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Xizang

Where to go in Xizang

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Newest in Xizang

The three most recent stories in each section, wherever they are in the province.

Purang Nepali Thali — the Border Market Plate of the Far West FoodNgari Prefecture Purang Nepali Thali — the Border Market Plate of the Far West 12 November 2026 Tibetan Balep — the Everyday Bread of the Herder Kitchen FoodNgari Prefecture Tibetan Balep — the Everyday Bread of the Herder Kitchen 12 November 2026 Purang Masala Tea — the Spice Pot of the Border Market FoodNgari Prefecture Purang Masala Tea — the Spice Pot of the Border Market 12 November 2026 Where to Stay in Shiquanhe — the Far West's Practical Hub StayNgari Prefecture Where to Stay in Shiquanhe — the Far West's Practical Hub 12 November 2026 Where to Stay in Purang — Valley Beds Below the Holy Mountain StayNgari Prefecture Where to Stay in Purang — Valley Beds Below the Holy Mountain 12 November 2026 Where to Stay in Darchen — the Pilgrim's Night at the Trailhead StayNgari Prefecture Where to Stay in Darchen — the Pilgrim's Night at the Trailhead 12 November 2026 Mount Kailash — the Pyramid of Snow That Four Faiths Circle TravelNgari Prefecture Mount Kailash — the Pyramid of Snow That Four Faiths Circle 12 November 2026 Lake Manasarovar — the Sweet Water of the Highest Shrine TravelNgari Prefecture Lake Manasarovar — the Sweet Water of the Highest Shrine 12 November 2026 Guge Kingdom — the Citadel That Vanished Above the Sutlej TravelNgari Prefecture Guge Kingdom — the Citadel That Vanished Above the Sutlej 12 November 2026

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Food0

  1. Purang Nepali Thali — the Border Market Plate of the Far West Purang Nepali Thali — the Border Market Plate of the Far West Ngari Prefecture Purang sits almost on the Nepal border -- a snowbound valley town that for centuries ran the trade routes between the plateau and the hills …
  2. Tibetan Balep — the Everyday Bread of the Herder Kitchen Tibetan Balep — the Everyday Bread of the Herder Kitchen Ngari Prefecture Balep -- the everyday flatbread of the plateau -- is the baked counterpart to tsampa, and in the far-western counties it is the smell of …
  3. Purang Masala Tea — the Spice Pot of the Border Market Purang Masala Tea — the Spice Pot of the Border Market Ngari Prefecture In Purang, where the old Nepal trade still runs, the tea of the border market is masala chiya -- strong black tea simmered in milk with …
  4. Shiquanhe Eats — the Crossroads Table of the Far West Shiquanhe Eats — the Crossroads Table of the Far West Ngari Prefecture Shiquanhe, the seat of the prefecture at about 4,300 meters, is the far west's great refueling town, and its eating streets tell exactly …
  5. Zanda Apricots — the Orchard Fruit of the Sutlej Green Ribbon Zanda Apricots — the Orchard Fruit of the Sutlej Green Ribbon Ngari Prefecture Deep in the Sutlej valley, where the river bottom drops to altitudes the rest of the far west never sees, the land around Zanda turns soft …
  6. The Grasp of the Pot: Penba The Grasp of the Pot: Penba Shigatse Penba is Shigatse's own street snack, a soft set paste made from pea starch that vendors cut into thick, wavy slabs and scoop by hand into …
  7. The Bowl That Runs the City: Thukpa The Bowl That Runs the City: Thukpa Shigatse Thukpa, the noodle soup that anchors Tibetan home cooking and teahouse menus alike, is the bowl most Shigatse families reach for on cold …
  8. Steamed and Scalding: Momo Steamed and Scalding: Momo Shigatse Momo, the steamed bun that Xizang shares with the whole Himalayan arc, is Shigatse's favorite quick meal and a teahouse staple alongside …
  9. Three Sips and a Full Bowl: Highland Barley Wine Three Sips and a Full Bowl: Highland Barley Wine Shigatse Highland barley wine, chang, is the plateau's home brew: whole highland barley is steamed, cooled and fermented with a yeast starter, then …
  10. Milk Kept for Winter: Tibetan Cheese Milk Kept for Winter: Tibetan Cheese Shigatse Tibetan cheese, chura, is the plateau's way of keeping milk: yogurt from yak or dri cows is boiled, strained through cloth and dried in the …
