How to Go to Tibet – Yunnan-Tibet Highway

How to go to Tibet comes one of the first for tourists planning a Tibet tour. Some of the visitors would like to enter into Tibet through Yunnan-Tibet Highway.

Yunnan-Tibet Highway was completed and put into operation in 1974. It starts from Jinghong in Yunnan Province and connects with the southern route of Sichuan-Tibet Highway. It goes across the primitive forest of Hengduan Mountains, stretches over Jinsha River and climbs over the Baimang Snow Mountain and Hongla Mountain.

Yunnan-Tibet Highway plays important role in the communication between Yunnan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region. The highway is covered with sand and gravel. It could be opened to traffic on both sunny days and rainy days. It only might be blocked by the snow at the sections of Hongla Snow Mountain and Baima Snow Mountain in winter.

Yunnan-Tibet Highway stretches 1930 kilometers, among which 39 kilometers of them is more than 4000 meters above the sea level and 239 kilometers of them is 3000 – 4000 meters above the sea level. Yunnan-Tibet Highway is characterized by dangerous and amazing. The construction of Yunnan-Tibet highway involved a lot of natural risks due to the difficult geographical factors. There are 4 large bridhes, 112 middle and small sized bridges, 3 tunnels and 1764 culverts.

The best driving season of Yunnan-Tibet Highway is between August and October every year since some sections of the highway woud be blocked by snow in winter. The road condition is relatively poor between Zhongdian and Mangkang since the debris flow and collapse happen frequently.

Tourists planning to make a Tibet tour through Yunnan-Tibet Highway should inquire about the road condition in advance. The accommodation condition along this highway is relatively superior in Yunnan Province and that is relatively poor after it stretches into Yanjing in Tibet Autonomous Region. Tourists are suggested to prepare sleeping bags and some solid food in case of need.