Things to do & places to visit in Tibet, China

Tibet #17 destination in China 2023. The average rating score is 4.61 based on 8.849 traveler reviews, of 336 attractions. Timezone: Asia/Urumqi, current date and time: Monday, April 29, 2024, 22:35.

Tibet Weather Statistics view more »

General weather summary in April

53°F - 26°F

Temperature Highs - Lows

Cold

Feels like

13%

Chance of rain

30.0 millimeters

Amount

9.2 mph

Wind speed

49%

Humidity

12.8

Daylight length

7:30 AM

Sunrise

8:21 PM

Sunset

49%

Cloud cover

Jacket

What to wear

Top things to do (19)

Top destinations in Tibet 68

See more 56 destinations »

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Potala Palace (2.502 reviews)
- Full of history and culture
Monday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites

The residence of the Dalai Lama is an immense religious structure and a masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. See more..
5.0 Yamdrok Yumtso Lake (235 reviews)
- Heavenly clear blue water
Monday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Historic Sites • Bodies of Water

Picturesque area. A 72-kilometers lake, winding itself through mountains at an elevation close to 5,000 meters. The sign carved into a natural rock by the lake indicates an elevation of 4,998 meters. See more..
5.0 Mount Kailash (196 reviews)
- Journey to the center of the self
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent More than 3 hours Mountains • Hiking Trails • Religious Sites

Gangs Rin-po-che is the Tibetan name of Mt. Kailash which is considered as a sacred place in four regions: Bon Religion, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash for the faith they believed that circumambulating Kailash by foot will bring good luck and clear the sins. The trek begins and ends at Darchen which is at 4,575m elevation.Mount Kailash trekking is one of the most challenging and sacred treks in the world. The trek is widely known as Mt. Kailash kora which is scared in four religions, Bon Religion, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. What’s more, this holy mountain is also the headstream of four famous rivers in Asia: Indus River (also called Shiquan River in China), Sutlej River (a major tributary of the Indus River), Yarlungzangpo River (also called Brahmaputra River) and Ganges River. Every year, thousands make a pilgrimage to Kailash for the faith they believed that circumambulating this holy mountain by foot will bring good luck. See more..
5.0 Nnamjagbarwa Mountain (28 reviews)
- thw China ten top beautiful mountain
Mountains

the Nyanjabawa snow mountain is a holy mountain in Tibet and the ten top beautiful mountain in china , See more..
5.0 Midui Glacier (19 reviews)
- Midui Glacier revisited
Geologic Formations

Two years after my last visit we revisited Bomi county again and of course also Midui glacier which this time could be enjoyed is all his splendid beauty. No clouds to be seen and unless the last time it was really a beautiful view. The trail to the glacier lake got some improvement and also the platform at the lake's edge looked new. Due to excellent weather we were also able to view many more 6,000m plus mountains and glaciers all the way from Lulang forest to Bomi and Ranwu Lake. This part of Tibet is not so much visited but when it comes to natural beauty it certainly is one of the 'big diamonds' in Tibet's crown. See more..
5.0 Guge Kingdom (19 reviews)
- Simply STUNNING
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

I visited this place with my local guide and I stayed in a nearest town for few days. If you want to experience a sort of Tibetan Grand Canyon this is the right place. As for the ruins of the Guge Kingdom reaching the top and looking at the amazing panorama is one of the strongest experiences I have had in my life. The fact it is quite difficult to reach makes this place even better because of very limited tourists around. If you want to get lost for awhile, this is the place to go. Strongly recommended. See more..
5.0 Ranwu Lake (17 reviews)
- Amazing View of Ranwu lake and Lugu glacier!
Bodies of Water

Ranwu lake is very nice view and after that 25km drive you will be arrive at Lugu glacier. You need to trek around half hrs or if you want to ride horse, you can do horse ride. From the lugu glacier you can have a very nice view of the five glacier in one time. Also this area the local village are very friendly and you can possible to visit the local house to explore the local village life. See more..
4.5 Jokhang Temple (1.227 reviews)
- Beautiful Temple
Monday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Religious Sites

