As of Thursday, July 23rd, Xiahe and the entire Gannan (Southern Gansu Tibetan Prefecture) region is still officially closed to foreign tourists. This month, many things have actually become more strict, instead of loosening up as we had expected.For instance, there are now 2 checkpoints on the highway between Linxia and Xiahe that didn't exist at all from March all the way through June.
Just in the last couple weeks, these new checkpoints have been set up to check vehicles entering the region. They are screening primarily for foreigners, journalists, and wanted Tibetans, but many local vehicles are also being forced to register.
These checkpoints are different than any that we saw earlier this year, because they have actually blocked off most of the highway, and cars have to weave in and out of large barriers that have been placed across the road to keep traffic from driving through at full speed.
So I guess the point of all this is to say, "Don't try to visit Xiahe or Langmusi anytime soon!". You won't be able to get here.
Instead, I recommend you take advantage of the travel articles available on this blog, as well as what I have posted on our website (http://www.snowymtncafe.com/).
I will keep posting to this blog at least a couple times per week with new articles and updates, and hopefully one day I will have good news about the opening of this region to foreign tourists!
1 comment:
Thanks for the information on your blog. My friend and I are currently in Lanzhou, in the middle of a trek from Kashgar to Beijing, and were hoping to get to Xiahe, only to be turned away at the bus station. We knew that Tibet had been closed off, but probably should have checked on other potentially sensitive areas too. We were also considering trying to find a private car and risking a trip to Xiahe, but are deciding against it after reading your blog.
Yours is the only site that has relevant, helpful, and timely information about travel restriction in this area, so thanks.
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