu Eighteen Bends

Sichuan-Litang-Xiong Zongka

Sichuan-Litang-Kazila Mountain Pass

Sichuan-Litang-Kazila Mountain Pass-Alpine Meadow

Crossing these passes, we came to Litang, a county with the highest average altitude and a county seat known as the "world's high city", which is also the hometown of Ding Zhen. After leaving Litang, we crossed Haizi Mountain at an altitude of 4,685 meters, saw the sister lake, and continued to walk forward to Batang, which is only 2,580 meters above sea level, where you can choose to stay here.

Sichuan-Litang-Xichengmen

Sichuan-Litang-County-Street View

Sichuan-Batang-Sister Lake in the Misty Rain

Sichuan-Batang-Scenery along the way

Sichuan-Batang-County-Street Scene

In addition, when passing through Shangtang, you can also choose to temporarily leave the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line, go south through Provincial Highway 217, take Litang-Daocheng-Derong-Deqin (Yunnan), and then return to Mangkang on the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Line along National Highway 214. Although this is a big U-shaped route, it takes more than 500 kilometers to walk, but along the way, you can visit Daocheng Aden Scenic Area, Jinsha River Bay, Baima Snow Mountain Pass, Meili Snow Mountain National Park, Lancang River Meili Grand Canyon, thousand-year-old salt fields and other famous scenic spots, including the core scenic spots of the World Natural Heritage Site of the three rivers, especially Daocheng Aden, perhaps the "last pure land of the blue planet" does not exist, but "condensing all the ultimate scenery of Tibet" must be its truest evaluation. Of course, if you choose to go this way, you need to reserve at least a few more days in your itinerary.

Sichuan - Daocheng - Daocheng Aden Scenic Area - Xiano Dorji Peak

Sichuan - Daocheng - Daocheng Aden Scenic Area - Xiannai Ri Peak

Sichuan-Daocheng-Daocheng Aden Scenic Area-Yangmai Yongfeng

Sichuan-Daocheng-Daocheng-Aden Scenic Area-Pearl Sea

Sichuan-Daocheng-Daocheng-Aden Scenic Area-Milk Sea

Yunnan-Deqin-Meili Snow Mountain

Yunnan - Deqin - Mingzhu Laka Observation Deck - Meili Snow Mountain

Yunnan-Deqin-Lancang River Meili Grand Canyon

Yunnan-Deqin-Lancang

Tibet-Mangkang-Lancang Riverside-thousand-year-old salt field

Tips

1. The observation deck of the pass of Scissors Bay is an excellent location to overlook and photograph the eighteen bends of the sky; If the weather is good, you can also overlook Gongga Mountain here.

Sichuan-Yajiang-Scissors Bay Shanyakou Observation Deck

Sichuan-Yajiang-Scissorswan Shanyakou Observation Deck-Overlooking the Eighteen Bends of Tianlu

2. The alpine meadows of Mount Kazila are vast and magnificent, and they are beautiful. You can stay for more time at the pass on the mountain to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountains here.

Sichuan-Litang-Kazila Mountain Pass-Alpine Meadow

3. The altitude of Litang County is as high as 4014 meters, and there are not many tourists who choose to stay here. But when passing by, the Changchun Keer Temple on the outskirts of the county seat is worth squeezing in some time to see, and the West City Gate is an Internet celebrity check-in point.

Sichuan-Litang-Changchun Keer Temple

Sichuan-Litang-Changchun Keer Temple-Overlooking Litang County

Sichuan-Litang-Xichengmen

4. The 217 provincial road from Litang to Daocheng to Shangri-La Town is in good condition, with a distance of about 230 kilometers, and there are Rabbit Mountain, Haizishan Nature Reserve, Sangdui Red Grass Beach, and Daocheng Airport along the way , Daocheng White Pagoda and other scenic spots can be visited along the way.

Sichuan-Daocheng-Shangri-La Town

Sichuan-Daocheng-Rabbit Mountain

Sichuan-Daocheng-Haizishan ancient ice cap

Sichuan-Daocheng-Sangdui Hongcao Beach

Sichuan-Daocheng-Daocheng-Aden Airport

Sichuan-Daocheng-Daocheng White Pagoda (Zunsheng Tallinn).

5. From Shangri-La Town in Daocheng (where Daocheng Aden Scenic Area is located) to Benlanzi Town in Deqin has opened a road called "Dianchuan Tourism New Channel", with a total length of more than 220 kilometers, not only the road conditions are very good, there are very few cars, and the scenery along the way is even more picturesque, and it feels really good to have such an environment and road to drive a car.

Sichuan-Daocheng-Dianchuan Tourism New Corridor

Sichuan-Township-Dianchuan Tourism New Corridor-Qingde Pastoral Tibetan Village

Sichuan-Daocheng-Dianchuan Tourism New Corridor-Scenery
along the way

6. There is an observation deck of the Jinsha River Dawan in Deqin Benlanzi, where you can see and photograph the panoramic view of the Jinsha River Dawan. This scenic spot is right next to the avenue, and it is very convenient to visit and watch.

Yunnan-Deqin-Jinsha River Dawan

7. Along National Highway 214 from Benlanzi to Feilai Temple, Baima Snow Mountain has opened tunnels No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. If you want to see the scenery of the White Horse Snow Mountain, you must not take the tunnel but take the Baima Snow Mountain Pass on the old national highway. After playing, you don't have to go back, keep going, and you will return to National Highway 214. If the weather is good, the scenery on the mountain is really beautiful, don't miss it.

Yunnan-Deqin-Baima Snow Mountain Pass Scenery

Yunnan-Deqin-Baima Snow Mountain Pass

8. Deqin Feilai Temple is because of the Meili Snow Mountain, there are many hotels and homestays, and high, high and low grades are held at the same time. To see the beautiful scenery of Meili Snow Mountain, especially Rizhao Jinshan, staying at Feilai Temple is a unique choice.

Yunnan - Deqin - Mingzhu Laka Observation Deck - Overlooking Meili Snow Mountain

Yunnan - Deqin - Meili Snow Mountain - Rizhao Jinshan

Yunnan-Deqin-Feilai Temple-hotels

Yunnan-Deqin-Feilai Temple-Lined Hotels

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