The serene waters of the braided Yarlung Tsangpo (ཡར་ཀླུང་གཙང་པོའི་གཞུང་; 雅鲁流域; Yǎlǔ Liúyù) meander through a swathe of land flanked by dramatic sand dunes and rich in Tibetan history. It’s only a couple of hours from Lhasa and the numerous attractions are relatively near one another, allowing you to see the main sights in two or three days. Remote monasteries, royal tombs, ruined stupas, meditation retreats and medieval palaces are only some of the highlights you can visit in a three-day itinerary. With more time you could spend days exploring the various side valleys on foot or by mountain bike.
Samye MonasteryBUDDHIST MONASTERY
(བསམ་ཡས་དགོན་པ་; 桑耶寺; Sāngyē Sì GOOGLE MAP )
About 170km southeast of Lhasa, on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River is Samye Monastery, the first monastery in Tibet. Founded in 775 by King Trisong Detsen, Samye is famed not just for its pivotal history but for its unique mandala design: the main hall, or Ütse ( GOOGLE MAP ; ¥40; h7.30am-5.30pm), represents Mt Meru, the centre of the universe, while the outer temples represent the oceans, continents, subcontinents and other features of the Buddhist cosmology.
Simple accommodation is available at the Monastery Guesthouse (桑耶寺宾馆, Sāngyésì Bīnguǎn GOOGLE MAP ; %0893-783 6666; d without bathroom ¥160, d/tr ¥240/300), outside the monastery walls, with comfortable doubles and a hot-water shower. The monastery restaurant serves good momos (dumplings) and Chinese dishes with bags of local atmosphere. The Friendship Snowland Restaurant (雪域同胞旅馆, Xuěyù Tóngbāo Lǚguǎn, Gangjong Pönda Sarkhang GOOGLE MAP ; meals ¥16-50; h8.30am-11pm), outside the east gate, serves better Chinese and Tibetan dishes, banana pancakes and milky tea. Dorm rooms (¥50) with real (not foam) mattresses are available upstairs. There are several other decent accommodation options nearby, including the friendly Tashi Guesthouse (扎西旅馆, Zhāxī Lǚguǎn GOOGLE MAP ; %189 8993 7883; dm/r ¥60/120).
If you are heading to Everest Base Camp or the Nepali border, a visit here will only add one day to your itinerary. You may have to detour briefly to the nearby town of Tsetang (泽当; Zédāng) for your guide to pick up a required travel permit.
The Yarlung Tsangpo Valley is easily accessible and most places are within a three-hour drive of Lhasa on good roads. A rail spur line is currently under construction from Lhasa to Tsetang but will take a few years to complete.
Southern Ngari
The tarmacking of the 500km section of road from Saga to Hor Qu is now completed, which means driving times from Lhasa to Mt Kailash have been reduced to as little as three days. It is important that you don't rush, however, but take time to acclimatise.
Saga is the last major town along the southern route and a usual overnight stop. It is at the junction of roads from Lhasa and Nepal.
Even if you're coming from Lhatse, consider adding three days or so to your itinerary and continuing along the Friendship Hwy to visit Everest Base Camp and Tingri and enjoy the stunning lake views of Peiku-tso.
Saga ས་དགའ་; 萨嘎
%0892 / Elev 4610m
The sprawling truck-stop town of Saga (ས་དགའ་; 萨嘎; Sàgá), on the banks of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, is the last town of any size on the southern route and a logical overnight stop on the way to Mt Kailash. It's the only place until Darchen that has reliable electricity. There's little to see in town – most people use the time to wash up, check emails and stock up on supplies.
Saga is a full day's drive from Shigatse or Darchen. Closer destinations include Lhatse (306km) and Paryang (246km).
Tsang གཙང
For most travellers, the former province of Tsang (གཙང) is either the first or last place they experience in Tibet, and the setting for two of Asia's great mountain drives: out to far western Tibet and across the Himalaya to Nepal. The great overland trip across Tibet – from Lhasa along the Friendship Hwy to the Nepali border via Gyantse, Shigatse and Mt Everest Base Camp – goes straight through Tsang, linking most of the highlights of the region on one irresistible route. Along the way are fantastic day walks, several multiday treks, an adventurous detour to the base of Mt Everest and a scattering of ancient Tibetan monasteries and historic towns. Dozens of smaller monasteries just off the highway offer adventurers plenty of scope to get off the beaten track and experience an older TIbet.
