Archive for the ‘Gyantse Travel’ Category

Gyantse County and Road Trip to Shigatse

Friday, September 3rd, 2021
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Soon we see an archway written with the welcoming words ”The Ancient Gyantse Town Welcomes you!”.

So After the 103km scenic and therapeutic drive from Nagarzêto County to Gyantse, we arrive at Gyantse at 2pm and all feel much hungry after hours’ driving and sightseeing on the way.

Gyantse Kitchen Restaurant for lunch

There are several restaurants in Gyantse downtown offering western food. We choose Gyantse Kitchen for our lunch. Actually this restaurant mainly offers Nepalese food.

ABC of Gyantse

Gyantse (or Jiangzi) is now a county under the administration of Shigatse Prefecture. The Gyantse Town is located 250km southwest of Lhasa and 100km southeast of Shigatse.

It takes about 5 hours to drive from Lhasa to Gyantse and 2 hours to drive from Gyantse to Shigatse.

The Location of Gyantse County (Google Map)

Gyantse is normally considered the third largest town and historically one of the most important regions in Tibet. It has the important transportation hub linking Lhasa, Shigatse and Yadong.

The Shanghai Road in Gyantse

With the government policy of “Go West and Develop West”, Gyantse has been entitled to the huge support from othe developed cities and provinces in China incuding Shanghai, which has given Gyantse the greatest assistance in terms of finance and technology. The main road in Gyantse is named “Shanghai Road” in praise of the efforts made Shanghai government.

People and Weather in Gyantse

The majority of the residents are Tibetans, accounting for 98%. Other ethnic groups include Han and Hui.

According to the seventh national Census, as of midnight on November 1, 2020, the permanent population of Jiangze County ( Gyantse ) is 68,650.

The local Tibetan villagers in Gyantse County

Gyantse County belongs to plateau temperate semi-arid monsoon climate zone with distinct dry and wet seasons. It has abundant and concentrated rain in summer, warm and wet, and sufficient sunshine and strong solar radiation in winter.

The daily temperature difference is big but the annual temperature difference is small, and the frost-free period is short. Annual sunshine hours 3189.8 hours, annual frost-free period of about 110 days, annual precipitation 291.1 mm.

Attractions in Gyantse

Gyantse is a must to visit place for most first time travelers in Tibet. People either go from Lhasa to Gynatse or go from Shigatse to Gyantse, or from the Nepalese and Chinese border city – Zhangmu Town.

Gyantse lies in the north of the middle section of Nyang Chu River (年楚河), a tributary of Yula Tsangpo River and surrounded by the continous mountains in the north and south. The major attractions in Gyantse include Gyantse Dzong Fort ( 江孜宗山), the Palcho Monastery (白居寺)and Palha Manor (帕拉庄园).

Gyanstse is full of fertile land with the Nyang Chu River running to the south of Gyantse from west to east. Gyantse is a much developed agricultural county, which is acclaimed as the hometown of barley in the world.

The dominating sight in Gyantse is the Gyantse Dzong perched on a high hill in the west of the town.  Basically you can see it wherever you go in the downtown of Gyantse.

Gyantse Dzong Fort ( 江孜宗山)

After lunch, we are arranged to visit Palha Manor, 2km in the southwest of Gyantse town. We pass the bridge over Nyang Chu River.

Nyang Chu River

Palha Manor (also Pala Manor) is the only remaining manor in the old time in Tibet. It once belonged to one of the three nobilities in Tibet. Before Tibet’s liberation, Palha family had 37 manors, 12 farms, over 30,000 mu of land, 3,000 serfs, in Gyantse, Kangma and Bairang.

The entrance to Palha Manor

Now in the remaining manor there are a three-storey building with a residence area of 5,000 square meters. 82 rooms and serf yards and some well preserved property.

The remaining buidlings of Palha Manor

Butlers Room. The manor once had a senior butler, outside butler and inner butler. They had a great power and were responsibel for the host’s life and all trifles around the manor. 

Butlers Room
Kitchen for serfs

Road Trip to Shigatse

After finishing our short trip to Palha Manor, we continue our road trip to Shigatse, 100km northwest of Gyantse.

Continue our road trip to Shigatse, about 100km northwest of Gyantse.
It is an easy driving from Gyantse to Shigatse along the smooth asphalt road

It is an easy driving from Gyantse to Shigatse along the smooth asphalt road teemed with trees and barley fields.  

