Shanghai Tibet Highway: China National Highway 318 to Tibet

The Shanghai Tibet Highway, mostly known as the Chinese National Highway G318, is one of the longest single roads in China, and one of the highway routes into Tibet from mainland China.

Stretching for more than 4,700 kilometers across China from the east coast to the westernmost border with Nepal, Shanghai Tibet Highway can be divided into several sections, among which the most famous ones are the Sichuan Tibet Highway from Chengdu to Lhasa, and the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Gyirong border.

Shanghai Tibet Highway Route and Distance

From Shanghai to Lhasa, following the National Highway 318, it is a distance of 5,476 meters, running due west from Shanghai to Tibet. The route of the highway runs through several major cities in mainland China, crossing four provinces and one municipality before finally reaching Tibet, at the boundary with Sichuan Province.

The Shanghai Tibet Highway (G318), over 5000 km, is praised as the most beautiful in China.

Heading out of Shanghai, the road skirts around the bottom of Taihu Lake, passing Huzhou in Zhejiang and crossing into Anhui Province, heading for Xuancheng. The road continues west, crossing the Yangtze River at Anqing, and finally crossing into Hubei Province heading for Wuhan. Skirting the city to the north, this westward route continues on through the province, past Jingmen and Yichang and crossing the Yangtze River again. Continuing west, the road heads first for Enshi in Hubei, before heading into Chongqing municipality, where it crosses the Yangtze for the third time at Wanzhou.

From Wanzhou, the road continues through Chongqing, passing on into Sichuan Province to the south of Dazhou, and heading due west to reach Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan and the start of the Sichuan Tibet Highway. From Chengdu, the road heads southwest to Ya’an, and then turns due west to wind its way through the valleys on the edge of the Sichuan Basin, as it climbs up to the Tibetan Plateau and into Garze. Between the small towns of Batang in Sichuan and Markam in Nyingchi, the road crosses over into the Tibet Autonomous Region. From here, it winds its way through the easternmost prefecture of Tibet, past Nyingchi City, and follows the course of the Lhasa River upstream to finally reach the Tibetan capital of Lhasa.

As the road heads out of Lhasa, it turns briefly southwest to head to the beautiful Lake Yamdrok, before turning west to head through Gyantse to Tibet;s second city, Shigatse, in the Shigatse Prefecture. From here, the road winds through valleys and mountains, crossing high mountain passes as it heads through Old Tingri, the turn-off for Mount Everest, and loops around turning south to head down to the border with Nepal at Zhangmu.

Is it possible to take an overland tour from Shanghai to Tibet by land?

Although there is the Shanghai Tibet highway connecting Shanghai and Lhasa, it will be a quite long journey to complete the whole section of the G318.

For your Shanghai Tibet tour, you are suggested to get to Lhasa from Shanghai by air, or get to some other mainland cities before entering Tibet, such as Chengdu, Xian, Xining, etc. to have a better view of mainland China.

If you are eager to take a Tibet overland tour along the Shanghai Tibet highway, it is highly recommended to go overland through the most essential parts of the Shanghai Tibet Highway.

The Most Epic Overland Section of Shanghai Tibet Highway from Lhasa to Gyirong

The section of the road from Lhasa to Zhangmu on the Nepal border was the original route of the most popular overland tour in Tibet, from Lhasa to Kathmandu. This route no longer follows the final section of this stage to Zhangmu, now turning off to follow the S214 to Gyirong Town and cross the Tibet Nepal border at Gyirong Port.

Fact of the Highway from Lhasa to Gyirong

The final section of Shanghai Tibet highway from Lhasa to Gyirong, also known as the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway, is the main route for Tibet tours that head out to Mount Everest and on to the border to cross into Nepal and continue on to Kathmandu.

The route takes the Shanghai Tibet Highway (G318) from Lhasa, and follows it down to the shores of Lake Yamdrok, where it skirts the lake’s northern shores, following the route of the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley upstream. The valley slowly increases in altitude, rising to around 4,000 meters as it crosses into Shigatse Prefecture. The road continues to follow the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley upstream as far as Shigatse City, at an altitude of around 3,900 meters above sea level.

From Shigatse, the road takes a southwesterly turn, moving away from the Yarlung Zangbo and moving through the arid hilly plain to Lhatse, at 4,200 meters, once more meeting the famous river, before heading southwest along the valley of the Jiangcang River, rising to around 5,000 meters, before heading southwards into the famous Qomolangma National Nature Reserve (5,200m), the home of Mount Everest in Tibet. However, the road does not go to Everest, but turns westwards once more at Old Tingri, following the Pum Qu Valley (4,200m-4,400m as it loops around to the north and then heads south, once more reaching altitudes of up to 5,000 meters as it crosses the mountain passes to reach the river valley that eventually takes it to Nepal via Gyirong Border.