8Permits
As with the rest of Tibet, you need permits to visit anywhere in Tsang and for this you will need to travel with an organised tour with a guide and transport. Your guide will most likely need to register and get an alien's travel permit while in Shigatse.
Special trekking permits are needed if you plan to trek in the Everest region beyond Base Camp.Trekking permits for Camp III (also known as Advanced Base Camp or ABC) are issued by the China Tibet Mountain Association. Trekkers will need help from an agency to get the permits.
8Getting There & Around
Public transport runs along the Northern Friendship Hwy to the Nepal border but foreigners are not allowed to take it. The Qīnghǎi–Tibet railway extension from Lhasa to Shigatse opened in 2014 and Shigatse now has its own airport with direct flights to Chéngdū.
Gyantse རྒྱལ་རྩེ་ 江孜
%0892 / Elev 3980m / Pop 15,000
Lying on a historic trade route between India and Tibet, Gyantse (རྒྱལ་རྩེ་; 江孜; Jiāngzī) has long been a crucial link for traders and pilgrims journeying across the Himalayan plateau. It was once considered Tibet’s third city, behind Lhasa and Shigatse, but in recent decades has been eclipsed by fast-growing Chinese-dominated towns like Bāyī and Tsetang. Perhaps that’s a good thing, as Gyantse has managed to hang onto its small-town charm and laid-back atmosphere.
Gyantse’s greatest sight is the Gyantse Kumbum, the largest chörten remaining in Tibet and one of its architectural wonders, but there's plenty more to see. With good hotels and restaurants, Gyantse is the town in Tibet that most warrants an extra day to explore little-visited nearby monasteries or wander the town's charming back streets.
1Sights
oGyantse KumbumBUDDHIST STUPA
(རྒྱན་སྐུ་འབུམ་; 江孜千佛塔; Jiāngzī Qiānfótǎ GOOGLE MAP ; incl with Pelkor Chöde Monastery)
Commissioned by a Gyantse prince in 1427 and sitting inside the Pelkor Chöde complex, the Gyantse Kumbum is the town’s foremost attraction. The 32m-high chörten, with its white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and its crown-like golden dome, is awe-inspiring. But the inside is no less impressive, and in what seems an endless series of tiny chapels you’ll find painting after exquisite painting (kumbum means ‘100,000 images’).
Pelkor Chöde MonasteryBUDDHIST MONASTERY
(白居寺; Báijū Sì GOOGLE MAP ; admission ¥60; h9am-6:30pm, some chapels closed 1-3pm)
The high red-walled compound in the far north of town houses Pelkor Chöde Monastery, founded in 1418. The main assembly hall is the main attraction but there are several other chapels to see. There’s a small but visible population of 80 monks and a steady stream of prostrating, praying, donation-offering pilgrims doing the rounds almost any time of the day.
Gyantse DzongFORT
(江孜宗; Jiāngzī Zōng GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-817 2116; admission ¥30; h9:30am-6:30pm)
The main reason to make the 20-minute climb to the top of the Gyantse Dzong is for the fabulous views of the Pelkor Chöde Monastery and Gyantse's whitewashed old town below. Most visitors drive up halfway to the top but there is also footpath access via a gate just north of the main roundabout in town.
zFestivals & Events
Dhama FestivalCULTURAL
If you happen to be in Tibet in mid-July, you can catch Gyantse's three-day Dhama Festival, featuring 19 local villages trying to outdo each other in horse races, yak races, wrestling and traditional dances. Accommodation is tight in Gyantse during the festival, but you could easily commute from Shigatse, 90 minutes aw
ay.
4Sleeping & Eating
Gyantse is a popular stop for tours and has a good range of accommodation and food along north–south Yingxiong Nanlu.
oYeti HotelHOTEL$$
(雅迪花园酒店; Yǎdí Huāyuán Jiǔdiàn GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-817 5555; www.yetihoteltibet.com; 11 Weiguo Lu; d incl breakfast ¥328; aiW)
The revamped three-star Yeti is easily the best midrange option in Gyantse, offering 24-hour hot water, clean carpeted rooms, quality mattresses and reliable wi-fi, so make sure you reserve in advance. The cafe and excellent lobby restaurant serve everything from yak steak to pizza, alongside one of Tibet's best buffet breakfasts.
