Tibet is one of those countries most of the travelers crave to visit. The arrival into the country itself promises new challenges, new experiences and adventures. Flying above the Tibet, we could see how the areas below changed from uninhabited gray hills and snow-covered shields to the verdant hills diversified with valleys and creeping rivers. Life in the country was as harsh and full of contrasts as the country itself. Here are 4 reasons why to visit Tibet.

From the airport, it takes one hour to Lhasa, capital of Tibet. To get to the old downtown starting with the fountain, we had to pass the new neighborhoods of the city first. Bus dropped us at the fountain to walk the rest of the way to the hotel. It was located at the main square – at the Barkhor pilgrim circuit. After a short break and acclimatization to the altitude of 3,600 m, we decided to get to know the city little more. The best way to do it is having a traditional Tibetan lunch at the hotel rooftop. Yak steak. Except for lunch we enjoyed magnificent views of the entire city center and colorful roofs surrounding the main square.

All the buildings were richly decorated, on some Chinese soldiers made their viewpoint. They were strategically allocated to maintain order in the city. As Chinese government doesn’t want the whole world know about these procedures, soldiers can’t be captured on any photos. Therefore be careful as a tourist. They can delete all the photos you took if they get suspicious. However, we met group of Chinese policemen who were eager and happy to take a photo with us 😊

It is worth to choose a hotel situated in the center, you have everything so close and can easily get to know the city. Walking around the Barkhor you can feel the local atmosphere – meeting local people and their religion, discovering new smells from incense and buy some souvenirs. We also tasted delicious coffee with a cake in a café owned by the European who understood English (which is rare in Tibet).

Traveling around Tibet, especially crossing Himalayas, is magical. It connects both measureless beauty and adrenaline. Level of adrenaline depends mostly on the means of transport you use. We traveled with local bus with broken heating, no air conditioning, and the local guide was seated next to driver – on the engine itself. Roads in Himalayas are narrow, serpentine and surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. Part of these rocks were hanging above our heads, the other part was already lying on the road. (I am talking about rocks approx. 2m in diameter.) Wherever we stopped, local kids appeared from nowhere and started begging.

The nature around was unbelievably beautiful. You will see green hills, rivers, massive cracks caused by erosion, yellow fields of rapeseed in blossom and picturesque houses. We were lucky enough to experience thunderstorm while crossing the saddle in 5 248 m above sea level, see rainbow over the highest mountains in the world and enjoy amazing sunset. For the first time in my life I didn’t want to leave the bus, and wished this journey to continue. Only when I realized that the same 16 hours of our Himalayan adventure the same driver sat behind the wheel I felt somewhat happy to be at our destination.

In better restaurants, you can find also Nepali and Indian food which is delicious. However, when you are in Tibet, you have to try its traditional meal. It is closely connected to the traditional Tibetan animal – yak. I tasted yak steak, yak tea and yak momo. When we were traveling around the country, smaller restaurants offered mostly the same menu – veggie or chicken risotto and thukpa – veggie or chicken soup with noodles.

Buddhism dominates in Tibet. It is more a philosophy than religion. There are no Gods and Siddhartha Gautama is its founder and most recognized representative. He was the first Buddha, but not the only one. Anyone, who achieves the state of enlightenment (they meditate and meditate until they know and understand everything – pretty easy, right?), can become a Buddha. Buddhism has no strict rules to be followed, it is based on karma that is given to us and is not influencable. By good deeds, a decent honest life, and praying, we can improve it for our future lives. Locals are trying too hard, in many ways. In addition to praying, they carry a prayer mill (existing in various sizes). In the monasteries or walking the kora, they have the opportunity to spin large prayer mills, adjusted in a row.

A special way of praying is ”caterpillar style” (my very own definition). Starting from a standing position, one lies down in some kind of sliding along the ground. It can be done either in one place (for example, in front of the monastery) or, one can move like a caterpillar for several kilometers. In Shigatse, we met a group of young brave men who have been on the road this way already for two months. It requires strong will, strong muscles, apron (against dirt) and a wheelchair with food supplies 😉

One of Tibet’s biggest “attractions” are monasteries. In my opinion, these are the 5 Amazing Buddhist Monasteries in Tibet.

There are many reasons why to visit Tibet. Once you decide for a visit, be cautious. There is also one negative aspect:

After getting off the plane, a fresh alpine air has welcomed us and met with our enthusiasm (as we’ve spent two weeks in China before). However, when we claimed luggage, we realized how treacherous it is in reality. It was a big deal to lift our backpacks and put them on. Those 20 meters leading to the Tibetan bus seemed like half a mile, we were breathing heavily. Our fight with the so-called “acute mountain sickness“ has started. Dizziness, nausea, headaches, insomnia and shortness of breath are a few symptoms of this condition.

We were little scared and afraid that we can collapse anytime and therefore made sure every now and then that our fingertips are not blue and our muscles do not ache. Thinking of a sleep scared us too. We’ve heard that in the most cases, death occurs while you’re asleep.

To make your fight with this altitude illness successful (or at least alleviate its symptoms), follow these basic rules – drink a lot of liquids (5 liters a day), rest and reduce your physical activity at the beginning, and eat a high carbohydrate diet (bread, fruits, pasta, potatoes). In general, the bigger and muscular person is (and has bigger lungs), the harder the fight against the sickness is. As I am a short person, I enjoyed my stay in Tibet without any major problems 😊

Love & happy travels,
RLT

P.S.: If you have any questions, different experience or suggestion, please share it in a comment below. 😉