A romantic Tibetan restaurant in Lhasa

Makye Ame is a famous Tibetan restaurant in Lhasa. Located in the southeast corner of Barkor Street in Lhasa, Makye Ame becomes a great attraction with its strong Tibetan characteristics. Especially, the Tibetan singers give excellent performances on the second floor, attracting many foreign guests.
This restaurant endowed with profound culture significance and commercial value is even on the list of must-visit places in Lhasa for tourists. Many foreign tourists like to enjoy the exotic food in the restaurant while watching the ethnic performances, and put down their feelings on its message notebooks. When there was no space on the notebook, some even write their words on a piece of napkin and placed it in the notebook. The restaurant even published their messages on the notebooks, which are available on the downstairs store.
It is a good place to relax after a tiring trip. Another thing you can entertain yourself in Makye Ame is reading the customers' messages and leaving you own. Years later, if possible, you could come back here and recall the memories of your last trip, or you could buy a published version if you want.
Makye Ame, a yellow building, used to the residential place for the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso three hundred years ago. The term Makye Ame comes from his poem, meaning "holy mother", "pure lady" or 'beautiful ancient dream" in Tibetan language.
Makye Ame has witnessed a romantic legend of the sixth Dalai Lama. One day Tsangyang Gyatso was having a rest there when a pretty young girl unveiled the door curtain, looking inside. Her moon-like face shone the tavern, as well as Tsangyang Gyatso's heart. This legend might be the best explanation of why this restaurant is in a romantic atmosphere.

How to get to Tibet from Xiamen

There are many ways to get to Tibet from Xiamen. From next January, you can take direct flights from Xiamen or Fuzhou, with a stopover in Chongqing. From Jan. 15, 2012, Xiamen Airlines will open two new flight routes to Lhasa, Xiamen to Lhasa flight and Fuzhou to Lhasa flight, after an inbound trial flight from Xiamen landed successfully at the Gonggar Airport in Lhasa on December 13th.
The Fuzhou to Lhasa flight is expected to open on January 15th. The flight MF8411 will start from Fuzhou at 7:20am every Wednesday and Saturday and arrive at Lhasa at 12:50pm, making a stopover in Chongqing at 9:45am.
The Xiamen to Lhasa flight is expected to open on January 17th. The flight MF8467 will start from Xiamen at 7:25am every Tuesday and Friday and also arrive at Lhasa at 12:50pm, making a stopover in Chongqing at 9:40am.
The air trip from Fuzhou to Lhasa is expected to take about 5.5 hours, and will cost about 3,000 RMB for a one-way economic ticket. For travellers’ convenience, they can book the air tickets on Internet, and can enjoy 50% discount at the beginning of the operation.
At present, you can take a bus to Guangzhou for around 160RMB and then take a flight or train to Lhasa from Guangzhou. The buses from Xiamen to Guangzhou departs every hour. The flight CZ3463 operated by China South Airline starts from Guangzhou at 9:10am every day and arrives at Lhasa 14:05pm, with a stop over in Chengdu. It costs you around 2500RMB. The train from Guangzhou to Lhasa departs every other day at 12:19 from Guangzhou Train Station, and arrives at Lhasa Railway Station at 18:30 on the third day after over 54 hours covering a distance of 4980 kilometers. It costs around 1500RMB for a first-class sleeper berth, about 900RMB for a second-class sleeper berth and half that for a soft seat.
Or you can take a plane from Xiamen to Xinning for around 1630RMB (the economy class up to 50% discount), and then take a flight or train from Xining to Lhasa. There are several trains from Xining to Lhasa. But most of them start from other cities of China and stop at Xining Train Station generally for 20 minutes. Only two trains, K9801 and K9811, start from Xining to Lhasa. The train K9801 from Xining to Lhasa departs every other day at 15:02 from Xining Train Station, and arrives at Lhasa Railway Station at 14:55 on the second day after over 24 hours covering a distance of 1960 kilometers, while the K9811 starts every other day from Xining at 22:00 and reaches Lhasa at 21:40 on the second day. It costs around RMB800 for a first-class sleeper berth, about RMB500 for a second-class sleeper berth and half that for a soft seat.
You also can fly straight from Xiamen to Chengdu, and then from Chengdu to Lhasa by train or by flight. The train from Chengdu to Lhasa departs every other day at 20:59 from Chengdu Train Station, and arrives at Lhasa Railway Station at 16:50 on the third day after nearly 44 hours covering a distance of 3348 kilometers. It costs around RMB1100 for a first-class sleeper berth, about RMB700 for a second-class sleeper berth and half that for a soft seat. There are more than 10 flights from Chengdu to Lhasa in peak travel season and 5 flights in low travel season, from early morning to late afternoon. The full price for one way flight ticket is 1500RMB and the airport tax is about 190RMB, while the roundtrip flight tickets Chengdu-Lhasa-Chengdu unusually at 70-90% of the full price.

