# Shigatse travel guide (日喀则) Tibet Autonomous Region · Southwest, China · 16 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/tibet/shigatse ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Lhasa → Yamdrok Lake (belongs to Shannan; see the Shannan section) → Gyantse Dzong Fortress → Palcho Monastery (Pelkor Chode) → Palha Manor (overnight in Gyantse County) - **Day 2:** Gyantse → Panchen Lama's New Palace (Dekyi Phodrang) → Tashilhunpo Monastery → Shalu Monastery (overnight in Shigatse) - **Day 3:** Shigatse → Sakya Monastery → Rongbuk Monastery → Mount Everest ## The feel of the place - **On the Road:** Here you feel tiny, tucked into the belly of a Toyota Land Cruiser, spending each day gazing out the window. On the way to Shigatse, you pass through Tibet's farming region, with barley fields and dense trees lining the road like a corridor. Silent prayer flags flutter on the rooftops of Tibetan farmhouses, and golden sunlight floods your eyes at sunset. Crossing one mountain after another, muddy roads keep swallowing the wheels, the four-wheel drive roars constantly, and the high chassis keeps getting lifted by boulders. When things are quiet, you'll see hares and antelopes standing on the cliffs, gazing back at you. Snow-capped peaks and pristine lakes, a blue sky that makes you lose your bearings, thin air... The road always has an end. Pause for a moment beneath the tallest peak at the edge of the sky. Really, it's already beautiful just being on the road. - **Foreigners on the Road:** During Shigatse's rainy season, the roads are extremely harsh. If you travel this route, you'll pass a small valley beside the road where there are always camps with tents pitched. In the freezing temperatures and thin high-altitude air, you can see foreigners wandering around the camp in shorts. They are a scene in their own right along the road. - **Missing Person Notices:** Beyond 5,000 meters above sea level, the people you encounter are usually only Tibetans, yaks, and foreigners. Some men and women trudge along with backpacks, some old couples pedal strange bicycles, and some handsome young men ride a slow horse toward the snowy mountains. In the small, remote village restaurants along the way, the walls are covered with missing-person notices written in many languages. - **Rich Religious Culture:** Shigatse was the seat of successive Panchen Erdenis and is home to many famous monasteries, including Tashilhunpo Monastery, Sakya Monastery, Palcho Monastery, and Shalu Monastery. Together they form a rich religious culture that blends many schools of Buddhism. ## The feel of the place ### Before You Set Off 1. Arrange a Border Permit: Travel to Mount Everest and Zhangmu Port both require a border permit. Since these two destinations can only be reached by chartering a vehicle through a travel agency, it is very convenient to apply for the permit directly through a travel agency. 2. Rent an Off-Road Vehicle: In Tibet, the Toyota Land Cruiser is the most standard model. The older Toyota 60 series is rugged and durable, though its odometer is usually broken, so the numbers on it could wrap around the Earth several times. Other newer Toyota models cost more but are in better condition, and they are usually rented to foreigners or government units. By the way, the Toyota V8 is a status symbol, and Lhasa has the most of them in the country. Spacious, comfortable, and luxurious, it can be called a land aircraft carrier. 3. Go to a Travel Agency: Along Duosen Road and Danjielin Road, north of the Jokhang Temple, there are many small travel agencies. It's advisable to ask around at several before choosing one, and when signing a contract, review the terms carefully. ### Economy and Local Customs in Shigatse The economy of the Shigatse area is relatively traditional, and the local people are simple and honest. When you photograph Tibetan locals, they won't stare at you expecting money. Giving stationery and snacks to Tibetan children is generally handled politely. ### Road Conditions The road from Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake includes a long uphill stretch. In some places it barely allows two vehicles to pass, and it is entirely paved with crushed gravel and dirt. The climb winds up through cliffs and valleys, from an altitude of over 3,000 meters all the way to Kamba La Pass at 5,030 meters. Anyone who is nervous should avoid sitting on the right side of the car, since a drop of several hundred meters into the valley is only a door-opening away. ### Preparation and Advice ### Language On the road to the snowy mountains, you often go half a day without passing a single run-down village, so language is an important concern. ## Getting there & around The trip to Mount Everest is a classic route in any Tibet tour, and most travel agencies offer it. The distance from Lhasa to Everest is about 650 km. Because routes vary, the round trip totals roughly 1,500 km. Agency tours usually run 5 days or longer, with peak-season quotes of ¥5,000–¥8,000 (about ¥1,000 per vehicle per day), covering all costs except sightseeing admission tickets along the route and travelers' meals and