Tibet, known as the roof of the world is a place of exotic beauty and splendor and is known to be every traveler’s dreamland. This land of the Buddhists upholds to its century long traditions, the mysterious culture and the pure, untouched, virgin beauty.
Here are some of the best top things to see, do and experience while you are on a Tibet tour.
- Trek Mount Kailash
Trek Mount Kailash is one of the most demanding challenges for pilgrims. The trek route in Tibet in known as the Kora that is sacred to the four religions like the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Tibetans. Western travelers and Chinese travelers who travel to Tibet and Lake Mansarovar join the Hindus and the Buddhists. The Mt Kailash Kora starts at charm-free village of Darchen and opens up to unending stretches of barren land and lush green valleys and snow-capped peaks and pristine blue lakes. The average altitude of trekking in Tibet is nearly 5,000m and is a challenge and also requires challenge, tenacity and perseverance. Food is available on the trek and thus hikers can enjoy the trek to their hearts content.
- Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & Sera Monastery in Lhasa
The Potala Palace is one of the most recognized symbols of Tibet. The majestic white and red building that is set against the gray and green mountains and the blue sky are viewed as an iconic image of the world. The Potala Palace is a huge treasure house where you can view various materials and articles from Tibetan history, religion, art and culture. The palace is also known for its famous sculptures, murals, and statues of Buddha, antique collections and religious jewelry. This Palace is definitely a must see attraction that is included in almost all tour itineraries on your visit to Tibet. Only a limited number of entries are permitted each day to protect the building. The visiting time to the Palace is limited to one hour per group.
The Jokhang temple is also known to be a sacred temple for the people of Tibet. Pilgrims travel from all over Tibet to this sacred temple and they prostrate themselves in front of the temple and also revolve the temple in a clockwise direction. A visit to the Jokhang temple is a must on your visit to Tibet.
If you are a holy person then you must visit the Sera monastery. This is definitely a not to be missed spot by travelers to Tibet. The monks in their traditional orange robes gather in the courtyard of the monastery each afternoon and they also make interesting gestures during a debate. This debate, however, does not take place on Sundays. Do not miss out on this interesting part of Tibet.
- Views of Mt. Everest
Mountain Everest is the highest mountain of the world and to watch it from nearby is every travelers dream. Most of the travelers can stay around for 30 minutes or so and then take photos from the base camp and admire the beauty of the mountains. The high altitude makes it cold and chilly. The journey to Mount Everest is a long and a tiring trip from Shigatse and it is worth making.
Mount Everest is not suitable for people who suffer from heart ailments, asthma patients, old people and people who are weak hearted. The biggest problem is altitude sickness and almost all people are affected by this problem at altitude 5,200 meters. It is expensive to travel to the Mountain Everest and some people prefer to travel in groups to share the price. A private tour operator is expensive but they take care of everyone individually and also respond to any kind of health issues.
- Riding the Rails to Lhasa
Taking the railway route to Tibet is a lifetime experience for foreign people who are visiting by train for the first time. The railways tours is one of the most common and popular ways of travel that offers some of the most dramatic views of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. People who are looking forward to an adventurous journey along with scenic beauties and cultural experiences can take the train route as it also provides various opportunities to meet people from all over the world. Plus an added advantage is that taking the train route will help travelers get used to the high altitude gradually. This way they will not feel uneasy and become more comfortable in the environment.
You can enjoy the spectacular views of the snow-capped Himalayas and the glazing glaciers along with endangered wild life animals like Tibetan antelopes, Wild horses and eagles, nomad families and scattered villages at the foot of the mountains.
- Namsto Lake
The Namsto Lake, which is also known as the heavenly lake, is a mountain lake situated on the border between the Damxung County of Lhasa prefecture-level city and Baingoin County of Nagqu Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This sacred lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in China. Visitors and its purity should not miss the touching beauty of the lake and beauty is considered to be the symbols of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
This lake is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet and is famous for its high altitude of around 4720 meters and covers a vast area of 1961 square kilometers with its beautiful scenery. This is the second saltwater lake in China and is the biggest lake throughout Tibet. Five islands are known to stand in the water area.
The water of this lake is crystal clear sky blue in color and the clear skies join the surface of the lake at a distance and create an included scenic view. This is one of the most beautiful views that you should not miss out on with its deep grottos, long subways full of stalactites and funny rocks, steep peaks, natural stone ladders and other different kinds of landforms.
- Saga Dawa Festival
If you are visiting Tibet, you should definitely be a part of the Saga Dawa festival. The Saga Dawa festival honors the life of Lord Buddha. People celebrate this festival in many countries and it is considered as a holiday in many as well. In China the non-Tibetan Buddhist celebrates this holiday on 10th May and people in Tibet celebrate the festival on 15th June.
The main activities of this festival are visiting temples, raising a tall prayer pole, which is called the Tarboche Prayer Flagpole and lighting butter lamps for the grand occasion. The old prayer flagpole is taken down near Kailash Kora each year and a new one is out up every year. This is a tall flagpole that is hung with hundreds by colored prayer flags. Each prayer flag represents a prayer that someone wants fulfilled. The Saga Dawa Festival marks the beginning of a holy month.
- Lhasa to Kathmandu by Overland
The Lhasa Kathmandu is a classic friendship tour that covers most of the historical sights in Tibet and offers some of the most scenic natural beauties of Tibet and the great Himalayan range .It features a roller coaster ride through the Kathmandu valley and this famous tour allows people to experience exotic Tibetan culture and spectacular lakes and mountains. This classic tour is around 1000 km and this well-organized trip can be done in just 7 days and this takes you to some of the most famous places in Tibet. This travel season starts from April to June and all the way to early September and late Oct.
- Ganden to Samye Monastery Trekking
The Samye Monastery was the first monastery that was built in Tibet and this was the place where the Tibetan Buddhist monastery was established. There are numerous frescos, sculptures and prayer wheels inside the monastery. This monastery is set in a valley that is surrounded by barren mountains and sand dunes. The scenery around this monastery is strikingly beautiful.
- Yak-butter Tea
The Yak butter tea is a traditional Tibetan tea that is drunk with a purpose. This hot and steaming flavored tea helps to survive in the high altitudes and the thin and cold air. This tea helps to keep people warm and cozy and it gives people energy, fat and calories. This tea is drunk on a daily basis and is flavored. Yak butter is expensive and difficult to obtain in winter as it freezes because of the fat content. This famous and delicious drink of Tibet is worth a try by every visitor to Tibet.
- Yamdrok Lake
The sacred Yamdrok Lake lies among the flanks of Dull gray and green mountains and glows with various colors like Turquoise. This is a sacred lake that helps the Tibetans find the reincarnated soul of the Dalai Lama. This lake is a small and a quiet freshwater lake with a maximum depth of 60 meters. The best time to visit this lake is around April to November and the activities are photography, bird watching and hiking. This is a pretty lake with its body engulfed by mountain slopes.
These are the top ten things to do and experience when you are on a journey to Tibet. So if you are planning on one such awesome trip to the rooftop of the world you now definitely know what all you need to do to make the most of your trip.
