Goat Herding on the Friendship Highway
filed in Animals, Nepal, Tibet, Videos on Sep.26, 2008
As we drive along the bumpy gravel track of the Friendship “Highway” between Tibet and Nepal, we are constantly confronted with roadblocks. The most common? Gigantic herds of goats! Apparently, the goats that people eat in Nepal are raised in the grassy plains of Tibet, and then marched along the highway down the steep, precarious road to the border. Since Tibet essentially has just only road, that’s what the goat herders, the cars, the trucks, and the pedestrians use — and it’s a constant traffic jam. Especially during this part of the fall when it’s goat herding season!
There are two more videos below.
November 30th, 2008 on 3:22 pm
[...] goats getting rounded up, and put in holding pens. (I realize now that that’s why they were herding thousands of goats down the Friendship Highway from Tibet to Nepal a few weeks [...]
December 13th, 2008 on 5:06 am
Hi,
I have been searching everywhere for information about the current situation and feasibility of taking the Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu. I cannot find any recent information about whether this route is an option or even if buses still run. It sounds like you must have a great deal of knowledge on the subject; I would greatly appreciate it if you would possibly be able to answer some of the questions I have about how to make this trip possible. If so, please email me at dangerousdave@aol.com.
Thank you very much,
David Korn
December 17th, 2008 on 4:09 pm
You can take the Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu, but you’ll have to hire a driver and a private vehicle to do it. As far as I know, there are no public buses. (We took Landcruisers, which were hired for us by the tour company that got us our Tibet permit from the Chinese government.)
The road is under heavy construction, and the first half of the distance from Lhasa to the Nepal border is paved with asphalt. It’s a great road, especially by China standards. The rest of it is a bumpy ride, and the last stretch to the Nepal border is steep, muddy and really poor. I think the road drops 2000 meters over the course of 30km, so you can imagine how steep it is.
You also must secure a permit for Tibet through a tour company before you enter Tibet, which will stipulate exactly how many days you can stay in the region and includes a day-by-day agenda. This can be difficult to get and expensive. I planned my Tibet trip and formed my travel group (of 8 independent backpackers) at Sim’s Cozy Guesthouse hostel in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. I would highly recommend Sim’s — great people and great service!
Anyway, I would highly recommend taking the Friendship Highway! It’s very beautiful, and you’ll see the rural parts of Tibet that you miss if you just visit Lhasa.