Traversing Tibet in Winter

This weekly sponsored blog post is brought to you by Country Holidays.

To learn more about tours and packages, please email beijing@countryholidays.com.cn
or call 8587 9263.
 

After traveling for hours on the impossibly rugged and barren landscape, a lonely and colorful monastery stood on a rocky outcrop in the middle of nowhere. Locals in their traditional dressing making their pilgrimage towards the temple, walking three steps and then prostrating with five points of body contact with the ground, stood up, walked another three steps, prostrated again, repeating endlessly ... Such a scene is common here in Tibet and where else can you witness display of such strong faith or you feast on such superlative scenery?

Indeed, Tibet has always been “The Journey” for many in China, if not the world. It is described as the Roof of the World or the Moonland or adventurer’s last frontier. 

But how about winter in Tibet? Visiting this harsh and inhospitable land is already an adventure and doing it at the depth of winter? Surprisingly, winter to many is arguably the best time to see Tibet.

It will not be your tank-top and shorts holiday, but the mercury is actually above freezing, and with sufficient clothing, you get to enjoy many pluses compared to visiting in summer, such as the outstanding landscape of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau coated in white snow. While Lhasa may be cold for most of us in winter, it is warm for the mountain nomads and thus they gather here making Lhasa its colorful best. And what’s better still is that you do not have to confront the mass of tourists like in summer.

Landing in Lhasa and after a night of acclimatization, we start our Tibetan journey with a bang at the Potala Palace. Rising above the roof of Old Tibet, standing proudly on a hilltop against the clear blue Tibetan sky, this is the most iconic Tibetan structures. The literally hundreds of rooms are a treasure trove of Tibetan artifacts, leading UNESCO to list the area as a world heritage site.

We move onto Jokhang Temple, right in the heart of old Lhasa, and most important temple in Tibet – its heart and soul. The buzzling Bharkor Circuit around the temple is both a route taken by the pilgrims as well as tourists. Circle it and enjoy the hive of human activity from monks and pilgrims chanting to tourists and locals bargaining with the many merchants.

You can also make two excursions out of town: Ganden Monastery, the seat of head of Gelukpa sect stands at 4,500m and offers an enjoyable hike to experience rural life in the surrounding Tibetan villages. The second excursion to magical turquoise Yamdrok Lake is about two hours out of Lhasa, crossing the 4,750m Kampala Pass.

History and culture, landscapes, and portraits ... well, no trip is complete without shopping! And Tibet has much to offer even in this area. Local crafts are renowned and unique, and include Tibetan carpets, tangka paintings, colorful chests and tables. Spend the last day shopping on the Bharkor Circuit to bring home memories of this stunning trip.

For this tour, please click: Five Days Lhasa & Yamdrok Lake – Roof of the World (Winter Special!) 

To learn more about tours and packages, please email beijing@countryholidays.com.cn or call 8587 9263 and log onto: www.countryholidays.com.cn.

Written By: Chang Theng Hwee
Photos: Courtesy of Country Holidays