Hi,
I was thinking about cycling in the Sichuan province in China, but haven't been able to find updated information. I was thinking about this route: (se route url below) Chengdu-Danba-Xinduqiao-Litang-Xiangchen-Zhongdian-Lijiang. But I rather need information. I plan on going in September/October and have 6-7 weeks available.
If you have cycled the route or others like it, can you tell me: Is there accomodation with regular (bicycling) intervals? or should i bring tent/sleeping bag? How is the weather in Sept/Oct? As a rather fit man, will the altitude be a great problem?
Thanks!
John Nielsen, Denmark
https://onthegomap.com/?m=r&u=km&w%5B%5D=Routes+may+not+be+suitable+for+public+use.&c%5B%5D=Route+data+%C2%A92019+On+The+Go+Map%2C+OpenStreetMap+Contributors&d=1364746&f=db1a999f53&n=1&dm=1&context=share&r2=wncx5oqcxJXg4hv3bHh_3bz7dkDhh5zW7tu8pk8pxAjj2nbBfp7rv2Zb5p_7Zg8lWAntCde2vn7br4hx5hzCjcKxq8fm7Xb1nfEoe2pc8xt3hZ8~NtlMbmEzpMpb5iSpi4vz2tf1zp5br4~r8oTh_8db3bu4yY7ts8uGp~2dx3va1~FZa1~3bo1Yk3le1hr1tn6aj2X_3jMzk2qr7l~5ub5jc7iZ1hs4nY2bc5YE~a2bs5pXBbd2na2tHnb3zq5nm7be2xnDok1vv3rs6zf3Xg5bi9xx8ht2nb2Xg3bc2~RYT~Y2by4dz5lk2zqAXn3~g2l2iSzy2hh1rNYUpr2nv4oo1jw1qy5Yt1mv3~f1io1s8ek1_Eyf7YW2s_3r7wa6hy3ky7ZY1sa3Xe3ke5zw1Yi2vr3wY2wy2_f1zW1WmCuPwX7wf2cZ36ck5_x3ys1Xm2YsGza4gcDX_9yMd6sm9fc2ao9_j1qpAhxBgr8WZ1es2vf1gn3qa1yg8vx2ac6y2gz7rb4kt6pn8_z5nu1_b1tc5udBrz2mb4Ze4my1vl5Xz3fg4nw1tm7d_9nc8pa5tiAz_CgY5tpCbX3~q2eY1zt3vDrGjlCrzEZlAq6ze3qd3fxCXVXe4tr2Zn2tc6ff1bt2Zq1zh4qc6l~6Yh4xx4ui4Xs6o_1jn1rn1~Nbu4Xt2g5nl3dj3vn1ct1xa4~A~sAhb6pf8W2l_Aw2dq3r_1r_4Xn1dw4X5p4b_4hf1Xf5qSzk2jX3nZ3cGxjKnQ_Ipx2zi6gNtw6ax2zq4yj2bW5YFdf6Wh1ll2ZRzs6ly1~q2ph3zw6jk2~h6gh1t~5lo3dVdY7h_FzIyJz3r5a_3rg6dn1tUua1o5W9lCop5jw9vu1pZ1iRrj1zJri1as6zd4Zl3fMrx3fl7~s4_p2Xe5lA~W1pg2nw4tx2hr1lX3d_8~W7aBrt2q5b_2id5vqAcdFpw6Atb2uc1do3_w6zu4wr3Xh5mz2_D_h2np5js7puBhb2pcAtn6np7nh1xVz~4wu1j~HWs8xY8qs1Zy6ue2vlD_j9x~LtzEdt7du2tX5zn5xY1du2bHq2vo1qHhy1hVlk2pn1aPtY3pl4xi1nJnv1xs4ro6bn9rb4ZuIbnIzqCXCfjA_b5xr9je3ht1hh1oKlq2ne1bu3nPq4iW2xt2hDm94~9~t1bh2t9Ohm3Yt1ci2bk9qg5bu9dw1tW1o~1q6lw1hX1fDxz2Zx4t9jk6jw2rn5gGne2dr2js3zX1hCpZ2pk2zx2xn6jz1tW1bu4no3fp2fn5u3pW4cj3jc2XAxt1Yp2dt1jY1rZ3qDZn1dTlr8ec1xj3ts2aSWW3nf1tm1br2ig1jh2nb4WChX5dj2nm4~Z5XDhLXb2vt8ZY8XgBzq3dY7bOxd7hd4po2tzEre8bjEnq4neGvY3Xv4d3fq5xk4hw7u5ZeFZwEjs5vp5sk1x~3sm8lr4yq1dr1jn1vSux2dj6Yi1qe1XAjj5iu7~y4im3Zc6WZ8Xb3ZSrk6ge4vf5lu1du9Yp2bUYr8Y~2kq5tPsf4dzPsdNZj2sq4jj6sW3jb2e_3fy7mn2Z_2hg1rc4sClu8Wk3bbBe_2xr8YY5bZ4g~3tDsOpWFYi9z4WW1rpAyt9XFe~3hm6oj2Zn2wx4lw3tJpZ4qr1vZ1ez2Xb5~j2tp1aZ5lX4yVty7qz4vo8qY2xbCms7jq6pr1jd8Wr3n~7cf1vkGhp3Xr5g6Z~6pu3ni2aArw2ft3zc3W3ac1Wo1vK2jSao1tg6YWBtb1sv4_XC_s9t2if8
Cycling Sichuan province, China
-
LeBrignall
- Posts: 52
- Joined: 12 Nov 2014, 6:20pm
Re: Cycling Sichuan province, China
