In early and mid-April 2021, during a trip to Tibet, I entered Medog twice. The picture shows a commemorative photo I took in Medog.

Medog is the last county town in China. It took decades to build the 117-kilometer road from Bomi to Medog. The road construction process was interrupted many times due to weather reasons, and it was finally completed and opened to traffic in 2013. The photo was taken in front of the entrance of Galongla Tunnel.

The Galongla Tunnel at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters is the throat of this road. Its penetration allows Medog to bid farewell to the history of being cut off from the outside world for 8 months due to heavy snow every year. Even today, many years after the opening of the road, the road into Medog is still often affected by various natural disasters, among which avalanches and mudslides are the most frequent and the most harmful. The first time we entered Medog, it was because of an avalanche that we turned back halfway. The photo was taken at the entrance of Galongla Tunnel.

The departure point of Erjin Medog is still Bomi. Knowing that the road is not easy to walk, we set off early in the morning. This is a bridge in Zhamu Town, Bomi.

There is no more difficult road in Medog in China. Although Medog has access to roads, many road sections are natural dangers carved on cliffs, and the other side is an abyss! Snow accumulation, landslides, falling rocks, etc. often occur. Because I left early, there were only some big cars ahead.

The Galongla Tunnel is located under the Galongla Pass. It is 3,310 meters long and can be crossed by car in about 4 minutes. It not only solves the problem of heavy snow closures on the Zha-Mo Highway for about 8 months, but also shortens the original distance by 26 kilometers. Today, I went out of the Galongla Tunnel relatively smoothly.

The altitude of the entrance of the Galongla Tunnel is more than 3700 meters (the altitude of the Galongla Pass is more than 4100), and the altitude of the exit is more than 3400 meters. In the distance is Galongla Mountain with an altitude of 4,700 meters.

The biggest test of self-driving Medog is the trip to Medog County after passing the Galongla Tunnel. This section of the road is located on the Himalayan fault zone, with high altitude, harsh geological conditions, and frequent geological activities. It is an area prone to geological disasters such as avalanches, earthquakes, landslides, and mudslides. After exiting the Galongla Tunnel, there was a traffic jam.

The road is too slippery, like ice.

The downhill road out of the Galongla Tunnel has a slope greater than 4%, and a large number of warning signs are installed along the way.

The big car has anti-skid chains, and you have to be careful when turning.

The downhill was finally coming to an end, and the ice on the road was melting.

This is the toll gate for entering Medog. Large vehicles are allowed to pass, and tourists on small vehicles are charged.

The driver went to buy tickets for us, free for those over 70 years old.

Here is the ticket for the Medog Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon Ecotourism Area. The picture shows a panorama of the Medog Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon Ecotourism Area.

The snow in front of the bathroom shows how big the snow was in the previous two days!

This is the first public security checkpoint entering Medog County. There are 4 checkpoints to pass through when entering Medog. When there are many cars, you have to wait for a long time at each checkpoint.

Around the first checkpoint, there is still ice and snow.

Shortly after leaving the first checkpoint, we entered the virgin forest. The snow on the side of the road is also gradually decreasing.

On the side of the road in the virgin forest, you can also see snow-capped mountains.

Rhododendrons are in full bloom on the roadside of the virgin forest.

This is the second public security checkpoint entering Medog County.

The road to 80K is not only difficult to walk, but also a dangerous section of leeches. You can't open the windows for more than ten kilometers, and don't get out of the car.


The total length from Bomi to Medog is 117 kilometers. The local people are used to naming places along the route with "K" or the number of kilometers. Bomi is zero kilometers, and Medog is 117 kilometers or 117K. This is the 80K service center. The avalanche the day before yesterday was not far from here.

Although Zha-Mo Highway is designed to avoid areas prone to mudslides and avalanches as far as possible, we can still encounter many road sections destroyed by mudslides and avalanches during driving, as well as traces left after rush repairs. This is a temporary bridge after repairs.

Medog is known as Xishuangbanna in Tibet. It is a pleasant thing to be able to drive in such a plateau forest, with various tropical plants rushing in front of your eyes, and the famous Yarlung Zangbo River flowing by your side.

There are many mountains, many waters, and many waterfalls here. Some waterfalls have magnificent water flows and melodious roars.

This waterfall is called Wudang Waterfall

Sign board of Udang Waterfall

On both sides of the road, large and small waterfalls falling from the sky wash the road surface. Some pass under the bridge, some form a stream, and some simply flow over the road. The water flows between the rocks on the road, and the water splashes when the car passes by. If you are not careful, it will go out and slide into the deep ditch in the water.

Traffic jams on Zha-Mo Highway are common

This is the third public security checkpoint entering Medog County.

On the morning of October 31, 2013, the opening ceremony of the Zha-Mo Highway was held near the "Daguo Bridge", and the "Daguo Bridge" also became the main news point at that time. It is still under maintenance, and vehicles can only pass through the simple bridge next to it. Many people don't understand this very well, and even look at it with various skeptical attitudes.

Many people may not know that this mountain covered by dense forests is mostly composed of sand and stones. In Medog, we can see such an interesting phenomenon that when local people build houses, the sand they use is actually dug directly from the mountain. The photo was taken at the Daguo Bridge checkpoint.

Entering Medog County, the altitude gradually decreases. From Galongla Snow Mountain to Medog, the altitude drops from more than 4,000 meters to less than 1,000 meters. The climate is getting wetter and the temperature is getting higher. This is a village we pass through on the way.

The further we go, the lower the altitude, and the more prosperous the vegetation is. The picture shows the banana tree on the side of the road

It is true that "one county shows the four seasons, and ten miles have different weather", Medog is known as the "Xishuangbanna" of Tibet. We walked through the four seasons in one day! Paddy fields and tea gardens, this is already the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River.

It is true that "one county shows the four seasons, and ten miles have different weather", Medog is known as the "Xishuangbanna" of Tibet. We walked through the four seasons in one day! Banana groves and herbal seedlings are like Xishuangbanna.

According to the driver, the traditional Chinese medicine Dendrobium is planted on the mountain.

The driver said that the plantains hanging on the roof of the roadside were not eaten by the owner, but passers-by could pick them and eat them.

This is the archway of the "Lotus Holy Land of Medog" entering Medog County. It took us more than 7 hours to reach the 117-kilometer journey. The driver who has been to Medog many times said that this is the fastest time. The main reason is that after the avalanche, there are fewer vehicles entering Medog, so it is faster to pass the checkpoint and there are fewer traffic jams along the way.