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Time flows with
eternity, in spite of sunshine, mist, rainbow and
snow, leaving our timeless memories on this soil of
Tibet. Holding a reverence in nature, we set our
sights on the different seasons of Tibet.
January in Lhasa: Stepping into the sunshine
Courage is absolutely the first thing if you
travel to Tibet in winter, considering the freezing
weather in January. In inland areas snow and cold
waves keep people at home all the day.
Tibet, nearest to the sun, however, witnesses crowds
of people enjoying leisure time under the sun,
drinking tea while chatting and laughing. The scene,
warm and casual, often makes travelers forget time
and where they are.
Statistics show that Lhasa has an average annual
sunshine of more than eight hours a day. You can
wear only a woollen sweater at noon under the sun in
Lhasa even in winter.
February in Lhasa: Celebrating three festivals
It's such a coincidence that three festivals, the
Tibetan New Year, the Spring Festival and the
Valentine's Day, fall on the same day - Feb. 14 this
year. Traveling in Tibet on that special day will
certainly be an once-in-a-life experience.
The Spring Festival and Valentine's Day are
undoubtedly great events, let alone the Tibetan New
Year.
The celebration of the Tibetan New Year begins on
Dec. 29 on the Tibetan calendar, lasting 15 days.
March in Nyingchi: Enjoying peach blossomsWhen
spring comes to Nyingchi in March, it is great time
to watch peach blossoms.
Nyingchi is a sea of peach blossoms in March, like
crimson clouds hovering in the embraces of snowy
mountains.
Wild peach trees can be seen everywhere along the
banks of the Nyang River in Nyingchi. Taohua
Village(or Peach-blossom Village) is the best choice
for enjoying peach blossoms.
April in Namtso: ice-thawing Namtso Lake
April is not the best time to visit the Namtso Lake
for tourists. However, the ice-thawing Namtso Lake
presents a rare scenery for most people.
May in Lhokha: Shelter forest along the Yarlung
Tsangpo River
The 150-km shelter forest along the Yarlung
Tsangpo River serves as a green protective screen
for the river.
Viewed from the sightseeing plane, the scenery of
the river and the forest resembles an impressionist
oil painting.
The Samye Temple, peaceful and mysterious, along the
bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River is another option
for tourists.
June in
Xigaze: Lingka Woods Festival
Xigaze usually welcomes the Lingka Woods Festival in
June, which is different from Lhasa where the
festival is celebrated in July and August.
The Children's Day, on June 1, is also nicknamed
"the Lingka Woods Festival"since adults and children
enjoy the best days of a year in the period.
Xigaze covers a vast territory and as a result has a
variety of weather phenomena. The area is usually
covered by green grass and trees in June, with
everyone enjoying the festival, which can even match
the Shoton Festival.
July on
the Sichuan-Tibet Route
The Sichuan-Tibet Route boasts the most gorgeous
route to Tibet, as well as the most dangerous one.
July, also before the rainy season starts, is the
best time for tourists to travel through the route
to Tibet.
The route includes the south line and the north one,
diverging in Xindu Bridge, known as "a paradise for
photographers."
The two lines have the following most beautiful
places in China named by the magazine of Chinese
National Geography:
Dampa Mountain Village, one of the six most
beautiful villages; Midui Galcier, one of the six
most beautiful glaciers; Lingzhi Spruce Forest, one
of the ten most beautiful forests; Namjiagbarwa Peak
and Gonggar Snow Mountain, two of the most beautiful
snow mountains.
August in Nagchu: Horse Festival on Changtang
Grassland
Tired of the urban life, tourists should not
forget the Horse Festival in Nagchu.
Viewing the grassland and an endless skyline,
tourists can forget the boredom.
Cheering with the heroes on the horsebacks,
travelers can relax in the natural world.
Nagchu, also famous for its yoghourt and jerked yak
meat, is a place to get rid of your burden.
September in Ngari: the destination of your soul
The Earth Forest in Tsada County is regarded as a
world wonder by the tourists. The wilderness soon
catches tourists' hearts when they see the Earth
Forest extending far to the horizon.
The forest seems to be comprised of castles, pagodas
and earth trees, unique and majestic.
A tourist says: "No matter how far we go, the
destination we long for is the rest place of our
soul. Ngari is the rest place of my soul."
Ngari also has some other famous tourist sites, such
as the Mapham Yutso Lake, the holy Mountain of
Kangrinboqe, the Lannga Co Ghost Lake, the Pangong
Tso Lake, the Tsada Toding Monastery and the ruins
of Guge Kingdom.
October
in Chamdo: Pearl in eastern Tibet
The Hengduan Mountains are magnificent and beautiful
with fall getting closer in October's Chamdo, where
three rivers meet, namely, the Jinsha River, the
Lantsang River and the Nu River.
Khampa culture is the core point of Chamdo tourism,
with intangible cultural heritage like Shinze dance,
Repa dance in Dengqen County and Tibetan Opera.
Chamdo also is dotted with cultural relics, such as
Karub ruins, Yanduo ruins, Lessor Enda site and
Sengezong ruins.
Also, the ancient Saltern in Yanjing County, the
folk houses in Sanyan area of Gongjo County and
culture of the Tea Horse Trail all build up the
reputation of Chamdo.
November in Nyingchi: simple life in the Yarlung
Tsangpo Grand Canyon
The tourist sites in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand
Canyon include the canyon itself, the Namjiagbarwa
Peak -- one of the most beautiful mountains in
China, the Medog County-the only area inaccessible
to roads.
Appreciating the golden yellow forests and the
Namjiagbarwa Peak, tourists will be touched by the
simplicity of life. They can spend some days resting
in the Zhibai Village at the foot of the peak to
enjoy the sunrise and sunset.
Breathing the fresh air and eating the simplest
food, tourists can rise with the sun and sleep with
the moon there, chewing the happiness of life.
December in Lhasa: watching the birds
Lhasa, at an altitude of 3,700 meters, attracts
thousands of birds for its wetlands.
Many species of birds, such as black-necked cranes
and bar-headed geese, fly to Lhasa to live through
the winter.
The Lhalu Wetland and the Hutou Reservoir in the
Lhunzhub County are both nice choices for bird
watching.
If you love the black-necked cranes, you should
definitely go to the Lhunzhub County in December or
January, where birds present a unique landscape of
Tibet.
sources: xinhua net |
