Lhasa and Around
Lhasa is the capital city, focal point and spiritual heart of Tibet. There is enough to see in and around the city. It normally takes about 2 to 3 days to explore. Highlights in Lhasa include the World Heritage Sites of the Potala Palace, Jokhang temple and Pilgrimage circuit Barkhor. Two largest Gelupa Monasteries Drepung and Sera lie on the edge of the city. Around Lhasa, normally tourists make a 1-2 day trip to Namtso lake, also the day trip to Ganden monastery or Drak Yerpa caves is also popular.Visit Tsedang, the cradle of Tibetan Civilization, is another travel option.
- Lhasa and Around
- Potala Palace
- Jokhang and Barkor
- Drepung Monastery
- Sera Monastery
- Tsurphu Monastery
- Yangpachen Hot-spring
- Namtso Lake
- Ganden Monastery
- Tidrum Nunnery and the medicinal hot-springs
- Drigung Til
- Samye Monastery
- Yumbulagang Palace
- Trandruk Monastery
- Mindroling Monastery
- Tombs of Tibetan Kings
- Lake Lhamo La-tso
Tibet-Nepal Friendship Hwy
The Friendship Hwy between Lhasa to Kathmandu in Nepal is the main travellers' route through Tibet. It involves the two major urban centers of Tsang area Shigatse and Gyantse, the other Tsang's important attractions. Most travellers make their way by renting landcruisers to the border Zhangmu with several stops at holy lake - Yamdrok tso Lake, Gyantse, Shigatse, Sakya, Mt.Everest Base Camp en route.
Eastern Tibet and Northern Ü
Eastern Tibet, known as Kham, is a land apart from the rest of Tibet. It's climate, geography, flora and fauna all lend it a unique, almost magical atmosphere. The scenery often resembles the Swiss Alps more than the high Tibetan Plateau.
The traditional region of Ü is very much the historical, cultural and modern heartland of Tibet. The featured sights in Northern Ü are often visited on seperate trip: to the northwest (Tsurphu and Namtso), north (Lhundrub and Reting) and east (Tidrum and Drigung Til).
Western Tibet and Mt.Kailash
The western region of Tibet, we still call it Nagri, is one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Tibet. Huge, scarcely, populated and at an average altitude of over 4500m, it is a frontier in one of the remotest corners of Asia. Highlights of western Tibet are sacred Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, two of the most remote and legendary travel destinations in the world.Travel in western Tibet is not easy or comfortable but improved roads, new bridges and telephone lines make it more accessible. The easiest way to travel in Nagri is taking Landcruiser trip.
Yunnan and Sichuan to Tibet Hwy
There are two main routes through Sichuan to Lhasa, a northern route and a southern route. Both routes take an superlative scenery. The northern route offers a range of scenery from forested alpine country to the high plateau of the Changtang and passes many large monasteries; the southern route is lower, wilder and more alpine, passing fewer towns and monasteries and stunning lakes. Another popular overland route to Tibet for travellers is from Yunnan, drive from Zhongdian to Deqin, after sightseeing at holy Mt. Meili. Cross the Tibetan border from Yanjing, then another 111km to Markham join the Sichuan Southern route to Lhasa.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway
Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest railway, extends 1956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa. About 960 kilometers of the line is more that 4,000 meters above sea level and the highest point is 5,072 meters. The railway was commissioned on 1st of July, 2006. The first three trains to run on the railway are trains from Beijing to Lhasa, Chengdu(Chongqing) to Lhasa and Xining-Lhasa. And on 1st of Oct., there are two more trains start running to Lhasa, which are from Shanghai and Guangzhou.
