Panlong Ancient Road: Up Through the Coiled Dragon's Hairpins from Wacha

The East side averages 5.2% over 20.4 km (12.7 mi), gaining 1,126 m (3,694 ft) from 3,207 m (10,523 ft) to 4,264 m (13,990 ft). The first kilometer through Xiabukezila is flat, then kilometers 1-6 run at a gentle 3-6%.

The switchbacks come in two waves. Our route data shows the tightest stacking between roughly km 3 and 7 - Xiao Panlong - and a second, wider set of sweeps from about km 8 to 13 - Da Panlong. Between them, km 7-8 eases to 3.1%, the only real breather on the climb. Some of the tightest bends have a turning radius of only about 10 m with grades above 10% through the turn.

Above Da Panlong the road settles into a steady 5-7% to the top in longer, looser sweeps. The steepest full kilometers are km 6-7 (7.1%), km 8-9 (6.9%) and km 15-16 (6.9%). The steepest 0.5 km averages 10.7%, the steepest 1 km 8.2%, 2 km 7.2%, 5 km 6.5% and 10 km 6.3%. FIETS score: 8.8.

Gear: The grade is moderate, but the whole climb happens between 3,200 and 4,264 m, where every effort costs more. A compact crankset with a wide cassette lets you spin through the hairpins instead of grinding. The descent is just as important: going back down to Wacha means 1,000-plus meters of tight switchbacks, so start with fresh brake pads and stop to let rims or rotors cool on long runs.

Clothing: Tashkurgan town, about 1,170 m below the summit, averages highs near 24°C (75°F) and lows near 10°C (50°F) in July, and it is colder and windier on top. Carry a wind jacket, full-finger gloves and arm warmers even on a warm morning, plus strong sunscreen and sunglasses - UV is intense at this altitude and there is no shade anywhere on the mountain.

Provisions: This is high desert, with about 85 mm (3.4 in) of rain a year in Tashkurgan, so there are no streams to count on. Carry all your water and food from Wacha; coffee and snack stalls run at the main viewpoints in season, but nothing in between. Bring two tubes, a pump and a patch kit - bike parts are hard to find even in Tashkurgan, and riders have been reduced to flagging down cars after a tire failure on the descent. Mobile signal is patchy, so download offline maps before you start.

Wacha (瓦恰乡) is the natural base for this side of the road - a string of Tajik farming and herding villages along the Wakadeliya river at about 3,100 m. Around the road's opening in 2019, the first families here began turning spare rooms into homestays; Wacha added 40 new ones in 2024 alone, including one themed around the Tajik eagle dance, which is listed as national intangible cultural heritage.

The Tajiks of Tashkurgan are Pamiri people who speak Sarikoli and Wakhi and make up roughly four-fifths of the county's population. Tashkurgan's spring tourism season brings out eagle dancing, traditional wedding performances and buzkashi (叼羊, horseback goat-grabbing), which Wacha villagers staged for visitors during the road's 2025 reopening weekend.

Getting here from Tashkurgan: ride or drive the Panlong road itself with the one-way flow, or take the valley route north via the X614/X613 past Kanaryang - where the song "Why Are the Flowers So Red" was composed for the film "Visitors on the Icy Mountain" - and Bandier's blue reservoir (Xiabandi), about 76 km (47 mi) back to town. Strung together, the pass and the valley make a roughly 140 km (87 mi) loop that a group of Chinese touring cyclists rode in a day in July 2025. Border-zone permit, flights and Kashgar logistics are covered on our West page. To link the two sides or find other climbs nearby, use our Routes in the Area tool.