Jiànzàng HotelHOTEL$$
(建藏饭店; Jiànzàng Fàndiàn GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-817 3720; [email protected]; 14 Yingxiong Nanlu; 英雄南路14号 dm ¥60, d with breakfast ¥260; W)
The Jiànzàng, with English-speaking staff, offers decent rooms in a quiet new courtyard block with ensuite rooms and 24-hour hot water. The budget triples and quads come with an ensuite squat toilet and hot showers down the hall. The 2nd-floor Tibetan-style restaurant is a cosy option for breakfast or a thermos of tea.
Tashi RestaurantNEPALI, INTERNATIONAL$$
(扎西餐厅; Zhāxī Cāntīng GOOGLE MAP ; Yingxiong Nanlu; mains ¥30-50; h7:30am-11pm; v)
This Nepali-run place (a branch of Tashi in Shigatse) whips up tasty and filling curries, pizza and yak sizzlers. It also has the best range of Western breakfasts. The decor is Tibetan but the Indian movies and Nepali music give it a head-waggling subcontinental vibe.
8Information
Agricultural Bank of ChinaBANK
(中国农业银行; Zhōngguó Nóngyè Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; Weiguo Lu; h9:30am-12:30pm & 3:30-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm Sat & Sun)
At the time of research, the ATM here was not accepting foreign cards or changing cash, so you'll have to go to Shigatse to access your money.
8Getting There & Around
Minibuses and taxis shuttle the 90km between Gyantse and Shigatse but don't take foreigners. The drive to Shigatse takes around 90 minutes, but allow half a day with stops en route.
All of Gyantse’s sights can be reached comfortably on foot, but there are rickshaws and even taxis if you need them. Negotiate all prices before you head out.
Shigatse གཞི་ཀ་རྩེ་ 日喀则
%0892 / Elev 3840m / Pop 80,000
Tibet’s second-largest town and the traditional capital of Tsang province, Shigatse (གཞི་ཀ་རྩེ་; 日喀则; Rìkāzé) is a modern, sprawling city, with wide boulevards humming with traffic (even in the pedestrian-only street). As you drive in across the plains, the site of the Potala-lookalike Shigatse Dzong, high on a hilltop overlooking the town, will probably fire your imagination, but the fort is empty and most of what you see dates from a 2007 reconstruction. It is the Tashilhunpo Monastery, to the west of town, that is the real draw. Since the Mongol sponsorship of the Gelugpa order, Shigatse has been the seat of the Panchen Lama, and this seat was traditionally based in the monastery.
History
As the traditional capital of the central Tsang region, Shigatse was long a rival with Lhasa for political control of the country. The Tsang kings and later governors exercised their power from the imposing heights of the (recently rebuilt) Shigatse Dzong. Since the time of the Mongol sponsorship of the Gelugpa order, Shigatse has been the seat of the Panchen Lamas, the second-highest-ranking lamas in Tibet. Their centre was and remains the Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Shigatse
1Top Sights
1Wordo MuseumD4
1Sights
2Tashilhunpo MonasteryA2
4Sleeping
3Gang Gyan Orchard HotelB3
4Qomolangzong HotelC3
5Tibet Zangba HotelC2
5Eating
Sumptuous Tibetan RestaurantB3
6Third Eye RestaurantB3
Wordo KitchenD4
7Shopping
7Tibet Gang Gyen Carpet FactoryB3
8Tibetan MarketB1
1Sights
Buy your tickets to Tashilunpo Monastery at the ticket booth by the main southern entrance.
Tashilhunpo MonasteryBUDDHIST MONASTERY
(བཀྲ་ཤིས་ལྷུན་དགོན་; 扎什伦布寺; Zhāshílúnbù Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; admission ¥80; h9am-7:30pm)
One of the few monasteries in Tibet to weather the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution, Tashilhunpo remains relatively unscathed. It is a real pleasure to explore the busy cobbled lanes twisting around the aged buildings. Covering 70,000 sq metres, the monastery is now the largest functioning religious institution in Tibet and one of its great monastic sights. The huge golden statue of the Future Buddha is the largest gilded statue in the world.
zFestivals & Events
Tashilhunpo Monastery FestivalCULTURAL
During the second week of the fifth lunar month (around June/July), Tashilhunpo Monastery becomes the scene of a three-day festival, featuring masked dances, the creation of a sand mandala and the unveiling of a huge thangka.
