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Tips on Traveling to Tibet in Autumn

June,18 2024 BY Kham Sang 0 COMMENTS

Tibet is one of the most popular tourist destinations of China and attracts over 1000 tourists daily. The golden tourism time of Tibet will last to autumn and early winter, when there are grand natural scenery, refreshing pure air, golden barley valley, prosperous farmhouses and fields. Here are some tips on traveling to Tibet in autumn which may help you to plan a wonderful tour to Tibet.

 Autumnal Scenery in Tibet Lake Namtso looks more beautiful than ever in Autumn

Some people say they fall in love with Tibet without any reason. Actually, there are too many seasons to list them out. There are star-studded plateau lakes, which are as blue as sky, as quiet as mirror; there are grand snow mountains, and glaciers which will not melt around the year. The clear sky in Tibet is as blue as sapphire, the floating clouds around the snow mountains are as white as Hada. There are desolate and grand natural scenery, refreshing pure air, silent and serene desert, pasture with herds of cattle and sheep on it, the golden barley valley, prosperous primitive forest, rich and simple customs, resplendent and magnificent ancient monastery and so on. All of these make Tibet become the holy place in every Tibet tourist's heart.

How Preparing to Avoid High Altitude Sickness before Visiting Tibet

From April, Tibet comes into its golden tourism time, and it will last to autumn. However, it becomes little colder in morning and night and tourists are easy to catch a cold and suffer from altitude sickness. Therefore, you need a good preparation and plan.

1. Stop exercising at least 10 days before travelling to Tibet. Many people think that a lot of exercise before touring Tibet will help them to avoid high altitude sickness. This is not exactly true because exercise will consume a great amount of oxygen and impose an additional burden on the heart, which increase possibility to cause altitude sickness.
2. Take some capsule or Compound Oral Liquid of Rhodiola since 10 days before go to Tibet to reduce the impact of altitude sickness.
3. Prevent colds. If you already get a cold, go to Tibet after you completely recover so as to avoid pulmonary edema and encephaledema caused by colds.
4. Take some warm clothes with you. It begins to snow in many places of Tibet from October and it will be a little cold, especially at night.
5. Take some medicine for colds, headaches, stomach troubles or other minor ailments. Vitamins are also recommended.
6. To prevent sun-burn and for general comfort, sunglasses, hat, and sun block should be worn for outdoor activities.

Why Autumn Is One of the Best Seasons to Visit Tibet?

From the middle of September, autumn falls in Tibet, and so do the leaves on the trees. One of the most beautiful seasons in the world, autumn is the time when the trees turn to myriads of reds and yellows, and the leaves start to fall, covering the ground with a multi-colored blanket, and paving the way for the arrival of winter.

One of the best times to travel to Tibet, autumn weather is mild, with clear, blue skies and almost no rain. Autumn flowers are in full bloom, and parts of Tibet, especially in the southeast, are covered with a rainbow of color.

 Potala Palace It is essential to visit Potala Palace when tourists travel Lhasa

As the peak season draws to a close, fewer tourists make the journey to the roof of the world. However, this is a time when it is good for trekking, as the weather is still as clear as in spring, but the landscape has a more vibrant look and feel, with the remains of the lush green grasses and fall flowers, and the beautiful autumn colors of red and gold, and rustic browns.

Autumn is also a time for the harvest festivals in Tibet, and several other religious and cultural events that make for a great trip. The nationally celebrated Washing Festival, held at the beginning of September heralds the start of the autumn festivals, and people shake off the sicknesses of the year by washing in the rivers. Then come Ongkor is the spectacular pre-harvest festival where the people celebrate the end of the rains and get ready for the start of the harvest. Lamas lead the people of the villages in a special kora around the fields, praying for a good and bumper harvest, then the people celebrate with singing, dancing, eating, and drinking.

The Golden Star festival, which washes away one’s passion, greed, and jealousy and helps abandon the ego, includes ritual bathing in rivers, while picnics are held on the shores. Dajyur is a festival that is held in Gyantse and Damxung, and is a horse festival that lasts for ten days with horse racing, riding events, and rock-carrying competitions, and is a time of merriment and celebration.

Temperature and Climate of Autumn in Tibet

September to November is autumn in Tibet, when the leaves start to turn red, brown, and gold and fall from the trees covering the ground in a blanket of color. There is very little rain, and the air is a little cooler and less humid. Nighttime temperatures tend to drop more, with freezing being a normal temperature for this time of year at night.

Lhasa lies in a small natural basin, and the climate of the city is fairly mild, without the severe cold of the northwest. Being a high-altitude city, the air is thin, and temperatures vary greatly between day and night. On average, the temperatures range from around 11 degrees in September to as low as 8 degrees by November. Temperatures can start to drop below freezing at night by the time November comes, making it necessary to have warm clothes with you. Autumn is one of the best seasons to travel to Lhasa, as the weather is pleasantly mild and humid, with very little rainfall.

