For the past years we have been thinking a lot about a China & Tibet bikepacking experience. We are drawn to what appeared to be a country evolving in isolation, and at the same time exploding onto the global scene. But for the independent overland traveler China is still a dead-end. To preserve our freedom and to make it more challenging, we decided to do the journey by MTB. Given the size of the land, our focus is on the Sichuan, Yunnan and East Tibetan provinces, which are also the most ethnically diverse.
Dispatches from this adventure
China | East Tibet
The Art of Rice
Bikepacking to the rice terraces of Yuanyang, a World Heritage site and one of the most photographed...
The Many Faces of Dali
We leave Shaxi reluctantly, wishing we could just rent a house and stay forever. As we make our way ...
Falling in Love with Shaxi
A hunter’s home, I’ve known it since Mali, can be a sign of good luck. When we roll into...
South of Eden
We decide to reach Yangtze River via Baishuitai, Haba and Tiger Leaping Gorge, but first we head to ...
Shangri-La – Paradise Found?
From Litang we stop advancing west and point south towards Shangri La, a place of almost mythical fa...
Litang! Litang!
Once we found that the onward bus to Litang had been cancelled due to blizzard and another one may ...
From Kangding, with Love
We've been for days in Dartsendo known as Kangding in Chinese, famous for inspiring the Kangding Lov...
Paradise Lost
I manage to sleep until 09:30 when I realize how we were able to survive the insane cold, even if Ta...
Ba Mei to Tagong
An exhilarating descent ending at an average altitude of 3,500 meters at the eastern edge of Qinghai...
(almost) Alone With the Mountain
Our next destination on the Cycling in China route is Ba Mei, a town on the No.317 Sichuan-Tibet Hig...
Entering Tibet Kham
The day begins somehow in mellow fashion, as we know we have lots of fun downhill sections and some ...
Pepper Freedom
Xi’an Bound If you’re a masochist, I’ve got a tip for you: the Trans-Siberian has ...
Mission to China
It's the 25th of September and we are on a plane to Beijing. After roaming Africa a...
Vietnam | Cambodia | Thailand
Cambodia – Home, Sweet Home
The shop owner, a slim, raven-haired lass, asked me, “Do you like pong tia koun?” What? She...
Hungry In Saigon
If you walk down any street in HCMC you will probably find some amazing street food: it basically ma...
Beer in Hanoi, Bliss in Cat Ba
Let’s start with beer. Vietnam’s capital is perhaps the loveliest in all of Asia, IMHO. ...
Into the North
At the end of the winding descend from Youngyang we are soaking wet and clad in mud, and my pants be...