Beautiful Tibet, 2020 Western China Tour (Part 2): Lhasa, Namtso, Nyingchi
October 20, 2020: Arrived in Lhasa in the afternoon. Due to a flight rescheduling, it was already 7 p.m. after checking in. I had originally planned to see the night view from Potala Palace Square, but halfway there I was already out of breath. Remembering all the warnings about altitude sickness, I decided not to push it. I took a photo of the Potala's beautiful silhouette in the twilight and called it an early night.
Tip: For this flight to Lhasa, I bought a ticket without free checked baggage. I had to pay extra to check my 20-inch suitcase. So when booking flights, always read the rules carefully, including details about luggage and meals.
October 21: Got up early and walked through Zongjiao Lukang Park to the south gate of the Potala Palace. The park has a lake, also called 'Dragon King Pond'. The reflection of the Potala in the lake at dawn was extraordinarily beautiful.
In the park there's a plant called 'Zhang Daren Flower'—an interesting name, though I don't know its origin.
Walking through the park brought me to the Potala Palace, perched on Maburi Mountain (Red Hill). At 3,700 meters above sea level, it covers 360,000 square meters of land and 130,000 square meters of floor space, with about 1,267 rooms and over 800 underground halls. It is the world's highest palace, fortress, and monastery complex, an architectural marvel built into the hillside with tiered buildings—an outstanding example of ancient Tibetan architecture. The main building is 117 meters tall, with 13 external stories and 9 inner floors. It is divided into the White Palace (the living quarters of the Dalai Lamas) and the Red Palace (housing chapels and stupas of successive Dalai Lamas). The square in front is the world's highest urban plaza.
The Potala was originally built by Songtsen Gampo of the Tubo Kingdom to welcome Princess Wencheng. It was rebuilt during the rule of the Khoshut Khanate, a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and expanded upon by successive Dalai Lamas. It served as their residence, a religious site, and a place to enshrine their stupas.
Looking up from the foot of the hill, it is majestic and imposing.
Tip: On the right at the base of the hill there is a treasure exhibition hall, filled with exquisite and lavish items, but photography isn't allowed. I suggest visiting it first.
Climbing Red Hill, you can gaze across to the opposite Chakpori Hill, where the first Tibetan medical school and Princess Wencheng's residence once stood. They no longer exist.
The walls of the Potala are distinctive: the red sections are made from baima grass, a local millennia-old thatch. The white parts contain butter and milk. The black curtains are made of yak wool.
The Potala is built of timber, earth, and stone. The outer walls are 2–5 meters thick, and some underground walls are 8–9 meters thick. There are six springs on Red Hill that provide water for firefighting, so there are no water vats like at the Forbidden City. The tour route includes the Eastern Sunlight Hall (a residence expanded by the 13th Dalai Lama in his later years, on the top floor of the White Palace), the Great Mercy Buddha Hall, the Mandala Hall (with a mandala at the center and murals around), the Longevity and Joy Gathering Hall (with the throne of the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, and a thousand statues of Amitayus Buddha in wall niches), the Guru Hall (enshrining statues of renowned Tibetan gurus), and the Western Great Hall, among others.
Several generations of Dalai Lamas lived here, and after their passing their bodies were preserved in stupas, many made of gold weighing several kilograms and studded with rubies, turquoise, coral, agate, amber, dzi beads, and other gemstones. Their value is immeasurable. The entire Potala is said to house over 200,000 cultural relics, more than 2,500 volumes of scriptures, and a vast collection of books. Many scriptures are made from Stellera chamaejasme (a hardy grass), which resists rot and insects.
Tip: when visiting the Potala, definitely get an audio guide or join a tour. During the explanation, you'll learn about the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism: the Red Sect—Nyingma (key figure: Padmasambhava, around the 8th century), the Yellow Sect—Gelug (key figure: Tsongkhapa, around the 15th century), the White Sect—Kagyu, and the Flower Sect—Sakya, etc.
In the afternoon, I visited Jokhang Temple (Barkhor Street). It's said that Jokhang Temple came first, then the city of Lhasa. This shows its importance. With over 1,300 years of history, it holds a supreme position in Tibetan Buddhism. Legend says it was built using earth carried by goats.
Jokhang Temple feels utterly resplendent.
Inside are countless Buddha statues: Songtsen Gampo, Padmasambhava, the Maitreya Hall (housing a small, delicate Maitreya statue; during the annual Great Prayer Festival, this statue is carried along Barkhor Street for circumambulation), Medicine Buddha, the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteshvara, Future Buddha, Tsongkhapa, Amitabha Buddha, and many others. The sandalwood doorframes in many halls are a unique feature of Jokhang. Most precious of all is the 12-year-old life-sized golden statue of Shakyamuni in the main hall. There were originally three life-sized statues of Shakyamuni—at ages 8, 12, and 25. The 25-year-old statue was lost long ago. The 8-year-old statue, originally in Ramoche Temple, was damaged and restored by the 10th Panchen Lama in 1986. Only the 12-year-old statue remains the most intact and precious. Many Buddhists' lifelong wish is to see this statue. Unfortunately, the hall was dim and the statue was quite distant, so it was hard to see clearly. But a group of monks happened to be chanting in front of it, which felt like a bonus.
The luckiest part was lingering a bit longer—at 5 p.m. there was a debate session right here. I had originally thought about making a special trip to Sera Monastery to see that. Debating is a unique ritual in Tibetan Buddhism; it looks like one monk questions another, accompanied by distinctive gestures and movements—quite special.