 Nyingchi Autumn is a good season to visit Nyingchi

Due to its high elevation, the climate of Shigatse is quite hard. The weather is often very dry, due in part to the long hours of sunshine. Lying in the southwest of the plateau, Shigatse is at an average elevation of 4,000 meters, and there is thin air, strong UV light, lower air pressure, and a lot less oxygen than in Lhasa and Nyingchi. The autumn period in Shigatse is dry and getting cold, with very little rain and a chance of snow by November. Mornings and evenings in the area can be rather windy, due to the proximity to the Himalayas and the prevailing northeast monsoon. it can also get quite cold, and long sleeves and even long johns are recommended. Temperatures range from highs of 18 degrees to lows of well below zero at night. By the end of November, the temperatures range from 10 degrees during the day to around minus eight at night, although it is still possible to visit the region throughout.

Nyingchi is situated at the north bank of Yarlung Zangbo River in the southeastern part of Tibet. AS the place with the lowest altitude in Tibet, Nyingchi has a very varied climate, from sub-tropical lowlands to high altitude alpine weather systems. Autumn is one of the best times to visit Nyingchi, as the land is still showing its fertile side, and the falling leaves cover the landscape with a multi-colored carpet. At the beginning of autumn, temperatures can be as high as 13 degrees, with night temperatures rarely getting below 5 degrees. November, however, is a little different. The higher temperatures are normally around 5 degrees by this time of year, and at night it can drop to well below freezing. Rain can still be an issue in September and the beginning of October, although by November it is almost gone completely.

Top Things to Do in Autumn for Tibet Tour

With milder weather and lower temperatures, Tibet is a great place to visit in autumn. Not only can you get a great view of Mount Everest at this time of year, unhindered by the clouds that cover it in summer, but you can also take the trek from old Tingri to Everest Base Camp (EBC). Trekking in Tibet is best done in the autumn, as the weather is at its best. And the route from Tingri to EBC is not the only trek there is. Tibet has several treks that can take anything from one day to three weeks, and all will allow you to see the landscape close up, instead of through the window of a car or train, and experience some of the more interesting aspects of Tibetan culture.

Of course, there are always those favorite places to visit, such as Lhasa and the Jokhang temple, Shigatse and Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, and touring Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, where you can walk the 56km kora around the world’s holiest mountain. It is a good time to visit the many lakes in the region as well. The autumn sun shines of the surfaces of the lakes giving then a golden-turquoise glow, and the autumn landscape around the lakeshores makes for some great views.

Best Season to Enjoy the Drive from Chengdu to Sichuan via G318

The drive from Chengdu to Lhasa along the famous G318 National Highway, one of the longest roads in the world, is a popular route in autumn in Sichuan and Tibet. Traversing more than 2,000 kilometers across China and up onto the Tibetan Plateau is the drive of a lifetime, and offers some of the greatest views and most stunning scenery in the world. Whether it is the stunning sight of the Sichuan Mountains, or the deepest gorge in the world in Nyingchi, this epic journey is an adventure of discovery and experience. Considered to be the most beautiful scenic route to Tibet, the Sichuan-Tibet Highway is often used as a pilgrimage route to get to the holy city of Lhasa, the most revered city in Tibet, and the center of Tibetan Buddhism.

 G318 National Highway G318 National Highway

The spectacular scenery includes the stunning beauty of the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon and the holy mountain of Minya Konka, as well as the expansive Maoya Grasslands. The route also runs through regions where you can find examples of Kham culture, and you can take the opportunity to explore more of this unique Tibetan culture that is found outside TAR, in places like Kangding, Danba, Litang, and Xinduqiao. As September rolls in, the trees start to turn yellow, and autumn takes a hold in the west of Sichuan and southeastern Tibet. When the rainy season is over, the weather is still warm and it is one of the best times to travel along this amazing highway. The best time to take a side trip to see the spectacular Hailuogou Glacier Park, Mount Gonggar, and the world famous snow mountain of Minya Konka is in the autumn, when the weather is still warm and rains are less.

Best Season for Photography of Tibetan Landscape

You can also get some of the best photographs in Tibet, as the lush grasses still fill the plains and the changing colors of the trees give the forests a multi-hued look that is seldom found elsewhere in the world. For those who want to get good shots of the famous “Swiss” alpine scenery in the region, there are few better places than in the eastern prefecture of Nyingchi, to the east of Lhasa.

 Photography of Tibetan Landscape Photography of Tibetan Landscape adds spice to your travel in Autumn

Mount Namche Barwa is the highest mountain in Nyingchi, at 7,782 meters above sea level. The Yarlung Zangbo River runs between Namche Barwa and Mount Gyala Peri, winding its way through the Namche Barwa Valley, the world’s deepest valley. This grand canyon has been named as the largest in the world, and is a delight for photographers.

In the far west of the region lie the high Himalayan Mountains, whose peaks spear towards the sky like jagged teeth. And what better photograph could you find than that of Mount Everest, with its tallest peak stabbing at the sky, or Mount Kailash, with its pyramid-like shape enticing Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims from all over the world.

Kham Sang

About the Author - Kham Sang

With fluent English skills rivaling a native English speaker, Khamsang often impresses our travelers with her gifted language capacity and deep understanding of Tibetan culture and history.

Professional, flexible, and attentive, throughout her 10+ years of guide experience, Khamsang has received zero complaints from her guests. Besides, as a mom of two lovely sons, Khamsang is also a devoted mother and loves writing expert travel articles to help travelers longing for a Tibet adventure.

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