Road to Tibet: From the remote west - Ngari or Ali (阿里)
CBP Journey 2007. Back to:Itineraries, Trek, Destionations, Yunnan

Ngari prefecture covers an area roughly 310,000 square kilometers, constituting approximately one-fourth of Tibet. It has the lowest population density in the whole of China, and maybe the world. The average altitude is 4,500 meters with a few undulating chains of mountains including the Himalaya, Gangdise, Kunlun and Karakorum as well as numerous lakes and high grasslands. It is also steeped in history, culture and religion, being the location of an ancient Tibetan kingdom (Guge) and the birthplace of the only indigenous Tibetan religion, Bon.

Attractions

Mount Kailash and Kora

KangRimboche (冈仁波齐峰) in Tibetan, better known as Mount Kailash to the rest of the world or Mahameru to Hindus, is one of the holiest mountains in Tibet. It is 6,656m high and is the main peak of the Gangdise Mountain range. The peak is a circular cone which is snow-capped all year round and is one of the most recognizable mountains in the world.

Kailash is a holy mountain to four religions- Tibetan Buddhism, Bon, Hinduism and Jainism. Pilgrims from all over Tibet, India and Nepal make the arduous pilgrimage to the mountain every year. Most pilgrims come to do the 55 km kora or circling around the mountain. Buddhists and Hindus will walk in the clockwise direction while Bon does it anti-clockwise. Detailed trekking guide

Lake Manasarovar

Barely 50 km south of Kailash is another popular place of pilgrimage that attracts pilgrims from many places- Mapham Yumtso (玛旁雍错) in Tibetan, or better known as Lake Manasarovar to the rest of the world. The lake is the highest fresh-water lake in the world at 4,556m. Its circumference is about 90 km occupying an area of 320 square km and a depth of 90 m at its deepest. It freezes in winter and only melts in the spring. It is famously known as the source of the mighty Indus and the Sutlej Rivers. More.

Guge

The seat of the 700 year-old Guge (古格) Kingdom is located in Zhada (扎达) within Ngari prefecture. The remains of the kingdom include the Tholing Monastery and the surrounding structures. It takes 4 days to visit and return to Shiquanhe. The transport cost is at least 500 RMB for one person with a whopping entrance fee to Guge of 400 RMB for foreigners or 180 RMB for local Chinese.

Orientation

Shiquanhe (4,242m): The capital of Ngari prefecture is Shiquanhe (狮泉河镇) in Chinese or Senge Khabab (Town of the Lion) in Tibetan. It is the transport base to visit the other places within the prefecture as well as getting to Lhasa. More info on Shiquanhe click here.

Darchen (塔钦): 330 km to the southeast of Shiquanhe is Darchen (塔钦) which is the only town and base for visiting both Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarover. More info on Darchen click here.

Zhada town is 255 km northwest of Shiquanhe.

Permit requirements for foreigners

Foreigners are required to have a Tibet Travel Permit (TTB) to travel to Tibet. These are supposedly only available from travel agents operating in Chengdu and Beijing. If you are a foreigner buying a plane ticket to Lhasa, you will invariably be asked to pay for such a permit. However with the railway going to Lhasa and the increased tourism in Tibet (including the many foreigners who are attracted by the “mysteries” of Tibet), the situation with the TTB is a little unclear now. In my recent visit, I was told by some foreigners who flew in from Chengdu and Beijing that they are still required to pay for a TTB. I also met some foreigners who have traveled on the train and/or independently overland from other provinces who did not have a TTB and was never asked to produce one by anyone.

However there is a still a requirement for foreigners to obtain an Alien Permit (AP) to travel to different parts of Tibet (such as Shigatse, Everest Base Camp and so on). These AP’s can be obtained at a fee from the major Public Security Bureau (PSB), basically police stations of the regions.

An AP is a MUST for a foreigner in the Ngari region. Ngari is bordering India and is a sensitive military area (being close to Aksai Chin, the part of former Kashmir that is disputed and occupied by China). Even Chinese nationals are required to have a Border Permit (边防证) to visit Ngari. There are regular military and police checkpoints on Ngari roads (one from Yechen and six from Lhasa/Shigatse) and one is required to produce the necessary permit to continue (please see “Getting There” section on permits as well).

The common practice for foreigners (and the one I used recently) visiting Ngari is to arrive at Shiquanhe, then surrender oneself to the PSB and ask to be issued an AP. There will be a fine (currently) of 300 RMB for entering Ngari without a permit and a charge of 50 RMB to get an AP. It is a totally painless process- the staff at the PSB is very friendly. It is important to note that one has to be specific with the places to be included in the AP to be issued- all the potential places to visit should be included. It is also recommended to request the inclusion of the exit routes in the AP.

