Lhasa Travel China, Lhasa Tour Guide

China Lhasa City:
Lhasa

General Information:
Lhasa, the beautiful capital city of Tibet, is situated in the South Central part of the region, on the North bank of the Kyichu River, (Lhasa River), in a mountain-fringed valley. At an elevation of 3,658 m, (12,000 feet), the city, nicknamed Sunlight City, is the highest city in the world. This ancient sprawling city, settled 1,300 years ago, covers 30,000 square kms, with a population of 400,000, of which 87% are Tibetans.

Geography:
Lhasa, the beautiful capital city of this Tibet Autonomous Region, (TAR), is situated in the South Central part of the region, on the North bank of the Kyichu River, (Lhasa River), in a mountain-fringed valley. At an elevation of 3,658 m, (12,000 feet), the city, nicknamed Sunlight City, is the highest city in the world. This ancient sprawling city, settled 1,300 years ago, covers 30,000 square kms, (3'000,000 hectares), with a population of 400,000, of which 87% are Tibetans. The urban population is 180,000. The city has many Buddhist monuments and was the seat of the Dalai Lama, so that flocks of pilgrims have been making their pilgrimage to the city for centuries. More and more tourists from every corner of the world have been attracted to explore this vibrant city and its mysterious culture as well. Its unique scenery, long history, exotic culture, mysterious religion and spectacular monuments, make your stay a life long memory.

Climate:
Influenced by Indian monsoon, Lhasa has a mild climate throughout the year. The yearly highest temperature is 29 degrees Celsius; the lowest minus 16.5 while the yearly average temperature is 7.4. Most of the yearly rainfall hits in July, August and September.

Nature:
Feature: As the religious center and the used-to-be seat of the Dalai Lama, Lhasa features mysterious Tibetan Buddhism culture, as well as religious monuments such as Potala and the Jokhang in a paradox of modernization.

Accommodations: The accommodation conditions have been greatly improved. There are now up market hotels for those tourists who wish to enjoy luxury accommodation as well as inexpensive hostels for the budget traveler. The extravagant Lhasa Hotel provides international facilities and standards of service, while dozens of hostels, mostly on Beijing Dong Lu or around, provide the more basic accommodation and a limited service. more infomation

Restaurants: Small restaurants to satisfy travelers from every corner of the world are booming all over Lhasa. Most of them cluster around the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor. Travelers can easily find places to eat and drink. more infomation

Entertainment: Flourishing disco bars and Karaoke bars are becoming the most popular entertainment in Lhasa. There is one cinema on Yuthok Lu, however, its popularity has been declining. Another alternative is a visit to a Langma opera. Here Tibetan dances and songs from Kham and Amdo and occasionally Indian dances, are performed. There are dozens of them in town now; you just have to ask the locals to find out more information. A good choice now is to visit a Kailash, Makye Ame, Tashi or some other restaurant to enjoy pop music and share travel stories. If Nightclubs is what you are after, although a relatively new concept, one can be easily found near Snowlands Hotel.

Practical tips: Lhasa, as the capital city of Tibet, offers better facilities e.g. accommodation, restaurants and shopping, than the rest of the region, so we suggest, if you are planning to travel to other parts of Tibet, that you start your trip from here. Lhasa is also the best place to acclimatize before you go into the depths of Tibet and beyond. Bare in mind, to allow for acclimatization, refrain from particularly strenuous activities at the beginning of your trip.

Arrive:
Lhasa Airport, code: LXA. Lhasa Gonga Airport is located in Gonga County in South East of Lhasa with 100km to Lhasa city.
Most foreign travelers arrive in Tibet by plane. From China, Chengdu is the easiest and most popular starting point. Daily flights carry tourists to Lhasa in about 2 hours. Chongqing, a neighboring city, also has flights to Tibet. It is also possible to go from Beijing and Xi'an. Flights from Shanghai Hongqiao airport are new. Gonggar Airport is 98 km south of Lhasa city.