4Sleeping
Shigatse has a good range of decent hotels, most with flush toilets and 24-hour hot water.
oGang Gyan Orchard HotelHOTEL$
(日喀则刚坚宾馆; Rìkāzé Gāngjiān Bīnguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-882 0777; 77 Zhufeng Lu; dm ¥50, d with bathroom ¥200; aW)
This hotel offers modern, Western-style rooms with comfortable beds and clean, hot-water bathrooms. Best of all is the convenient location, right across from Tashilhunpo Monastery, less than 100m from the Tashilhunpo kora and next to two of Shigatse's best restaurants. Ask for a room overlooking the interior courtyard as these are much quieter.
Tibet Zangba HotelHOTEL$$
(臧巴大酒店; Zāngbā Dàjiŭdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-866 7888; 9 Renbu Lu; d/tr ¥240/340; aW)
This three-star Tibetan place is a good choice. The rooms are fresh, modern and carpeted, with contemporary bathrooms and lots of Tibetan touches, including a good Tibetan restaurant. Side rooms are quietest.
Gesar HotelHOTEL$$$
(格萨尔酒店; Gésà'ěr Jiǔdiàn GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-880 0088; Longjiang Lu; r standard/deluxe incl breakfast ¥380/480; aiW)
This new four-star giant has clean and modern Tibetan-style rooms, each decorated with its own thangka of Gesar Ling, and a pleasant rooftop teahouse, though the location in the southern suburbs is a bit of a drag. The deluxe rooms are huge but the glass-walled bathrooms won't work unless you and your room-mate are very close friends.
Qomolangzong HotelHOTEL$$$
(乔穆朗宗酒店; Qiáomùlǎngzōng Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-866 6333; cnr Shanghai Zhonglu & Zhufeng Lu; d incl breakfast ¥780)
This plush hotel opened in 2015, offering an impressive lobby of stone and wood, and spacious Tibetan-style rooms, though even here you can't escape the occasional stinky bathroom. The top-floor teahouse offers fine views over the city. Surprisingly little English is spoken.
5Eating
oSumptuous Tibetan RestaurantTIBETAN$
(丰盛臧式餐厅; Fēngshèng Zāngshì Cāntīng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Zhufeng Lu; mains ¥15-50; h10am-11pm)
A great option next to the Gang Gyan Orchard Hotel that's always buzzing and full of Tibetans. Choose from comfy TIbetan-style seats and decor inside or the pleasant back terrace. Prices are reasonable, the food is good and the waiters eager to please. The menu and management are the same as the Tibet Family Restaurant's.
oWordo KitchenTIBETAN$$
(吾尔朵厨房; Wú'ěrduǒ Chúfáng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-882 3994; 8 Zhade Donglu; mains ¥15-70; h9:30am-11pm)
For something a bit special, head out to this stylish restaurant and museum in the southeast of town. The pleasant Tibetan seating is decorated with old prayer wheels, and yak-butter pots and live music gets things going in the evenings. Dishes range from curried potatoes and potato momos to more ambitious yak ribs and lamb's leg.
Ask for Ke
lsang to explain the Tibetan menu and make sure you head upstairs to the museum ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %139 8992 0067; Wordo Kitchen, Zhade Donglu; ¥20, for restaurant customers ¥15; h9:30am-11pm) before or after dinner. There are plans to move both the restaurant and museum to south Shigatse in 2018.
oThird Eye RestaurantNEPALI$$
(雪莲餐厅; Xuělián Cāntīng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0892-883 8898; Zhufeng Lu; dishes ¥25-50; h9am-10pm)
A Nepali-run place that is popular with both locals and tourists. Watch as locals sip thugpa while travellers treat their taste buds to the city's best Indian curries and sizzlers. The chicken tikka masala and the yak steak are both excellent. It’s upstairs, next to the Gang Gyan Orchard Hotel.
7Shopping
Tibetan MarketARTS & CRAFTS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Bangjiakong Lu; h10am-6pm)
The open-air market in the Tibetan old town is a good place to pick up low-grade Tibetan crafts and souvenirs, such as prayer wheels, rosaries and traditional Tibetan boots. Bargain hard. The street market just to the east is the best place to get a Tibetan chuba (cloak).
Tibet Gang Gyen Carpet FactoryCARPETS
(西藏刚坚地毯厂; Xīzàng Gāngjiān Dìtǎn Chǎng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %139 0892 1399; www.tibetgang-gyencarpet.com; 9 Zhufeng Lu; h9am-1pm & 3-7pm Mon-Sat)
Lonely Planet China Page 194