Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
GLACIERS AROUND RAWOK
The most popular excursion from Rawok is to the
Lhegu Glacier
, 31km south of town,
but this was off limits to foreigners at the time of research.
Midui Glacier
(| Mǐduī Bīngchuān admission ¥50), about 35km west, on the road to Pomi,
was open but always check before heading out as the rules can change without warning.
This quiet and picturesque glacier is reached by first driving 7km off the main highway to
a car park. From here it's a two-hour horse ride or walk to Midui Village (Mǐduī Cūn; ), then
the glacier is a further 2km. Depending on current regulations you may be able to ap-
proach closer or you may just be permitted to view it from the village.
OVERLAND ROUTES FROM SÌCHUĀN & YÚNNÁN
At the time of research, foreigners were forbidden from travelling overland from Sìchuān
into Tibet proper (and vice versa) because Tibet's far eastern prefecture of Chamdo, which
borders Sìchuān, was closed.
The two main routes start from Kanding in Sìchuān until they join with the Tibetan
Autonomous Region (TAR) towns of Chamdo and Pomda. Both routes are part of the le-
gendary Sìchuān-Tibet Hwy, which splits in two about 200km east of the TAR border to
form the northern route (Hwy 317) and the southern route (Hwy 318). Both lead to Lhasa.
The slightly busier and strategically more important southern route takes in the best of the
alpine scenery. Here you'll see (and hear) rivers powering their way through deep gorges
and subtropical forests before flowing into sublime mirror lakes overlooked by distant
snow-capped peaks.
The reasons to travel these routes are many. Wild, mountainous and deliciously remote,
the traditionally Tibetan areas of western Sìchuān are a cultural and geographical exten-
sion of the Tibetan plateau in all but name. This area was once part of the eastern Tibetan
region of Kham, and has long been the meeting point of the Chinese and Tibetan worlds.
In many ways Tibetan culture is better preserved here than in the TAR. It's certainly sub-
ject to fewer religious restrictions, and you'll see photos of the Dalai Lama displayed
freely.
