Tibet | Winter Tour Guide for Renlongba Glacier without Self-Driving Solo Travel

🚗 This winter tour to Tibet was specifically for the glaciers, and after arriving in Lhasa, I joined a 5-day tour to visit three glaciers, which was later changed to a 4-day itinerary due to lack of participants. I read online that Renlongba Glacier is good and very close to Laigu, so I was tempted to leave the group. The winter view of Ranwu Lake was so beautiful that I decided to stay in Ranwu after finishing the Laigu Glacier trip the next day, and prepared to visit Renlongba Glacier from there the following day. Overall, I think it was worth it, although it's not as convenient as Laigu. The two glaciers have different styles, and if you like the outdoors, you can check out both. 🚗 Specific Itinerary and Costs 1. From Ranwu Town to the entrance of Renlongba Glacier, 150y one way, 300y round trip. I was planning to go along National Highway 559 to Zayu, so I booked a one-way trip. It takes about 50 minutes, and the scenery along the way is amazing. The vehicles used are Wuling Hongguang or JAC. 2. At the entrance of Renlongba scenic spot, you need to take their shuttle bus to the transfer station. If you drive yourself, it's 50y per person, sharing their car is 70y per person, and if you're alone, it's 100y. Now it's the off-season, there are few people, and I had to go to Zayu in the afternoon, so after some hesitation, I chose to pay 100y to go in. The vehicle is a four-wheel drive pickup. 3. At the transfer station, you should be able to ride horses, but when I went there were no people or horses, I don't know if it was because it was too early. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from here to the glacier entrance, not too far but higher in altitude than Laigu. ⚠️ This section of the road is particularly bad, be careful when driving! 4. The glacier entrance is just a flattened wire fence, I saw others driving in and you can also drive directly to this place. I asked the guy and he said no one cares so he just drove in. 5. The driver who brought me here will wait at the place where you get off, but I don't know if this driver was too anxious and drove in himself. 6. From Renlongba Glacier to Zayu, they quoted a price of 350y, but you can bargain down to 300y. I was quite lucky today, I hitched a ride with a guy named Tashi and gave him 100y. In Zayu, I saw there were buses from Zayu to Changdu, if you want to take one, you can inquire on your own. 🚗 Precautions 1. The prices for several routes are basically fixed, and I asked at least three people for each route. Of course, you can also ask around, be sure to contact several drivers (because I was stood up by the hotel's driver, who agreed to a 150y one-way trip yesterday, but this morning he said 150y was for carpooling, and he wouldn't go without others). 2. If you don't have a four-wheel drive or are not skilled at driving, it's recommended to take the scenic area's vehicle, it's very bumpy, and it was my first time experiencing my phone hitting my face, which really hurt. 3. There are no supply points, so you need to bring your own water and food. 4. There are no ice claw rentals, for safety I still recommend using them. I rented them yesterday at Laigu and brought them out today, buying a pair for 25 is definitely enough. 5. The altitude here is higher than Laigu, so don't do too strenuous exercise. It's windy, you can bring a mask. 6. If you plan to spend a long time, you can arrange with the driver in advance when to come to the scenic spot entrance to pick you up, as there are very few cars here.