Shigatse Tour- Useful Information for Visiting Sakya Monastery

There is some useful information for visiting Sakya Monastery in Shigatse tour provided by Tibet tour, including the location and feature of Sakya Monastery, transportation to Sakya Monastery, accommodation and dining at Sakya Monastery and nearby scenery of Sakya Monastery.

Shigatse Tour- Useful Information for Visiting Sakya Monastery

Location of Sakya Monastery

Sakya Monastery is located at the place which is about 260 kilometers away from Mt. Everest. The Mt. Everest Viewing Platform is about 15 kilometers away from Sakya Monastery. On the way to Mt. Everest Viewing Plateau from Sakya Monastery, you can visit Wujian Monastery and other sight spots on the way.

Feature of Sakya Monastery

The Sakya Monastery which is at the altitude of 4200 meters was the center of politics, economy, military, culture and religion as early as 900 years ago. If you do not visit Sakya Monastery in Shigatse tour, you should not say you have a Shigatse tour. "Sakya" means grey soil. In 1073 (in the period of Northern Song Dynasty), the descendant of Kun Family which was aristocrat in Tubo Kingdom – Kun Gongque Jiebu found there was a small hill on south side of Benbo Mountain in the color of grey and with auspicious signs. So he provided funds to build Sakya Monastery there and formed Sakya Sect.

Transportation to Sakya Monastery

There is no scheduled bus to Sakya Monastery directly in Lhasa. You can transfer at Shigatse. There are scheduled buses from Lhasa to Shigatse in West Bus Station from morning to afternoon. The cost of small vehicle is 100 CNY, and the cost of bus is 50 CNY. The cost of bus from Shigatse to Sakya Monastery is 40 CNY per person. If you want to take mini bus or taxi, you are suggested to figure out the price with the driver at first. In general, the cost of mini bus and taxi is about 50 CNY.

Accommodation and Dining at Sakya Monastery

Guesthouses mainly gather around Sakya Monastery. The local best hotel is Sakya Hotel which often accepts foreign travelers. It also provides western style dishes. At the crossroads in center of county town, there are several family inns. The environment and condition of these family inns is good.

In the county town of Sakya, there are several good restaurants. A restaurant near Food Bureau Guesthouse is good at cooking. Near the new Bus Station, there is a Sichuan Food Restaurant and a Shanxi Noodle Restaurant providing tasty foods with reasonable price. Near Sakya Monastery, there are three Tibetan restaurants where you can have Tibetan meal, butter tea or sweet tea.

Nearby Scenery of Sakya Monastery

The most famous sight spot in Sakya is Sakya Monastery. The Sakya Monastery can be divided into Northern Monastery and Southern Monastery. The entrance ticket of Southern Monastery is 50 CNY. The Northern Monastery is located on the north hill. There is a unit of white pagoda near northern gate. It is the place where local people circumambulate. Standing there, you can overlook the whole county town.