New flight routes to Lhasa – Fuzhou and Xiamen to Lhasa Flights to Open from Jan. 15, 2012

From Jan. 15, 2012, Xiamen Airlines will open two new flight routes to Lhasa, Xiamen to Lhasa flight and Fuzhou to Lhasa flight, after an inbound trial flight from Xiamen landed successfully at the Gonggar Airport in Lhasa on December 13th.
The Fuzhou to Lhasa flight is expected to open on January 15th. The flight MF8411 will start from Fuzhou at 7:20am every Wednesday and Saturday and arrive at Lhasa at 12:50pm, making a stopover in Chongqing at 9:45am.
The Xiamen to Lhasa flight is expected to open on January 17th. The flight MF8467 will start from Xiamen at 7:25am every Tuesday and Friday and also arrive at Lhasa at 12:50pm, making a stopover in Chongqing at 9:40am.
The air trip from Fuzhou to Lhasa is expected to take about 5.5 hours, and will cost about 3,000 RMB for a one-way economic ticket. For travellers' convenience, they can book the air tickets on Internet, and can enjoy 50% discount at the beginning of the operation.

See another flights to Lhasa

Friendship Highway - The Road from Kathmandu to Lhasa

The Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway is a celebrated road from Kathmandu to Lhasa, renowned for its scenic wonders. This famous international road travels gently up to Kodari (1873m) from Kathmandu (1300m), before leaving Nepal to make a steep switchback ascent to Zhangmu (2300m), the Tibetan border town. The road then climbs to the top of Tong-la (5120m) and continues to Tingri (4390m), and then down to Shigatse and Lhasa(3510m). The road forks at Tingri, with one branch extending south to Rongphu Monastery near Everest Base Camp and then forks again, with another branch heading west to the city of Ali in west Tibet.

The highway from Kathmandu to Lhasa is very well paved and maintained by Chinese government so it will be a pleasant journey by overland to Lhasa from Kathmandu.
The overland route from Kathmandu to Lhasa is also an ideal route taking in most of Tibet's main culture cites, Sakya, Gyantse, Shigatse and Lhasa. Highlights en route are Sakya monastery - the largest monastery in Tibet, Shigatse - Tibet's second largest city, Tashilungpo Monastery - the seat of Panchen Lama, Shalu Monastery, Gyantse (Tibet's ancient trading hub) and the beautiful Turquoise Lake - Yamdruk Tso which is Tibet's largest freshwater lake.
Some tourists will feel the effects of Altitude Mountain Sickness in varying degrees. AMS begins at 2,000 meters, becomes pronounced at 3,500 m and requires adjustments for each 400 m above that. If not treated quickly, it can be fatal. The 1000 km long Friendship Highway, from Kathmandu to Lhasa, goes through seven passes over 3500 meters, four of them rising over 4000 m, one over 5000 m. Therefore, you have to know how to avoid AMS before setting your feet on the road.
The symptoms of AMS appear at different levels of elevation, like headache, feeling heart beating fast, shortness of breath, lack of appetite, thirsty, dizziness, fatigue or weakness, hard to fall a sleep, etc.
To prevent the occurrence of altitude sickness, visitors should have a proper rest and avoid strenuous activities days before they go to high altitude.
Visitors (with a severe cold, a high fever, acute or chronic pulmonary diseases, severe cardiovascular diseases), women in late pregnant and kids under three years old should avoid traveling to regions with a high altitude.
Do not smoke and drink alcohol during acclimation.
Do not take shower at the first two days of Lhasa to avoid catch cold.

