Lhasa Travel Tips

1. The climate of the city is mild, without severely cold winters or extremely hot summer. The average temperature is about 8 degree Celsius. Summer and autumn are the most comfortable time in Lhasa.
2. People get to Lhasa and get away from Lhasa is by air or by bus. They will be able to take train to Lhasa very soon. It is convenient for tourists to get to Tibet by air. Lhasa Gonggar Airport is 97 kilometers away from Lhasa City. It takes about 2 hours to get to downtown Lhasa by bus and the fare is 20 Yuan.
Getting around Lhasa is better to take mini-bus. That is the cheapest wayand the fare is 2 Yuan no matter how far you go.
3. Regarding food, besides Tibetan diet, all styles of cooking including Chinese, Indian, Nepalese and western food can all be enjoyed here. Tibetan diet, Sichuan cuisine, northwest wheaten food, northeast cuisine is most typical. Featured restaurants are Yak Cafe in Lhasa Hotel, Xueshegong Restaurant (Snow Deity Palace) (Tel: 0891-9003803), etc.
4. Lhasa has many special local products. They are Tibetan Thangka, Tibetan silver ornaments, yak wool, Dzi bead, aweto, milk products, Tibetan liquor and Lhasa sweet tea as well as various handicrafts and Tibetan medicines. The famous shopping places are Barkhor Street Bazar, Big shops beside the Jokhang Temple Square. etc.
5.Bank of China, Construction Bank and Agriculture Bank set their branches in Lhasa. Agriculture Bank has the most banking outlets and branches of Construction Bank has been connected with a network. There’s a branch of Construction Bank at the west junction of the square of the Potala Palace. The ATM has been hooked up to the network and you can draw cashes with credit cards there.
The office hours of the bank is from 9:00 to 12:00 am and 15:00 to 18:00 pm. If you withdraw money with credit cards, you’d better avoid Saturdays and Sundays.
Place for converting foreign currencies: 33 East Jinzhu Road Post code: 850000

Shigatse Travel Tips

Shigatse is sunny and mild with yearly average temperature of 6.3 - The period from May to July is the best time to travel in Shigatse.
Foreign currencies cannot be directly used in Shigatse yet and all expenditures must be settled with RMB. The Bank of China in Middle Liberty Road and receptionist in hotels can convert foreign traveler's checks and cash, and also can cash foreign credit cards into RMB. Pay attention that if you are heading for Ali, it is the last opportunity to cash your traveler’s check. Besides, you can change your rupee at 1:8.89 in Zhangmu but at only 1: 8.4 in Jiademandu.
China Construction Bank, Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China have established branches in Shigatse, while it is also advisable to open a postal saving card for convenience. In addition, there are ATMs in the city, though not very convenient.

Nagqu Travel Tips

Nagqu has an annual average temperature of -0.9°C to -3.3°C. From November to March the air is dry, the temperature low. The area is exposed to violent sandstorm. From May to September, Nagqu is relatively warm and enjoys good weather. It is also the best time for tourist.
The highway from Lhasa to Nagqu is part of the Qinghai-Lhasa highway and the whole journey takes about 4 to 6 hours. Transportation networks in Nagqu are relatively complete and well-equipped. In the long-distance bus station, there are regular buses from Nagqu to Lhasa, Damxung, Golmud and other places. Tourist can also renting cars to get around.
Special products in Nagqu mainly include jak, north Tibet sheep, ghee, dried meet, trachoma, aweto, caladium, snow lotus flower and a lot of ethnic handicrafts. Store of Nagqu Ethnic Products Exploration and Development Head Company is a popular store features all handicrafts.It locates at 92Gaoyuan Road, Nagqu Town.

Nyingchi Travel Tips

1. Due to the severe sunlight on the plateau and wide temperature division between day and night, you are highly advised to carry long sleeves, sweater, jackets, sunglasses, sun cap, sun blocking cream, lip cream, Aspirin, medicine for cold and digestion etc. The best tourist season: from April until October.
2. The best option for touring Nyingchi is to follow the route from Lhasa to Nyingchi for its best high way condition and gorgeous landscape.
3. At present bus or car is the only means of transportation to enter Nyingchi and some parts of Nyingchi are even only accessible on foot though most of the town and villages are well linked by highway networks.
4. The tourists can buy all the Tibetan daily life utensils in the shops opened by the Kangba People on the 500 meters long “Hong Kong Street - in Bayi whichi is a very important logistic center in the southeast of Tibet.
5. As most other parts of Tibet, the Sichuan Cuisines is the most popular. The Sichuan restaurants are even ubiquitous. Small ones are cheaper while some more expensive and better one does offer fantastic Sichuan food. Good options are “the Tan Family’s Dish - the - Sichuan Restaurant - in the eastern part of the Shenzhen Avenue and “the Red Mansion - apposite the public security office.
6.Bayi boasts the most advanced banking facilities and services in the region though; it has only two banks, i.e. the Construction Bank and the Agriculture Bank and both have no ATMs. The postal saving here offers deposit-and-withdraw in different locations service, but you are still advised to carry cash. The foreign visitors should especially take note that they cannot exchange foreign currencies here.
7. Most parts of the prefecture have Internet cafes, even in the remote county of Bomi. The well-known Internet cafes in Bayi are “the Red Lantern - “the Time Celebrities Club - and “the Hongdu Teahouse Internet Café -

