City of Love Songs · Kangding
Climb the Zheduo River valley to Kangding at 2,560 m — the "City of Love Songs" and the cultural threshold of Kham, the last big town before the high passes begin.
Plan the day
Luding to Kangding — the road, food, lodging and gear for this stage.
Road & riding
A steady climb up the Dadu and Zheduo valleys into Kangding (2,560 m), the Han–Tibetan gateway of Kham. Not steep, but the altitude starts to make itself felt.
Food & resupply
Kangding is a full town: Tibetan and Sichuan restaurants, yak yogurt, butter tea. Resupply properly here.
Sleeping
Plenty of hotels and hostels — spend the night to acclimatize before tomorrow’s first 4,000 m pass.
Gear & body
A cooler mountain town: fleece for the evening, and start drinking extra water now to prep for altitude.
Landmarks
Luding
The Dadu River town where today's climb begins, low and warm at 1330 metres.
Luding Bridge
The famous 18th-century iron-chain bridge over the Dadu River, made legend by the Red Army crossing.
Dadu River
The turbid, powerful river you climb upstream out of Luding before the route turns into the gorge.
Guzan
A riverside town where the Kangding River meets the Dadu, marking the mouth of the Wasi gorge.
Wasi Gorge
The steep narrow gorge where the real climb to Kangding begins, walls rising close on both sides.
Wasigou Slot Gorge
A slot in the Wasi gorge so tight the sky narrows to a single bright ribbon overhead.
Kangding River
The cold mountain river, also called the Wasi, that you climb alongside through the gorge up to Kangding.
Kangding
The "City of Love Songs," gateway to Kham, where the real altitude begins.
Paoma Mountain
The hill above Kangding made famous by the “Kangding Love Song.”
Mugecuo
An alpine lake and hot-spring valley in the mountains north of Kangding — the “Wild People’s Sea.”
Questions about this day
How high is Kangding?
Kangding sits at about 2,560 m, reached by climbing the Zheduo River valley. It’s the "City of Love Songs" and the cultural gateway into Kham — the last big town before the high passes begin.
Why is day 5 important?
It’s where the real altitude starts. After Kangding every day crosses a pass, several above 4,000 m, so this is the day to rest up, top off your stamina mindset, and get ready for the climb over Zheduo tomorrow.
What is Kangding known for?
The Kangding Love Song — China’s most famous folk tune — and its position as the threshold of the Tibetan Kham region. In the game it’s the warm valley town before the world tilts up onto the plateau.
Ride your own 318
Cycling 318 turns the road to Lhasa into a daily, cozy ride. Check in at the landmarks, collect a postcard from each, and fill your 318 passport.
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