  11. One Bowl at a Time: Jiajia Noodles One Bowl at a Time: Jiajia Noodles Qamdo Jiajia noodles are Yanjing's answer to highway hunger: bowls so small that eating becomes a game, one thimble-sized serving of wheat noodles …
  12. Wine from the Mission Valley: Yanjing Grape Wine Wine from the Mission Valley: Yanjing Grape Wine Qamdo Wine in Yanjing is a legacy of the mid-nineteenth century, when French missionaries brought vine cuttings up the Lancang valley and planted …
  13. Winter Food of Kham: Tibetan Blood Sausage Winter Food of Kham: Tibetan Blood Sausage Qamdo Blood sausage, gyuma, is the Kham regions' winter staple and a fixture of Chamdo tables during slaughter season, when each household turns …
  14. Sweet Rice with Forest Roots: Droma Rice Sweet Rice with Forest Roots: Droma Rice Qamdo Droma rice, or zhuoma zhesi in Tibetan, is the plateau's celebration dessert: sweet short-grain rice cooked with butter and sugar and folded …
  15. The Rain-Season Treasure: Chamdo Matsutake The Rain-Season Treasure: Chamdo Matsutake Qamdo Come July and August, the rains wake the pine and oak slopes of Riwoche, Chaya and the other forested counties of Chamdo, and the region's …
  16. One Pot at a Time: Lulang Stone-Pot Chicken One Pot at a Time: Lulang Stone-Pot Chicken Nyingchi Stone-pot chicken is the signature dish of Lulang, and it is built around the pot as much as the bird: a heavy cauldron hand-carved from …
  17. Zangxiang Pork — the Forest Pig of the Nyingchi Valleys Zangxiang Pork — the Forest Pig of the Nyingchi Valleys Nyingchi Zangxiang, the fragrant pig of Nyingchi, is a miniature free-range breed that lives half-wild in the oak and pine forests around valley …
  18. Bomi Honey — the Sweetest Export of the Wettest Valley Bomi Honey — the Sweetest Export of the Wettest Valley Nyingchi Bomi county, the wettest and greenest corner of the Nyingchi region, turns its long spring of wild cherry, peach and alpine blossom into …
  19. Motuo Buckwheat Cake — the Everyday Bread of the Hidden Valley Motuo Buckwheat Cake — the Everyday Bread of the Hidden Valley Nyingchi In Motuo, the remote forest county at the gorge's southern end that was among the last places in China connected by road -- its highway …
  20. Qinggang Mushroom — the Monsoon Harvest Under the Oaks Qinggang Mushroom — the Monsoon Harvest Under the Oaks Nyingchi Under the qinggang -- the evergreen oak forests that clothe Nyingchi's lower valleys -- every summer rain brings a quiet harvest that locals …
  21. Khapse — the Golden Fried Pastry of the Tibetan New Year Khapse — the Golden Fried Pastry of the Tibetan New Year Shannan Khapse, the deep-fried pastries of the Tibetan New Year, turn every kitchen into a small festival bakery in the weeks before Losar, and in …
  22. Longzi Black Barley — the Dark Grain of the High Fields Longzi Black Barley — the Dark Grain of the High Fields Shannan Lhunze county, on the high plateau south of the Tsangpo valley, grows a distinctive crop that has become its signature: black-hulled …
  23. Sangri Grapes — Vineyards at the Top of the World Sangri Grapes — Vineyards at the Top of the World Shannan Sangri county, stretched along the north bank of the Tsangpo east of Tsetang, has turned a stretch of sun-blasted riverbank into one of the …
  24. Samye Vegetarian — the Monastery Table of the First Temple Samye Vegetarian — the Monastery Table of the First Temple Shannan Around Samye monastery a quiet tradition of vegetarian kitchens serves pilgrims and monks, and travelers who overnight in the monastery town …
  25. Yamdrok Lamb — the Lakeside Flocks of the Holy Water Yamdrok Lamb — the Lakeside Flocks of the Holy Water Shannan The shores of Yamdrok Tso have grazed sheep for as long as the lake has had a name, and the lamb of Lhotse county is the plate-side result …
  26. Nagqu Cordyceps — the Winter Worm, Summer Grass of the High Slopes Nagqu Cordyceps — the Winter Worm, Summer Grass of the High Slopes Nagqu Nagqu's high grasslands grow what many buyers call the finest caterpillar fungus in the land -- the winter-worm, summer-grass that sprouts …
