Tibet Mountains

There are many famous mountains on the Tibet Plateau, featuring high altitude and large coverage. Tibet mountains can be classified as east-west Tibet mountain range and north-south Tibet mountain range. The former occupies a large part of Tibet Plateau and consists of four mountain ranges from south to north, namely the Himalayas, the Gangtise - Nyenchen Tanglha, Karakoram Range - Tanggula Mountains, and Kunlun Mountains. When it comes to the north-south Tibet mountain range, it refers to Hengduan Mountain Range in the southeast of Tibet. Those mountains of Tibet are approximately distributed in the shape of an arc. They span in the middle section and become narrow at both ends.

Above is a detailed table of Tibet mountains for your quick check. See more at Tibet tour packages.

Tibet Mountain Ranges

(Simple click to enlarge the map)
Tibet Mountains Map

The Himalayas

Located on the south side of the Tibetan Plateau, the Himalayas goes from east to west, which is mainly lying on the border among China, India and Nepal. It’s made up of many parallel mountains arranging from south to north, namely Mt.Xifalike, the small Himalayas, the large Himalayas. Having an average altitude of 6,000 m, the Himalayas is 2,400 km in length, around 200 to 300 km in width. More than 50 mountains have an elevation of over 7,000 meters, among which 11 mountains are 8,000 meters above sea level. Mount Qomolangma is the main peak of the Himalayas at a height of 8,848.13 meters.

The Himalayas has many largescale contemporary glaciers and widely-distributed glacial landforms like cirque, glacial horn, etc. Serac forests are spreading miles upon miles below snow lines.The north slope of the Himalayas is relatively flat, while the south slope is high and precipitous. And the snow line on the south slope is much lower for abundant rainfall brought by southwest monsoon from the India Ocean.

Tibet highest mountains in the Himalayas

Mount Everest (Tibet Highest Mountain)

As the highest mountain on earth, Mount Everest (Mount Qomolangma) is 8,848.13 meters in height, standing on the border between China and Nepal. Mount Everest is a typical fault block mountain and the pyramid Everest Summit consists of brown marble and crystalline limestone. According to the scientific reports and documents, Mt.Everest has kept rising at the speed of 3.2 to 12.7 mm per year and broken the record set by herself.

Affected by the southeast monsoon and northwest cold current, climate in Mt.Everest is complicated and unstable. Weather in Mt.Everest varies greatly within a single day. The best months to trek Everest Base Camp are March, April, May, September and October for the milder weather.

Mount Everest is world-known as Mount Qomolangma.

Tibet Mountain Range ：Himalayas
Tibet Mountain Height ：8,848.13 meters
Tibet Mountain Location：Dingri, Shigatse, Tibet
Best Time to Visit Mt.Everest : March, April, May, September and October
How to Get to Mt.Everest : You can take Tibet train or flight to reach Lhasa first. We’ll drive you two days from Lhasa to Xegar along Friendship Highway and move southwards to Rongbuk Monastery (5,154 meters) to get ready for EBC trekking.

Lhotse (Tibet Second Highest Mountain)

As the forth highest mountain on earth, Mt.Lhotse is 8,516 meters in height and just 3 km away from Mt.Everest. As a mountain between China and Nepal,its east side is in Tibet, China, but the west side belongs to Nepal.

Mt.Lhotse has a complex terrain and changeable weather. Its wind speed is lower than Mt.Everest but the precipitation is larger. Rainstorms and snowslides often happen from June to mid-September. The minimum temperature in winter drops to 60 centigrades below zero. The climate is relatively stable from March to May and September to October. Up to now, no one has succeeded in reach the summit of Mt.Lhotse from China side.

Lhotse is the second highest mountain in Tibet.

Tibet Mountain Range ：Himalayas
Tibet Mountain Height ：8,516 meters
Tibet Mountain Location ：Dingri, Shigatse, Tibet
How to Get to Lhotse : We usually drive along Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Xegar for two days and then move southwards to Rongbuk Monastery (5,154 meters). The total distance amounts to 780 km.

Makalu (Tibet Third Highest Mountain)

As the fifth highest mountain on earth, Mt.Makalu has an elevation of 8,463 meters. The north side belongs to Tibet, while Nepal has the south side. Majestic glaciers with cracks spread acorss the whole area, making snowslides occur to Mt.Makalu frequently.

Makalu is the third highest mountain in Tibet.

Tibet Mountain Range ：Himalayas
Tibet Mountain Height ：8,463 meters
Tibet Mountain Location ：Dingri, Shigatse, Tibet
How to Get to Makalu : It usually costs two days to drive along Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Xegar and then heads about 180 km westwards to Shajitang Base Camp (3,600 m).

Cho Oyu (Tibet Forth Highest Mountain)

As the sixth highest mountain on earth, Cho Oyu has a heigt of 8,201 meters. Lying on the border between China and Nepal, the north is own by China and the south by Nepal. It’s about 100 km away from Mt.Everest and has a similar climate.

Cho Oyu Makalu is the forth highest mountain in Tibet.

Tibet Mountain Range ：Himalayas
Tibet Mountain Height ：8,201 meters
Tibet Mountain Location ：Dingri, Shigatse, Tibet
How to Get to Cho Oyu : It’s easy to get to Cho Oyu by driving 718 km from Lhasa to Dingri via Shigatse and Lhatse, and then moving southwards to Jiabula Glacier Base Camp (4,959 m).

Shishapangma (The 14th Highest Mountain in The Word)

Shishapangma, at the altitude of 8,012m, is the only 8000-meter-high mountain completely situated in Tibet, China. But the widespread ice cracks and frenquent snowslides are the great barriers for Tibet mountaineers and climbers.

