The Most Popular Tibet Motorcycle Tour Routes

Few journeys can compare to the ultimate thrill of riding a motorcycle across the highest plateau on the planet. Traveling day by day from place to place at altitudes that few people ever get to see, a motorcycle tour of Tibet is one of the ultimate epic adventures. Combining the freedom of a cycling tour with the less-demanding vehicle tours, motorcycle tours allow you to ride with the wind in your hair and the sun on your face, without all that energetic pedaling.

Taking a motorbike tour across Tibet is a real adventure, and you can choose several tours that give you the opportunity to discover more about Tibet and its unique people, religion, and culture. So if you are thinking of taking a tour across Tibet, why not hop on a motorbike and enjoy a tour that has that little more freedom to stop where you want and enjoy the open air.

The Classic Route for Motorcycling in Tibet: Lhasa to Mount Everest

Why take this route

No trip to Tibet is really complete without a trip to the World’s Highest Mountain, Mount Everest. Lying on the border between Nepal and China, this massive peak can be easily accessed by road all the way from Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. The classic route for most tourists to the Everest Base Camp (EBC), this unique motorbike tour covers nine days of thrilling riding, exciting adventures, and some of Tibet’s most astounding treasures.

The 9-day motorcycle route to EBC is one that allows most people to ascend a little more gradually, to allow you to adjust to the increases in altitude better. Rising gradually for most of the route from Lhasa to EBC, you will be able to acclimatize to the increases in altitude outside the capital a little better, reducing the risk of severe altitude sickness at EBC. The route to EBC is also hugely popular for tourists and travelers that are looking to explore a little more of Tibet’s unique religion and culture. Passing through several cities and dozens of smaller towns and villages, you get the chance to see the people and their religious culture close up. You also get to experience the beauty of the natural landscapes along the road more personally, and have the ability to stop wherever you want to take photos or just admire the view.

As this tour starts and ends in Lhasa, we can handle all of your documents and requirements, including the hiring of the motorcycle you will use for the trip. For this classic motorbike tour across Tibet, we provide you with our own fleet of excellent motorbikes, which are expertly maintained and ideal for use on the plateau. And this makes it much easier to arrange all the permits you will need, including the temporary Chinese driving license.

How to ride this route

The route from Lhasa to EBC and back is one of the most popular tourist routes to the World’s Highest Mountain. After starting the tour with a couple of days of sightseeing in Lhasa to allow your body to acclimatize to the increase in altitude, you will first head out for a day-ride to the famous Ganden Monastery, so that you can get used to the bikes and the roads on a much easier trip to begin with.

The first day out of Lhasa on the road to EBC takes you to Gyantse, once the largest town in Tibet and the location of the Pelkor Chode Monastery. The route from Lhasa takes you southwest past the stunning Lake Yamdrok, the pristine Karola Glacier, and the small town of Nagarze. At Pelkor Chode Monastery, the only monastery in Tibet that houses three separate traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, you can also tour around the amazing Kumbum Stupa, a 32-meter high stupa and the only one of its kind in Tibet.

From your overnight stay in Gyantse, you continue on to Shigatse, where you stop for the night and visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama. Then you finish the trip to EBC with a ride along the paved road that takes you from the Friendship Highway to the base camp itself and the Rongbuk Monastery.

The Popular Route via Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway: Kathmandu to Lhasa

Why take this route

Taking you all the way across the plateau,this 12 days Motorcycle expedition via EBC starts in Kathmandu and ends after your tour of the sights of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. An awesome adventure, this trip across the Tibetan plateau and the Himalayas is nothing short of an awesome challenge for any serious biker. This 12-day trip from the low Kathmandu Valley to the heights of Mount Everest and Lhasa is one of the ultimate Himalayan sightseeing tours. This epic adventure is ideal for those that want to explore the other side of the Himalayas first, and with our own bikes available for you to hire, you can reduce the cost and hassle of bringing your own bike to Asia. And the excellent Royal Enfield bikes we use are the perfect option for the high altitude riding on the plateau.

How to ride this route

This epic route starts with a few days in Kathmandu, exploring the sights of the most exotic capital in the world, and the stunning Kathmandu Valley. Then you proceed to take the ride from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi, close to the Sino-Nepal border, before heading across to meet your support vehicle and guide the following day in Gyirong Port.

From there, you will head to Gyirong Town for the night, and then on to Old Tingri, on the G318 Friendship Highway for the night, before heading to stop at the famous Everest Base Camp. From EBC, you then make the trip back to the Friendship Highway for the ride to Shigatse, Tibet’s second city, where you will get to tour around the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama.

After departing from Shigatse, you will head to Gyantse, and stop to visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery and the Kumbum Stupa, before continuing on to Lhasa, via the Karola Glacier and Lake Yamdrok. In the Tibetan capital, you will then spend the last couple of days touring the sights, including the Jokhang Temple and the Potala Palace.

The Challenging Route for Pilgrimage Ride: Motorcycle to Mount Kailash

Why take this route

For anyone obsessed with adventure, as well as a love of bikes, this is the ultimate Tibet motorcycle trip of 18 days. Taking you from the exotic Nepali capital of Kathmandu to the world’s most sacred mountain and lake, and then on to the world’s highest capital city, this awe-inspiring ride is the pinnacle of motorbike tours in the world. Covering a distance of more than 2,100 kilometers across the Tibetan plateau, you will pass through almost every kind of climate and landscape on the plateau on this epic motorcycle adventure.

How to ride this route

After spending a couple of days touring around the city and the Kathmandu valley area, you will first ride to Syabrubesi for the night, before crossing the border into China the following morning. There you will meet your guide and support vehicle, and continue on to Gyirong Town, before heading on to the small town of Saga, in Northern Shigatse. From there, it is a straight run all the way to Darchen, at the foot of Mount Kailash.

At the sacred mountain, you will leave your bikes and trek around the kora route, a 52-kilometer hike around this sacred pilgrimage route. Then it is back on the bikes to head southeast to Saga once more. From Saga, you head to Old Tingri for the night, then take the narrow winding road to EBC, at the site of the famous Rongbuk Monastery.

After departing from the world’s highest mountain, you will head back to the Friendship Highway for the ride to Shigatse, where you will visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the holy Panchen Lama. The following morning, you will depart for Gyantse, and stop to visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery and Kumbum Stupa, before continuing on to Lhasa via the Karola Glacier and Lake Yamdrok. Once you arrive in Lhasa, you will leave the bikes for a couple of days of sightseeing in the Tibetan capital. The tour in the city will include several monasteries, as well as the sacred Jokhang Temple and the iconic Potala Palace.

Conclusion

Taking a motorcycle tour across the Tibetan plateau is one of the most exciting adventures you can find. Feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your face while riding across the Roof of the World is one of the most thrilling experiences ever. And while it may seem an impossible task to arrange for riders from international locations, with our vast experience of handling motorcycle tours of Tibet, we can make all the arrangements on your behalf. This means that we will arrange your permits and passes, provide quality bikes for you to ride, and make sure you have a license to use to ride in China. And with our services covering almost all that you will need for this epic adventure, you have little to worry about, and can relax and enjoy the trip.