Getting There

One of the main obstacles of visiting Ngari has always been transportation. This remains so though it has improved tremendously over the last two years.

Currently it is only possible to get to Ngari by road. However construction of a new airport which is reputedly going to be the highest in the world (located southeast of Shiquanhe) has already started and is scheduled to be completed in two years’ time. There were also reports in the China press that plans are afoot to extend the railway from Lhasa to this region in the very near future.

There are two land routes to the Ngari region within China, one from Lhasa and the other one on the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway from Yecheng (叶城) in Xinjiang. Readers are recommended to read the article on Yecheng.

There is now public transport on these routes. Please note that foreigners are expected to pay a higher fare on any of these routes:

To/from Lhasa:
There are 2 routes, the so-called northern and southern routes. Both routes go from Lhasa to Raka (措勤) where it splits into the so-called southern and northern routes; both leads to Shiquanhe. The distance between Lhasa and Shiquanhe on the northern route is 1,760 km while on the southern route is 1,190 km.

The road condition is superb between Lhasa and Lhatse (about 400km). The road condition on the remainder of the journey includes recently tarred roads and good jeep tracks with large tracts of road under construction. However these roads are susceptible to landslides and mud flows after rains.

Sleeper buses run every two days between Lhasa and Shiquanhe and follow the northern route. The bus fare for local Chinese is 600 RMB but foreigners have to pay 800 RMB. The fare should be lower in the non-summer months. The journey supposedly take 48 hours in the summer but in practice could vary due to road conditions and a variety of other factors. The bus service which is operated by the Tibetan Antelope Travel & Transportation does take foreigners. They work their way at the checkpoints to allow foreigners through. I counted a total of six checkpoints on this route.

Apart from public transport, one can also charter a 4WD for the whole or part of the journey: Around 6,000 RMB (Chinese rate) from Darchen to Lhasa, the journey takes a total of 28 hours on the road which includes a few hours of stoppages due to landslides, one can stay overnight at Saga. The scenery along the way is spectacular: numerous grasslands, some snow-capped mountains and a couple of lakes.

Another travel option is to hitch a ride on trucks. The northern route is also more popular with trucks. It is therefore advisable for travelers from Shiquanhe to Lhasa to wait at the appropriate road to the northern route.

Please note that of late, buses on many of the local routes such as from Darchen to Shigatse had refused to take foreigners despite them having the necessary permits. Similarly many of the 4WD drivers are not taking foreigners as passengers. The main reason seems to be fear of heavy compensation payable to foreigners if they are involved in road accidents; and there have been many accidents on the road to/fro Lhasa.

To/from Xinjiang
The road from Xinjiang starts from Yecheng in southwest Xinjiang. Yecheng itself can be reached easily from Kashgar (please see separate article on Yecheng). The whole distance is approximately 1,100 km, 2/3 of which lies within Xinjiang. Most of the journey is over 4,000m above sea level with a section of about 280km over 5,000m. The highest pass, Khitai Pass, at the border between Xinjiang and Tibet is about 5,400m. The landscape is vast, dry, treeless, sparsely inhabited and moonscape-like. It is mainly barren desert mountains in Xinjiang with some very patchy grasslands on the Tibetan side. Wild camels and donkeys can be spotted along the route. The road is mainly parallel jeep tracks and there are many rather bumpy sections (road construction is already at an advanced state- paving- between Rutok and Shiquanhe). The road also passes beside a huge lake, Pangong-tso, half of which is in Ladakh, India and is teeming with migratory birds at different times of the year. There is a lot of military presence, but they don't care as long as one does not interfere with their business.

The journey from Yecheng to Shiquanhe by bus took 35 hours, with no breakdowns or stoppages. However one should expect and be prepared for a longer journey on this route due to unforeseen circumstances and its remoteness. There are hardly any settlements or villages along the route with no place to buy food, water or other supplies until Domar (多马), approximately 30 hours from Yechen! One MUST carry their own food and drinks for the duration of the journey.

Public transport in the form of sleeper bus is now available from Yecheng, operated by Tibetan Antelope Travel & Transportation. It leaves every 3 days at midnight. Ticket price is 700 RMB for foreigners (for local Chinese is 500 RMB for lower or 450 RMB for upper bunks respectively). There is only one military checkpoint at Kudi, about 160 km outside of Yecheng. Foreigners are asked to show their passports but are allowed through without any questions. Tibetan Antelope’s sleeper bus is of immaculate condition and well-maintained. The drivers are experienced and familiar with the road.

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- An Undiscovered Back Road to Tibet