Tibet Nyingchi Tour Guide

Instruction: Nyingchi, in ancient time called Kongpo,Known as Switzerland of Tibet, South of Yangtze River in Tibet. It has the face you never knew Eastern Tibet had; equally remote but completely scenically, a land of turbulent foaming rivers and deep canyons, mixed alpine forests and the wide expanse of grasslands, religious monks and rugged cowboys. This apart world, gains much charm from its people and also abundant tourist attractions as Peach Flower Festival in every March, colorful Nanyi Ditch, is still mysterious to many people. It can sometimes fee like America’s Wild West with the Khampas, yaks and canyons. In order to expose this secrets and difference, that’s why we write this guide. We will guide in you more specific way to this mysterious eastern land.

 
Ningchi County

Tip 1. Learn about the Nyingchi

Nyintri, with an area of 76 thousand square kilometers and average altitude of 3000meters and lowest as 900meters, is around 400km east to Lhasa, located in East-south of Tibet and end of the the Yarlung Zangbo River. With the details below;

Population: 231thousand;
Nationality: Tibetan, Monpa, Lhoba, Nu Ethnic,the Drung nationality, the Lisu nationality, the Naxi nationality, the Bai nationality, the Deng nationality.  
Language: Southwestern Mandarin and Tibetan
Climate conditions: monsoon climate of medium latitudes
Attractions: Mt. Bonri, Nanyi Ditch, Buchu Monastery, Lamaling Temple, Namche Barwa, Tashigang village, Lulang Forest, Midui Glacier, Rawok-tso, Draksum-tso, etc.
Airport: Milin Airport
Train station: Nyingchi station( under construction, operates in the end of 2021)
Major belief：Bonismo
Traditional festival: Tibetan eagle worship festival

Tip 2. When & How to go to Nyingchi? (the best time to travel to Nyingchi)

Late March to June is the best time to travel to Nyingchi, there is hardly any rain, temperatures are at their most comfortable and landscape is covered in pink peach blossom and multiple-color of rhododendron and bright-yellow rapeseed flowers. And do not discount traveling in winter(Nov-Feb), temperatures are warmer than any other places and hardly rain, not any another tourist in sight and also almost half price of the peak season costs on everything there.

Nyingchi in March

At present only two ways to head to Nyingchi, one is by car(travel licenced vehicle with L starting mean Lvyou in Chinese), the other is by flight. There will be the train available in the end of 2021.

By car, most people would like to drive to Nyingchi from Lhasa which is 400km and 5 hours taking. the other way is the southern route of the Sichuan-Tibet HWY 318 with land of stunning scenery.  

There are direct flights from Chengdu, Xi’an, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Chengdu and Xi’an have the daily flights and Guangzhou is on Mon, Weds, Fri, Shenzhen is on Tue and Sat. Most the flights will arrive in Milin airport in the morning, visitors can have almost full day for tour.  

Tip 3. What to See & Do in Nyingchi (attractions)

Rawok-tso Lake: free entrane, best time to visit it is late autumn to watch sunrise there. the altitude is 3850metrs, with an area of about 22suqare kilometers, and the biggest lake in eastern Tibet. It is a great place for picnic with excellent views and also you can hike around 6km northwest to the stunning lake of Ngan-sto. The old town near both lakes is also worth a wander, a road leads into the warren from the north end of the Rawok strip with large chorten, mani wall and small temple overlooking the lake in the southeast of the town.

Tashigang and Lulang Scenic Area(entrance fee 170¥); A rural village, surrounded by fields of deep green barley and bright-yellow rapeseed, and framed by forested mountains, is couple of kilometers east of Lulang town. The small village is made up of large stone Tibetan block homes with its pigs and chickens dawdling free. Visitors can stay with a Tibetan family and eat the Tibetan home-cooked food, enjoy the endless selection of walks or hire a horse for short treks to into the hills. Couple of kilometers east of the village is Lulang Scenic Area,where you have to pay the entrance fee, you can enjoy the stunning Lulang Forest Sea there.

 
Mt. Namche Barwa

Segyi La Mountain and Mt. Namche Barwa; Segyi La, with the altitude of 4728meters, belongs to the Nyainqêntanglha Range. It is the best place to observe the sunrise, sea of clouds, the boundless forest sea and overlooking the majestic beauty of Namche Barwa peak. Segyi La and Mt. Bonri La are the original holy land of Bon Religion. At 7,756meters, Namche Barwa, always be obscured by cloud, is the highest peak in eastern Tibet, the Yarlung Tsangpo stages a dramatic U-turn around Namcha Barwa, cutting through the world’s deepest gorge.

Cypress Park(entrance fee30¥), About 7-8km southeast to Bayi town, stands the ancient cypress trees dot a deep but inviting hillside. The oldest tree is reported more than 2500 years, making it as old as Buddha itself. As with many sights in Tibet, people have built pavilions and paths around the trees, and given them new legends. Walk a few minutes up the paths from the oldest tree and you will likely be alone with the younger trees and big views across the valley.