  27. Changtang Mutton — the Clean Sweet Taste of the High Grassland Changtang Mutton — the Clean Sweet Taste of the High Grassland Nagqu The sheep of the Changtang live harder and taste better for it: flocks of Tibetan sheep graze the northern grasslands year-round at four and …
  28. Juema Rice -- the Sweet Buttered Dish of Honor Juema Rice -- the Sweet Buttered Dish of Honor Nagqu Juema -- the root of a wild pea that grows in high meadow grass, called the plateau's ginseng in folk speech -- turns the humblest plate of …
  29. Tibetan Sweet Tea -- the Glass That Runs the Town Tibetan Sweet Tea -- the Glass That Runs the Town Nagqu Sweet tea is the everyday drink of town life across the plateau -- strong black tea brewed with milk and sugar in great kettles, poured …
  30. Yak Butter -- the Yellow Gold of the High Pastures Yak Butter -- the Yellow Gold of the High Pastures Nagqu Yak butter is the Changtang's yellow gold: churned each season from the milk of high-pasture yaks, pressed into bricks and stored in …
  31. Sweet Tea and the City's Living Room: Lhasa Teahouse Sweet Tea and the City's Living Room: Lhasa Teahouse Lhasa The Lhasa teahouse is the city's living room -- plain rooms of long tables and bench seats where sweet tea, black tea boiled with milk and …
  32. The Flour That Runs the Plateau: Tsampa The Flour That Runs the Plateau: Tsampa Lhasa Tsampa is the food Xizang actually runs on -- roasted highland barley ground into flour, kept in every household's wooden tsampa-box and …
  33. Fuel of the Plateau: Butter Tea Fuel of the Plateau: Butter Tea Lhasa Butter tea, po cha, is the plateau's engine fuel -- brick tea boiled for hours, churned in a tall wooden churn called a dongmo with yak …
  34. Set Curd at 3,650 Meters: Yak Yogurt Set Curd at 3,650 Meters: Yak Yogurt Lhasa Lhasa's yak yogurt is the plateau dessert that needs no help -- whole yak milk fermented overnight into a set, spoonable curd that is …
  35. The High-Protein Table: Yak Meat The High-Protein Table: Yak Meat Lhasa Yak meat is the high-protein backbone of the Tibetan table -- darker and sweeter than beef, with a dense chew that comes from animals that …

Stay0

  1. Where to Stay in Shiquanhe — the Far West's Practical Hub Where to Stay in Shiquanhe — the Far West's Practical Hub Ngari Prefecture Shiquanhe, the prefecture's administrative seat at about 4,300 meters, has the deepest hotel market in the far west, and every route through …
  2. Where to Stay in Purang — Valley Beds Below the Holy Mountain Where to Stay in Purang — Valley Beds Below the Holy Mountain Ngari Prefecture Purang county town lies in the peacock-green valley at about 3,900 meters -- mild by far-western standards -- and makes the southern gateway …
  3. Where to Stay in Darchen — the Pilgrim's Night at the Trailhead Where to Stay in Darchen — the Pilgrim's Night at the Trailhead Ngari Prefecture Darchen, the small town at the foot of Mount Kailash, exists for one purpose: to put pilgrims and trekkers at the trailhead of the kora. Its …
  4. Where to Stay in Zanda — Canyon-Edge Beds for the Ruins Road Where to Stay in Zanda — Canyon-Edge Beds for the Ruins Road Ngari Prefecture Zanda county town -- the small settlement of Tholing above the Sutlej river at about 3,700 meters -- is the base for both the Guge citadel …
  5. Where to Stay in Rutog — the Highway Stop by the Long Lake Where to Stay in Rutog — the Highway Stop by the Long Lake Ngari Prefecture Rutog county town, on the highway toward the Karakoram at about 4,250 meters, is the overnight base for the great blue ribbon of Pangong …
  6. Sleep by the Kora Wall: Tashilhunpo-View Stays Sleep by the Kora Wall: Tashilhunpo-View Stays Shigatse The lanes south and east of Tashilhunpo hold a cluster of Tibetan-run hotels and guesthouses within a ten-minute walk of the monastery gate, …
  7. Business Beds at 3,800 Meters: Shigatse City Stays Business Beds at 3,800 Meters: Shigatse City Stays Shigatse Shigatse's central district around Heilongjiang Road and the Shanghai Square has grown into a corridor of mid-range and business hotels that …
