Is Hoh Xil in Tibet outside Lhasa?

There are several no-man's-land areas in Tibet, the most famous of which is Hoh Xil, a no-man's-land area in northern Tibet, which starts from the Qinghai-Tibet line in the west, reaches the Xinjiang-Tibet line in the east, reaches the Arinan line in the south and reaches the Altun Mountain in southern Xinjiang in the north. Because this area is sparsely populated, many places are customarily called no man's land. In fact, there are several county towns and some sparse herdsman spots in the south of this area. Especially on the south side of Hei 'a (Amdo-Lion Spring) Highway across northern Tibet. Especially under the call of the government to develop no-man's land in the 1980s, more and more herdsmen entered the depths of no-man's land.

Hoh Xil, a no man's land in northern Tibet, is undoubtedly one of the most attractive tourist areas in Tibet. The area there accounts for a little more than 1/4 of Tibet. Northern Tibet Lake area is the most densely populated lake area in China. Because it is a gravity flow area, most of them are saltwater lakes with different colors and profound mystery. In addition, there are many wild animals because there are few people in no man's land. Antelopes, antelopes and cranes are common. If you are lucky, you can also see wild yaks. Xiangxiong Kingdom was once famous on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and its remains are near Nima in the center of no man's land. At the same time, due to the origin and preservation of the primitive Tibetan religion-Benjiao, the religious customs here are very different from those in other parts of Tibet. However, the tourist conditions here are also the hardest among all the tourist routes in Tibet, and there may be too many problems in the vast no-man's land.

The first is the traffic problem.

There is no doubt that traffic is the primary problem in no man's land. Heihe highway runs through northern and southern Tibet from east to west, but there is no shuttle bus on this line. Although you can ride along the Heihe Highway, it is obviously too few and fleeting. So you'd better have your own car.

But even so, the traffic in northern Tibet is still difficult, and the main problems come from:

A, it is difficult to maintain and refuel along the way, and the possibility of cycling activities is zero.

These two problems are difficult to solve except in county towns and minority residential areas, especially in a large area north of Heiya Highway. We followed the big truck to northern Tibet several times. Besides transporting daily necessities, the most important thing is transporting oil.

Having said that, I still want to emphasize that for professional cross-country activities, diesel engines are better than gasoline vehicles in terms of safety (it is conceivable that a truck loaded with several gasoline barrels is almost a moving powder keg) and performance-although this issue has been controversial in our forum, it is also quite difficult to implement.

The road in no man's land is a simple sidewalk pressed by the original wheels. The road conditions are extremely poor and the fuel consumption is naturally high. In addition, the average altitude in no man's land is relatively high (about 4,500-5,000 on average), which costs about 50% to 2 times more oil than taking the plain road.

B, road identification and selection

Of course, there are no road signs in the no-man's land, and all kinds of simple sidewalks, some of which are even from the 1960s, are too easy to get lost. Even using detailed maps (actually there is no detailed and effective map of no man's land) and satellite positioning system (GPS) can't completely solve this problem, so a herder or driver who is familiar with local road conditions must lead the way.

In addition, even so, we should be prepared to get lost materially and psychologically. So once this happens, there will be no confusion.

C. Choice of seasons

It is certain that winter is not suitable for traveling in no man's land in northern Tibet. It's too cold, it often snows, and it can easily turn into a snowstorm. Sometimes it rains heavily in summer, and simple sidewalks will become muddy, so spring and autumn should be a better season.

Pay special attention. Generally speaking, it has been snowing continuously in northern Tibet since mid-September. If you go in autumn, you should pay close attention to the weather changes.

D. communication

In northern Tibet, it is very difficult to contact the outside world except for long-distance calls in the county. I can't think of any more effective method except using satellite phone. At the same time, in addition to daily communication and seeking rescue, you can also use satellite phones to easily find relevant meteorological data, and you can also go to Sina. Com or something, so I think it is necessary to be in no man's land.

In addition, if the fleet is large or has a large number of people, it is necessary to prepare car radios and walkie-talkies that can be connected to the network. Be careful not to fall too far between cars. I know that in Tibet, sometimes the cars sent on the same day may be more than 200 kilometers away at night.

About the preparation of materials:

From the previous introduction, we should be clear that it is undoubtedly extremely important to prepare materials to go to no man's land, because it usually takes a long time to go to no man's land, and everyone needs all the living materials and life-saving equipment, and nothing can be remedied.

