Tibet → West Tibet → Nepal · On-road
The full western crossing. Everest Base Camp, then a thousand kilometres further west to Manasarovar and Kailash - the mountain four religions call the centre of the world - before dropping into Nepal.
The ride
This is the long version, and the one riders talk about afterwards. It carries the whole of the Lhasa-to-Everest ride, then keeps going west along the southern route into Ngari, where the plateau opens out and the traffic disappears.
Lake Manasarovar sits at 4,588 m - 330 km² of water, 82 m deep, held between two snow ranges. An hour beyond it is Darchen and Mount Kailash, 6,714 m, sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bön, and the destination of pilgrims from across Asia. You walk a short way at the foot of it rather than riding past.
Then the long return east to Saga and south to Kyirong for the border. Two of the biggest days are 495 km and 492 km on the plateau, so this ride asks for real fitness and flexibility. Private tour throughout, with a Tibetan guide and a support 4×4 carrying luggage, fuel, spares and oxygen.
Five passes crest above 4,000 m. We never gain the whole height in a day - the route is built so your body acclimatises as you climb.
The route, day by day
The fine print, in plain words
See it to believe it
Photography by Liu Bin · Greatway field archive
Dates & enquiry
Private departures on your dates, roughly April to October. Tell us when you're free and how many are riding - a booking consultant will get back to you within 24 hours.
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