  8. Beds Between the Fortress and the Stupa: Gyantse Old-Town Stays Beds Between the Fortress and the Stupa: Gyantse Old-Town Stays Shigatse Gyantse's old town, at the foot of the dzong rock, keeps a handful of established hotels and courtyard guesthouses within walking distance …
  9. The Cold-Room and the Summit Bed: Dingri Everest Stays The Cold-Room and the Summit Bed: Dingri Everest Stays Shigatse Dingri county's accommodation stretches along the road toward Everest, from the valley villages -- the usual last overnight stop with …
  10. A Night Inside the Grey Walls' Shadow: Sakya Town Stays A Night Inside the Grey Walls' Shadow: Sakya Town Stays Shigatse Sakya's small county town lines the road on both sides of the monastery, and its guesthouses put the grey-striped walls a two-minute walk …
  11. Beds Where Two Rivers Meet: Chamdo City Stays Beds Where Two Rivers Meet: Chamdo City Stays Qamdo Chamdo's accommodation centers on the flat where the two rivers meet, around Chama Square and the main arteries of Karuo district, where a …
  12. Sleep Below the Golden Roofs: Jampa Ling Stays Sleep Below the Golden Roofs: Jampa Ling Stays Qamdo The lanes below and around Jampa Ling Monastery keep a scatter of Tibetan-run guesthouses and small hotels within a ten-minute climb of the …
  13. Dawn Water on the Doorstep: Ranwu Lakeside Stays Dawn Water on the Doorstep: Ranwu Lakeside Stays Qamdo Ranwu town, spread along the G318 at the lake's lower end, has grown into a string of traveller guesthouses and small hotels that fill every …
  14. Warm Nights in the Salt Valley: Mangkang Stays Warm Nights in the Salt Valley: Mangkang Stays Qamdo Yanjing's guesthouses line the terraces above the salt pans and along the old trade lane through the valley, a mix of family inns with …
  15. Grassland Beds at 3,800 Meters: Dengqen Stays Grassland Beds at 3,800 Meters: Dengqen Stays Qamdo Dengqen's county town, a compact grid of streets on the grassland plateau at around 3,800 meters, offers straightforward Tibetan-run hotels …
  16. Where to Stay in Bayi Town — Business Beds at Comfortable Altitude Where to Stay in Bayi Town — Business Beds at Comfortable Altitude Nyingchi Bayi town, the seat of Nyingchi city government in Bayi district, is the region's practical base: a grid of broad streets at around 3,000 …
  17. Where to Stay in Lulang — Timber Lodges in the Forest Sea Where to Stay in Lulang — Timber Lodges in the Forest Sea Nyingchi Lulang town, rebuilt as a purpose-built alpine resort in the forest sea below the Sekyim La, offers the region's most atmospheric night: …
  18. Where to Stay at Basum Tso — Lakeside Rooms Before the Buses Arrive Where to Stay at Basum Tso — Lakeside Rooms Before the Buses Arrive Nyingchi Lodging at Basum Tso splits between the lake itself and the villages along the road in. Around the shore and in Jieba and Cuogao villages, …
  19. Where to Stay in Bomi — the Road Traveler's Favorite Overnight Where to Stay in Bomi — the Road Traveler's Favorite Overnight Nyingchi Bomi county town, strung along the Po Tsangpo valley at a comfortable 2,700 meters, is the road traveler's favorite overnight on the G318: …
  20. Where to Stay at Pai — Village Rooms Under Namcha Barwa Where to Stay at Pai — Village Rooms Under Namcha Barwa Nyingchi Pai town, the gateway to the Yarlung Tsangpo canyon where the road leaves the highway and the river begins its great bend, has grown from a …
  21. Where to Stay in Zetang — the Region's Practical Capital Where to Stay in Zetang — the Region's Practical Capital Shannan Tsetang, the seat of Shannan city government in Nedong district, is the practical capital of the Yarlung valley and its obvious hotel base: …
  22. Where to Stay in Samye — Guesthouses Inside the Mandala Where to Stay in Samye — Guesthouses Inside the Mandala Shannan Lodging in the Samye monastery town is simple and traditional, and that is the point of sleeping here: guesthouse rooms and monastery-run …
  23. Where to Stay at Yamdrok — Beds on the Shore of the Holy Blue Where to Stay at Yamdrok — Beds on the Shore of the Holy Blue Shannan Overnight options around Yamdrok Tso split between Lhotse county town and a scatter of lakeside guesthouses and homestays, and the choice …