A new world’s highest-altitude airport in Tibet's Plan

Tibet plans to build a new world’s highest-altitude airport an altitude of 4,436 meters in Nagqu prefecture, 102 meters higher than Tibet Bamda Airport, currently the world’s highest.
Spectacular Landscape of Tibet seen on a flight to Tibet.

What is the best way to get to Tibet

It becomes easier and easier to get to Tibet. At present, tourists to Tibet can go to Tibet by train, by air and by overland. Some tourists may wonder which one is the best way to get to Tibet in the face of multiple choices. Generally, getting to Tibet by train or by plane is the most common choice.
Some people believe that getting to Tibet by railway contributes to high altitude acclimatization. However, it is not exactly true that taking a train to Tibet can reduce the impact of altitude sickness for the train is pressurized, with oxygen pumped in; therefore the train is like that travelling at low altitudes, and you will only feel the affect of altitude when you arrive in Lhasa. Nevertheless, it is true that going to Tibet by train do contribute to a tour of a lifetime, with more spectacular scenery.
Now tourists can go to Tibet by train via the Qinghai-Tibet railway, from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xining and Xi’an. Travelling to Tibet by train can be a wonderful experience of riding the world’s highest altitude railway. The whole Tibet train journey is full of countless breathtaking sceneries. There are 45 stations along the 1972 km long Qinghai-Tibet railway from Xining to Lhasa and every station has unique scenery. To provide travellers better opportunity to enjoy the stunningly beautiful scenery on that way, scenery-viewing platforms have been set up at nine stations, which includes: Yuzhu Peak Station, Chumaer River,Tuotuo River, Buqiangge, Tanggula Mountain, Lake Namtso, Nagqu, Damshung, Yambajan. The train will stay for around 15 minutes in each station.
While for those tourists who just get a short holiday and want to spent their holiday in Tibet, taking a flight to Tibet is advisable in order to save time. By plane to Tibet is the easiest way to get to Tibet with just few hours from China mainland or from Nepal. At present there are direct flights to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shangri-la, Kunming, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xian, Xining and Kathmandu, and from flights to Nyingchi in southeast Tibet and to Ngari in western Tibet from Chengdu.
Besides, tourists can get to Tibet visa highway. At present, there are totally 5 highways to Tibet, namely Qinghai-Tibet Highway connecting Xining and Lhasa, Xinjiang-Tibet Highway connecting Yecheng and Lhasa, Sichuan-Tibet Highway connecting Chengdu and Lhasa, Yunnan-Tibet Highway connecting Kunming and Lhasa and Sino-Nepal Highway connecting Kathmandu and Lhasa. Of course, by overland to Tibet takes much more time than going to Tibet by train or plane. However, tourists can enjoy the stunning scenery and take pictures on the way more freely. They even can make a detour to some remote places to search new sights and experience. The more remote area, the more inaccessible and the more beautiful it is.
Therefore, it is difficult to say what is the best way to get to Tibet. When you get more time, why not go to Tibet by train to have an eyeful of the breathtaking scenery along the world’s highest railway and get a lifetime experience of the engineering miracle regarded by Forbes. But being a busy guy, flying to Tibet within two hours is absolutely your best choice. While for those who enjoy to challenge themselves, it is a great chance to get to Tibet train by overland.