Included on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2000 as part of the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple is in the heart of Lhasa downtown. With an area of 25,100 square meters (about six acres), it is the ultimate pilgrimage destination for Tibetan Pilgrims. As the most sacred temple in Tibet, Jokhang Temple is situated in Lhasa city and attracts many pilgrims to worship and circumambulating around. The temple was founded during King Songtsen Gampo’ reign (617-650 AD). At that time, the King built the temple to welcome his two brides, Princess Bhrikuti from Nepal and Princess Wencheng from China in Tang Dynasty. Both princesses brought statues of Jowo Sakyamuni as their dowries, therefore, Songtsen decided to build a temple to house these important statues. Together with Jokhang Temple, Ramoche Temple was built as well to place the statue brought by Princess Wencheng. Later, the statue was moved to Jokhang Temple as well for better protection. See more..
4.5 Sera Monastery (716 reviews)
- Monks in action
Monday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Historic Sites • Religious Sites

The Sera Monastery (founded in 1419 by Jamchen Chojey of Sakya Yeshe, disciple of Tsongkhapa) is just located at the foot of Tatipu Hill,located 1.25 miles (2.01 km) north of Lhasa and about 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the Jokhang and it is about 6 km to the northeast direction of Potala Palace. It is famous for the Buddhism activities of” Monks Debate” which happens in afternoon from Monday to Saturday. This is one highlight attraction for travel in Lhasa Tibet. See more..
4.5 Barkhor Street (626 reviews)
- You have gotta go!
Monday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Points of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas

Located in the heart of old Lhasa, this circular route is the oldest street in the city dating back to the foundation of the Jokhang See more..
4.5 Drepung Monastery (Zhebang Si) (322 reviews)
- Monastery in the Mountains
Monday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Historic Sites • Religious Sites

Built in 1416, this is considered one of the largest monasteries in the world with more than 10,000 monks living inside its walls during the height of its activities. See more..
4.5 Lake Namtso (311 reviews)
- Peaceful, calm, & beautiful
Monday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Bodies of Water

Namtso was born in the Paleogene age, as a result of Himalayan tectonic plate movements. The lake lies at an elevation of 4,718 m (15,479 ft), and has a surface area of 1,920 km2 (740 sq mi). This salt lake is the largest lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region. However, it is not the largest lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. That title belongs to Qinghai Lake (more than twice the size of Namtso); which lies more than 1,000 km (620 mi) to the north-east in Qinghai. See more..
4.5 Tashilunpo Monastery (252 reviews)
- calm and quiet
Monday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Religious Sites

Tashilhunpo Monastery is situated in Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. In 1447, the first Dalai Lama built it and it has been one of the six great Gelugpa monasteries. If you go to Shigatse, you cannot miss the marvelous monastery where you will see a lot of precious religious statues and stupas. See more..
4.5 Lake Manasarovar (130 reviews)
- Lake of tranquility
Monday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Historic Sites • Bodies of Water

Mansarovar as part of Journey to the center of the self This was part of my trip to Kailash organised through Government of India through a long trek through Lipulekh pass. posted a full video traveelogue including details of stay at Mansarovar lake on youtube . search for "Journey to the center of the self" . this area is spiritually amazing and very rejuvenating. The lake and surroundings are amazing and very meditative. See more..
4.5 Ganden Monastery (127 reviews)
- A sight to Behold - Massive and Elegant Monastery
Monday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Religious Sites

Ganden Monastery, also known as Ganden Namgyeling, is one of the three great Gelug university monasteries (the other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery) of Tibet, China. It was constructed in 1409 near Lhasa by the founder of the Gelug order, Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa. Back in 1958, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, took his last degree examination here. However, Ganden was destroyed after 1959, right now it has been partially rebuilt. Right now, there are several major constructions in the monastery, namely, the Lagyi Hall, Chitokang, Yangbagyain Hall, Xaze, Jamze Zhacang Buddhist Colleges and kamcuns and Myicuns. The Lagyi Hall is a 3-storey building. And it takes up 2,000 square meters and can contain 3,000 people at the same time. See more..
4.5 Palkhor Monastery and Kumbum Stupa (109 reviews)
- 108 Chapels
Monday: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM Historic Sites • Religious Sites

