EP3 | 820km in ONE DAY: Conquering China's Forbidden No Man's Land | G216 Motorcycle ADV
12 Video Views·Mar 5, 2026
This is it. The ultimate test. Day 3 of my Lhasa to Kashgar journey is the single most ambitious ride I've ever attempted: a solo 820-kilometer (510-mile) crossing of the legendary Qiangtang No Man's Land in a single day. This video is both a story of survival and a detailed roadbook for anyone brave enough to follow. We'll go from the alpine lakes of Tibet to the sands of the Taklamakan Desert, experiencing loneliness and chasing freedom on China's most epic highway, the G216.
Today is day 3 of the motorcycle journey from Lhasa to Kashgar.
The mission for today is an 820km push from Gerze in Tibet to Minfeng in Xinjiang.
After setting out from Gerze, the first 130km will take me to Xiangqian Township.
From there I will officially enter the vast Changtang no man's land.
The route will pass by the two-color lake in Kunchukiko, leading me to the most beautiful
lake of this entire journey, Maimako.
The altitude will climb steadily, passing Camel Lake, until I reach the Shengli Pass
at over 5200m.
I'll take a lunch break at Crescent Lake.
After a brief drop in altitude, the climb begins again, passing Black Rock North Lake
in the Tibet-Xinjiang border, to conquer the 5400m Tianjin Pass.
After that I'll enter the incredible Kunlun Grand Canyon, where the altitude will drop
dramatically.
The kuyaki service area sits at 3600m.
And finally, after descending from the mountains, I'll enter the edge of the Taklamakan Desert
and reach my destination, Minfeng.
Set off.
I set out from Gerze County at 7am, just as the day was breaking.
The donkeys are already on the road, refusing to move.
Over 500km of today's journey will be at an altitude of over 5000m.
About 10km before Xiankin Township, there's a fork in the road.
You need to follow this smaller road for 3km to reach the Xiankian Monument.
Returning to the main G216 highway, I'll top off my gas tank at the station in Xiankian
Township.
The Memorial Hall for the Advance Company isn't open.
At the checkpoint, you need to show your ID card and vehicle registration.
As soon as I left Xiankian Township, my iPhone with the Unicom SIM card lost all signal.
From Xiankian to Shengli Pass, the altitude will gradually climb to over 5000m.
On the left is the two-colour lake.
Arriving at Kunshuikeko Lake.
The roadside is littered with abandoned vehicles everywhere.
That splash of sapphire beneath the snow-capped mountain, that's Mamakau Lake.
This lake is absolutely stunning.
This kind lady is letting me know there's something wrong with my vehicle.
Turns out I forgot to lock my cooler box. Thank you so much.
On my left, this is Camel Lake.
I think it's because of the permafrost. The road surface is starting to get wavy.
Reaching the 5,200 meter Shangri-La Pass.
From Shangri-La Pass down to Crescent Lake, the altitude will briefly drop by about 200 meters.
Made it to Crescent Lake. I'll take a short break here and have some lunch.
All right, break's over. Time to get back on the road.
From here to Tianjin Pass, the altitude will gradually climb to 5,400 meters.
I have to stay focused and fight off the drowsiness from the high altitude.
This stretch of road is incredibly desolate. It perfectly matches my
imagination of the Changtang no-man's land.
The wrecked cars on the roadside are a constant reminder to be careful.
The current temperature is minus two degrees Celsius, and this is in June.
Black volcanic rock has started to appear on the roadside.
That means I'm getting close to Black Rock North Lake.
Getting a bit tired. Time for a quick break.
Curses the alarm, life's unfair. Crazy doesn't care what they say.
No makeup, just storms through her day.
Vast fields of volcanic rock have formed this black rock forest before me.
This kind of geological formation is truly a rare sight.
Arriving at Black Rock North Lake.
The sign says Xinjiang welcomes you back again.
They put the sign on the wrong side.
After crossing the 5,400 meter Tianjin Pass, it's all downhill from here.
Entering the Kunlun Grand Canyon.
After being above 5,000 meters, I started feeling drowsy at 4,000.
I'll just take a quick nap in the car.
Power nap complete. Time to hit the road again.
Made it to the Kuyake service area.
I can't believe I got 550 kilometers out of a single tank of gas.
Arriving in Kuyake.
I didn't even use a single drop from my spare fuel can.
50 kilometers on one tank of fuel.
The big brother is planning to do the reverse route tomorrow.
I'm telling you, the gas in Xinjiang doesn't last as long.
Is that so? Yeah, it burns faster.
The desert is starting to appear on both sides of the road, and the temperature is rising quickly.
You can feel the air is thick with sand.
This doesn't look good.
I've run into a sandstorm.
Arrived in Minfeng, and the sandstorm has stopped.
The temperature has swung from minus 2 degrees all the way up to 35 degrees Celsius.
Successfully crossed the 8 to 20 kilometer Changtang no man's land.
Today's journey is a perfect success.