First cinema at the roof of the world's roof - Ngari of Tibet

The first cinema in Ngari prefecture of Tibet was built at the average elevation of 4,500 meter in July, 2010. Ngari is known as the roof of the world's roof for its high elevation. Supported by the Apple Foundation, the cinema was named "Ngari Apple 17.5 Cinema" as it has cost 1.75 million.
The cinema covers an area of 654 square meters with one screening room and 105 seats. An updated collection of films will be screened here to enrich the entertainment of people on the plateau.
Limited by the natural environment, local villagers in Nagri barely have any entertaining life. The "Nagri Apple 17.5 Cinema" will become the main bridge between the local people and the outside world.
The Apple Foundation is dedicated to improve the educational and medical conditions in Ngari and has invested 20 million yuan in the establishments of public libraries, schools and cinemas in the agricultural and pastoral areas in Ngari.
Ngari in western Tibet is home to dozens of holy lakes and mountains in Tibet such as the Mt. Kailash and the Manasarovar Holy Lake.

The region still remains mysterious and untouchable for its high elevation and remote location. However, its splendid landscapes, typical customs and the strong air of Buddhism, still attract many adventurers from home and abroad to leave their footprints there.

Barkhor Street in Lhasa listed as top ten historical streets in China

Barkhor Street is located in the old area of Lhasa City of Tibet Autonomous Region. This well-preserved circular street area surrounding Jokhang Temple has strong religious and cultural flavor, which makes Barkhor Street a popular destination for both pilgrims and locals. Everyday, we can see many pilgrimages walking clockwise in the street, holding the prayer wheels. Some of them even move forward body-lengths by body-lengths.
Barkhor Street is also a business center. Numerous shops stand on both sides of the street and thousands of vendors can be found on every corner, selling religious articles, traditional Tibetan clothes, Tibetan knives, 'Thangka' (Tibetan scroll painting) and other souvenirs.

With a history of over 1,300 years, the street was built and developed in concert with Jokhang Temple. Jokhang Temple was built in 647 by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo (617 - 650), and it quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims.
The large number of pilgrims gradually wore a path, which was the origin of Barkhor Street. To this day, many pilgrims can be seen there holding prayer wheels and walking clockwise around the temple from dawn to dusk.
Composed of 35 major or small streets, the street has a circumference of roughly 1,000 meters. It is paved with hand-polished stone boards, and traditional Tibetan buildings stand on both sides, giving a traditional flavor of Lhasa. Despite its relative narrowness, the street accommodates thousands of tourists every day and has become a symbol of Lhasa.

Tibetans celebrate Butter Lamp Festival 2011

Thousands of butter-lamps were burning in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, Dec. 20, 2011. Tibet on Tuesday celebrated its annual Butter-lamp Festival, which falls on the 25th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan calendar every year in commemoration of Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, who passed away on the 25th of the tenth month in Tibetan calendar in 1419.
Yesterday, Tibetan monks lit butter lamps on the top of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet, to celebrate the Butter Lamp Festival with believers gathering on the Barkhor Street in the evening.

Thousands of believers are gathering at the Barkhor Street around the Jokhang Temple to celebrate the Butter Lamp Festival.

Direct flight from Beijing to Lhasa is put into operation

A new direct flight from Beijing to Lhasa and Lhasa to Beijing went into operation on last Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. This non-stop flight between Beijing and Lhasa is expected to boost tourism in Tibet. Previously, the flight from Beijing to Lhasa had to stop for refueling in Chengdu, Sichuan province.
The direct flight to Lhasa from Beijing shortens the distance between Beijing and Tibet, shaving two hours off the travel time from Beijing to Lhasa by air.
The direct flight leaves Beijing at 8:05 am and arrives at Lhasa at 12:25 pm, with returning flights leaving the region at 1:15 pm and landing in the capital at 5:05 pm. An economy class ticket costs 2,430 yuan, the same as the flights that stop in Chengdu.
The aircraft with about 130 seats has been modified to cope with flying from Lhasa airport, which sits 3,700 meters above the sea level.
Tourists also can take a train from Beijing to Lhasa, which is also a wonderful journey.

