2013 Shigatse Itinerary – Saga

2013 Shigatse Itinerary - Saga

D3 Lhasa – Yamdrok Lake – Gyantse – Shigatse

Today we will depart Lhasa City in the morning early to the breathtaking Yamdrok Lake – the highest Freshwater Lake throughout the world. On the way, we will get a chance to pass the grand Yarlung Zangbo River Bridge in Qushui County and Gangpala Snow Mountain which is 4990 meters high, and take a glimpse of Gangpala Radar Station.

Yamdrok Lake covers an area of 638 square kilometers, regarded as one of the Top 3 Sacred Lakes of Tibet.

The water surface of Yamdrok Lake is about 4441 meters high, and the lake shoreline is about 250 kilometers long. In Tibetan language, Yamdrok Lake literally means the jasper lake and well known by local Tibetan people. The water is quite limpid such like the mutton tallow and sweet enough to drink straightly. It is the mother river source of local people around. Afterwards, you will be surprised to feel the perfect combination of the water and the pure snow mountains from far away when you wander downwards along Yamdrok Lake. The beautiful and colorful high mountains with different shapes, the national exquisite Tibetan dwellings, and the crowded sheep and yaks will queerly form a great painting along the way. It is really mysterious impressed and attracted, right?

Later on, we will still drive to Shigatse – the second larger region of Tibet, acted as the religious, political, economical and educational center of southern Tibet. It is 3800 meters high, 150 meters higher than Lhasa City.

D4 Shigatse – Latse – Saga

Latse County is actually the crossing of China-Nepal Highway - Sino-Nepalese Highway and G219 National Highway (Sinkiang-Tibet Highway). It is one of the prosperously counties of Shigatse Prefecture.

China-Nepal Highway (Sino-Nepalese Highway) is the only one international Highway of Tibet. It stretches from Lhasa City to Kathmandu, the capital of the Kingdom of Nepal by way of Shigatse Prefecture, Tingri, Nyelam County, Zham Port and Friendship Bridge. As a matter of fact, China-Nepal Highway is one section of G318 National Highway in Tibet. G219 National Highway starts from Karghalik in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Sinkiang) and ends at Latse in Tibet Autonomous Region. The whole journey is 2342 kilometers long.

Saga County is situated in the northwest of Shigatse Prefecture in the south of Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one of the border counties of Shigatse Prefecture, too. The border line is approximately 105 kilometers long. In the east, Saga County connects to Angren County and Nyelam County. In the south, it connects to Gyirong County and the Kingdom of Nepal. In the west, it connects to Zhongpa County. In the north, it connects to Coqin County of Ngari Prefecture. In addition, Saga County is available in the north of Himalaya Mountain Range and the southwest of Gangdisê Mountains, the upper reach of Yarlung Zangbo River. G219 National Highway is available throughout Saga County. Saga County is proud of more than 1000 years history and well known for a type of dancing in Tibet. The dancing is said to be created for Princess Wencheng when she got married with Songtsen Gampo.