lodging. In fact, apart from admission tickets, meals, and lodging, it's hard to spend any money at all. Outside the Tibetan medicine hospital in front of Jokhang Temple, there are always charter cars for hire. For ordinary travellers, however, their prices are no better than those of travel agencies, and the road to Everest is very hard going, so vehicles inevitably break down along the way, and the resulting costs and hassle are difficult to share. It is therefore advisable to rent a car through a travel agency, which will arrange insurance and a driver and find you companions for the vehicle. (A charter usually seats five: four in the back and one in the front passenger seat, so the slimmer your companions, the better.) You can also check the message boards at Balangxue and Jiri, where people often look for travel companions. ## Eat & drink ### Recommended Restaurants - **Pengbi (朋必)** — Only Shigatse locals will know what you mean if you ask about pengbi. It is a snack made from pea flour. The way it is eaten is unique: your palm serves as the bowl and your fingers as chopsticks. You can eat it on the street as you walk, which is great fun. Shigatse folk jokingly say that if you haven't tried pengbi, you haven't really been to Shigatse. - **Tibetan Blood Sausage** — Whenever a herding family in Tibetan areas slaughters a sheep, they fill a small intestine with the blood and boil it to eat. Tibetan-style blood sausage is quite different from the Cantonese and Sichuan sausages commonly eaten back home, so it is worth trying while you are in Tibet. - **Fengsheng Tibetan Restaurant (Xigaze Pedestrian Street branch)** — A Tibetan restaurant popular with locals, with an authentic Tibetan atmosphere and good service. (20 metres northeast of the intersection of Bangjiakong Road and Xigaze Scenic Street (Pedestrian Street No. 62), 15726720000) - **Wuerduo Mansion Restaurant** — One of the better restaurants in Shigatse city. It has a large frontage and a stylish setting with a strong Tibetan flavour. The dishes have been adapted and taste quite good, and it draws many visitors from elsewhere. (No. 10, Zhade West Road, opposite Deqing Puzhang, 18514263474) ## Where to stay Shigatse is Tibet's second-largest city, and many travellers set off from here for Everest, Zhangmu Port, Ngari Prefecture and even Nepal, so there is heavy foot traffic. Accommodation in Shigatse is concentrated in the urban area, with plenty of choice: hotels, guesthouses and small inns at every price level, priced from tens to hundreds of ¥. Many mid-range and budget guesthouses and inns have limited facilities and only provide hot water during set hours, so be sure to check in advance. ## Things to see - **Dzong Hill Anti-British Site (Zongshan)** (★★★): Admission The fortress is not open to the public. The square below it is free to enter.; Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/dzong-hill-anti-british-site-zongshan - **Palcho Monastery (Pelkor Chode)** (★★★★): Opening hours 9：00—19：00; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/palcho-monastery-pelkor-chode - **Pala Manor** (★★★): Admission ¥30; Opening hours 9：00—18：00; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/pala-manor - **Sakya Monastery** (★★★★): Admission ¥60; Opening hours 9：00—18：30; Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/sakya-monastery - **Shalu Monastery** (★★★★): Admission ¥60; Opening hours 9：30—17：00; Time needed 3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/shalu-monastery - **Panchen Lama's New Palace (Dekyi Phodrang)** (★★★): Admission ¥30; Opening hours 9：00—18：00 — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/panchen-lama-s-new-palace-dekyi-phodrang - **Tashilhunpo Monastery** (★★★★★): Admission Peak season ¥100, off-season ¥55 (free during the Jumping Buddha Festival); Opening hours 9：00—18：00; Time needed 2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tashilhunpo-monastery - **Rongbuk Monastery** (★★★): Admission ¥30; Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/rongbuk-monastery - **Zhangmu Port** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/zhangmu-port - **Shishapangma** (★★★): Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/shishapangma - **Peiku Tso Lake** (★★★): Admission Included in the Shishapangma scenic area combined ticket; Opening hours 9：00—18：00; Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/peiku-tso-lake - **Samzhubze Dzong Fortress** (★★★★): Admission Free; Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/samzhubze-dzong-fortress - **Mount Everest (Qomolangma)** (★★★★★): Admission Mountain entry fee ¥160; sightseeing bus ¥120 — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/mount-everest-qomolangma - **Everest Base Camp** (★★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/everest-base-camp - **Rongbuk Glacier** (★★★★★): Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/rongbuk-glacier - **Karola Glacier** (★★★★): Admission ¥50; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/karola-glacier --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 551–569. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.