Munich-Tibet Overland Tour

Day 5: Nis – Koprivshtitsa

Serbia and Bulgaria are the heart of the Balkans. The vastness of the landscape spreading out before us is unlike anything to be found in Central Europe. The rural and wild flavor of the Balkans harks back to a Europe long gone. To savor it fully, we’ll spend the night in Koprivshtitsa, a small town with rustic houses and a relaxed lifestyle.

Distance covered: approx. 270 km, Bulgaria

Day 7: Sozopol – Istanbul

Our Silk Road Motorcycle Tour follows the coast southward and crosses the Strandzha Mountains of Thrace. A curvaceous road through the forested mountains takes us to the Turkish border. The hills flatten out toward the dry steppe of Thrace, and soon we reach Istanbul. We have a fantastic hotel located directly in the historic old town. All of the major sights, such as the Hagia Sophia, are within walking distance.

Distance covered: approx. 320 km, Turkey

Day 9: Istanbul – Safranbolu

The Mediterranean charm of the Bosporus slowly gives way to an alpine mountain world as our Silk Road Motorcycle Tour forges ahead into the North Anatolian highlands.

With its beautiful townscape of half-timbered houses, Safranbolu was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. Here we can get to know the authentic Turkey, exploring the narrow streets lined with small restaurants and craftsmen offering their goods for sale. A Turkish steam bath in a traditional hamam is a good opportunity for some serious decompression.

Distance covered: approx. 410 km

Day 11: Amasya – Bayburt

Further to the east, our route takes us along the North Anatolian Fault. Riding through the bucolic steppe, we’ll make our way to Bayburt, a town situated in the Anatolian highlands.

Distance covered: approx. 450 km

Day 13: Savsat – Gori Uplistisikhe – Gori

Our day starts with a ride up to the Georgian border. The route there and then to Gori is a highlight of the tour as it winds its way up into the green Georgian mountains.

Gori is the site of a historical cave town, Uplistisikhe, and the famous castle of Gori, from where we can enjoy the sunset with a cool beer.

Distance covered: approx. 280 km, Georgia

Day 15: Grozny – Astrakhan

Our Silk Road Motorcycle Tour continues through the steppe of southern Russia.

Astrakhan is situated on the Volga and features architecture dates from a range of periods, including Renaissance, Classicist and Orthodox influences. The sights include the Astrakhan Kremlin and Trinity Church.

Distance covered: approx. 490 km

Day 17: Astrakhan – Atyrau

Today, we cross the border to Kazakhstan. With a little luck, we’ll encounter camels along the way. Atyrau is located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and its economy revolves around Caspian oil and gas deposits.

Distance covered: approx. 360 km, Kazakhstan

Day 19: Beineu – Elabad

After crossing the border into Uzbekistan, the road conditions become decidedly rougher, and we have a challenging track ahead in the largest desert of Central Asia. We skirt what remains of the Aral Sea and have a view across the Aralkum Desert, the former seabed.

We’ll spend the night in a basic motel, which due to its location in the middle of the desert and its patrons could be straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie. The deep red sunset that lights up the desert is often spectacular.

Distance covered: approx. 380 km, Uzbekistan

Day 21: Khiva – Bukhara

Our Silk Road Motorcycle Tour continues through the Kyzylkum desert to Bukhara, which is one of the oldest cities in Uzbekistan. Like Samarkand, it was a marketplace and rest stop on the old Silk Road. With over 140 architectural monuments, Bukhara is an impressive open-air museum.

We’ll see the mosques and madrasas of Bukhara on a walk through the old town. The historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

Distance covered: approx. 460 km

Day 23: Samarkand

Today will be a rest day in Samarkand.

We’ll visit Registan Square, the nearby madrasas and other sights. There will be plenty of time to visit the night market and for errands.

