The Best Hotels in Gyantse on the Way to Everest Base Camp

Gyantse was once the third largest city in Tibet after Lhasa and Shigatse, but is still one of the popular places to stay when taking the overland tours to Everest Base Camp (EBC) and on to Kathmandu in Nepal. Located to the west of Lake Yamdrok, more than 260 kilometres from Lhasa, Gyantse lies in the Nyang Chu Valley, and is a major tourist destination on the route across the plateau.

A delightful town with a typical small-town atmosphere, Gyantse is home to the Pelkor Chode Monastery and the amazing Kumbum Stupa, a 32-meter stupa that is the only one of its kind in Tibet. Accommodation is relatively limited in comparison to Lhasa and Shigatse, but with the laid-back feel of this quaint old town, you will find it is a great place to stop to visit the local attractions and relax for a while before heading for Shigatse and Mount Everest.

The Best Hotels in Gyantse on the Way to Everest Base Camp: The Hotels Closest to Gyantse Fortress

Gyantse Fortress is an ancient Dzong that is one of the best-preserved examples of ancient fortresses in Tibet. Sitting high above the town on a huge spur of grey-brown rock, the Dzong was built in 1268 as part of the Sakyapa School of Tibetan Buddhism and was attributed to the son of King Langdharma, Pelkhor-tsen.

Hotels in the area are few and far between, and the best option is the Yeti Hotel, formerly known as the Zong Shan Hotel. Located on Weiguo Road, just 4 minutes driving from the Gyantse Dzong, the hotel is just five minutes’ walk from the Old Town. A good three-star hotel, this Tibetan-themed hotel is in one of the most tourist-friendly locations in Gyantse. The hotel also has a great panoramic view of the old town from the upper floors.

The restaurant at Yeti Hotel offers a wide range of food

With 45 clean, spacious, and comfortable rooms, the Yeti Hotel is internally decorated with a mix of Tibetan and western styled rooms to suit a wider variety of tastes, and all the rooms provide free Wi-Fi, 24-hour hot water, air-conditioning, and humidifiers in every room. The staff are friendly and helpful and some can speak average English, making it easier for international tourists to communicate. The hotel also has a nicely styled restaurant, known as the Third Eye Restaurant, which offers a range of Chinese and Tibetan dishes, as well as the best Western Buffet meals and only coffee in town.

The Best Hotels in Gyantse on the Way to Everest Base Camp: The Hotels Closest to Palcho Monastery

Gyantse hotel is located on the East Shanghai Road just 1.7km from the monastery, and is an ideal location for visiting the monastery, as well as touring the area of the town.

The hotel has a wide variety of services, including clean comfortable rooms, private bathrooms, and 24-hour hot water. Gyantse Hotel is one of the best hotels in Shigatse Prefecture, and has three restaurants, a good bar, and a recreation centre with pool tables and darts. The TV in the hotel also gets the BBC World Service channel, something very unusual in China.

Gyantse Hotel is the only decent 3-star hotel in Gyantse

The Pelkor Chode Monastery, also known as the Palcho Monastery, is one of the most amazing ancient monasteries in Tibet, and was built in the 15th century, at the same time as the Gyantse Dzong. The monastery is wholly unique in Tibet, as it not only houses three separate sects of Tibetan Buddhists, but is home to the Gyantse Kumbum.

The Best Hotels in Gyantse on the Way to Everest Base Camp: The Most Budget-friendly Hotels

The Jian Zang Hotel is one of the best budget-friendly hotels in Gyantse, and is located on the Yingxiong South Road 1.8km from the monastery. The Jian Zang Hotel is not of the same standard as the Gyantse Hotel, but does have free parking for guests, flat-screen TVs, and Tibetan-styled suites. One of the most unique things about the hotel is that the owner, Dr. Gyantsen, likes to hang out in the hotel lobby and welcome guests personally, and loves to practice his English with his international guests on arrival.

The spacious yard of Jian Zang Hotel

The hotel restaurant offers a limited range of Tibetan and Chinese food, but it is cheap and tasty, and the hotel has a complimentary breakfast. While there is no elevator in the hotel, it does offer a service for heavy cases, which will be taken to your room by their porter.

The Best Hotels in Gyantse on the Way to Everest Base Camp: The Most Expensive Hotels

Undoubtedly, the Gyantse Hotel in Gyantse is the most expensive of all the hotels in the town, and as the only decent three-star hotel in town, it also offers one of the best services. With 120 rooms, deluxe rooms, and suites to choose from, all with air-con and clean sheets and bedding, this is one of the best places to stay, and the price shows it. Its three restaurants can seat 50, 100, and 300 people respectively, and the sun lobby has costume rental for your ideal selfies in local attire.

However, there is no elevator in the hotel, though it is only on two residential floors. This does mean it is not as elderly and disabled friendly as other places, but it is close to both the fortress and monastery.

The Best Hotels in Gyantse on the Way to Everest Base Camp: The Most Cost-Efficient Hotels

For cost-efficiency in Gyantse, there are two small hotels that stand out above the rest. While they are only two-star hotels that are not overly expensive, both the Chugu Hotel and the Minghu Hotel offer services that you could expect from a four-star hotel in Lhasa.

The Chugu Hotel is a Tibetan-styled hotel within walking distance of the Pelkor Chode Monastery and the Gyantse Dzong, and offers travellers a wider variety of guest rooms than most hotels in this town. You can choose between economy rooms, standard twin and double rooms, luxury single and double rooms, and their luxury suites, all of which are spotlessly clean with spacious floor areas and en-suite bathrooms.

All rooms have air-conditioning as standard, with private bathrooms with separate showers and bathtubs, room catering service, flat-screen TVs, complimentary towels, large wardrobes, free toiletries, Wi-Fi, and complimentary slippers. The hotel restaurant has a wide range of Tibetan, Chinese, and western dishes according to taste, and is capable of seating up to 100 guests at a sitting.

The tidy and lush reception in Chugu Hotel

The Minghu Hotel in Gyantse is another cost-efficient hotel that has a total of only 27 rooms, but has services that you would not expect outside the major cities. The rooms include presidential suites, standard rooms, deluxe suites, and king bedrooms, and include a flat-screen TV, complimentary slippers and toiletries, private bathrooms with bathtubs and separate showers, and air-conditioning.

Located on the Shanghai Road in Gyantse, it is close to the bustling local business centre as well as within walking distance of the Pelkor Chode Monastery and the Gyantse Dzong. The in-house restaurant has a wide variety of Tibetan and Chinese cuisines, as well as some limited western dishes, and can seat its entire guest list in one go. The hotel also offers entertainment facilities and good business facilities, including two conference rooms, an unusual feature outside the major cities.

The Best Hotels in Gyantse on the Way to Everest Base Camp: The Hotels with the Best Facilities and Service

Which hotel in Gyantse is the best overall? This is really a hard thing to recommend, as there are hotels that have different features that are better than others, and each has its own merits, whether they are cleanliness, food, service, etc.

Just tell us your needs and our consultant will find the accommodation that suits you best. Check here to know more about Gyantse in our Lhasa to EBC tour.

Conclusions

Gyantse may not appear to have much in the way of hotels when you look at it at first glance, but look a little closer and you will find that there are a good number of decent places to stay. From the best of the best to the cheapest guesthouse, Gyantse has a hotel to suit almost all tastes and pockets, and you can be guaranteed to find the hotel you are looking for here.