The Golmud Highway. Golmud - Lhasa.

The Route: Mostly flat, windy and monotonous. Some higher passes, but the climbs are gradual and short. Relatively high altitude all the way. According to local sources, the prevailing winds are southerlies/SSE'ers, which can be important to take into account when planning. Usually calm mornings and increasing force during the day. The afternoons usually very windy, gale force winds most days. Easy to find food, fuel and water, even if most maps shows more settlements than reality. Good asphalt all the way, with the exception of the last 85km before Lhasa (road construction - probably ok soon). The nature is barren, desolate and mostly quite monotonous, sometimes distant mountain ranges in the horizon.

 Klicka for forstoring! Graph.

Location Km from Golmud Altitude.  Comment
Golmud 0 2795
X 25 2995
CP, Shops, rest. 35 3075
Gas stations 40 3130
RM 2800 GS, Shops 64 3265
Naij Tai 92 3500
Temple, good camp at river. 113 3660
Rest, Gas, Shops for 3km 129 4180 Cal. +185m
X 141 4355
RCC 152 4560
Kunlun Pass, Flat, steeper last 5km 164 4850
RCC 174 4725
Budongquan, TO to Yushu 186 4690
HP 189 4735
RCC 215 4635
Settlement 233 4625
Bridge 254 4700
RCC 263 4730
Wudaoliang Everything 279 4750
Pass, flat 292 4875
LP 316 4780
RCC 325 4720
Fenghuo Pass 351 5080
Rest, shops, GH 365 4825
LP 393 4690
Minipass 406 4780
Abb, settlement 418 4670
City, everything. 431 4650
RCC 446 4775
Minipass 451 4850
LP 475 4690
RCC 476 4710
Rest. Hotel 513 4780
Tibetan slumtown 526 4855
RCC 548 4920
Settlement, rest. 551 4935
Settlement 579 4950
X 604 5145
Settlement 608 5155
Many U/D to pass 617 5330
Tanggula Pass 627 5365
RCC 637 5190
LP 650 5115
Pass 668 5320
Amdo 717 4825
Start Climb 726 4740
Pass 732 4990
Settlement, nothing 757 4790
Settlement, nothing 760 4730
HP 779 4915
Settlement, RCC, rest (shop) 801 4725
Bridge, LP 806 4635
Settlement, nothing 823 4565
HP 836 4675
Nagqu (center) 856 4535
Bridge 866 4540
RCC, settlement 883 4580
Bridge, Climb start 905 4630
RCC 925 4760
HP 938 4850
Goukou 953 4785
Bridge, LP 968 4645
Climb start 981 4660
Pass 984 4760
X 1016 4420
Damxung 1028 4395
CP, TO, LP 1047 4330
Pass 1079 4695
HP 1086 4715
Xangbajain, TO, to Suge Pass 1106 4415 Road contruction a.t.w. to Lhasa
X 1131 4160
Lhasa 1198 3800

Photos from this journey.

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