Lhasa train tickets available online

Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company began to sell tickets online since Dec. 10, 2011. Tourists can purchase T express train tickets to and out of Lhasa online, such as the trains from Beijing to Lhasa, Shanghai to Lhasa, Chengdu to Lhasa, Guangzhou to Lhasa. Passengers can log on at www.12306.cn, the ministry’s official online ticket-booking website, to buy train tickets. When registering the website, only four valid identity documents are practicable, namely ID card for Chinese resident, permit for Hongkong and Macao resident, permit for Taiwan resident and passport. However, for foreign travellers to Tibet, asking travel agencies to book train tickets for them should be an advisable choice as the train tickets are usually sold out several days before the departure and Tibet travel permit is required for boarding the train to Lhasa. Tibettravel Org offers Train Tickets Booking Service Online.

What to eat when travelling in Tibet

When pay a visit to Tibet, do not forget to have a good taste of the food on the Tibetan plateau. It might be an insteresting part of your trip to Tibet for Tibetan food can help you to know more about local Tibetans' life and culture.
Food in Tibet differs in different areas of this region. The staple food in Tibet includes roasted highland barley flour, wheat flour, meat, or red food, and milk, or white food. The principle in summer is the white food, while that in winter is the red food. Local flavors in the pastoral areas are mutton sausage, and dried beef. The flavor of the Tibetan food is fresh, light, and tender. Salt, onion, and garlic are the main ingredients.
Traditional Tibetan food consists mainly of barley, meat and dairy products. Vegetables are scarce in the high altitude. Tsampa is the staple food of Tibetan people, which is consumed daily. Tsampa is actually barley flour made from parched barley, un-husked and ground into fine flour. Mix the flour with salted butter tea in a bowl, rotate the bowl with the left hand and mix the food with the fingers of your right hand, rolling it into small lumps, and squeezing it into your mouth with your fingers. Other ingredients may also be added to add flavor.
Tibetan people eat Tsampa at every meal, and when traveling, it is brought along as a ready made meal. The salted butter tea is an indispensable Tsampa companion. Boiled tea is poured into a long cylindrical churn along with salt and yak butter, and vigorous churning makes the ingredients well blended and ready to serve. Tibetan people drink it throughout the day. Yak butter is a very important food for Tibetans. It is separated from yak milk by hard churning, and after the butter is separated from the milk, the residue becomes sour and can be made into milk curd, which is a nice thirst quencher and can be made into a delightful milk curd pastry with bailey flour.Yoghurt is an important dietary meal for Tibetan people. The creamy milk produced by yak cows is superb. Tibetan nomads in the eastern Tibet manufacture their yoghurt in a special process. The milk is boiled first, and after removed from the stove, some old yogurt is added in. and yogurt will form in a few hours. Yogurt has been a Tibetan food for more than 1.000 years.
Dried beef and mutton stripe is also popular food in Tibet. In the winter, beef and mutton are cut into long stripes and hung in shaded areas to be air-dried. The dried meat is crisp and tastes good, and can be eaten raw, since the cold temperature in the winter has killed bacteria during the process.Big sides of beef and mutton boiled with salt, ginger and spices are also popular food among Tibetans. They take the meat and cut them with their knives. The guests will be treated with breasts and spareribs. If you are treated with a tail of white sheep, it means that you are deemed as their guest of honor.Blood, meat, flour and liver sausages are also favored by many Tibetans. Other food stuffs include Momo (Tibetan dumplings), Thenthuk (Tibetan noodles), and yak tongue.
When you are in Tibet, you can find many restaurants in Lhasa, Shigatse, and Tsedang, All restaurants of various classes are decorated and furnished in the traditional Tibetan style. You can enjoy delicious Tibetan dishes while admiring paintings and murals symbolizing happiness and good luck in the restaurants. High on the menu are such flavors as sausages, barley wine, butter oil tea, beef and mutton eaten with the hands, yak tongue, steamed buns, zanba made from highland barley, pastries, sweet tea, butter tea, dried beef, and xiapuqing, or minced mutton and beef.
At present time, in many Tibetan towns, in Lhasa for example, Tibetan food is supplemented by Chinese food, mostly Sichuan food. Vegetables and fish become available in market. However, Tibetan people seldom eat fish due to their religion and custom. Restaurants serve Tibetan, Chinese, and even western food, mushroom in the streets to accommodate tourists. In Lhasa Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn), the restaurant provides Chinese, Indian, Nepalese and western food. Kailash, Tashi, Snow Lands, Dunya (former Crazy Yak), and Makye Ame are popular among Travelers in Lhasa. The choice for vegetables will be limited due to the short agricultural season.
After a tired trip from one site to another, I suppose many tourists wanna serve themselves with a drink. Tea, salted butter tea, sweet milk tea are popular beverage in Tibet. Hot boiling black tea filtered is decanted into a churn, and then fresh milk and sugar are added.Vigorous churning turns out a light reddish white drink. There are many tea shops in Lhasa serving the sweet milk tea. Tibetan barley beer, called Chang is popular among all Tibetans. The beer is mild, slightly sweet and sour and contains little alcohol. The beverage is worth trying. Soft drinks and beer are also available in Lhasa. However, do keep away from alcohol on your first day in Lhasa. Otherwise, you might spoil your Tibet tour for alcohol is not good for you to acclimate to the high altitude of Tibet.
More Tibet travel advice