Not to mention the general travel equipment. Say a few more important ones.

A. detailed map. The maps of counties in Tibet by China Map Publishing House are undoubtedly useful. In addition, a more detailed map with latitude and longitude is undoubtedly necessary. Such a map can only be bought with a letter of introduction from a bureau-level unit and a legitimate reason.

B. Satellite positioning GPS. It is not only necessary to have detailed route preparation in advance, but also the accuracy of the route during the journey is very important. For general outdoor activities, the cooperation between GPS and geographic information system in notebook computer should be said to be the most ideal. Generally speaking, generators must be carried for such activities, but the use of laptops may still be restricted.

Again, in no man's land, GPS is a must. Now many new GPS can let you input map data into GPS, which can automatically record the road you have traveled and can be used in conjunction with the data in the computer. I strongly recommend that you also use such GPS.

C. Complete camping equipment

In no man's land, a full set of camping equipment is necessary. One thing to say is that the temperature difference between day and night in no man's land is relatively large. Especially in spring and autumn, ordinary tourist tents and sleeping bags are definitely not enough. In addition, there are sometimes strong winds at night, so pay special attention to the wind resistance of your tent.

D. Adequate food and drinking water

After going deep into the no-man's land, any attempt to supplement the local food supply will be difficult. After all, we can't always pin our hopes on the occasional herdsmen buying sheep to cook. Therefore, we should consider preparing almost all the food we need during the trip: some simple and nutritious food for breakfast and Chinese food. Generally speaking, only dinner has a chance to make a fire and cook. In addition, spare food and fruit prepared for possible delays must also be considered.

Contrary to the imagination of many people who have never been there, although there are many lakes in northern Tibet, drinking water is a problem. A considerable number of lakes in northern Tibet are salt lakes; Other lakes taste not salty, but they are rich in minerals. According to local people, they will be dumb or have many other problems. Of course, there is no problem with the melting water of flowing snow-capped mountains, but not all places in northern Tibet have snow-capped mountains, so we should consider the solution of drinking water (including cooking and laundry, etc. ).

The route of traveling in no man's land

Generally speaking, the ruins of Bangor County, Shenzha County, Serincu (there are often large groups of cranes in the swamp not far from the county seat of Shenzha County), Nima County, Shenjiao Lake, Dangrang Yongcuo and Xiangxiong Kingdom in the south are all better places to go.

From Nima County to the north, to Ma Rong District, and then to the east. It takes about a day to drive to the Shuanghu office. This area is very densely populated with wild animals.

Basically, you can reach the northernmost part of northern Tibet.

Hundreds of kilometers to the north from here, you can cross the junction of Mount Kekexili and Kunlun Mountain and enter Xinjiang. There are two such roads: one is at the boundary of Shuanghu Special Zone and the other is at the boundary of Nima County. It should be said that this area is completely a virgin land for tourism development. Because the road is difficult to walk, even camel teams rarely go now. This is the core area of no man's land. I can't say too much about this road, because I haven't completely walked it. It seems that I heard that an off-road vehicle club in Guangdong originally planned to take this route this year, but it ended in vain. I think the reason is not only organizational, but also the difficulty of supply and rescue.

There are still a few points to pay attention to in no man's land. It turns out that I may have been nagging. Say it again:

1. No man's land is one of the highest areas in Tibet, with an average elevation of more than 4,500 meters and poor medical and health conditions. Tourists who have not fully adapted to the plateau climate, it is best to adapt to Lhasa for a few more days, and something really can be saved.

Don't get too close to outdoor sports, especially bison. If you see them, you must stay away from them.

In addition, antelopes and Tibetan antelopes have the habit of racing with cars. The atmosphere is very exciting, but you'd better be careful, it's easy to have an accident.

There should be all kinds of capable people, especially vehicle maintenance, tour guides and doctors. In no man's land, it is too difficult to get outside support.

In no man's land, the environment must be very fragile, so we must pay attention to environmental protection. The decomposable garbage is taken away after drying, and the decomposable garbage is buried on the spot.

6. Although it may be extremely expensive once it happens, it is still necessary to contact the rescue. After all, local governments and the military have better ways.

About the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon:

The Grand Canyon is a hot spot in recent years. It is naturally necessary to say a few words briefly.