Built in 1414, this monastery consists of 17 Dratsang (colleges) that belong to the three sects of Sagya, Kadam and Gelug. Palkhor also has the spectacular Bodhi stupa, or Kumbum in Tibetan, which was built in 1412. See more..
4.5 Drak Yerpa (88 reviews)
- Phew!
Religious Sites

In the middle of the 7th century, Songtsan Gampo and his team built Drak-Yerpa for his wife. Songstan Gampo (604-650) was the 33rd king of the Yarlung Dynasty. And he was the first emperor of a united Tibet. It was said that there were 108 caves at Drak Yerpa in the past but now only a dozen of them remain well. And the earliest among these caves is the cave of Songtsan Gampo. Many individual temples were built around the cave, then after several expansions, they were consolidated forming the well-known temple. This site is very peaceful and has stunning views. To walk and hike where Songtsan Gampo and the later Guru Renpoche and the later Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche (late 8th to early 9th century) have walked is really aspiring. See more..
4.5 Karo La Glacier (76 reviews)
- stunning view
Monday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Geologic Formations

So beautiful breathtaking scene although the journey is very tough. Sure recommend to every traveler who gonna visit to Tibet. There are 4,5 local woman keep asking for photo model together with charges. Bargain first before taking photo to avoid argument. We can't stand the cold weather so we stayed 10 minutes and left. See more..
4.5 Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (62 reviews)
- Amazing View, Pity about the rubbish everywhere
Monday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Nature & Wildlife Areas

This was my favourite place in Tibet. It is a long drive over a rough gravel road to get there (on the plus side, you will see some nice countryside too, but a 4x4 vehicle is recommended). The view you get will depend on the weather. We were very fortunate on this trip that we had perfect weather and were able to enjoy a perfect view of it. The only disappointing aspect was the amount of litter around the place, and the road in. It is a shame that n o one cleans it up, and that so many tourists don mind dropping rubbish everywhere. Be a responsible traveller and take your rubbish back to the hotel or nearest bin etc. The restaurant near base camp looks basic, but serves up a pretty good feed too. See more..
4.5 Samye Monastery (Sangye Si) (61 reviews)
- Wow, this is amazing
Monday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Religious Sites

Samye Monastery, Tibetan’s first monastery and first college, locates in Shannan Region. It was constructed by the King Trisong Detsen of the Tubo Kingdom, and the monastery was also presided over by the Buddhist master Padmasambhava or Gulug Rinpoche. Detsen took part in the foundation ceremony and later he ordained seven descendants of blue blood to cultivate the monastery. They were called ‘Seven Enlighten Disciples of Samye’. Since then, Buddhism has widespread within Tibetan plateau. Samye was destroyed several times by civil war, fire and earthquakes respectively. Today, only partially of its original 108 buildings survive or have been rebuilt. See more..
4.5 Sakya Monastery (55 reviews)
- A special and magic place
Monday: 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM Spent 2-3 hours Religious Sites

Sakya Kloster is famed as the 'Second Dunhuang' due to its colossal collection of numerous Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, murals and Thangkas. According to statistics, about 40,000 volumes of scriptures are housed there. A wooden bookshelf which is about 57 meters (187 feet) long, 11 meters high (36 feet) and one meter wide (three feet) has 464 grids. More than ten thousand scriptures are housed on the shelf. Among them, the most precious is Burde Gyaimalung, which records Tibetan religion, history, philosophy, literature, agriculture and animal husbandry. It is 1.8 meters (six feet) long, 1.3 meters (four feet) wide and 0.67 meter (two feet) thick and boasts the biggest scriptures in the world. Additionally, it also houses 21 volumes of Buddhist scriptures written on Pattra leaves in Sanskrit. Each consists of one hundred to two hundred pages and four-color illustrations. They are the most precious sutras in the world. See more..
4.5 Gyangze Old Street (45 reviews)
- One of the highlights of my trip to Tibet
Neighborhoods • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas

DON'T MISS THIS! As you exit Palkor Chode complex, veer left and pass all the vendors, and take the next right, in the direction of the hill with the fort. It is a long straight residential street, lined with traditional 2-story white-washed houses. Cows are tethered to front doors chewing cud, dogs sleep in the sun, dung patties dry on the walls, hay dries in piles, roosters assert their authority, weaving of the traditional women's aprons, etc. Just so authentic, it was a real pleasure. We were even invited into the home of a curious local - but I think we ended up being more curious than her! A very insightful visit to their home, where 4 generations live, and some real butter tea!! It's an easy stroll, so don't be put off if you are rather tired after Palkor Chode. You will need at least an hour (well, I did!) See more..
4.5 Yaowang Mountain of Lhasa (44 reviews)
- the Tibetan medicine cradle spot -Jampori hill in Lhasa
Mountains

the Jampori(Chinese Yaowang mountain ) is locate a center of Lhasa city ,and opposite of the Potala palce ,it is 2minute walk from Potala square..which is one of the Tibet traditional medicine cradle. See more..
4.5 Lulang Forest (41 reviews)
- Finally - Great weather in Eastern Tibet
Forests

It was my third trip to Eastern Tibet. On the previous two trips the weather was not so nice and the Namche Barwa and Guyla Peri mountains could not be seen . All this changed in October. Traveling from Nyingchi to Pomi we stopped over on Serkhym-La. This pass is at an altitude of 4.600m . From the panorama platform we had an overwhelming beautiful view of Mt. Namche Barwa. This view alone was worth this years trip to Tibet. We continued to Lulang where we visited the village and had some nice walk within the dense forest area. In the afternoon we continued to Pomi where we stayed at night. See more..
4.5 XiZangZiZhiQu LaSaShi BaKuo Jie BuXingJie (41 reviews)
- Wow!!!!
Points of Interest & Landmarks

This is a way to see how dedicated and religious the Tibetans are. It is a place of prayer and devotion. It is also a place of shops and markets. Mingle with the people they love to have their picture taken with you...but ask first. Be respectful. See more..
4.5 Yumbu Lakang (38 reviews)
- Nice view and great experience !
Monday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Castles

Yumbu Lakang was built for the first Tibetan King, Nyatri Tsanpo, in the 2nd Century BC and became the Tibetan Kings’ palace since then. It then became the summer palace for Princess Wenchen and Songtsen Gampo, that was during the reign of Songtsen Gampo himself. The palace became a Gelugpa monastery during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama after Songtsen Gampo moved to the capital Lhasa in the 7th Century. The name“Yumbu” means female dear named after the shape of the Jormo Zhaxi Ceri Mountain which looks like a female dear. “lagang” meaning Sacred palace . Hence the name of Yumbulagang” the sacred palace of mother and son” in Tibetan dialect. See more..
4.5 Ani Tsankhung Nunnery (30 reviews)
- We felt very comfortable here unlike the Jokhang Temple.
Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites

Ani Tsankhung Nunnery was built in the 7th century by Songsten Gampo who used its meditation chamber.The monastery is a yellow building which lies on the street parallel and north of Chingdol Dong Lu in Lhasa. Since the 12th century the monastery has been used chiefly by Buddhist nuns. The nunnery's main hall contains a beautiful image of Chenrezi, the multi-armed bodhisattva of Compassion. The sacred meditation chamber lies behind it. See more..
4.5 zong jiao lu kang (22 reviews)
- the new park -dzonggyel lhokang and beautiful white stupas.
Bodies of Water

The Dzonggyel Lhokang is a new park in Lhasa city and located behind of the Potala palace.which is a good view for the Potala palce See more..
4.5 Yangwang Mountain Cliffside Images (17 reviews)
- Small but Impressive Place of Religious Importance
Geologic Formations

The cliffside is located on the outer religious circle in Lhasa and is mostly frequented by local devotees. The cliffside has numerous buddha figurines etched and painted on the cliffside along with the religious Tibetan scriptures See more..
4.5 Manasarovar Wetland (15 reviews)
- mansarovar Yatra
Geologic Formations

Amazing experience to take holy dip in Mansarovar lake. whole parikrama of Sarovar by bus. water is too cold. See more..