TIBET
Breathtaking is hardly an adequate word for Tibet's landscape, which consists of snow-capped mountains of astonishing heights, primitive forests, vast steppes, mighty rivers, the world's highest lakes, and exotic wildlife and plants. Tibetans, who make up upwards of 90 percent of the local population, are born singers and dancers with a splendid civilization. Buddhist art thrives, and among the region's 2,700 temples are such famous ones as the Potala Palace, the Norbulinka Palace, the Jokhang Temple, and the Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Climate: Lhasa, the "City of Sun," is nestled high in the Gyi Qu Valley and is blessed with seasonally mild and humid weather from monsoons in India 160 km(100 mi.) to the south. Tibetan winters, as might be supposed, are fiercely cold. But for half the year, strong sunlight warms the thin air, making most days in Lhasa comfortably mild and, owing to protective mountains, relatively windless. Summer temperatures hover above 30'C (high-80s F) and only to drop to a searing -23'C (-10'F) in midwinter. The best time to visit is from late spring to early fall.
Regions in Tibet
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LHASA
As the political, religious and economic heart of the Tibetan world, Lhasa finds its place on the north bank of Lhasa River with an altitude of 3658m (about 12000 feet). In Tibetan, Lhasa means "The land of the Buddha" or "Holy Place". The city has a long history of 1300 years with a population of 400,000.
Blessed with flat land and mild climate, Lhasa is free of frigid winters and unbearably hot...
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SHIGATSE
Shigatse (3900m) lies some 274 km to the west of Lhasa and is Tibet’s second largest city. The highway runs alongside the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahamaputra) river, passing through narrow gorges and broad river valleys. Farmers plowing their fields with Yaks, sheep grazing in the vast plains, awesome sand dunes and rocky hills in the distance are the scenic rewards of the journey to Shigatse...
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YUMTSO LAKE
Having crossed the Tsangpo at Chaksam, we turn right onto a smaller unmetalled road that soon begins the long, winding ascent of the Kamba-La Pass. The first view you have from the top of the mountain pass at 4,794m. is the breathtakingly beautiful, deep blue-green water of Yumtso Lake. We have a fine view of the whole lake from the flight window as we fly from or to Kathmandu. The road descends...
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