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Home → China Travel Guide → Lhasa Travel Guide → Linzhi Prefecture Travel Guide

Linzhi Prefecture Travel Guide

Location: Famous as the Switzerland of Tibet, Linzhi Prefecture is located in the southern part of Tibet.

Population: 164,300

Area: 117,000 square kilometers

Nationalities: Tibetan, Men Ba, Luo Ba

History: Named “Gongbu” in the ancient time, Linzhi prefecture has a long history, which can be traced back to 4000 or 5000 years ago. Along Niyang river, some human stones and grave groups were discovered, which indicate at that time the human in Linzhi prefecture engaged in agriculture, having a resident life.

Climate: Linzhi has a semi-humid tropical climate with plenty of sunshine and rainfall. The summer is not extremely hot, while the winter is not bitterly cold. The average temperature is 8.7°C, while the average annual precipitation totals approximately 650 mm.

Transportation: Transportation in Linzhi mainly relies on highways and on the airport. There are two highways connecting Linzhi with the outside world, namely the 345 km Linzhi-Ranwu Highway and the 472 km Zedang-Linzhi Highway. Linzhi Airport, which opened in 2006, operates scheduled flights to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.

Local Specialties: Barley wine, Yougua melon, Tibetan melon, common yam, lotus brake, wooden bowl of Moinbas, bamboo weavings, stone work of Lhohas and pottery

Local Food: Tsampa, yak butter and butter tea

Major Attractions:
Lhasa River – As one of the five major tributaries of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Lhasa River originates from Nyainqentanglha Mountain on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is 551kms long and its drainage area covers nearly 30,000 square km. Lhasa River is a place for Tibetan to have a bath and wash their clothes in the seventh month of the Tibetan calendar. During this Bathing Festival from Garmagun in the east to Sahu in the south and Rainbow Spring at the foot of the Sera Monastery, people are enjoying their bathing and washing.



Mila Pass – With a altitude of 5013.25 meters, Mila Pass is cover with snow all the year. The south line of Sichuan-Tibet highway passed through it.





Nyang River – The Nyang River is a major river in south-west Tibet and the longest tributary of the Yalung Tsangpo river. The Nyang has a length of 307.5kms and originates at 5,000 meters above the sea level from the Cuomuliangla, west of the Mila Mountain. With an average flow of 538 cubic meters per minute, it has an aquatic power potential of 2.08 million kilowatts. Its largest tributary is the Ba River.

Batsom Lake - Located 360 km east of Lhasa, 50km north of the 318 highway and 120km west of Bayi Town, Basomtso Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the east of Tibet. At a sea level of 3,469 meters, the lake covers an area of about 26 square kilometers with a maximum depth of 60 meters. The sky-blue lake water and the verdant mountains around the lake create a tranquil and splendid scene all year around. The Basomtso Lake is a holy lake for the  Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Nyingmapa, also called the Red Hat Sect.



Great Cypress Nature Reserve - Covering a total area of 130 mu (21 acres), the nature reserve was established in 1982 to protect the vast forest of hundreds of huge cypresses. It's not unusual for the trees to reach a height of 30m (98 ft) and a diameter of 1m (3 ft). The king cypress, which is more than 2,500 years old, is nearly 50m (164 ft) high and 5.8m (19 ft) thick. As the largest and oldest tree in the forest, it is believed to be the 'life tree' of Tonpa Shenrab, founder of Bon. The cypress forest is venerated as a holy land by the local Bonpos, and throughout it you can see colorful prayer flags hanging from the trees, as well as piles of mani stones.

Bayi Town - Lying on the bank of the Niyang River, Bayi Town is the administrative seat of Nyingchi, located 406 kilometers east of Lhasa.As a developing industrial city in eastern Tibet, it is the site of the Nyang River flows south of the town. Bayi town used to be a a small town with a wool mill, a power plant, a timber mill, a paper mill, a building material factory and other factories, as well as a hospital, a school and a bank. Now the formerly sparsely populated small town has become a thriving new town in the forest zone.



Lunang Forest – Lunang means “Palace of the Dragon King”, where you can find an immense evergreen sea of primeval forest and flowers blooming all over the place. Horse riding is offered on an fended meadow area. Guests can also enjoy traditional accommodation inside those Tibetan-styled colorful tents where local Tibetans will offer khadas and wine to you when singing blessing folk songs.

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