Mt. Bonri; About 10km south of Nyingchi town is the scared mountain, which is an important pilgrimage spot for Bonpos(followers of the ancient Tibetan Bon faith). Bonpos circle the mountain anti-clockwise with two days taking. For foreign travelers are not permitted to do the kora there yet.

Kading Valley Scenic Area(entrance fee 20¥), About 28km west to Bayi town, at the alitude of 4257meters, is the the forested park, Kading Valley Scenic Area, dominated by a thundering 200meters high waterfall. It’s a beautiful area for an hour’s break, with lush forests, dark cliff faces and wide views over the Ngang-chu valley.

Draksun-tso lake(entrance fee 120¥, environment bus fee 50¥), 125km west to Bayi town, driving about 2hours. Before visit this lake, you must register your permit in Bayi town. This ethereal lake is associated with legend of King Gesar of Ling, Tibet’s epic poem. You can visit enchanting Tsosum Gompa, on an island reached by boat. This small gompa was rebuilt by Dudjom Rinpoche, who was the highest-ranking Nyingmapa lama from the Kongpo area. People can have two-day pilgrim circuit around the lake.

Draksun-tso lake

Tip 4. Where to Stay& what’s the food in Nyingchi

There are plenty of hotel in Bayi town, the county capital of Nyingchi, and abundance of Chinese, Hui Muslim restaurants and some Tibetan tea houses. Hotels can from economical guesthouse with shabby room to luxury five star hotel resorts with carpeted floors of comfortable rooms. Room price from decades to thousands. In Tashigang there are more than a decade guesthouses in the village, all offering similar levels of accommodation and home-cooked meals. Beds might be a bit hard, but expect to be generally comfortable and to have flushing squat toilets available.

Barley, potatoes, corn and other staples are farmed all over the region, but several local foods are worth seeking out. Best in our opinion is the red chili mashed into a paste and spread on a flat bread. You might be able to bring yourself to eat the adorable free-roaming pigs-fragrant Tibetan pig, In Lulang area check out the stone-pot chicken. In Bayi town, the roads are full of shops for noodles, steamed-dumplings, or pig’s trotters and hot pots.

Tip 5. Necessary Permits for Nyingchi Tour

Non-Chinese visitors need three permits to travel in eastern Tibet including Nyingchi: an Alien Travel Permit, a military permit and a Tibet Tourism Bureau(TTB) permit. These permits will be registered at the Public Security Bureau(PSB) and Military office(Foreign Affairs office has been canceled in March 2019). These permits needed to be shown at a number of checking points along the way and also need to register the local PSB in Bayi town before you are allowed to visit some places. In 2019, Tibet are allowed to visit all the year around including March, but non-Chinese visitors cannot normally take public transport and must have the tour arranged by agencies, so the agencies will organize all these permits( and the registration process) with your passport and China visa copies, but it will take around 20days.

Tip 6. Tips for Packing List of Nyingchi

When planning your clothing for Tibet tour, think in terms of layers, which will keep you warm, but can be removed gradually to prevent overheating. During spring and autumn, the night temperatures in the mountains often dip below freezing, making warm gear essential. In Summer, the days can be hot, requiring light cotton or polyester-blend clothing. Good wet-weather gear is recommended during the rainy summer months. Below is a list of suggested equipment, clothing and accessories for the tour.

Footwear: Hiking boots should have thick soles and be high enough to provide adequate ankle support. Consider Gore-Tex-lined boots for treks during the rainy summer months. Sports sneakers will be enough for normal tour.

Bags; if you plan to backpack, use a pack with a wide, cushioned waist belt and thick shoulder straps that will comfortably support weight.  

Water bottle; one or two plastic or metal leakproof quart or liter bottles.

Clothing;

thermal underwear; one or two pairs of long-sleeved tops and bottoms made from wool, silk, polypropylene, or a similar synthetic fiber.
Cotton underpants; four or five pairs.
Socks; at least three pairs of wool/wool-mix socks, and several pairs of cotton socks.
Shirts; one long-sleeved shirt made of wool, flannel, or chamois; one or two long-sleeved SPF polyester or cotton shirts, and two or three cotton T-shirts.
Pants; men should plan a taking one pair of loose-fitting wool or fiber-pile pants and one pair of lighter weight cotton or polyester blend pants. Women should bring several changes of mid calf-length dresses or skirts, though loose-fitting pants are also acceptable. Shorts are not appropriate at any time in Tibet for men or women.
Sweater; wool or wool mix with a high neck for extra warmth.
Jacket; A fiberpile jacket is deal for evenings in Tibet.
Scarf; wool or silk is best, or use a fiberpile neck gaiter.
Mittens or gloves; wool, pile or polypropylene are best
Accessories;
Toilet paper; tampons or sansitary napkins, toiletries, towel, flashlight, plastic bags, sunglasses, sun creams and lip balm, camera, money pouch or belt, snack foods, watch, charger.