Gyantse Travel Tips

1. Where to stay in Gyantse
1) Gyantse Hotel 0892 – 8172222 2)
Wutse Hotel 0892 – 8172888 3)
Jian Zang Hotel 0892 – 8172324

2. Where to dine in Gyantse
1) Gyantse Kitchen 0892 – 8176777
2) Tashi’s 0892 – 8827512

3. Gyantse Shopping
Carpets

Hassle-free Lhasa & Tibet Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Lhasa and Tibet:

Lhasa Tour
Tibet Travel
Lhasa Tibet Group Tour
Lhasa Tibet Private Tour
Beijing Lhasa Tour
Lhasa China Tour

Further Readings

Best Time to Visit Lhasa
Top 10 Attractions in Lhasa
Lhasa Tourist Traps, Tourist Scams Lhasa
Where to stay in Lhasa
Makye Ame Lhasa Restaurant – Your Kitchen in Lhasa
Lhasa Airport, Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Xian Lhasa Flight Experience, Xian Lhasa Flight
Lhasa Railway Station Transportation, Taxi, Public Bus
Get around in Lhasa with Pedicab or Trishaw
lhasa Taxi
Best Places to Take Picture of Potala Palace Lhasa

4-Wheel Drive Trip from Lhasa to Ranwu
Tips for Visiting Drak Yerpa (Tips, Photos & Map)
The Pilgrim Kora in Lhasa, Lhasa Pilgrim circuits
How to Visit Sera Monastery in Lhasa
Beijing Road in Lhasa
Lhasa River in the City of Lhasa (Tips, Photos & Map)
Lhasa Great Mosque, the Mosques in Lhasa
Lhasa Yamdrok-Tso Lake Road Trip

Qushui Bridge in Qushui County, Tibet (Tips, Photos & Map)
Nagarzê County and Scenic Road Trip to Gyantse
Gyantse County and Road Trip to Shigatse

Any questions, just drop a line.

Nagarzê County and Scenic Road Trip to Gyantse

Thursday, September 2nd, 2021
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Plan your Tibet travel? Langkazi County (also known as Langkazi County and Nangartse County) is a must place you have to pass by if you are going to visit Yamdrok Lake and Gyantse . It is a county administered by Shannan Prefecture in Tibet.

ABC of Nagarzê County

Nagarzê County ( also called Langkazi or Nangartse County) is located in the north of the middle Himalaya Mountains, bordering Bhutan. Langkazi County lies in a basin surrounded by high mountains in four sides with average altitude of over 4500m.

Yamdrok Lake in Nagarzê County

Nagarzê in Tibetan means “white nose tip, indicating the snow capped mountains in the town. There are 6 mountains higher than 6000m with Noijin Kangsang being the highest 7,206m.

The entrance to Langkazi County ( Nagarze County)

The azure and holy lake – Yamdroke Lake is located in Langkazi County. A 20-minute drive or 2 hour walk from the town Langkazi brings you to a nice and charming place – Samding Monastery.

The downtown of Nagarzê County, a two-horse street

Langkazi (Nangartse) is in the middle of the drive way between Lhasa and Gyantse . So many Chinese tourist groups will stop here for a short break after visiting Yamdroke Lake from Lhasa before getting to Gyantse County.

Scenic Drive from Nagarzê to Gyantse

Langkazi (Nangartse, or Nagarze) is a small town with basic accommodations and a few restaurants. Most foreign visitors would drive another two hours to Gyantse for lunch.

There are 6 mountains higher than 6000m in Langkazi County

To go to Gyantse from Langkazi (Nagarze County), you have to climb over Karola Pass (5042m). Karola Pass is the divided line between Gyantse County and Langkazi County.

Nagarze (Langkazi or Nangartse) Road Trip Tips

  1. Lhasa – Yamdroke Lake 110km
  2. Yamdroke Lake – Langkazi (Nangartse) 51km
  3. Nagarze (Langkazi or Nangartse) – Gyantse 103km
  4. Gyantse – Shigatse 94 km
  5. Tourims Enquiry: 08048-7382221

Now follow our bus driving on the magnificent scenic road from Nagarze to Gyantse.

At the border between Nagarze County and Gyantse County lies the Noijin Kangsang.

We drive along the provincial highway No.307 and at the border between Nagarze County and Gyantse County lies the Noijin Kangsang.

Noijin Kangsang is the highest peak ( 7,206m) of Lhagoi Kangri mountain range (拉轨岗日山) in the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. It is also one of the four great snow mountains in the middle of Tibet. It lies between the Yarlung Tsangpo River, Yamdrok Lake and the Himalayas mountain range.

The best time for mountaineering for Noijin Kangsang Peak is from April to May or September to October. On April 28, 1986, Sang Zhu, Bian Ba, Jia Bu and other 12 members of the Chinese Tibet mountaineering team reached the summit for the first time along the southwest ridge route from the southern slope of the peak.

There are about 116 glaciers around the Ningjin Anti-sand peak, covering an area of 118.82 square kilometers, and ice and snow often collapse. The Karola Glacier (卡若拉冰川) is the largest of these, measuring 9.4 square kilometers.

The 5042-meter Karola Pass

After leaving the downtown of Nagarze County, we first cross the 5042-meter Karola Pass and come under the glacier tongue of the Karora Glacier.

The Karola Glacier

The front edge of the glacier tongue is 5560 meters above sea level, and the place where you can see the Karola Glacier is about 5400 meters above sea level. It is a suspended glacier formed after the Noijin Kangsang peak glacier drifting southward.