Highlights of the Lhasa to Gyirong Section of Shanghai Tibet Highway

Everest Base Camp Area
One of the biggest highlights of the Tibet Nepal tour through the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway (the Final Part of Shanghai Tibet Highway) is the Everest Base Camp (EBC) area, known as the Qomolangma National Nature Reserve.

Don’t miss the chance to visit the Everest Base Camp during your overland journey through the Shanghai Tibet highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu.

It is one of the most beautiful and most popular parts of Tibet. While the road does not go right up to the base camp, there is a turn-off at Old Tingri, which heads south to the base camp of Everest, at Rongbuk Monastery.

Everest Base Camp is one of the major highlights of any trip to Tibet, and almost every tour that takes the Friendship Highway to Nepal makes this stop to visit the base camp and get one of the best views of Mount Everest in the world. Located around 100 kilometers to the south of the Friendship Highway, EBC sits at an altitude of 5,200 meters, and was the first base camp to be set up at the foot of the world’s highest mountain.

Shigatse
Tibet’s second city, Shigatse is the location of the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama, Tibet’s second highest incarnation in Tibetan Buddhism. Built in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama, the monastery is one of the main monasteries of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, and lies on the hill in the center of the city. Shigatse itself is a sprawling and modernized city, with wide boulevards and busy streets. The famous Shigatse Dzong, once the residence of the Tsang Kings, can be seen from miles away as it lies on a hill overlooking the city, reminiscent of the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

The Most Beautiful Section of Shanghai Tibet Highway from Chengdu to Lhasa

Rated as being the most beautiful road to Tibet, the famous Sichuan Tibet Highway, which follows the Shanghai Tibet Highway (G318) from Chengdu to Lhasa is also noted to be among the world’s most dangerous roads, as it snakes its way up and down mountainsides, with switchbacks and hairpin bends along most of its 2,144-kilometer length.

Fact of the Highway from Chengdu to Lhasa

From Chengdu, the Shanghai Tibet highway runs out of the city, and across the western side of the Sichuan Basin, heading for Ya’an and on to the lower reaches of the Tibetan Plateau in Sichuan Province.

Passing through the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the road snakes its way through the mountains, passing by Kangding, the gateway to Minya Konka, and Xinduqiao, the photographer’s paradise on the Tibetan plateau, renowned for its stunning plateau pasture scenery and traditional Tibetan villages.

The increase in elevation along this stretch is drastic, rising from just 400 meters at Ya’an to around 2,800 meters at Kangding, and 3,400 meters by the time it reaches Xinduqiao.

Xinduqiao is one of the most beautiful photography spots on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

After Xinduqiao, the G318 highway does contain more than a few sections of dirt and gravel road surfaces, which are the sections rated as being the most dangerous, and only an experienced driver should attempt.

As the road winds its way up and down in the mountains, it reaches altitudes of more than 4,400 meters, passing through the villages of Litang (3,900m) and Batang (2,600m), and eventually crossing the boundary from Sichuan into the Tibet Autonomous Region at Markam (4,000m).

From Markam, the road flows the river valleys of Nyingchi Prefecture, alternating in elevation from as low as 2,600 meters to as high as 5,100 meters, finally follows the valley of the Lhasa River to Lhasa.

Highlights of the Chengdu to Lhasa Section of Shanghai Tibet Highway

Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base
Located just outside Ya’an in Sichuan Province, the Bifengxia Panda Research Base is one of four panda bases in Sichuan Province, in the area of Chengdu. Part of the Bifengxia Scenic Area in Yucheng District, this unique panda base plays a vital role in the breeding and reintroduction of giant pandas into the wild in Southwest China. Built on the panda’s natural habitat in Sichuan, this stunning center is a paradise for pandas.

Xinduqiao in Western Sichuan
A paradise for photographers, this small area lies on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, and is famous for its pasture scenery and low plateau landscapes. Located to the west of Kangding, Xinduqiao has some of the best views of the local mountains such as Mount Gongga and the stunning Ten-Mile Gallery of the scenic area to the north, towards Danba.

Nyingchi in Eastern Tibet
Known as the Swiss Alps of Tibet, Nyingchi is one of the lowest areas of the Tibetan plateau inside the Tibet Autonomous Region, and is renowned as one of the most beautiful places to visit in Tibet. Renowned for its spring Peach Blossom Festival, when the peach trees shower pink and lilac blossoms across most of the area, Nyingchi is a land festooned with beautiful lakes, deep gorges, stunning valleys, vast forests, and lush green meadows, backed by Snow Mountains.

Driving along the G318 highway via Nyingchi, the most beautiful land in eastern Tibet

Conclusion

The incomparable beauty that can be found along the Shanghai Tibet Highway is second to none, and while this may be one of the longest drives you could take, it is best to explore it in sections if you want to take a China Tibet tour by land from Shanghai to Tibet.

The prime areas of the road for tourists are along the sections from Chengdu to Lhasa and Lhasa to Gyirong Port, which has one of the most beautiful unspoiled valleys in the world as its gateway to Tibet from Nepal.