  24. Where to Stay in Gyacha — River Beds on the Oracle Road Where to Stay in Gyacha — River Beds on the Oracle Road Shannan Gyaca county town, set in the Tsangpo valley on the road southeast from Tsetang, is the region's base for the drive to Lhamo Latso and for …
  25. Where to Stay in Qonggyai — Quiet Beds in the Cradle Valley Where to Stay in Qonggyai — Quiet Beds in the Cradle Valley Shannan Qonggyai county town, half an hour west of Tsetang under the ridge of the Tibetan kings' tombs, offers a handful of small hotels and …
  26. Where to Stay in Nagqu Town — the Northern Plateau's Practical Hub Where to Stay in Nagqu Town — the Northern Plateau's Practical Hub Nagqu Nagqu town, the seat of the prefecture at about 4,500 meters on the Beijing-Lhasa highway and railway, is the practical hub of the northern …
  27. Where to Stay in Biru — County Beds Below the Glacier Family Where to Stay in Biru — County Beds Below the Glacier Family Nagqu Biru county town, a compact service town of bare hills and whitewashed buildings at about four thousand meters northeast of Nagqu, has grown …
  28. Where to Stay in Baingoin — Gateway Beds of the Northern Namtso Where to Stay in Baingoin — Gateway Beds of the Northern Namtso Nagqu Baingoin county town, the jumping-off point for the northern shore of Namtso and the Sacred Elephant Gate, offers a short row of practical …
  29. Where to Stay in Nyima — Stone Lanes Above the Bon Holy Lake Where to Stay in Nyima — Stone Lanes Above the Bon Holy Lake Nagqu Nyima county town, deep in the western grasslands a full day's drive from Nagqu, is the supply base for Tangra Yumco and the Bon pilgrimage …
  30. Where to Stay in Amdo — the Highest Beds on the Highway North Where to Stay in Amdo — the Highest Beds on the Highway North Nagqu Amdo county town, the first county over the northern border of the region on the Qinghai-Lhasa highway, sits among treeless hills at about …
  31. Sleep on the Circuit: Barkhor Old-Town Stays Sleep on the Circuit: Barkhor Old-Town Stays Lhasa Barkhor old-town stays put the night inside the pilgrim circuit itself -- converted Tibetan courtyard houses and boutique inns with painted …
  32. Wake to the Red Palace: Potala-View Stays Wake to the Red Palace: Potala-View Stays Lhasa The Potala-view stays line the axis north and south of the palace where the city's height limits guarantee the sightline -- boutique hotels …
  33. The Quiet Bend of the River: Xianzu Island Stays The Quiet Bend of the River: Xianzu Island Stays Lhasa Xianzu Island is the quiet alternative -- a residential bend of the Lhasa river south of the center where guesthouses and small hotels sit …
  34. Beds by the Station: Liuwu New-Area Stays Beds by the Station: Liuwu New-Area Stays Lhasa Liuwu New Area is Lhasa's modern counterpoint across the river -- the railway-station quarter, where business hotels of glass and stone …
  35. Sleep Inside the Craft: Tibetan-Villa Hotels Sleep Inside the Craft: Tibetan-Villa Hotels Lhasa The Tibetan-villa hotels are Lhasa's craft answer to the chain room -- courtyard compounds of two or three floors with painted eaves, carved …

Travel0

  1. Mount Kailash — the Pyramid of Snow That Four Faiths Circle Mount Kailash — the Pyramid of Snow That Four Faiths Circle Ngari Prefecture Mount Kailash, the near-perfect pyramid of snow and striped rock that rises to about 6,656 meters over the Purang grasslands, is the single …
  2. Lake Manasarovar — the Sweet Water of the Highest Shrine Lake Manasarovar — the Sweet Water of the Highest Shrine Ngari Prefecture Lake Manasarovar, at about 4,588 meters one of the highest freshwater lakes on earth, lies just south of Kailash and is counted by tradition …
  3. Guge Kingdom — the Citadel That Vanished Above the Sutlej Guge Kingdom — the Citadel That Vanished Above the Sutlej Ngari Prefecture On a cream-yellow hill above the Sutlej gorge in Zanda county stand the walls of the Guge kingdom, a dynasty founded by the royal line of …