Day 25: Dushanbe – Kalaikhum

Only about half of our day’s mileage on the Pamir Highway today will be on paved roads. There are two routes to Kalaikhum from Dushanbe – a northern and a (longer) southern one. We’ll choose depending on which of the two routes is better at the time.

Kalaikhum, with a rushing river flowing through its center, is one of the most attractive towns in the Pamir Mountains.

Distance covered: 270/380 km

Day 27: Khorog – Murghab

Murghab is located at the center of the Pamir plateau – a frontier town in the middle of nowhere on the roads to China and Kyrgyzstan. The last few kilometers into Murghab are demanding – it’s not an easy track.

Distance covererd: approx. 320 km

Day 29: Sary Tash – Osh

About 150 kilometers east of Kokand, we’ll cross the border to Kyrgyzstan, where we’ll spend the night in Osh.

Distance covered: approx. 180

Day 31: Osh – Kazarman

Our journey continues to Kazarman – and we’re finally riding through mountains again. The first part of the route takes us toward Jalalabad. The road is paved, but traffic is heavy. We then continue on a gravel track that’s quite rough in places and cross four often-deserted passes through the beautiful and unforgettable mountain landscape of Kyrgyzstan. We’ll spend the night in the small town of Kazarman, where several local families will welcome us into their homes and cook for us in the evening.

Distance covered: approx. 260 km

Day 33: Tash Rabat – border station near Kashgar – Kashgar

We’ll reach the Kyrgyz-Chinese border area around noon. We pass an archaeological site and ride along a lake to the 3,752-meter Torugart Pass – the border between Kyrgyzstan and China – and descend into China. We need to park our vehicles 120 km away, at the Chinese customs station. We have a transfer to Kashgar in the afternoon, and the next morning another transfer back to the customs station to pick up our bikes.

Distance covered: approx. 220 km, China

Day 35: Kashgar

Today is a further day of rest and organization in Kashgar intended as a buffer for the Chinese authorities, as formalities sometimes take a bit longer in China. We’ll visit the beautiful old town of Kashgar and watch the hustle and bustle of the market. The grilled lamb and beef in the numerous restaurants is some of the best in China.

Day 37: Sanshiyi – Dahongliutian

Another 5,000-meter pass awaits us after breakfast. We’ll then set out across the vast Tibetan plateau, passing mountains and rivers, on our way to Dahongliutian, a tiny place in the middle of nowhere.

The plateau is deserted, and with a little luck we can see wild horses, which the locals call kiang, eagles, migratory birds or the Himalayan wolf in the distance.

Distance covered: approx. 120 km

Day 39: Ali – Mount Kailash

A short day’s ride to Kailash, a mountain that is holy to Tibetans. In Tibetan mythology, the mountain is the center of the universe and birthplace of the mightiest rivers in Asia.

The snow-covered peak, 6,638 meters high, rises majestically above the Tibetan plateau. Numerous pilgrims travel to Mount Kailash from all corners of Tibet, India and Nepal. According to numerous writings, all devout Buddhists should walk around this mountain at least once in their lives on a three-day trek. To attain complete enlightenment, however, they should do so no less than 51 times. After arriving in Darchen – the starting point for the mountain treks – we can either walk to Tarpoche Pagoda or ride the track to Tarpoche. We can also visit the shore of Manasarovar Lake, one of three holy lakes for Hindus and Buddhists. From Chiu Monastery, there’s a great view of the lake.

Distance covered: approx. 250 km

Day 41: Saga – Everest Base Camp (EBC)

Our ride to Everest Base Camp today takes us past Peiku Lake (4,591 meters), skirts the Nepalese border, and passes over a number of winding passes at altitudes of nearly 5,000 meters. Sections of the road are in a somewhat rough state today, at least up to Paiku Lake.