Personally, I don't support everyone going to the Grand Canyon. The main reason is that the ecology of the Grand Canyon is actually very fragile. Generally speaking, when a team goes in (it is difficult to go alone), it is necessary to cut down trees to cook and hunt. The damage to the Grand Canyon is too serious.

In fact, if you really enter the Grand Canyon, you will find that the only place you can go is to take a group photo in front of the government in the wooden house. In fact, many interesting places in Medog are on the other side of McMahon line. Even if they are not there, you can't go to many places because they are the border or too difficult to reach. That place, without the support of the army and labor, can't move anywhere, but in fact, even with the support, I won't want to go anywhere, hehe, it's too bitter.

I always think that visitors to the Grand Canyon are extremely curious curiosity hunters, so I won't talk about it.

In order to protect the environment of the Grand Canyon, I hope everyone will support my opinion. It is best not to travel to the Grand Canyon in the near future.

Talking about two more questions is actually rather broken:

The first is the problem of carrying knives. It seems that many brothers have paid attention to the problem of knives. Of course, controlled knives are not allowed to be brought on the plane, and even if they are really checked, problems often occur. Many sharp tools (including my ice pick, hand axe, etc. I suggest you mail it, as does the small Tibetan Dao bought in Tibet. Post office comrades in Lhasa are generally more helpful. As long as you tell the truth and it's not too much, they will be more accommodating.

The other is the issue of border passes: you need to apply for border passes to travel in some border areas of Tibet, including: Medog, Zhangmu, Everest (Dingri County) and Pulan. What I want to say is that it has become very complicated to apply for border permits in Lhasa recently. If it is not particularly convenient, I suggest that you apply for a border card in your own place.

At the end of this post, I have two more words to say.

Unlike many brothers who don't know much about Tibet, the legal management of Tibet's tourism system is actually relatively sound. If you have any disputes with travel agencies during your trip to Tibet-it's really easy, after all, the quality of travel agencies in Tibet is not as good as that in the mainland-you must come to Xizang Autonomous Region Tourism Bureau to complain. I believe this is the best way for you to defend your legal rights.

The address of Xizang Autonomous Region Tourism Bureau is: Huayuan Road, Lhasa. That is 300 meters south of the bronze statue of yak.

The specific department to solve the complaint is the Quality Inspection Department of the Tourism Bureau: Tel: 089 1- 6834 193.

Of course, I think the premise of solving the problem is that you have a relatively complete contract with the travel agency. Indeed, when traveling in Tibet, you should carefully sign a travel contract with the travel agency. If it really doesn't work, you must trust the Tourism Bureau. As far as I know, the complaints handled by the Quality Inspection Department of the Autonomous Region Tourism Bureau are relatively fair and have a good reputation.

Attachment:

Attachment 1. equipment list

Our equipment list this time

Clothing Gore-tex and ordinary tops, trousers, hiking shoes, hiking shoes, socks &; Backup shirts, T-shirts, hats, gloves, thermal underwear, sweat underwear, 2 T-shirts, outdoor shirts, underwear, paper underwear, down jackets, sweaters and pants.

Daily backpacks and rucksacks (waterproof and anti-theft), small backpack, saber, watch, lighter, map, address book, one-inch and two-inch photos, information kit money, ID card, passport (it is relatively easy to sign Nepal from Lhasa), driver's license, photo association membership card or journalist's card (local promotion of Tibet is still relatively cooperative, although fake journalists are flying all over the place now), and border guard card 5 #. Rope, towel, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, toilet paper, skin cream, shampoo, razor recorder, magnetic tape, recording cord, wet tissue, shoe wax, pen and paper battery &; Spare, sunglasses, lasso, (clothesline) rope (brought by Shanshan, I found it very useful), grindstone, laser pen, air cushion. Spare food: chocolate, bagged coffee, compressed dry food, kettle, telescope, small lock (also brought by Shanshan and Cuizhu! We often use it. I find it really convenient to travel with companies like department stores and moving companies! ! ) mobile phones and chargers, rechargeable batteries, (At present, many places in Tibet can only use analog network mobile phones, and from next year, many places in Tibet, including Shiquanhe, the capital of Ali, can connect mobile phones to the whole world through digital networks) Small gifts for local people: pens, sugar, bears.

Field emergency kit, waterproof lighter, compass, life-saving knife, rope+safety lock, grindstone, multi-purpose hand axe, walkie-talkie, folding shovel, flashlight, hook line (hehe, I really doubt the necessity of bringing hook line into Tibet, it seems that fishing with washbasin and stick is enough in most parts of Tibet), shotgun, bullet, reflector, whistle, rope and candle.