  4. Zanda Earth Forest — the Valley That Eroded into Cities Zanda Earth Forest — the Valley That Eroded into Cities Ngari Prefecture The valley of the Sutlej river at Zanda holds one of the strangest landscapes on the plateau: hundreds of square kilometers of earth forest, …
  5. Pangong Lake — the Blue Ribbon of the Border Country Pangong Lake — the Blue Ribbon of the Border Country Ngari Prefecture Pangong Tso is a ribbon of water that runs for well over a hundred kilometers along the high valleys at the western edge of the region, its …
  6. The Seat of the Panchen Lamas: Tashilhunpo Monastery The Seat of the Panchen Lamas: Tashilhunpo Monastery Shigatse Tashilhunpo Monastery spreads across the lower slopes of Niseri Hill on the northern edge of Shigatse, its gold-roofed halls and whitewashed …
  7. The Tower of a Hundred Thousand Buddhas: Palcho Monastery The Tower of a Hundred Thousand Buddhas: Palcho Monastery Shigatse Palcho Monastery, on Gyangtse's northern edge, is best known for the Kumbum, the nine-story stupa officially called the Kumbum of One …
  8. The Fortress on the Rock: Gyantse Dzong The Fortress on the Rock: Gyantse Dzong Shigatse Gyantse Dzong holds the summit of the rock spine at the center of Gyantse, a compact fortress of grey stone walls, crenellated towers and a …
  9. The Grey Fortress of the Second Dunhuang: Sakya Monastery The Grey Fortress of the Second Dunhuang: Sakya Monastery Shigatse Sakya Monastery, about 150 kilometers west of Shigatse, is the seat of the Sakya school and the closest thing the plateau had to an imperial …
  10. Under the Highest Peak: Everest Base Camp Under the Highest Peak: Everest Base Camp Shigatse Everest Base Camp on the northern side sits at around 5,200 meters at the end of the Gawu La switchbacks, a gravel flat between tent …
  11. The Monastery Above Two Rivers: Jampa Ling The Monastery Above Two Rivers: Jampa Ling Qamdo Jampa Ling Monastery crowns the terrace between the Ngom Qu and Dza Chu rivers just above Chamdo's town center, its gilded roofs and …
  12. The Plateau's Earliest Village: Karuo Site The Plateau's Earliest Village: Karuo Site Qamdo Karuo Site, in the village of the same name about twelve kilometers south of Chamdo, is one of the highest-profile Neolithic settlements on …
  13. The Monastery on Six Peaks: Zizhu Monastery The Monastery on Six Peaks: Zizhu Monastery Qamdo Zizhu Monastery clings to the cliffs of Zizhu Mountain west of Dengqen county, a warren of red-and-white temples wedged into six pointed …
  14. The Mirror of the Glacier: Ranwu Lake The Mirror of the Glacier: Ranwu Lake Qamdo Ranwu Lake, beside the Sichuan-Xizang highway at Ranwu town in Baxoi county, is a long glacier-fed lake whose cold blue-green water mirrors …
  15. Salt from the Lancang: The Yanjing Salt Wells Salt from the Lancang: The Yanjing Salt Wells Qamdo The ancient salt wells of Yanjing, in Mangkang county along the Lancang River, hold what may be the plateau's oldest working industry: brine …
  16. The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon — the Deepest Gorge on Earth The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon — the Deepest Gorge on Earth Nyingchi The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon wraps around the massif of Namcha Barwa in a horseshoe bend that drops through the deepest river gorge on …
  17. Namcha Barwa — the Shy Peak of the Eastern Himalaya Namcha Barwa — the Shy Peak of the Eastern Himalaya Nyingchi Namcha Barwa, 7,782 meters, anchors the eastern end of the Himalaya and stands alone above the Tsangpo gorge as the range's great eastern …
  18. Basum Tso — the Green Lake and Its Island Monastery Basum Tso — the Green Lake and Its Island Monastery Nyingchi Basum Tso, set in the upper Ba River valley of Gongbogyamda county, is a cold alpine lake at around 3,480 meters where green water, forested …
  19. Lulang Forest Sea — Spruce, Mist and the Little Switzerland of the Plateau Lulang Forest Sea — Spruce, Mist and the Little Switzerland of the Plateau Nyingchi Lulang means 'dragon king's valley' in Tibetan, and the title fits: a broad glacial valley of spruce and fir so dense, and so green under …