I have not cycled that route but have been to that area. The big problem - apart from the hills which are serious - is the state of the roads. The chinese are serious road builders - and you can find that they have decided to upgrade a 500 km road. If that is on your route it can be a night mare as the road conditions can be terrible - mud etc - very difficult riding.
I would try to find a route that has already been done if you can. Crazyguy blogs are a good source of info and real time info.
You don't say why this particular route. Chengdu is a great city - fab food. Good luck
I would try to find a route that has already been done if you can. Crazyguy blogs are a good source of info and real time info.
You don't say why this particular route. Chengdu is a great city - fab food. Good luck
Re: Cycling Sichuan province, China
Thanks for the responses!
I will try to search CrazyGuyOnABike a bit more thorough, but the short search I have done showed only old results (before 2012).
I found the route in the Lonely Planet book "Epic bike rides of the world", and the route is more or less as the link I posted in the first post. However, I cant see when the ride in the book was performed
How is the accomedation in this part of China; are there enough guesthouses, so that I wont need a tent?
I will try to search CrazyGuyOnABike a bit more thorough, but the short search I have done showed only old results (before 2012).
I found the route in the Lonely Planet book "Epic bike rides of the world", and the route is more or less as the link I posted in the first post. However, I cant see when the ride in the book was performed
How is the accomedation in this part of China; are there enough guesthouses, so that I wont need a tent?
Re: Cycling Sichuan province, China
Hostels are best option in China, plenty of good interesting company. Cheap hotels are grim. Haven’t cycled there but the roads are f’n crazy.
Re: Cycling Sichuan province, China
I've steered clear of this because my experiences of cycling in China are 9 and 10 years old. 2 X 2 months, mainly Yunnan and Eastern provinces (South and East of where you are planning). Nonetheless, I'll have a go.
I didn't follow any set route, just followed the roads to where I wanted to go. No electronic mapping then, so it was an English language Nelles map and correlating it with a local bought Chinese map to get local name/spelling for the towns.
The Chinese have built lots of motorways and these are great for cyclists as they leave the old main road virtually traffic free. Harder work as they climb hills and descend into valleys, but generally well surfaced and graded (as in slope). It is true that they rebuild long stretches and I have been caught out by this a couple of times. You end up cycling through miles of roadworks - I've been stopped while roads are blasted, dust clears and on my way. H&S eat your heart out.
