Sichuan-Tibet Highway

Sichuan-Tibet Highway starts from Chengdu City in Sichuan Province in the east and ends at Lhasa City in Tibet Autonomous Region in the west. The total length of Sichuan-Tibet Highway is 2414 kilometers. Be different from the other highways leading toward Lhasa, Sichuan-Tibet Highway is composed of the Northern Route and the Southern Route.

Brief Introduction of Sichuan-Tibet Highway

The Northern Route of Sichuan Tibet Highway stretches 2412 kilometers and highest point is Quer Mountain with an elevation of 4916 meters. The Southern Route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway stretches 2149 kilometers and the highest point is Litang with an elevation of 4700 meters. The Southern Route and the Northern Route is connected by the Qamdo-Bangda Highway. Most of the tourists making a self-driving tour to Tibet through Sichuan-Tibet Highway would like to choose the Southern Route for its relatively lower altitude and the shorter distance.

Tourists making a Tibet tour through Sichun-Tibet Highway have to climb over 14 mountains with an altitude of higher than 4000 meters (including the Erlang Mountain, Quer Mountain and Sejira Mountain) and cross over several large rivers, such as Dadu River, Jinsha River, Nujiang River and Lantsang River. Though it is pretty toilsome and challenging to make a Tibet tour through the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, a large number of tourists would also like to choose this route so as to enjoy the breathtaking natural landscapes of snow-capped mountains, primitive forest, endless grassland, magnificent glaciers, canyons and rivers.

Southern Route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway

The construction of the original Sichuan-Tibet Highway was started in April 1950, completed and put into operation in December 1954. In 1969, the Northern Route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway was finally completed and listed as a part of State Higheway G318. Since then, Sichuan-Tibet Highway acts as an important link between Tibet and the eastern areas in China.

Zheduo Mountain, located in the middle section of the large-scale snow mountains, is regarded as an important geological dividing line of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The east of Zheduo Mountain is the mountain area while the west of Zheduo Mountain is the real Tibetan region. Zheduo Mountain Pass has been one of the most dangerous points on Sichuan-Tibet Highway for its high altitude (about 4298 meters), narrow road and severe natural climate (land slide happened frequently for the heavy snow or heavy rain) in earlier years. For the safety of the vehicles, drivers and tourists, Sichuan Tibet Highway experienced several reconstructions. The road is much wider and the road condition is much better than before.

Northern Route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway

Northern Route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway stretches toward Lhasa from Chengdu via YaAn, Gantze, Dege, Gyangda, Qamdo, Bome County and Bayi Town. This route is preferred by a lot of tourists interested in the Tibet adventure tour. It should be noted that the Northern Route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway joins Qinghai-Tibet Highway at Nagqu. Compared to the Southern Route, the Northern Route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway crosses more depopulated areas with higher altitude and the landscape along the journey would also be more magnificent.

Tourists should note that the best season to make a self-driving tour to Tibet through Sichuan-Tibet Highway is May or the period between Middle August and October. The period between May and August is the rainy season of the large areas in Sichuan Province and Tibet, debris flow and land slide happen frequently in the rainy season.