  20. Midui Glacier — Where the Ice Comes Down to the Farm Fields Midui Glacier — Where the Ice Comes Down to the Farm Fields Nyingchi Midui Glacier, in Bomi county's Yupu township beside the G318, is famous for one improbable fact: its ice tongue reaches down into inhabited …
  21. Yumbulagang — Tibet's First Palace Above the Barley Fields Yumbulagang — Tibet's First Palace Above the Barley Fields Shannan Yumbulagang, perched on a lone hill above the Yarlung valley about thirteen kilometers southeast of Tsetang, is honored in Tibetan tradition …
  22. Samye Monastery — the First Monastery and Its Perfect Mandala Samye Monastery — the First Monastery and Its Perfect Mandala Shannan Samye, on the north bank of the Tsangpo in Dranang county, holds a special place in Tibetan history as the first monastery in which local …
  23. Yamdrok Lake — Turquoise Fingers of a Holy Lake Yamdrok Lake — Turquoise Fingers of a Holy Lake Shannan Yamdrok Tso, one of the three great sacred lakes of the plateau, spreads at about 4,440 meters across the mountains of Lhotse county, a …
  24. Lhamo Latso — the Oracle Lake Above the Ridges Lhamo Latso — the Oracle Lake Above the Ridges Shannan Lhamo Latso, the lake of the goddess, is a small alpine water held in a rock bowl at around five thousand meters above the Chokorgye area of …
  25. The Tibetan King's Tombs — Earthen Pyramids of the Yarlung Valley The Tibetan King's Tombs — Earthen Pyramids of the Yarlung Valley Shannan Qonggyai county, a short ride west of Tsetang, preserves the burial ground of the Yarlung dynasty: the tombs of the Tibetan kings, a scatter …
  26. Namtso — the Heavenly Lake and the Elephant Gate of the North Namtso — the Heavenly Lake and the Elephant Gate of the North Nagqu Namtso, the Heavenly Lake, spreads at about 4,718 meters across the border country of Damxung and Baingoin county, and its northern shore -- …
  27. Serling Tso — the Great Lake That Outgrew Them All Serling Tso — the Great Lake That Outgrew Them All Nagqu Serling Tso, at about 4,530 meters, has overtaken every other lake in the region to become the largest in the area -- a vast, shallow sheet …
  28. Sapu — the Glacier Family Above the Lakes of Biru Sapu — the Glacier Family Above the Lakes of Biru Nagqu Sapu, a glacier-hung massif in Yangxiu township of Biru county, has become the most talked-about mountain landscape in Nagqu: a ring of six …
  29. Tangra Yumco — the Deep Blue Heart of the Bon Country Tangra Yumco — the Deep Blue Heart of the Bon Country Nagqu Tangra Yumco, a deep, intensely blue lake at about 4,600 meters in Nyima county, is the holiest water of the Bon tradition, the pre-Buddhist …
  30. The Nagqu Horse Racing Festival — the Changtang in Full Gallop The Nagqu Horse Racing Festival — the Changtang in Full Gallop Nagqu Every August the grassland capital throws its biggest party: the Nagqu Horse Racing Festival, the great Changtang gathering at which …
  31. The Palace on the Red Hill: Potala The Palace on the Red Hill: Potala Lhasa The Potala Palace rides the Red Hill at the center of Lhasa like the city's fixed point -- a thirteen-story, 117-meter pile of white and red …
  32. The Heart of the City: Jokhang Temple The Heart of the City: Jokhang Temple Lhasa Jokhang Temple is the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism and the reason Lhasa means what it means -- founded in the seventh century in the …
  33. One Round of the World: Barkhor Street One Round of the World: Barkhor Street Lhasa Barkhor Street is the circular pilgrim path around Jokhang Temple that grew into Lhasa's old town itself -- a one-way devotional current …
  34. The Jewel Garden: Norbulingka The Jewel Garden: Norbulingka Lhasa Norbulingka, the Jewel Garden, is the park-palace the Dalai Lamas escaped to in summer -- begun in 1755 with the Kelsang Potrang, expanded …
  35. The Debating Courtyard: Sera Monastery The Debating Courtyard: Sera Monastery Lhasa Sera Monastery, founded in 1419 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa, is one of the three great Gelug monasteries of Lhasa and keeps the tradition …