Self-driving in Tibet | Five things you must know before crossing Sanyakou on G318 into Tibet

40-day self-driving tour on the Ancient Tea Horse Road After entering Tibet from G318, we chose to cross three well-known passes in one day: Lawu Pass at an altitude of 4,376 meters; Jueba Pass at an altitude of 3,911 meters and Dongda Pass at an altitude of 5,130 meters. The starting point is Mangkam County and the end point is Zuogong County. Friends may ask: Is it possible to cross three passes in succession just after entering Tibet? Below, please see the five things Cai Cai Juan Er summarized based on our travel experience. After reading this, you will be able to judge whether your trip can be completed within one day. ❶ "Three Mountains" total mileage 157 kilometers Mangkam County is the first stop of G318 entering Tibet. After visiting here, you can choose to set off in the morning and reach Zuogong County within one day. As mentioned earlier, the total distance from Mangkam to Zuogong is only 157 kilometers. Taking into account the time for visiting three passes and the waiting time for some sections to be opened to one-way traffic due to maintenance, the total time for self-driving is only about three and a half hours. It is possible to arrive within one day and there is no need to rush. ❷If I am not used to the plateau yet and don’t want to cross three passes in one day, is that okay? There are alternatives to the above itinerary of crossing three passes in one day. That is, depart from Mangkang County and arrive at Rumei Town for accommodation. Rumei belongs to Mangkam, 50 kilometers away from the county seat by car. It can be reached by crossing a pass in Lawu Mountain. The altitude of Rumei Town is relatively low, only about 2,500 meters, which is suitable for people coming to Tibet to rest and adjust. Therefore, there are many cost-effective hotels and homestays. After a good rest, the next day the friends only needed to cross the Jueba Mountain and Dongda Mountain Pass and reach Zuogong County in two and a half hours. ❸Detailed explanation of Lawu Mountain Pass (Figure 2–4) Lawu Mountain Pass is a pass that everyone will cross shortly after driving out of Mangkam County. The mountain at this pass is gentle and the road conditions are good, so it is almost not difficult to cross it by car. At the Lawu Mountain Pass, there is an eight-character doorplate with the inscription "Quietness leads to far-reaching, beautiful Mangkang". Why "tranquility"? Because Mangkang Mountain in the county is also known as Ningjing Mountain. Mangkang Mountain is one of the Hengduan Mountains, running parallel to the Henian Thaweng Mountain Range and other mountain ranges. There is no specific parking lot at the Lawu Mountain Pass, so parking is not very convenient. Friends can just stop briefly near the stone tablet or sign with the altitude and check in. ❹Detailed explanation of Jueba Mountain Pass (Figures 1, 5–8) Before reaching the Jueba Mountain Pass, you will drive along the deep canyon of the Lancang River for a while. After getting away from the Lancang River, there is a section of road that is under construction for a tunnel, so the road condition is poor, there are many trucks, and there is a lot of dust. Sometimes it is only allowed in one direction. Jueba Mountain is less than 4,000 meters above sea level. The mountain vegetation is lush. There is an observation deck at the pass, and parking is convenient. Standing on the stage, on the left is a colorful painting of lush forests and colorful mountains. On the right side, there are deep canyons and towering snow-capped mountains, which make visitors feel more realistic about entering Tibet. ❺Detailed explanation of Dongda Mountain Pass (Figures 9–11) Dongda Mountain Pass is the first pass on G318 that is over 5,000 meters high and also the highest pass on G318. There is currently no tunnel here to replace the winding mountain road, so all tourists passing through G318 Dongda Mountain will pass through the pass. Dongda Mountain has a large parking lot, and it is very convenient to take photos in front of the altitude sign. But compared with the ever-changing beauty along the way, the pass is covered with snow for a long time and the view is not wide, but in terms of natural scenery, it is relatively ordinary. There are also road construction along the Dongda Mountain, and sometimes traffic is allowed in one direction, but the overall road conditions are good and driving is not too difficult. After passing Dongda Mountain, we are getting closer and closer to Zuogong County. To enter Zuogong County, one has to pass through several tall and majestic mountain gates (Figure 12). We will explain in detail the world behind the gates next time. ▶️The above content is summarized based on personal travel experience. Please forgive me if there are any omissions. ▶️Due to timeliness, some scenes may change, please refer to the current situation. ▶️The address location information is provided by the website. Please leave a message if you need more detailed information. ▶️All the scenic spots that Cai Cai Juan Er and Mr. Dog have traveled to can be reached by car. 🔸🔹🔸 If you like self-driving tours and don’t want to take the usual route, please listen to Cai Cai Juan’er’s story.