You find lots of villages along the roads and at reasonable distances there is usually a town. These vary from a scrubby old place to a sparkling new mega city. I could never work out why one place had been mega'd and the other not. All of these towns have hotels. Your only problem may be getting them to let you stay, particularly in the cheaper places. The hotels have to register you on the web when you check in. The locals have chip enabled ID cards that do this automatically when scanned. Foreigners need to have their passport scanned and input, many hotels can't/won't do this. You can usually find a hotel that will take you, but it is often the most expensive, although I have also stayed in some that didn't care as long as you paid. Most hotels show ludicrously high prices on their room rate signs, but drop significantly once you bargain. Hostels may be OK in tourist towns, but unlikely to be of much use on the road. There are very cheap hostels for locals, truck drivers, etc, but they aren't very pleasant for a Westerner, even if you are allowed in. If you got stuck, the police would help out. They don't like seeing foreigners 'in distress'.
I suspect your route will be wilder than any of mine, so towns and accommodation may be more problematic. Detailed studying of electronic maps (I use Google) will show what towns are en route. I suggest looking at the towns using Google satellite to see if they look like they will have places to stay. You can also work out distances to see if they do-able in a day.
continued.....
I didn't follow any set route, just followed the roads to where I wanted to go. No electronic mapping then, so it was an English language Nelles map and correlating it with a local bought Chinese map to get local name/spelling for the towns.
The Chinese have built lots of motorways and these are great for cyclists as they leave the old main road virtually traffic free. Harder work as they climb hills and descend into valleys, but generally well surfaced and graded (as in slope). It is true that they rebuild long stretches and I have been caught out by this a couple of times. You end up cycling through miles of roadworks - I've been stopped while roads are blasted, dust clears and on my way. H&S eat your heart out.
You find lots of villages along the roads and at reasonable distances there is usually a town. These vary from a scrubby old place to a sparkling new mega city. I could never work out why one place had been mega'd and the other not. All of these towns have hotels. Your only problem may be getting them to let you stay, particularly in the cheaper places. The hotels have to register you on the web when you check in. The locals have chip enabled ID cards that do this automatically when scanned. Foreigners need to have their passport scanned and input, many hotels can't/won't do this. You can usually find a hotel that will take you, but it is often the most expensive, although I have also stayed in some that didn't care as long as you paid. Most hotels show ludicrously high prices on their room rate signs, but drop significantly once you bargain. Hostels may be OK in tourist towns, but unlikely to be of much use on the road. There are very cheap hostels for locals, truck drivers, etc, but they aren't very pleasant for a Westerner, even if you are allowed in. If you got stuck, the police would help out. They don't like seeing foreigners 'in distress'.
I suspect your route will be wilder than any of mine, so towns and accommodation may be more problematic. Detailed studying of electronic maps (I use Google) will show what towns are en route. I suggest looking at the towns using Google satellite to see if they look like they will have places to stay. You can also work out distances to see if they do-able in a day.
continued.....
Re: Cycling Sichuan province, China
.........
It is not normal to camp in China. Its probably illegal and if the ground is good enough to camp on, then it will often be cultivated. I don't camp in Asia so am no expert on this. Read Bill Weir on crazyguy, he gives lots of details. He would probably be happy to answer any questions, but I haven't heard of him for a while, so not sure what he is doing (probably back home in the US).
Food is widely available, any small town or village will have something in the market. Larger towns will have restaurants. The food can be challenging if you are not used to it, ranging from barely edible to wonderful. All hotels will provide hot/boiling water so you can always have noodles.
Sept/Oct is the best time weather wise. Rains over, lots of sun and not too cold. It will get progressively colder as the time goes on, plus of course altitude. I was in Lijang at end of October and it was chilly at night, but not freezing.
Be aware of the big Chinese holiday in early October. The country is on the move and many things close.
Re altitude sickness, being fit helps, but different people react differently. Once in S America, someone I met couldn't handle 2,500 m, whereas I managed to carry a full pack over a 4,000 m pass. If you don't know your limitations, take it slow and easy. I am no medic, so seek proper advice if worried.
