Traffic in Shigatse

Traffic in Shigatse – Brief Introduction

Shigatse is about 300 kilometers away from Lhasa. Both the Sino-Nepal Frienship Highway and State Highway G219 cross Shigatse Prefecture. It is quite convenient to make a Nepal overland tour through the Friendship Highway or travel to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region along the State Highway G219 via Gaer (also noted as Shiquanhe Town). It is reported that 17 counties in Shigatse Prefecture are served with highways. Obviously, there is a relatively complete highway transportation system in Shigatse and tourists making a Tibet tour could visit Shigatse from other parts of Tibet conveniently.

The traffic in Shigatse is pretty backward before 1951. Shigatse suffered a disastrous flood in 1954; the government attached great importance in the construction of the highways between Gyantse and Shigatse, Yadong and Lhasa while helping the local Tibetans to fight against the natural disaster. Later, the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway and the highway between Lhatze and Purang County in Ngari Prefecture were constructed continuously. In early 1990s, the highway connects Qushui County and Shigatse City was completed. It is recorded that nearly 8000 kilometers in Shigatse Prefecture are served by highways in different levels. The road condition of the highways in the laggard regions due to the severe natural environment is keep improving recent years.

Traffic in Shigatse - Shigatse Passenger Station

The shuttle bus between Shigatse City and different counties and towns in Shigatse Prefecture is available. Tourists making a Tibet tour and willing to pay a visit to Shigatse City from Gyantse could catch the shuttle bus running between 8:30 a.m. and 19:00 p.m. Tourists interested in Sakya Monastery should note that the shuttle bus between Shigatse City and Sakya is only available at 9:00 a.m. and 15:30 p.m. If you missed the only two buses, you could only rent a vehicle or change your plan to the next day. Besides, the shuttle bus between Shigatse City and Zhangmu, Nyalam, Lhatze and Tingri are also opened to meet the demand of tourists.

Traffic in Shigatse – Shigatse City to Gyantse

Shigatse City is about 77 kilometers away from Gyangtse County. A large number of self-help tourists would like to take the bus at Shigatse Passenger Station to Gyantse in the morning. Generally, it takes 2 hours driving to Gyantse from Shigatse. For tourists willing to stay overnight at Shigatse after visiting the noted Palkhor Monastery (also noted as Gyantse Kunbum for its magnificent pagodas), it would be a good choice to take the bust waiting in front of the monastery to Shigatse City. Tourists making a Tibet tour to Gyantse could also pay a visit to Zongshan Castle, where tourists could take a bird-view of the ancient Gyantse County.

Traffic in Shigatse – Shigatse City to Yadong

The shuttle bus between Shigatse City and Yadong is only available on 8:30 a.m. and 15:00p.m. It takes only about two hours to get to Yadong from Shigatse for the road condition has been greatly improved. The whole journey between Yadong and Shigatse is 300 kilometers. The highway connects Shigatse and Yadong involves a sudden altitude change. It will climb over the Kangla Mountain Pass with an altitude of 4760 meters and then down to Yadong County with an altitude of 3500 meters.