China Travel

Although Shigatse (Xigaze) is Tibet's second largest city with a population of over 80,000, it remains relatively unexplored by tourists. Most visitors know it only as a stopover en route to Everest Base Camp, where overnighters often spend any extra time they might have zipping through Tashihunpo Monastery before moving on to Everest. This is too bad, because Shigatse is full of traditional Tibetan charm and culture. The busy city market is surprisingly full of fruits and vegetables, meats and grains as well as fine local handicrafts and artwork. True, the government has overseen the transformation of much of Shigatse into generic high-rise blocks, but the city's Tibetan inhabitants still tenaciously hang on to traditional ways. If you're coming from Lhasa, Shigatse is even higher at 3,900 meters (15,600 feet) so drink lots of water and pace yourself t... more »

With a population just above 3,000 people, Nyingtri (also written Nyangtri and called Linzhi in Mandarin) is a good place to get a feel for a different kind of Tibet than the one you'll find in Lhasa and the west. The people in town and the surrounding area still practive the indigenous Bon faith, which predates the arrival of Buddhism in Tibet by centuries. For those interested in Tibetan religion and culture, there are three Bon monasteries—Neche Goshog, Yungdrungling and Sigyal—to visit, as well as Bonri, one of the religion's most sacred mountains. Along with the nearby town of Bayi, with its famed Buddhist Buchu Monastery and Lamaling Temple, and the dramatic Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon and Tsangpo Gorges, Nyngtri makes for a wonderful—if rugged—stopover on a tour of southeastern Tibet. more »

Perched at at 4,500 meters (nearly 14,800 feet) on the edge of the northern Chang Tang Plateau, Nagchu (Naqu in Mandarin) is one of Tibet's highest towns (the highest is Wenzhuan, along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway at the border over 200 kilometers to the north at 5,100 meters). Nagchu is also, unsurprisingly, one of the coldest and windiest cities in Tibet, conditions that deter both visitors and agriculture. Despite the harsh environment, Nagchu is home to nearly 70,000 people as well as many more hardy sheep and goats—they're the staple here, where oxygen levels are just 60% of those found at sea level.  If you find yourself in Nagchu, keep in mind that even those acclimated to Lhasa's altitude are likely to feel the effects of the height and thin air here.  Although Nagchu doesn't really offer any tourist attractions, an annual August Nagchu  H... more »

Lhasa is the cultural capital of Tibet, as well as the political administrative center for the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). And while many visitors are surprised—or disappointed—by the sight of high-rises, karaoke bars and other expressions of Chinese economic growth, there are plenty of unexpected delights to make a visit to this soulful capital very much worthwhile. Situated in a high-altitude valley at 3,700 meters (11,100 feet) surrounded by even higher mountains and with the scenic Kyichu River flowing right through town, Lhasa can be wonderfully picturesque in spite of its rapidly modernizing skyline. In the older parts of the city, especially near the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, you'll find spinning prayer wheels, colorful flags and traditionally clad Tibetans going about their Buddhist business. Take your time in Lhasa, an... more »

Chamdo, known as Changdu to the Chinese, sits at 3,600 meters in the middle of eastern Tibet's Kham region, which abuts present-day Sichuan to the east and Qinghai to the north. The old Tibetan town wraps around the base of an impressive hill atop which stands the Galden Jampaling Monastery. The new town spreads around the old in typical contemporary Chinese fashion. Chamdo, Tibet's third-largest city after Lhasa and Shigatse, makes for a pleasant few days' stopover on a larger tour of the region and it's a great place to witness an urban Tibet relatively unfiltered by the massive tourist industry that has sprung up in the capital. It's also an excellent base from which to venture into the surrounding countryside, which offers dramatic vistas and changes in landscape and climate (local sayings have it that one can experience all four seasons on one mountain). Some 25 region... more »