Tibetans Celebrate Fairy Festival on Nov.10

Last Saturday, Tibetan celebrated their traditional Fairy Festival. The Fairy Festival in Tibet is believed to be a festival of women, so it is also known as the “Women’s Festival” in modern Tibet. The Fairy Festival in Tibet is celebrated on Oct. 15 in the Tibetan calendar, when various kinds of religious activities are held. On this day, girls and women are dressed up to make pilgrimages in temples, present Khadas to their respected angels, treat themselves to go shopping, have magnificent food, and particularly, ask for money from men to donate to the fairies. They can ask for money from any man they meet, who has to be very generous with their money on this day so that they can be endorsed with good luck in the coming new year. While in family, parents have to give money to children on this day as gifts to celebrate their plentiful harvest in autumn and the coming of a new year. And Tibetan People gather around at Jokhang Temple and women all dressed up with beautiful traditional clothes singing and dancing.

Tibetan women are dressed up with beautiful traditional clothes singing and dancing around at Jokhang Temple to celebrate their Fairy Festival.

Breathtaking Scenery along Qinghai-Tibet Railway

The Qinghai Tibet Railway is not only famous for its hard construction condition and unique location at high altitude, but also for the spectacular sceneries along the railroad. The Qinghai-Tibet railway traverse three ranges-Kunlun, Tanggula and Nyainqentanglha Mountains, and numerous rivers and lakes. The attractions along this world's highest railway are really marvellous and breathtakingly majestic. For the convenience of those who travel to Tibet by train, 9 among the 34 railway stations from Golmud to Lhasa have sightseeing platforms.
If you take a train travel to Lhasa, Tibet, the whole journey deserves your time. The followings are a list of the main great attraction along the Qingzang Railway (Qinghai-Tibet Railway).

Qinghai Lake with Bird Island

Location: Approximately 150km away from Xining (about two and half hours drive from Xining)
Altitude: 3200 meters above sea level
Area: About 4456 square meters
Highlights: Bird Island with flocks of birds, Haixin Hill, Haixi Hill, Sankuaishui (Three Stones), and Sand Island.
Tips: If you have a short stay in Xining, it is one of your best choice.

Ta'er Monastery


Location: About 25 kilometers away from Xining
Highlights: One of Tibetan Buddhism's six largest Gelugpa monasteries, birth place of the founder of Gelugpa, Tsong Khapa; various religious ceremonies throughout the year.
Tips: Another choice for your short stay in Xining.

Chaerhan Salt Lake


Location: 750 kilometers away from Xining
Altitude: 2200-2670 meters above sea level
Area: About 5856 square kilometers
Highlights: 32 kilometers of the Qinghai Tibet Railway running over the lake; the largest salt lake in China; salt crystal, salt bridge, salt house, reflection of clouds, mountains, tents of nomad and herds in and around the lake.

Kunlun Mountains

Nearby Station: Yuzhufeng, Wangkun
Altitude: Between 5,500 and 6,000 meters above sea level
Highlights: The first range that the Qinghai Tibet Railway traverse; the largest mountain system in China, perennially snow-covered peaks.