The innermost circumambulation route around the Shakyamuni Hall is called 'Nangkhor', the one circling the outer walls of Jokhang is 'Barkhor', and the streets radiating outward form 'Barkhor Street' (also known as Octagonal Street). This is Lhasa's most distinctive street, full of beauties taking photos.
October 22: Norbulingka Park. This is like the Summer Palace of Tibet. The park isn't very big, but it's lush with trees and gracefully serene. Buildings include Gesang Pozhang, Jinse Pozhang (pozhang means palace), and Xiadian Lhakang. Kangsong Silun has a stage that wasn't open, and the Thangka gallery was also closed.
Opposite Norbulingka Park is the Tibet Museum, but it was unfortunately under renovation and not yet open.
Afternoon: Yamdrok Lake, also known as Yamdrok Yumtso. It, along with Namtso and Manasarovar, are the three great sacred lakes of Tibet. In Tibet, blue lakes are sacred (holy), green ones are divine. Yamdrok sits at 4,441 meters above sea level, covering about 675 square kilometers—larger than Sayram Lake (about 450 km²) but smaller than Qinghai Lake (about 4,500 km²). Its deepest point is over 60 meters. It is a slightly brackish freshwater lake. To the west stands the Noijin Kangsang Snow Mountain, at 7,206 meters, the most important sacred mountain in the Tsang region and one of Tibet's four traditional sacred mountains. At the lakeside, the water was a deep, calm blue like a gem, with distant snowy peaks towering magnificently. The scene felt like a celestial fairyland or a hidden paradise, soothing the heart and making me want to stay.
October 23: Headed to Namtso, passing by the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, whose main peak is 7,112 meters. (It didn't look so tall because the spot where I took the photo was already at 5,200 meters.)
Namtso is at 4,718 meters, covering about 1,920 square kilometers, with a maximum depth of 120 meters. It's China's third-largest saltwater lake (after Qinghai Lake and Siling Lake; 'tso' means lake). Compared to Yamdrok, it feels more expansive, with wind-whipped whitecaps lapping the shore. If Yamdrok is a graceful, bashful maiden, Namtso has a touch of dashing boldness.
White yaks on the shore.
October 24: Off to Nyingchi. En route, passed the confluence of the Yarlung Tsangpo River and the Nyang River. The Yarlung Tsangpo is muddy, the Nyang is clear, with a clear dividing line between them.
After a morning's journey, arrived at Basum Tso in the afternoon. The lake sits at 3,464 meters, crescent-shaped, with a total area of 37.5 square kilometers. The water here is jade green, like emerald, and it is a famous sacred lake and holy site of the Nyingma (Red) sect. The water is so clear you can see the bottom, like a piece of jasper set amid high mountains and gorges, surrounded by snowy peaks and shaded by green trees. It's pure, enchanting, dignified, and utterly charming—earning it the nickname 'the Switzerland of the East'.
In the evening we passed Namcha Barwa Peak. We were incredibly lucky to witness the 'Golden Mountain at Sunset' effect—said to be a rare sight you might not catch in ten visits. Namcha Barwa soars to 7,782 meters, its summit perpetually snow-covered. The glow of the setting sun on the snowy peak creates the golden effect, requiring clear skies and just the right light angle, and it lasts only a few minutes. I was absolutely thrilled; the golden mountain was breathtaking!
That night we stayed in Sosong Village. There was a bonfire and song-and-dance, but I was too exhausted and went to bed early.
October 25:
Viewed Namcha Barwa from Sosong Village—also known as the 'Shy Girl Peak'. It is the 28th highest peak in the world and a sacred site of the ancient Tibetan Bön religion, revered as the 'Father of All Mountains in Tibet'. Its massive triangular peak is always snow-covered and wrapped in mist, rarely showing its full face. Legend says nine out of ten people don't get to see it, hence the name. But luck was on our side: this time we got to see its entire visage.
The Yarlung Tsangpo amidst swirling mist.
The Buddha Palm Sand Dune we passed by.
In the afternoon we went to Kadinggou Heaven Buddha Waterfall. The scenery here was different again—a granite gorge landscape, with towering cliffs on both sides, undulating ridges, old pines and giant cypresses everywhere, exuding a powerful, masculine energy.
A waterfall plunges from halfway up the mountain, with a drop of about 200 meters—absolutely spectacular. The 'Heaven Buddha Waterfall' gets its name from a naturally formed, lifelike Buddha image right where the waterfall cascades. It's incredibly vivid.
We returned to Lhasa in the evening, concluding a wonderful trip.
Tips: 1. About altitude sickness. In Tibet, when you suddenly ascend 3,000–4,000 meters, almost everyone will feel some effects: chest tightness, breathlessness, heart palpitations, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue. But it's not as scary as people think back home. For the vast majority, it's manageable with a little adaptation. However, the Tibetan region is vast and attractions are far apart, so traveling is quite tiring—know your limits.
2. About temperatures. Lhasa isn't as cold as mainlanders often imagine. In October, highs hover around 20°C, and the sun is intense (it's called the 'City of Sunshine'), so daytime temperatures are comfortable. But the air is dry and there's a big temperature difference between day and night. I wouldn't recommend a heavy down coat; better to bring a sweater, fleece, or a windbreaker with a light cotton jacket—easy to add or shed layers.
3. Lhasa isn't big, and city buses can take you to all the sights. Apart from Tibetan food, there are plenty of Sichuan restaurants, hand-pulled noodle shops, etc. Eating is quite convenient. And the sweet tea is delicious.