Even if you decide not to do that route, there is plenty of good cycling to be had in (what they call) SW China. Big hills (I rode a 42 km climb out of the Red River Valley) and plenty of stunning scenery. Much of the area away from the new towns is minority and very different from the usual Han China.
Happy to answer any other questions, within reason, but my advice would be head out and be amazed.
It is not normal to camp in China. Its probably illegal and if the ground is good enough to camp on, then it will often be cultivated. I don't camp in Asia so am no expert on this. Read Bill Weir on crazyguy, he gives lots of details. He would probably be happy to answer any questions, but I haven't heard of him for a while, so not sure what he is doing (probably back home in the US).
Food is widely available, any small town or village will have something in the market. Larger towns will have restaurants. The food can be challenging if you are not used to it, ranging from barely edible to wonderful. All hotels will provide hot/boiling water so you can always have noodles.
Sept/Oct is the best time weather wise. Rains over, lots of sun and not too cold. It will get progressively colder as the time goes on, plus of course altitude. I was in Lijang at end of October and it was chilly at night, but not freezing.
Be aware of the big Chinese holiday in early October. The country is on the move and many things close.
Re altitude sickness, being fit helps, but different people react differently. Once in S America, someone I met couldn't handle 2,500 m, whereas I managed to carry a full pack over a 4,000 m pass. If you don't know your limitations, take it slow and easy. I am no medic, so seek proper advice if worried.
Even if you decide not to do that route, there is plenty of good cycling to be had in (what they call) SW China. Big hills (I rode a 42 km climb out of the Red River Valley) and plenty of stunning scenery. Much of the area away from the new towns is minority and very different from the usual Han China.
Happy to answer any other questions, within reason, but my advice would be head out and be amazed.
Re: Cycling Sichuan province, China
“It is not normal to camp in China. Its probably illegal and if the ground is good enough to camp on, then it will often be cultivated. I don't camp in Asia so am no expert on this.”
No kidding. When have you ever pitched a tent?
“Food is widely available”
Unaware the Chinese eat.
“All hotels will provide hot/boiling water so you can always have noodles.”
Fire, water and a pan also accomplishes this.
”there is plenty of good cycling to be had in (what they call) SW China”
They call SW China, SW China? You live and learn.
“I suspect your route will be wilder than any of mine, so towns and accommodation may be more problematic.”
Chengdu - Lijiang is a popular tourist route, the fabled Shangri La. Hostels, guest lodges a plenty.
No kidding. When have you ever pitched a tent?
“Food is widely available”
Unaware the Chinese eat.
“All hotels will provide hot/boiling water so you can always have noodles.”
Fire, water and a pan also accomplishes this.
”there is plenty of good cycling to be had in (what they call) SW China”
They call SW China, SW China? You live and learn.
“I suspect your route will be wilder than any of mine, so towns and accommodation may be more problematic.”
Chengdu - Lijiang is a popular tourist route, the fabled Shangri La. Hostels, guest lodges a plenty.
Re: Cycling Sichuan province, China
simonhill and others - Great information! Thank you very much.
I met Bill Weir biking in Laos in 2010, and remember him as a nice guy, so I might try and contact him. As for now, it seems that the route I have picked is not completely crazy, so I guess this will be my rough outline of a trip
simonhill - You more or less answered all the questions that I have at the moment.
I guess that the camp thing is not as easy in East-Asia as in the western world. I have cycled Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, and I haven't seen a tourist in a tent even once...
simonhill wrote:.........
Read Bill Weir on crazyguy, he gives lots of details. He would probably be happy to answer any questions, but I haven't heard of him for a while, so not sure what he is doing (probably back home in the US).
I met Bill Weir biking in Laos in 2010, and remember him as a nice guy, so I might try and contact him. As for now, it seems that the route I have picked is not completely crazy, so I guess this will be my rough outline of a trip
simonhill - You more or less answered all the questions that I have at the moment.
I guess that the camp thing is not as easy in East-Asia as in the western world. I have cycled Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, and I haven't seen a tourist in a tent even once...