Itinerary planning for the Yunnan-Tibet line from Kunming to Lhasa: via Lijiang and Dali, detailed explanation of the schedule, fees, and route
From Kunming, Yunnan to Lhasa, Xizang, we first take the Dian-Tibet Line of National Highway 214, and then take the Sichuan-Tibet Line of National Highway 318. The journey is more than 2400 kilometers, which takes about 7 days and costs about 5000 yuan.
Famous scenic spots along the way include: Lugu Lake, Cangshan Erhai Lake, Dali Ancient City, Yulong Snow Mountain, Meili Snow Mountain, 72nd Bend of Nujiang River, Ranwu Lake, Midui Glacier, etc. More than 30 scenic spots, large and small.
Remarks: Kunming to Lhasa, the line from Kunming to Mangkang belongs to National Highway 214, and Mangkang to Lhasa belongs to National Highway 318. The entire line is also referred to as the Yunnan-Tibet Line, which is the highway from Yunnan to Xizang.
Day 1, Kunming-Dali
The whole journey is about 350 kilometers, driving for 5 hours, taking Hangzhou-Ruizhou Expressway. After arriving in Dali, visit the ancient city of Dali, view Cangshan Mountain from afar, and go for a walk in local specialty coffee shops and bars. The night in the ancient city of Dali is beautiful and charming, so stay in Dali at night.
The next day, Dali-Erhai Lake-Lijiang-Yulong Snow Mountain
The whole journey is about 200 kilometers, driving for 3 hours, taking the Xijing Line and turning to Shanghe Expressway. Starting from Dali, go to Erhai Lake first and visit scenic spots such as Luoquan Peninsula Tourist Area, Tianjing Pavilion, Erhai Cruise Boat and other scenic spots; then go directly to Lijiang, visit Yulong Snow Mountain in the afternoon and stay in Lijiang at night.
Day 3, Lijiang-Shangri-La-Deqin (Feilai Temple)
The whole journey is about 350 kilometers, and it takes about 6 hours to drive. Take the Xijing Line. Starting from Lijiang, you can first go to Shangri-La City, where you can have a short tour and rest in the city. Then you can pass through Benzilan and arrive at Feilai Temple in Deqin to stay. You can also see the Meili Snow Mountain, the first peak in Yunnan.
Day 4, Feilai Temple (Meili Snow Mountain)-Yanjing-Mangkang
The whole journey is about 220 kilometers, and it takes about 5 hours to drive, taking the Yunnan-Tibet Line. Get up early, visit the beautiful scenery of Meili Snow Mountain and Rizhao Jinshan, arrive at Yanjing about noon, and then taste the delicious food of the tongue-tip trip-Yanjing Jiajia Noodles. Later, he passed through Hongla Mountain and arrived at Mangkang, Xizang.
Day 5, Mangkang-Rumei-Zuogong-Bangda-Basu
The whole journey is about 370 kilometers and the driving time is 6 hours. You need to climb the three mountains of Wula Mountain, Jueba Mountain and Dongda Mountain, and you will also pass the 72nd turn of the Nujiang River. Among them, Jueba Mountain is the most dangerous mountain on the Sichuan-Tibet Line, while Dongda Mountain is the highest pass on the Sichuan-Tibet Line., with an altitude of 5130 meters. Stay in Basu County in the evening.
Day 6, Basu-Ranwu Lake-Bomi-Lulang
The whole journey is about 380 kilometers and the driving time is 8 hours. Depart from Basu, visit Ranwu Lake and Midui Glacier, drive along Bomi to Lulang, and eat the famous Xizang delicacy-Shiguo Chicken in Lulang at night.
Day 7, Lulang-Nyingzhi-Gongbu Jiangda-Mozhu Gongka-Lhasa
The total journey is 480 kilometers and it takes 7 hours to drive. Take National Highway 318 first and then turn to Linla Expressway. Starting from Lulang, visit the forest all the way to Nyingchi, and then take the Linla Expressway to Lhasa. Nyingchi is known as the Little Jiangnan in Xizang, while the Linla High-Grade Highway is known as the most beautiful highway in China.
Kunming to Lhasa, total cost budget:
1. Fuel cost + wear cost: Both wear cost and fuel cost vary from vehicle to vehicle. The fuel consumption per kilometer of a car can be as low as 0.6 yuan, while the fuel consumption per kilometer of a hard-core off-road vehicle can be as low as 1.2 yuan. In addition to the vehicle wear cost, we calculate 1 yuan per kilometer, and the total is 2400 yuan for 2400 kilometers.
2. Toll fee + entrance fee: toll fee is 300 yuan; entrance fee for Erhai Lake is 130 yuan, Yulong Snow Mountain is 100 yuan, and Midui Glacier is 50 yuan. Other attractions are free to visit. Tickets total about 300 yuan; a total of 600 yuan.
3. Catering expenses + board and board expenses: The cost of eating along the Yunnan-Tibet and Sichuan-Tibet lines is not low. A bowl of noodles costs 18 yuan, and a stir-fried dish is 30 yuan. Accommodation is divided into light and peak seasons, 100 - 200 yuan in the off-season, and 200 - 500 yuan in the peak season. On average, we calculate that the average per capita food and accommodation expenses are 100 yuan, and the total is 300 yuan, and the total is 2100 yuan for 7 days.
Total cost: To sum up, it takes 7 days for Kunming to drive Lhasa by itself, with a total journey of more than 2400 kilometers, and the total cost is about 5000 yuan. Among them, vehicle expenses account for 48%, room and board expenses account for 42%, and the remaining 10% of tourism expenses are tolls and entrance fees.
Road conditions: The road conditions along the way from Kunming, Yunnan to Lhasa, Xizang, are good. Most of the roads are asphalt roads, with only a small section of gunpit roads damaged by mudslides and falling rocks. There are fewer roadbed settlement and potholes along the way. If you drive more steadily, cars will not be a problem.
Only by walking through the above-mentioned routes can I get to the Yunnan-Tibet and Sichuan-Tibet lines from Kunming to Lhasa. As long as there are no geological changes, the chassis and power of the car are really no problem. Because we drove a car weighing hundreds of thousands of yuan on this route (November 2018). Along the way, the snowy mountains were pale and jagged, with thin clouds winding, the blue sky was long, and the lakes and streams we passed by were quiet and the scenery was very charming. No obstacles were encountered.
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