This area has been the entrance point to the Tibetan world since ancient times. To the west of the town of Amdo, there is Mt. Kailas, which is a holy place common to Buddhism, Hinduism and Bon. The altitude of the town is 4,800 m and the population is about 500. From the outside of the town, you can look down on the vast prairie dotted with tents of the nomadic yak herders and their herds.
This is the bridge at the most upstream location on the Changjiang the longest river in China and the third longest in the world (6,380 km). The bridge situated at an altitude of 4,600 m on the Toto River, which is a tributary of the Changjiang. The bridge is 1,390 m long. The headwaters of the Changjiang are on the slopes of Mt. Tanggula (altitude 6,621 m), which stands to the south of the bridge. Before crossing the bridge, the riders will reach the highest point in this raid's route, at an altitude of 5,231m.
 This is the second largest city of Qinhai Province at an altitude of 2,755 m. The population is 200,000. This is a new town that grew up as a supply base for the Qinzang Gonglu Road construction (Lanzhou-Xining-Lhasa, total length of 1,965 km) finished in 1955. Currently, the construction of the Qinzang Railway, the first railway in Tibetan Autonomous Region, is in progress between Lhasa and Golmud. Once completed, this railway will be the highest in the world, with 960 km of track lying above an altitude of 4,000 m. Construction between Golmud and Xining has been already completed.
This town sits at the border of Qinhai and Gansu provinces in Qaidam Basin. The altitude is 3,100 m and the major industry is mining of minerals.
Dunhuang is a famous oasis on the ancient Silk Road and is located at the west edge of Gansu Province. On the west of this water-rich town surrounded by greenery spreads the great wilderness of the Taklimakan Desert. As a city it reached its greatest glory after about the second century B.C. as an important stop on the trade route which carried people, goods and culture to both the East and the West. It also served as a military base to prevent intrusion from the western regions. About 300,000 tourists are attracted each year from all over the world to see the cave temples where ancient Chinese art has been preserved. The temples are carved into the stone of steep cliffs over the total length of 1.6 km, and many magnificent works of Buddhist art have been found here.
Hami, which is located in the eastern part of the Uighur Autonomous Region, has a population of 300,000. You may possibly see women in the colorful ethnic costume of Uighur. In the old town district, there still remain traditional streets with clay-brick houses. The town was once called the city state of Yiwu and was a key traffic point where the North Road and the South Road around Tian Shan diverged. This town is also known as the place where the party of the famous Buddhist monk Genjo Sanzo arrived on their way to Tianzhu barely alive after successfully crossing an area full of quicksand. Hami melon is its signature agricultural product.
This is a typical Uighur town with a population of 400,000. Turpan means "hollow land" in Uighur and Lake Aydin, which is located south of the city, is the second lowest lake in the world, lying at 154 m below sea level. Annual rainfall averages only about 25 mm and the area is famous for severe heat in summer, having once recorded 49.6°C. This is why the town has another name: Cay of Fire. There also remain a number of archeological sites such as the Bezeklik stone caves with thousands of Buddha sculptures and the ancient city of Gao Chang, a strategic stop in the Silk Road days.
Urumqi is the capital of the Uighur Autonomous Region. It lies at an altitude of 900 m. This is a large city with a population of 1.6 million. However, as the name of the city which means "beautiful ranch" in Mongolian shows, you can enjoy the grand views of the Tian Shan Mountains and the clear Urumgi River. More than ten ethnic groups including Uighur and Han Chinese live together here. Urumqi is also said to as "the farthest city from ocean in the world," located far inland in an area that is 2,300 km from the nearest ocean, with continental arid climate.
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Lhasa means "holy place" in Tibetan and is the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region situated at an elevation of 3600 m above the sea level. The city is located in the valley of the Lhasa River, a tributary of the Yarlung-Zhanbo, the longest river in Tibet. The city was established as the capital of the once mighty Tibetan Empire that ruled the Silk Road in the 7th century and as a city it has a history of 1,300 years. Even now, the city is still the political, economic and religious center as the capital of the region. Potala Palace, the most famous site of the city, was built in the 17th century and has been registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. It is the largest temple of Tibetan Buddhism and has also been the palace for successive Dalai Lamas and always attracts pilgrims who visit to pray.
