Budget traveling in Ngari, Tibet

Tibet lures people from all over this planet like a magnet. If you are one of them, the following information is valuable to you.

It is strongly recommended that you go to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, by train or bus so that you not only have enough time to acclimatize to the plateau-climate but also enjoy the beautiful sights on the way. If you take the Express No.75 running between Beijing and Xining, it takes you two days and one night. Then you change to the train to Golmud. This trip takes you a whole day. When you arrive at Golmud, you may go to Lhasa by a state coach, which takes you one day and a half. After a long fatiguing journey like this, you can relax at the Guest House of Ngari Local Tourism Bureau on Niangre Road.

Once refreshed, take a walk around Lhasa, especially Balang Street, the oldest in the city, which has become the shopping center. Vendors there, mostly Tibetans, sell many sorts of handicrafts.

If I were you, I would not just stay in Lhasa. Ngari is the place you shouldn't miss. But to visit Ngari, you have to apply for a border visa from Lhasa Public Security Bureau. From Lhasa to Gartok (Shiquanhe), the capital of Ngari, the shortest route is 1600 kilometers. In view of that, you'd better rent a car with two other persons. The charge is RMB3.5 per kilometers.

The best sights of Ngari are the petrified highland basin at Zanda, the ruins of the ancient Guge Kingdom, the Holy Hill and the Holy Lake at Purang. The petrified highland basin lies in Zanda County, 392 kilometers away from Gartok.

The ruins of the ancient Guge Kingdom are on a hill 18 kilometers away from Zanda county seat. The ruins, covering 180,000 square meters, include many stupas, blockhouses, caves, tunnels and houses. The remaining murals and stone sculptures are of exceptionally high artistic value.

Holy Hill, Gangrenburuan in Tibetan, is 429 kilometers away from Gartok. It is 6,656 meters above sea level. The top pf the hill is shaped like a pyramid. In a Tibetan's eye, it is also a step to heaven. It is believed that if a person walks around the hill for one whole circle, he or she can be absolved of all his or her sins in this lifetime. If you walk around the hill one hundred times, you will become a Buddha. Therefore, many followers of Sakyamuni from all over the world are circling there every day.

This Holy Lake located by the side of Holy Hill is said to be the most beautiful and biggest lake in Tibet.

Ngari is a paradise for religious believers. Now and then I spotted temples and monasteries, lamas with crimson kasayas and pilgrims who are kowtowing over walking.

Ngari is also a piece of peaceful land for tourists. Without industrial pollution, the sky therer is blue, the lake is clear and the air is extremely fresh and highly transparent. On fine days the landscape of snowcapped mountains, over 100 li away, can be enjoyed.

On the way from Gartok to Lhasa, I had to pass the No Man Area in northern Tibet. Vast spans of pastoral area occupy most of Ngari. It is the home for many kinds of wild animals, including wild Tibetan donkeys that look like fine horses, the majestic-looking wild yaks, Tibetan antelopes with ling beautiful horns, the beat, the lynx and the blue sheep which climbs crags like walking on flat ground.

If you are lucky, you may come across large groups of antelopes during the season when they are migrating, mating, giving birth or bringing up lambs. If more lucky, you may also encounter the scene of fighting for spouses between male wild yaks.

Okay, I bet you are now longing to start out at once to visit these places. However, we must remind you that the climate and living conditions in Tibet is very tough, for all the sites you intend to visit are in the anoxic zone and the road conditions there are poor. In some places, the weather is freezing cold. We strongly suggest you take the following items with you: oxygen tank, food, drinking water, warm clothes, simple tools and emergency medicines. They are very important.