Lhokha Travel Tips

1. Lhokha is of moderate dry climate.The four seasons are distinctive. The temperature reaches its highest, a little more than 20oC, from June to August. But the temperature difference between day and night is 10 oC or so, sometimes more than 20 oC. December and January are the coldest months and the temperature may drop to -10 oC. The best time for tourists is from June to August. You can wear the same amount of clothes as you do in Lhasa as the temperature is almost the same as that in Lhasa.
2. A road network with Tsetang Town as the center has been built up, connecting 12 counties and extending to most villages. Traveling to this area, tourist can take flights to Lhasa. Buses shuttle between Lhasa and Tsetang everyday. The distance between is about 200 km. The price for one trip is about 27 Yuan.
3. Different from the rest of Tibet, food in Lhokha is dominated by Sichuan cuisine. The Sichuan cuisine restaurants can be seen everywhere, with inexpensive dishes up to you taste. All the restaurants represent local features in decoration, both the high grade and low grade. The Tibetan food includes all kinds of sausages, Qingke (highland barley) wine, buttered tea, Yamdrok air-dried meat, cold yak tongue, steamed stuffed bun, roast sausage, air-dried meat, Xiapuqing ( a kind of minced meat), all sorts of cakes and sweet tea, milk tea, sour milk.
4. There are no shopping malls in Lhokha, travelers can purchase what they need in the shopping centers in most of the local hotels. However, for the tourist souvenirs, you are advised to buy at Bajiao street in Lhasa city.
5. Many hotels have affiliated recreations facilities such as KTV, tea house, bowling house, cyber room, parlor room, which are comparatively high charged. Such hotels are Jinsui hotel, Lhokha Hotel, Tsetang Telecommunication Hotel, Tsetang hotel and Lhokha Postal Hotel.

Ngari Travel Tips

1. The appropriate time is May, June, September and October. It is not advisable to go there in July and August, which is the rainy season. Rains could ruin the road from Lhasa and Yecheng (which is in Xinjiang) to Ngari. It is sometimes the rainy season as early as in May in the Yecheng-part of the Xinjiang-Tibet highway. The conditions of the roads from Shiquanhe Town to the counties in Ngari Prefecture are not good. Since the Xinjiang-Tibet highway will be blocked by snow during winter and spring (from late October or early November to early April), it is impossible to go there during the time.
2. Highway transport is the main transport in Ngari.
3. In Ngari, the standard of accommodation is poor. Baths are only available in Shiquanhe Town.
4. The Ngari diet belongs to the system of Chiang cuisine. Chiang cuisine tastes salty, light, fresh, sour and delicious. The Chiang food can help people adapt themselves to the cold climate of the plateau. It is expensive for tourists to have dinner in Ngari. Due to the poor conditions along the way to Ngari, tourists should also take along with them some food, such as honey, condensed milk, spices, ship biscuits, canned food, chocolate, fruits (apples), vegetables (such as carrots, cucumbers), drinking water, instant noodles, hams and so forth.

Chamdo Travel Tips

1. Chamdo has an elevation of 3240 meters, with a yearly average temperature of 7.06 degree, - 2.5 in January and 16.3 in July.
2. In winter, tourists should take enough heavy clothes to keep from cold while in summer it is advisable to take some sweaters and woolen trousers.
3. Take some medicines for daily use according to one’s health conditions, such as medicine for cold, diarrhea, sunburn and medicine against the oxygen deficit.
4. Doctors who practice western medicine in town can be found in Chamdo People’s hospital. Telephone: 0895-4821745
Features: orthopedics, radiography, stomatology, ophthalmology
5. Laundry services are available in the following address:
Jiajie Laundry, which is right opposite the road from Chamdo Hotel Qiangli Laundry, in Western Chamdo Road Chenfei Laundry, opposite the Kangsheng Hotel 6. People’s Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China and China Construction Bank all has their branches in Chamdo, yet it is not so convenient to change foreign currencies there. Foreign tourists are supposed to bring enough RMB. Agricultural Bank of China, Chamdo Branch, telephone: 0895-4822752, fax: 0895-4822752
7. Related books
Chamdo Xinhua Book Store, in Western Chamdo Road, opposite the Chamdo Post Office and the China Telecommunication business hall.
Maps of Tibet, published in 1995 by the Chinese Mapping Publishing House, describes all the 11 counties in Chamdo, with brief introduction to the major attractions and natural resources in these regions, a book for moderate tourists.
An Outlining of History and Geography in Chamdo, Tibet, published in 2000 by the Tibetan People’s publishing house, has an overall introduction for the history, civilizations and religions in Chamdo, a good book to learn the history of Chamdo.