14 Days in Tibet

Airport about 60 km out; land, hydrate, one slow Barkhor loop of roughly one kilometre, early dinner. The altitude writes the pace for days one and two.

1. barkhor street

Reserved timed entry at the 13-storey Potala — about 117 metres, no photos inside, several hundred metres of climbing. Jokhang after lunch, dusk on the Barkhor.

1. potala palace
2. jokhang temple

Drepung's hillside kora in the morning; Sera's courtyard debates usually start about 15:00. Both within an hour of the old town by taxi.

1. sera monastery
2. drepung monastery

Gardens and pavilions, then the free museum (ID, closed Mondays). A deliberately quiet day to bank energy for the coming runs.

1. tibet norbulingka
2. tibet museum

About 60 km northeast in Dagze district, above 4,000 m; the hillside kora takes two to three hours. Warm layers, slow steps, evening back in Lhasa.

1. ganden monastery

About 240 km northwest across Damxung County over the 5,190-metre Nagenla pass to the lake at 4,718 m — a 10-to-12-hour round trip, June to September the reliable months.

1. namtso lake

First member-city crossing, labelled — the road tops the 4,990-metre Kambala pass toward Shannan's Langkazi side of Yamdrok (4,441 m), then climbs on to Gyantse at about 4,040 m in Shigatse's orbit. Afternoon light on the kumbum's nine storeys.

1. yamdrok lake
2. shigatse palkhor temple

About 90 kilometres west to Shigatse, at around 3,836 m. The hillside monastery with its gilded roofs and the seated future-Buddha statue about 26 metres tall; walk the town's slow kora road at dusk.

1. shigatse tashilhunpo monastery

The rail line back covers the distance in about three hours. A soft afternoon — return to the museum's galleries or a riverside walk on the Lhasa river — and an early night.

1. tibet museum

A make-up day at city altitude — the morning market streets off the Barkhor, and a second chance at the debates if day three's schedule missed them. Good day to book the eastern rail seats.

1. barkhor street
2. sera monastery

Second member-city leg, labelled — about 435 km and 3.5 hours east, from 3,650 m down to Bayi town at about 2,900 m. Forest air, easier breathing; Nyingchi has its own page on this site.

1. nyingchi bayi town

The Yarlung Tsangpo canyon runs more than 5,000 metres deep at its greatest, with the 7,782-metre Namcha Barwa at the horizon — mornings give the best odds on the peak showing itself.

1. nyingchi yarlung canyon
2. nyingchi namcha barwa viewpoint

East into the spruce forest sea around Lulang, at about 3,400 m — boardwalks, meadows, and stone-mushroom hotpot in town. Cooler and wetter than Lhasa; bring a rain shell.

1. nyingchi lulang forest

Morning at the 3,480-metre Basum Tso if the flight leaves late, then the afternoon rail to Lhasa or a direct flight from Nyingchi's airport at about 2,949 m. Pack the warm layers you did not use — Namtso remembers.

1. nyingchi basum lake