This route goes Kangding-Xinduqiao-Tagong-Bamei-Dawu-Luhuo-Ganzi-Maniganggo-Dege-Gamtok-Jomda-Chamdo.
From Ganzi you can take a branch road south to Xinlong. From Xinlong there is a very rough road to Litang on the southern route.
From Dege you can take a road that follows the Jinsha Jiang to Baiyu. There is no public transit on this road, which is rather bumpy. From Baiyu there is an even less-used (and rougher) route to Batang on the Southern Route.
In the summer of 1998, the situation was follows: Pavement has been laid from Kangding to Luhuo. Work continues on the tunnel that will bypass the treacherous Erliang Shan Pass. Next year the tunnel will open, and they will lay asphalt all the way to Maniganggo. In the meantime, however, travel is VERY slow, and traffic frequently halts for hours at a time, especially during the construction season, May 1 to Oct 31.
When you pass through Luhuo (Trango) you may be disappointed by the lack of Tibetan architecture in the county seat. That's because an earthquake leveled the place in the 1970s. Government emergency relief funds rebuilt the town from scratch. A couple of interesting things to notice about Luhuo's people: First, many of them are descendents on Mongols who used to come through here on their way to Lhasa; look for high, broad cheekbones that indicate Mongolian stock. Second, Luhuo has more than a few Han (Chinese) immigrants who came during the upheavals of the 1950s and '60s, and subsequently became so enamored of the place that they became completely Tibetan in lifestyle and outlook, so much so that they now blend in with the native population.
A really great hot spring, and not a bad camping spot either, is located just off the main highway in Ganzi County. When traveling west, go 25 km past the county town to the enormous and striking Dargye Gonpa (Dajin Si). This is Rongbatsa Township. Continue a little further to where there is a small pond to the right of the highway. Just after the pond, take the turnoff onto a jeep track. Follow the track some 2 km to a walled compound, which is the home of Gyalten Rinpoche. Follow the path around outside of the building to the left, down to the river, across a small bridge, and up a short distance to the hotsprings.
Baiyu (Pelyul) is a very pleasant, comparatively low-lying town with more than the usual variety and quantity of vegetables available. There is also a nunnery in the town, which makes it a good destination for all you female vegetarian types.