Kunlun Mountain Pass

Location: 160 kilometers away from Golmud
Nearby Station: Wangkun, Bugongquan ( the Pass is between these two stations)
Altitude: 4764 meters above sea level
Highlights: The first pass on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Kunlun Mountain Pass, rare animals leaping and skipping on the snow and grassland.

Hoh Xil Depopulated Area

Nearby Station: Qumar River, Wudaoliang, Xiushui River
Altitude: above 4,000 meters
Area: 4,500 square kilometers
Highlights: Largest depopulated area in China, various species of wild animals

Tuotuo River

Nearby Station: Tuotuo River
Highlights: The origination of Changjiang River; bamboo-shaped ice bars, ice-bridges, icy lakes.

Tanggula Mountain Pass

Location: about 203 km away from Tuotuo River Town
Nearby Station: Tanggula
Altitude: 5072 meters above sea level
Highlights: The highest point along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and natural boundary between Qinghai and Tibet

Changtang Grassland

Location: Nagqu Prefecture, Tibet
Nearby Station: Tanggula, Zagya Zangbu
Altitude: over 4500 meters above sea level
Highlights: One of the five biggest pastures in China; rich land for plants and paradise for wild animals, a place for holding local annual horse-racing festival.

Lake Namtso

Location: In Damxung County, Lhasa
Nearby Station: Damxung
Altitude: 4,718 meters above sea level
Highlights: Famous holy lake in Tibet, the second largest salt lake in China and the highest-altitude salt lake in the world; Blue lake and white mountains under blue sky.

Yangpachen Hot Springs

Nearby Station: Yangpachen
Highlights: highest-temperature hot springs, boiling springs and geysers and common hot springs.

Qinghai-Tibet Railway Itself
Lastly, it is undeniable that the Qinghai-Tibet railway itself is a great attraction. You couldn't help admiring this world famous project when you see the up to 50 meters bridge-Sanchahe Bridge (Nearby Station: Chinatai, Yuzhufeng) which is the first Takahashi of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the 11.7 km-long Qingshui River Bridge (Nearby Station: Budongquan, Qumar River) across as a rainbow in the Hoh Xil Depopulated District, the world's longest plateau permafrost tunnel- Kunlun Mountain Tunnel (Nearby Station: Yuzhufeng, Wangkun), the world's highest-altitude Fenghuoshan Tunnel (Nearby Station: Gyangkedong, Riar Chi Qu) and so on.

Tibet plants

Tibet is like a giant plant kingdom, with more than 100,000 species of high-grade plants. Many of them are rare and endemic. These plants include about 2,000 varieties of medical herbs used in the traditional medicinal systems of Tibet, China and India. Rhododendron, saffron, bottle-brush tree, high mountain rhubarb, Himalayan alpine serratula, falconer tree and hellebonne are among the many plants found in Tibet.
There are 400 species of rhododendron on the Tibetan Plateau, which make up about 50 percent of the world’s total species. According to scientists, the Tibetan Plateau consists of over 12,000 species from 1,500 genera of vascular plants, which accounts for over half of the total genera found in China.
Tibet is also one of China’s largest forest areas, preserving intact primeval forests. Almost all the main plant species from the tropical to the frigid zones of the northern hemisphere are found here. Forestry reserves exceed 2.08 billion cubic meters and the forest coverage rate is 9.84 percent. Common species include Himalayan pine, alpine larch, Pinus yunnanensis, Pinus armandis, Himalayan spruce, Himalayan fir, hard-stemmed long bract fir, hemlock, Monterey Larix potaniniis, Tibetan larch, Tibetan cypress and Chinese juniper. There are about 926,000 hectares of pine forest in Tibet. Two species, Tibetan longleaf pine and Tibetan lacebark pine, are included in the listing of tree species under state protection. There are more than 1,000 wild plants used for medicine, 400 of which are medicinal herbs most often used. Particularly well known medicine plants include Chinese caterpillar fungus, Fritillaria Thunbergii, Rhizoma Picrorhizae, rhubarb, Rhizoma Gastrodiae, pseudo-ginseng, Codonopsis Pilosula, Radix Gentiane Macrophyllae, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, glossy ganoderma, and Caulis Spatholobi. In addition, there are over 200 known species of fungi, including famous edible fungi songrong, hedgehog hydnum, zhangzi fungus, mush rooms, black fungi, tremellas and yellow fungi. Fungi for medical use include tuckahoes, songganlan, stone-like omphalias.

