China Travel Forum

[Dwight]

Somewhere that there is a bus between Lhasa and Kashgar which foreigners are allowed to take. Can anybody confirm this and tell me about prices etc. Prefer not to travel via Golmud / Urumqi

Furthermore (my LP Central Asia is a little bit out of date): is the Toragurt between Kashgar and Bishkek open for foreigner only with their own transport or are there also buses which we happy travellers are allowed to take between the two?

[Reginald]

Kashgar-Bishkek
I just went between Kashgar and Kyrgyzstan two weeks ago, over both to Torugart pass and the Irkeshtam pass. You can't drive, hitch or take a bus directly over Torugart. The Chinese don't allow vehicles to cross the border, so you have to change cars or buses at the border. There are local buses that switch passengers at the border, but foreigners (non Kyrgyz, non Chinese) are not allowed to pass the border this way

If you want to go over Torugart, you have to go through a travel agency which arranged transportation for both sides of the border, so you can switch when you get there. They also arrange to get special permission for you to cross. Sadly, this is expensive. It cost me $110 per person for a car with four people, arranged from Bishkek.

The Irkeshtam pass, however, is much easier. You can simply buy a bus ticket to Osh, Kyrgyzstan from the Int'l Bus Station in Kashgar for $50. The trip is 20 hours, but they're sleeper buses, so it's not bad. This doesn't get you to Bishkek, but that's easy enough to arrange from Osh.

Bus Lhasa-Kashgar
There is a bus from Lhasa to Ali in Tibet. No bus after Ali. The bus costs 450 rmb and takes up to 3 days. In Ali, you can hitch a ride on Uyger or Chinese trucks going to Karghlik for 300 rmb. The local bus to Kashgar is 35 rmb. You will go through checkpoints, but have no fear the teenage Chinese border gaurds will let you pass. The road is rough, bring food and water. More information just holler

Lhasa-Ali-Kashgar
Totally right, I payed 650 rmb from Lhasa to Ali, took 99 hours, so be prepared with enough food and drinks. Ali- Kashgar, you can get pretty much all the permits at the psb in Ali incl. Kailash and whatever for 50 rmb. They even tell you to take a truck to get up here. Is defenetly better to look for an Uigher trucker!

Kashgar
Got a querie guys,n,gals­-apparently there is a railway station in kashgar now and according to LETS GO CHINA -2002 ,a map its 15 kliks outta town
if in fact this is true whats the go gettin, in to town­-bus or cab [costings would be gre