Driving through wih the Karola Glacier overhead
DrIve along Highway No.307 for Gyantse
We are passing through Smira Pass 4330m
We are approaching Gyantse Coutnty

Hassle-free Lhasa & Tibet Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Lhasa and Tibet:

Lhasa Tour
Tibet Travel
Lhasa Tibet Group Tour
Lhasa Tibet Private Tour
Beijing Lhasa Tour
Lhasa China Tour

Further Readings

Best Time to Visit Lhasa
Top 10 Attractions in Lhasa
Lhasa Tourist Traps, Tourist Scams Lhasa
Where to stay in Lhasa
Makye Ame Lhasa Restaurant – Your Kitchen in Lhasa
Lhasa Airport, Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Xian Lhasa Flight Experience, Xian Lhasa Flight
Lhasa Railway Station Transportation, Taxi, Public Bus
Get around in Lhasa with Pedicab or Trishaw
lhasa Taxi
Best Places to Take Picture of Potala Palace Lhasa

4-Wheel Drive Trip from Lhasa to Ranwu
Tips for Visiting Drak Yerpa (Tips, Photos & Map)
The Pilgrim Kora in Lhasa, Lhasa Pilgrim circuits
How to Visit Sera Monastery in Lhasa
Beijing Road in Lhasa
Lhasa River in the City of Lhasa (Tips, Photos & Map)
Lhasa Great Mosque, the Mosques in Lhasa
Lhasa Yamdrok-Tso Lake Road Trip

Qushui Bridge in Qushui County, Tibet (Tips, Photos & Map)
Nagarzê County and Scenic Road Trip to Gyantse

Any questions, just drop a line.

Qushui Bridge in Qushui County, Tibet (Tips, Photos & Map)

Thursday, September 2nd, 2021
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Qushui Bridge is the first modern bridge over Yalu Tsangpo River, a crucial bridge in Tibet. It is located Qushui County, about 60km south of Lhasa and 27km west of Lhasa Gonggar Airport.

Qushui Bridge is a crucial bridge in Tibet. (Google Map)

Qushui County

The name “Qushui” comes from “Jimai” in Tibetan language in ancient times, which literally means “the land where rivers meet”. Quishui County has been the transportation hub connecting Lhasa with Shannan, Nyingchi and Xigaze since ancient times. The county was established in 1959.

We pass through Qushui County

The Yalu Tsangpo River flows under the Qushui Bridge from west to east. Lhasa River, an important tributary of Yalu Tsangpo River, meets Yalu Tsangpo River at Qushui County.

Qushui Bridge

Qushui Bridge was open to the public on August 01, 1966, the first modern bridge over Yalu Tsangpo River. The bridge is 300 meters long and 10 meters wide. All the major roads in Tibet pass by or over Qushui Bridge.

We are going to cross Qushui Bridge

Starting from Lhasa, driving cross Qushui Bridge and turning left, you will get to Lhasa Gonggar Airport 27km away from Qushui Bridge; turning right, you will get to Yamdroke Lake in 41km, Nanggartse County in 91km, Gyantse in 187km and Shigatse in 287km.

Our bus is driving on the Qushui Bridge from north to south.

If you don’t crosss the Qushui Bridge and drive west at the north of Qushui Bridge, you will easily get to Shigatse in 196km along the National Highway No.318.

We drive though Qushui Bridge, and turn right to the dierction of Yamdrok Lake .

We drive though Qushui Bridge, and turn right to the dierction of Yamdrok Lake. Yamdrok Lake is situated within Langkazi County (Nangartse) of the Shannan Region of Tibet on the way between Lhasa and Gyantse – 110km southwest of Lhasa and 140 east of Gyantse.

We drive though Qushui County ( Qushui Bridge) and get to Yamdrok Lake.

Hassle-free Lhasa & Tibet Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Lhasa and Tibet:

Lhasa Tour
Tibet Travel
Lhasa Tibet Group Tour
Lhasa Tibet Private Tour
Beijing Lhasa Tour
Lhasa China Tour

Further Readings

Best Time to Visit Lhasa
Top 10 Attractions in Lhasa
Lhasa Tourist Traps, Tourist Scams Lhasa
Where to stay in Lhasa
Makye Ame Lhasa Restaurant – Your Kitchen in Lhasa
Lhasa Airport, Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Xian Lhasa Flight Experience, Xian Lhasa Flight
Lhasa Railway Station Transportation, Taxi, Public Bus
Get around in Lhasa with Pedicab or Trishaw
lhasa Taxi
Best Places to Take Picture of Potala Palace Lhasa

4-Wheel Drive Trip from Lhasa to Ranwu
Tips for Visiting Drak Yerpa (Tips, Photos & Map)
The Pilgrim Kora in Lhasa, Lhasa Pilgrim circuits
How to Visit Sera Monastery in Lhasa
Beijing Road in Lhasa
Lhasa River in the City of Lhasa (Tips, Photos & Map)
Lhasa Great Mosque, the Mosques in Lhasa
Lhasa Yamdrok-Tso Lake Road Trip

Qushui Bridge in Qushui County, Tibet (Tips, Photos & Map)

Any questions, just drop a line.