New Tour: The Road To Shangri-La Is Finally Ready!

Cast your minds back to 2019. No pandemic. The White House East Wing was still standing. Ukraine was at peace. Life was good and I was fortunate enough to join with TDA field staffer Maxime Dionne to scout a proposed new tour through Vietnam, Laos & China, from Saigon to Shangri-La.

Starting in the bustling modern city of Saigon, we plotted a route in Vietnam that included the beach town of Nha Trang, the country’s stunning coastline, the ancient trading port of Hoi An, the old Imperial capital of Hue, the subterranean caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (a UNECSO World Heritage Site) and a pedal along the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail.

>>2027 Road to Shangri-La tour details 

Nong Khiaw, Nam Ou River, Northern Laos

Crossing into Laos, we continued the route along the mighty Mekong River to the country’s laid-back capital, Vientiane, and then north through the area’s spectacular karst mountains to one of Asia’s most spiritual cities, Luang Prabang, home to golden wats and saffron-clad monks. We decided to now take the riders back into Vietnam and the city of Dien Bien Phu, famous for its pivotal role in the Vietnamese War, and then  to the popular resort hill town of Sapa.

Flooded rice fields, Yunnan

In China, we planned to take in the spectacular Yuanyang Rice Terraces, the legendary backpacker town of Dali, the UNESCO Old Town in Lijiang and one of the world’s deepest gorges – Tiger Leaping Gorge. The last day would have the riders climb over 2400 m, up into into the Tibetan atmosphere of Shangri-La and the end what we thought was amazing cycling adventure.

The TDA team took in all the data we had collected, worked it into a cohesive whole and on August 23, 2019 we excitedly announced our newest creation to the world.

We all know what came next…

Almost 3 years later, on May 9, 2022, in the face of China’s strict zero COVID policy, we threw in the towel and changed the tour to the Golden Buddha Ride, keeping the first 2 sections the same, running from Saigon to Hué and then from Hué to Vientiane. The route continued to Luang Prabang as before but then turned west into northern Thailand to Chiang Mai and finally, Bangkok.

The good news is that, finally, the original Road to Shangri-La route, as planned way back in 2019, is ready to take flight! For more than 400 years, ever since the time of the Mughal emperor, Akbar, the idea of an earthly paradise, a hidden kingdom somewhere in the Tibetan Himalayas, a place of peace and serenity, has captivated the imaginations of adventurers. Now, we invite you to join us on this voyage of discovery, to explore the region’s history and culture and to complete one of the world’s legendary quests.

Registration is now open.

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The Road to Shangri-La

Shangri-La, an earthly paradise cut off from the world in a hidden Himalayan valley, a place where there is no war or suffering and where people live...