Camping aluminum foil, tent, rope, ground nail, sleeping bag, moisture-proof pad, air pillow, safety pin, camping lamp, headlight, camping bag, garbage bag, adhesive tape medicine: cooking supplies: generally in Tibet, pressure cooker and gasoline blowtorch are the most common cooking supplies, of course, GASS stove for mountaineering is better.

photographic equipment

Data package: route arrangement, data, photos, address book, car atlas, copy map/travel guide, airline flight/bank/hotel directory, unit certificate (blank is best, spare).

Note that you should discuss with your partner what belongs to everyone. Just take one, not too much. )

There are still some things we need on the road, but we bought them in Lhasa: small packages of washing powder, shampoo, military kettle (the kind that can be used as a pot alone) and chopsticks (we used all the small restaurants where bamboo and bamboo ate from us all the way, hmm. . . Borrowed it. . . ), toilet paper, candles, sealed plastic bags, boxes of pencils (for schools in remote areas), lighters, large plastic buckets, batteries and public relations cigarettes.

Food: salt, tea, chocolate, marinated fresh-keeping packaged cooked food, pork liver, honey, chewing gum (for brushing your teeth when there is no water).

Appendix II. Car rental contract. This is the contract we made at that time, which may be of some use to everyone.

Party A: Cuizhu

Party B: Owner

1. The owner shall provide an off-road vehicle and a driver in good condition.

2. The fee is XXXX yuan, including vehicle use fee, gasoline fee, vehicle maintenance fee and driver's remuneration.

3. Party A is responsible for the driver's accommodation.

4. The route is: Lhasa-Yangzhuoyong Lake-Gyangze-Xigaze-Sakya-Lazi-Dingri-Everest Base Camp-Sakya-Zhongba-Pulan-Zada-Shiquanhe-Ritu-Bangong Lake-Geji-Salt Lake-Gaize-Cuoqin-Sangsang-Lazi-Xigaze-Lhasa.

5. If the contract time is exceeded due to Party A's reasons, the 400 yuan shall be increased every day.

6. If the contract time is exceeded due to Party B's reasons, 400 yuan will be deducted from the total cost every day.

7. The time delay caused by vehicle damage and maintenance cannot be considered as the cause of Party A;

8. The delay caused by force majeure is not considered as the responsibility of both parties.

9. Matters not covered in the contract shall be settled through consultation in accordance with the relevant provisions of Xizang Autonomous Region Tourism Bureau on the management of tourist vehicles.

10. payment method: pay XXXX yuan in advance, and the balance will be paid when Lhasa performs the contract.

Signature: Date:

There are a few points to note:

1. The general advance payment is about 25-30% of the total cost.

To tell the truth, it is sometimes difficult to avoid the damage and maintenance of vehicles when going to places like Ali. You'd better be prepared for this.

The more detailed the contract, the better. It is best to include scenic spots. What should I do if I don't get to the scenic spots?

Generally speaking, if your car is damaged on the road for a long time, the owner (travel agency) is responsible for arranging another car to arrange for you to complete the journey. Of course, this is also best written into the contract.

Annex 3. Food preparation for Ali:

Generally speaking, it is difficult to prepare food when going to Ali. There are restaurants in some counties along the way, but more places, such as the guest house by the holy mountain and the holy lake, can only provide you with fire and cooking utensils. You need to cook by yourself, and some places can only give you hot water. Of course, hehe, there are places where I can't give you anything.

The following is basically a reference to the list we prepared at that time. According to the quantity of 20 days, I adjusted the quantity again: 10 kg of carrots, 20 kg of cucumbers, 2 boxes of apples, watermelons, 3 bottles of fermented bean curd, 10 bags of pickled mustard tuber, a small amount of compressed biscuits, 20 bags of saqima, 10 cans of fish and 65438 cans of meat. 120 pieces of mineral water (bought in Ali on the return trip), 2 boxes of instant noodles (bought in Ali on the return trip), 2 bags of milk powder, 6 bags of white rabbit toffee, some chocolates (both Shanshan and Zhu Zhu brought a lot), 1 box of Coca-Cola, 60 eggs, 2 bags of peaches, cigarettes, soy milk powder, 30 sausages and 2 bottles of condensed milk.

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