8 Days Mainly Visiting to Shigatse and Lhasa

Tibet is a charming and mysterious place that I wanted to have a look when I was teenager, when I finally have a chance to travel Tibet, I was really exciting about it and found that besides wonderful sceneries, there was also a hard tour for me because of the high terrain.

 

After the plane we went out of the airport to take bus to reach the terminal – urban civil aviation hotel next to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (25 yuan/person, about an hour, buying tickets after you get on the bus).

After arriving at the civil aviation hotel we took a taxi to the Potala Palace to reserve tickets for the next day, but we only got the tickets in the afternoon about 15:20 in the next day (Potala Palace receives 2000 people every day, only 500 tickets for the individual tourists, so you need one day in advance to reserve by ID card to register).

After that we took a taxi to hotel we booked,Trichang Labrang Hotel. More than 4 o ‘clock in the afternoon to go out to take a taxi to Norbulingka, waited for more than half an hour we still couldn't take a car, with bus No.24 beside the road, so finally we took the bus. Almost in our tour in Lhasa we took this bus.

Norbulingka

Nearly five o ‘clock we arrived at Norbulingka, after buying the tickets to enter we met a boy driving a storage battery car, he asked us to sit by car, we did not want to sit at first, but he is very keen to suggest which line we can go faster to visit two of the four main hall, so I sat storage battery car and before the closing we successfully completed the four halls.
 
From Norbulingka we took bus No.24 to the Jokhang temple, and took pictures at the Barkhor Street, and went to Snowland Restaurant for dinner.

 

Our hotel is near the Jokhang temple, at 8:30 we walked past there and it hasn't opened the door, therefore we went down the Barkhor to have a short visit. 

 

Jokhang Temple
Spend some time in the Jokhang temple, you would find that in fact Jokhang temple is the center of Lhasa people's life.

On the platform we overlooked the Jokhang square and the Potala Palace, the splendid building was scattering splendor in the bright light of the sun.

 

Bakhor Street is planked by manual grinding stones. People can often see some pilgrims in here, these people tend to be truly bumped step by step from thousands of miles away into the Lhasa to the Buddha.

Shopping must learn to bargain with vendor, the different vendor offers different price of 10 times on the same products, so you have better ask a few more vendors when you want to buy.
 
After having meal, we went back to rest for a moment, and arrived early ready to buy a ticket to enter to the Potala Palace in the afternoon.

♦ June 22: Highway in Lhasa- Qushui county- Gambara Mountain-Yamdrok Lake –Nargaze county – Karuola glacier (can stop to take pictures) to Simila pass – Gyantse Kumbum – Para Manor- stay in Shigatse (south line)

From Lhasa to Shigatse going the North Line is about 260 kilometers, along the way through the Nimu county, Rinbung county, etc., all along the Yarlung Zangbo river road (other attractions is normal).

The South Line is approximately more than 340 km, is a very good tourist route. Threw over Gambara mountain, the road condition was a little risky, on one side was the cliff, and the other side were mountains, after we reached the top of the mountain we could enjoy the Yamdrok Lake.

We were going the South Line and set off at 8 o'clock in the morning. We were going the No.318 national road to Qushui county, which took about 1 hour or so to pass the Qushui and go to the Yarlung Zangbo River.
 
Continue to go by No.307 national road to Gambara pass. Over mountain we saw Yamdrok Lake. Arrive in Gyantse, photographed in Zongshan Site of anti-British battle, and then went to the Para Manor.
 
At an altitude of 4852 meters, Gambara mountain pass, Yamdrok Lake called “heaven” heave our in sight. Yamdrok Lake is located in the Nagarze county in Shannan, Tibetan refers to “swan lake”, is one of the three largest holy lakes in Tibet. Green hill encircled, against the white clouds in the sky in the distance, Yamdrok Lake is like an irregular blue gem embedded in the mountain peaks.

 

 

Karuola glacier, on the border between Tibet Shannan Nagarze county and Gyangtse county, is one of three big continental glaciers in Tibet, which is the source for eastern Nyang Qu River.
 

Zongshan Site of anti-British battle, located in the north of the Yarlung Zangbo River tributary north of Nyang Qu River of the Gyantse Kumbum top of the hill, located in the northeast and Shigatse traffic crossroads. It is the place where Tibetan people's heroic fight against invasion of the British in 1904.
 

Para Manor, Tibet Lord family Para's manor, located in about 4 km southwest of Gyantse county Banjuelunbu village, is currently the only intact old Tibet three lords' aristocratic manor.

Check in hotel: Gang Gyen hotel (convenient to visit the Tashilhunpo monastery)

♦ June 23: Shigatse

8:40–10:00 we visited to Tashilhunpo monastery. In Gyantse we had lunch at noon. From Shigatse to Gyantse is 150 km, from Gyantse to border checkpoint is 90 km, from border checkpoint to Mount Everest base camp is 110 km dirt road.

Mount Everest hidden in the clouds.

♦ June 24: Back to Shigatse-stay in Shigatse

Got up about 7 o'clock and prepared equipments for taking pictures of mount Everest at sunrise scenes, 8:00 we bought tickets for eco-cars (25 Yuan/person), at 8:30 lined up to take a closer look at Everest by eco-car, about 15 minutes driving.

10:00 we took eco-car returned to base camp, after leaving base camp we stayed at Rongbuk Monastery to shoot Everest in a long-range. Nearly 3 o ‘clock in the afternoon we went back to Gyantse and had meal in a distinctive Tibetan noodle restaurant. In the evening, we accommodated in Gyantse. Sweet tea is my favorite in Tibet and every meal I would ordered it.

♦ June 25: Shigatse-Dazhuka-Nyemo county-Yangbajing Hot Spring- Nyainqêntanglha Range-Damxung County- Nagenla Pass-Namtso-Accomodated in Tashi Dor

At 8 o ‘clock in the morning we started from Shigatse, walked along the Yarlung Zangbo river for a long time.
 

♦ June 26: Tashi Dor-Yangbajing-Deqing town- Maxian County-Duilong County-Lhasa

Going slowly back to Lhasa from Tashi Dor only need half a day, if it is chartering a bus for sightseeing, you can have a leisurely sightseeing in the Tashi Dor. After back to Lhasa, we had lunch break then went to the back of the Potala Palace Zongjiaolukang Park, made a small round along the lake, and took pictures of the back of the Potala Palace. Then I took a panoramic view to Potala Palace in the square.

♦ June 27: the Tibet museum – Gonggar airport
At 8 o ‘clock in the morning we went to Guangming Gangqiong sweet tea house (光明港琼甜茶馆) to drink sweet tea, there was a lot of people. People can go to the front desk to pay bill (there is Tibetan noodles and dumplings), then go to the back of the kitchen to pick your food.

Later we went to Tibet museum freely (10:00-16:30, and it is not allowed to enter after half past four in the afternoon, but before that, tourists can visit for a while), the main exhibition hall is on the second floor, there is a total of three layers.
 

11:30 we returned to hotel to check out and went to civil aviation hotel to take the airport shuttle bus, more than 1:00 in the afternoon we arrived to the airport.