From there we’ll take an incredible road with hundreds of twists and turns and views of the numerous 8,000-meter peaks – truly one of the most memorable moments of our tour. The road will first take us to Tingri and wind its way over two passes. From there we have a stunning view of the tallest and most legendary mountains on the planet: Shisha Pangma (8,012 m), Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Lhotse (8,561 m) Makalu (8,463 m) and of course Everest (8,848 m).

Next up: Rongbuk Monastery at an altitude of almost 4,900 meters. The road is closed for motorcycles around 10 kilometers before the monastery – we’ll take local transportation for the final stretch. While the Base Camp, which is 2.5 km further up the road, has been closed since January 2019, we still have a spectacular, equally good view of Everest from the monastery. The unobstructed view of the 8,848 meter high summit of Everest is a rich reward for the exertions of the journey.

We’ll spend the night in Rongbuk Monastery’s very basic guest house and enjoy the mountain vistas.

Distance covered: approx. 400 km

Day 43: Xigaze – Gyangze – Lhasa

Our Silk Road Motorcycle Tour continues over the vast expanse of the central Tibetan Plateau to Gyangze. The barren high plateau of Tibet is giving way to vast wheat fields and small villages and farms. In Gyangze, we’ll stop at the largest stupa (Tibetan pagoda) in all of Tibet, which is located in Palcho Monastery, overlooked by Gyangze Dzong, a majestic fortress.

From Gyangze, we’ll ride the 5,100-meter Karo La Pass that takes us right up to the foot of a mighty glacier. At an altitude of 4,900 meters, we’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the azure-blue Yamdrok Lake and ride the winding roads along the Yarlung Tsangpo River. This may be our last encounter with shaggy yaks. Cresting the last mountain pass, we’ll descend into a fertile river valley and reach our ultimate destination – Lhasa.

We met the challenge – riding from Munich along the Silk Road, all the way to the Roof of the World. Time for high fives all around!

Distance covered: approx. 360 km

Day 45: Lhasa

We’ll enjoy the day at Bharkor Market in the old town of Lhasa, visit Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lama, as well as the Jokhang, the holiest temple in Tibet. And, of course, there will be plenty of time for souvenir shopping.

Day 47: Chengdu

Individual departure from Chengdu.

Check out the optional extension from Lhasa to Dali here!

Day 46: Lhasa – Nyingtri

Our last riding day on the Tibet high plateau. We’ll say “tashi delek” on the next day – goodbye – to the Tibetan plateau, cross our last 5,000-meter pass, then descend on a winding road through fragrant spruce forests into the “Switzerland of the Orient”, with its wooded mountains and rolling grasslands with grazing yaks.

Distance covered: approx. 400 km

Day 48: Ranwu – Zogang

The day begins with a ride along the Salween River, which originates on the Tibetan plateau and descends to Shan State in Myanmar. On the way, we can enjoy spectacular vistas in the gorges through the expansive sandstone landscapes.
But the treat of the day is yet to come: an iconic road, known by the locals only as “the road of 72 curves”. At the end of the serpentines, we reach a 4,300-meter pass with a view many miles into the valley below. The quiet mountain roads descend through gorges and evergreen forests to Zogang – a true highlight of ourTibet Motorcycle Tour.

Distance covered: approx. 290 km

Day 50: Jiabe – Shangri-La

From our Tibetan host family, our journey will take us over the 4,300-meter Pass of the White Horse and down into the gorges of the Yangtze, the longest river in Asia and third-longest in the world. Here, at “only” 1,900 meters above sea level, we’re at the lowest altitude of the tour. It’s quite warm and cacti grow on the river banks – an incredible contrast.
Our final riding stage takes us to the romantic old town of Shangri-La. Its small two-story houses are built entirely of wood and are richly decorated with carvings. In Shangri-La, we’ll visit the 22-meter prayer wheel – the largest in the world – and we should turn it at least three times for good karma.

Distance covered: approx. 180 km

Day 52: Lijiang – Dali

Our last short riding day along farm land to Dali. Goodbye dinner and party.

Distance covered: approx. 180 km