Shishapangma is the 14th highest mountain on earth.

Tibet Mountain Range ：Himalayas
Tibet Mountain Height ：8,012 meters
Tibet Mountain Location ：Nyalam, Shigatse, Tibet
How to Get to Shishapangma : It needs to drive 670 km along Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Xegar and continue heading 208 km to the base camp at the north foot of Shishapangma.

The Gangtise - Nyenchen Tanglha

Lying in the central part of Tibet Autonomous Region, it starts from Jiali in Chamdo, and extends southeast to Boxoila Ling in Hengduan Mountain Range, west to Shiquanhe in Ngari, south to the Brahmaputra Valley. It divides northern Tibet from southern Tibet and southeastern Tibet, which is also the boundary between inland rivers and outflow rivers in Tibet. It’s 400 km long from east to west, 80 km wide from north to south.

At an average altitude of over 5,800 meters, the Gangtise - Nyenchen Tanglha has 25mountains over 6,000 meters. Mountain Kailash, the main peak of the Gangtise, is 6,638 meters high. Mount Nyenchen Tanglha, the main peak of Nyenchen Tanglha,is 7,117 meters in height. There is no distinct boundary between the Gangtise and Nyenchen Tanglha. The border is roughly located at 90 degrees east latitude. Compared with the Gangtise, Nyenchen Tanglha is widely covered in snow and has more valley glaciers and cirque glaciers.

Mount Kailash (Tibet Holy Mountain)

Seated at Pulan in Ngari Prefecture, Mountain Kailash, the second highest peak of the Gangdise, has an altitude of 6,638m. As the holiest mountain in Asia, Mt.Kailash is regarded as the pilgrimage center by Bon, Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.It’s said that Kailash kora can wash away people’s sin in their lifetime. Even if you are not a pilgrim, th most intoxicating picturesque scenery of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar is worth your coming!

Mount Kailash is the most sacred mountain in pilgrims' mind.

Tibet Mountain Range ：Gangtise
Tibet Mountain Height ：6,638 meters
Tibet Mountain Location ：Pulan, Ngari, Tibet
Best Time to Visit Mt.Kailash : April to October
How to Get to Mt.Kailash : You can fly to Lhasa and then transfer to Mt.Kailash. Taking direct flights to Ali Kunsha Airport is another good choice.

Karakoram Range

Standing in the northwest of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Karakoram Range is conjunct with the Pamirs, the Himalayas and Mount Tanggula. The major part is on the border between Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Kashmir and stretches eastwards to Tibet.

Karakoram Range

As the second highest mountain range in the world, Karakoram Range has an average altitude of 6,000 m. Lying on the boundary between China and Pakistan, the 8,611-meter-high Chhogori (K2), the main peakof Karakoram Range,is also considered as the second highest mountain peak on earth. Karakoram pass plays a vital role in transport between Xinjiang and Kashmir.Influenced by Indian Ocean monsoon and westerlies, Karakoram Range has become the largest mountain glaciers development area in the middle latitudes of the planet.

Tanggula Mountains

Situated in the center of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it connects with Karakoram Range in the west, Nu Shan in Hengduan Mountains in the southeast and separate Tibet Autonomous Region from Qinghai Province. Beginning from the small Tanggula Mountains in the north, it ends at Ando, Nagqu Prefecture in the south. The width from north to south amounts to 160 kilometers. The major part of Tanggula Mountains is over 6,000 meters in height. As the highest peak of Tanggula Mountains, Dandongfeng is 6,621 meters above sea level and regarded as the birthplace of the Yangtze river. A large number of valleys and basins are scattered among Tanggula Mountains. With grassesflourishing, it is an excellent pasture land.

Tanggula Mountains

Kunlun Mountains

Kunlun Mountains tower at the north of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as the boundary between Tibet and Xinjiang. It goes from the Pamirs in the west and eastwards to the northwest of Sichuan Basin. It’s 2,500 km long from east to west and 150 km from north to south, 5,000 to 6,000 meters in altitude. Stretching across Central Asia, it’s famous as the Spine of Asia for its great height and length. Thousands of glaciers are spreading over the Kunlun Mountains, among which the longest one reaches 25km.

Kunlun Mountains

Hengduan Mountain Range

Seated on the southeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Hengduan Mountain Range is a general name for the north-south mountains in the east of Tibet, and the west of Sichuan and Yunnan. Ridge and valley from west to east are as follows:

Boxoila Ling - Gaoligong Mountains, Nujiang Valley, Tenasserim Chain - Nu Shan, Lanchangjiang Valley, Ningjing Shan (Mangkang Shan) - Yunling Mountains, Jinsha River Valley, Chola Mountain (Que'er Mountain) - Shaluli Mountains, Yalong River Valley, Daxue Mountains - Zheduoshan - Jinping Mountain, Dadu River Valley, Qionglai Mountains - Daliang Mountains.

A bird view of Hengduan Mountain Range

The height of mountains goes down from north to south. But the depth of valleys goes up from north to south. The altitude difference between mountains and valleys ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 meters. The north part turns out to be a good place for grazing in summer. However, there are more rapids and shoals in the south.

Tibet Mountain Sickness

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is also named as altitude sickness, which has something to do with higher altitude, lower atmospheric pressure and less oxygen. It’s common at the high places and the relevant factors include ascend speed, individual susceptibility, etc.

The best way to prevent Tibet mountain sickness is to avoid ascending to high elevation rapidly. You’d better ascend slowly, drink enough waters and eat light. If Tibet Mountain Sickness happens to you, try to calm down and descend to lower places as soon as possible. It’s also suggested to check with your family doctor and take some Hongjingtian before Tibet travel.