How to Plan an Eastern Tibet Tour

Want to see a completely different Tibet? The eastern Tibet is absolutely the
best choice. On the plateau of Eastern Tibet stands many spectacular mountains, dripping-wet forests, raging rivers, towering gorges, and even glacier. More than that, the dream-come-true guesthouse on the outskirts of Rawok will surprise you with its unique views of Ngan-tso Lake and the surrounding snow-capped mountains, low price (about ¥100 for a double, or ¥50 for a bed in a dorm), clean room, quiet environment, and friendly service. Want to know more about Eastern Tibet? Now, you can follow us to start the journey of eastern Tibet!

Part 1. Where Is Eastern Tibet?
Part 2. How to Get to Eastern Tibet
Part 3. Popular Attractions in Eastern Tibet
Part 4. What Is the Best Time to Visit Eastern Tibet?

Part 1. Where Is Eastern Tibet?

Occupying most of the east part of Tibetan Plateau, the eastern Tibet is mostly made up of two prefectures, namely Nyingchi and Chamdo. Nyingchi is bordered by Lhasa and Shanan prefecture in the west, the Sichuan Province to the east. Chamdo Prefecture is bordered by the Nyingchi prefecture in the north and Chinese Province of Sichuan to the east.

The Location of Eastern Tibet

Part 2. How to Get to Eastern Tibet

As we know above, the Eastern Tibet is mostly made up of Nyingchi and Chamdo prefecture. You can go to either of these prefectures and its surroundings by flight, train or road. In this part, we mainly tell you how to get to Nyingchi and Chamdo.

  
Eastern Tibet – Nyingchi

How to Get to Nyingchi Prefecture?

Air
Taking flight to Nyingchi is the most convenient and popular way. At present Nyingchi Mainling Airport operates some flights from 5 Chinese cities including Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Xi’an and Lhasa. Tourists can choose any of these 5 cities to fly to Nyingchi. The altitude of Nyingchi is only around 3000 meters but with very rich forest, so the oxygen level is much higher than Lhasa, that’s why many tourists choose to fly to Nyingchi firstly to adapt themselves before continue to Nyingchi.

Road
Another popular way of traveling to Nyingchi is by road, which is often chosen by Chinese travelers. And Sichuan-Tibet Highway is the most frequently chosen road for traveling to Tibet since there are numerous breathtaking sceneries along the road. But foreign travelers are not allowed to drive to Tibet independently unless accompanied by a driver and guide. Want to enjoy the beautiful scenery without being disturbed by a driver or guide? Then take the train!

Train
Taking train offers tourists enough time to enjoy the beauty of Qinghai-Tibet plateau. But it a pity that there’s no direct train between Chinese cities and Nyingchi. Tourists can take a train to Lhasa first and then go to Nyingchi by bus or flight.

How to Get to Chamdo Prefecture?

Chamdo in eastern Tibet

Air
Situated in the Bangda Grassland, the Qamdo Bamda Airport is the world’s highest and farthest airport. At present, it has 7 air routes to/from Chinese cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Tianjin, Xi'an, and Xining; meanwhile, it also operates 1 international flights to/from Nepal. After your arrival at the airport, you can take airport shuttle bus to Chamdo County from the airport. The ticket of shuttle bus is about CNY 60 per person and it takes a about 3 hours to arrive at Chamdo County.

Bus
Every week there are at least 3 buses travel between Chamdo and Chengdu/Lhasa. And the distance between Chengdu and Chamdo(1200km) is nearly the same as the distance between Lhasa and Chamdo (1100km). The bus journey is cheap but long. And bus driver does not dive at night. Usually, it takes about 5-6 days to arrive at Chamdo.

Part 3. Popular Attractions in Eastern Tibet

Eastern Tibet boasts many beautiful lakes and Draksum-tso Lake is arguably the most beautiful one of the lots. Draksum-tso, and particularly its monastery island, is a photographer’s paradise. Apart from the beautiful lake and its surrounding mountains, the site has strong connections to Gesar of Ling, the semi-mythical ruler of eastern Tibet, and Guru Rinpoche, the Indian sage, both of whom are said to have resided at the lake. Apart from the beautiful lake, there are many other beautiful natural sceneries and sacred temple are waiting for you to explore. For example, the Rawok-tso Lake, Lamaling Temple, Dodung Monastery, Pomda Monastery, Tsodzong Monastery, and Demo Monastery.

 
Draksum-tso Lake

After a long-term fatigue of travel, you can carefully select a guesthouse to stay. It can not only help you eliminate the fatigue of travel but also give you a great chance to experience local Tibetan’ life. Among guesthouses in the Eastern Tibet, Rinchen Family Gusthouse is the most recommended. Set on a slope above the Parlung Tsangpo beside Bakha Gompa, this family-run guesthouse is one of the most scenically place in eastern Tibet. From this house, you can overlook the monastery, the river and snowy peaks. Anyway, don’t miss the unique, spectacular and beautiful sceneries of eastern Tibet!

Part 4. What Is the Best Time to Visit Eastern Tibet?

The ideal time to travel to eastern Tibet is in the Spring (April – June) and Autumn (September – December). In spring, the weather is getting warm and dry, which is comfortable for traveling. More importantly, the annual Peach Blossom Festival in Nyingchi will be celebrated in spring. At that time, Nyingchi will be covered in an abundance of stunning peach tree flowers. When autumn comes, everything starts to dress in autumn color. Colorful leaves make eastern Tibet look like a picturesque landscape.

 
The Autumn of Eastern Tibet