Tibet wild animals and birds

The mountains and forests of Tibet are home to a vast range of animal life found only in Tibet. There are a variety of wild animals in Tibet, about 142 species of mammals, 473 species of birds, 49 species of reptiles, 44 species of amphibians, 64 species of fish and more than 2,300 species of insects.
Famous Tibet wild animals include Cercopithecus, Assamese macaque, rhesus monkey, muntjak, head-haired deer, wild cattle, red-spotted antelopes, serows, leopards, clouded leopards, black bears, wild cats, weasels, little pandas, red deer, river deer, whitelipped deer, wild yaks, Tibetan antelopes, wild donkeys, argalis, Mongolian gazelles, foxes, wolves, iynxes, brown bears, jackals, blue sheep, and snow leopards.

Tibetan antelopes with elegant posture 

 A wild yak is enjoying sunshine beside a lake.  

The Tibetan antelope, wild yak, wild donkey and argali are all rare species particular to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and are under state protection. The white-lipped deer, found only in China, is of particular rarity. The black-necked crane and the Tibetan pheasant are under first-grade state protection. Wild yak is one of rare species particular to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and under state protection.
These rare and threaten animals include: the snow leopard, Tibetan takin, Himalayan black bear, wild yak (drong in Tibetan), blue sheep, musk deer, golden monkey, wild ass (kyang in Tibetan), Tibetan gazelle, Himalayan mouse hare, Tibetan antelope, giant panda and red panda.
In Tibet, there are over 532 different species of birds in 57 families, which is about 70 percent of the total families found in China. Some of the birds include: storks, wild swans, Blyth’s kingfisher, geese, ducks, shorebirds, raptors, brown-chested jungle flycatchers, redstarts, finches, grey-sided thrushes, Przewalski’s parrotbills, wagtails, chickadees, large-billed bush warblers, bearded vultures, woodpeckers and nuthatches. The most famous being the black-necked crane called trung trung kaynak in Tibetan. Unfortunately, without the Tibetan sense of enviromentalism, several of these birds are threatened with extinction.

An Excellent Trip of Nepal-Tibet-China

Margit and Roman are an old couple from USA. In their feedback of a trip from Nepal to Tibet and China, they thought highly of their trip advisor Dawn Tang and the services offered by Tibettravel.org.

Altitude of Tibet, How to Avoid High Altitude Sickness in Tibet

Most of the areas of Tibet are with high altitude over 3000 meters above sea level. Therefore, you may encounter high altitude sickness when traveling in Tibet. If you are planning a trip to Tibet, do have a good preparation on avoiding altitude sickness.
First you’d better get a general idea about the altitude of main cities and towns in Tibet.

City	Altitude (m)	City	Altitude (m)
Lhasa	3650	Pomi	2750
Shigatse	3836	Nyingchi	3000
Gyantse	4040	Tsedang	3500
Chamdo	3240	Tingri	4300
Amdo	4800	Shiquanhe	4300
Nagqu	4507	Purang	3700
Damxung	4200	Rutog	4250

Here are some tips for you to prevent high altitude sickness.
1) Avoid catching a cold before entering Tibet;
2) Try to have a good sleep at the night before entering to Tibet;
3) Dont conduct many activities on the first day of your arrival in Tibet;
4) Walk slowly and drink extra fluids after getting off the airplane;
5) Light and high carbohydrate meals are recommended for more energy;
6) Dont drink alcohol or smoke in the high altitude area.
7) Climb up to higher altitude slowly.
More information about how to travel in Tibet from Tibettravel.Org