A journey to Gyantse, Tibet

Gyantse is a town in Tibet having 15,000 inhabitants and an altitude of 3980 meters. Here you get wide streets, flanked by inexpressive blocks and short Tibetan style houses. You will not see limos here with dark windows behind which Chinese mobs hidet, but rather soon tractors, pulling a trailer full of people, or even riders on the city sidewalks.There are several buildings with cheap glass facades, but overall the town is all Tibetan style.

But not the city is an attraction in itself. No matter how original and interesting the Tibetan architecture is, it's not terribly elaborate, but rather relatively austere and poorish. Because people live for their faith and all that is good and sophisticated in this land is heading towards monasteries, chorten, those round temples where the penetrating blue eyes of Buddha are watching, to the statues of the gods and the old Dalai Lama.

How to get to there:

First, you have to get in Tibet. You can get there from both Nepal (by plane or by car on the Friendship Highway) and China (by plane, train and car). To arrive at Gyantse, you need at least two licenses: one from the Tibet Tourism Board ('Tibet visa' with which you have the right to enter Tibet) and another one with which I could get out of Lhas). In principle, you can not really go outside Lhasa independently, but you can rent a car with a driver from any agency in China, Tibet and Nepal. In case regulations could relaxe (unlikely after the Tibetan uprising of 2008), you can take a local bus from Shigatse, the second largest city of Tibet, located 90 km from Gyantse. Shigatse is on the Friendship Highway, so you can reach it by road from both Lhasa and Kathmandu, Nepal.

The accommodation:

If you go there with a tourism agency, accommodation is usually included. If not, probably the most comfortable hotel is Jianzang Hotel, a Tibetan style hotel. For other options in Gyantse, you can study this site: http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/html/20104702558-1.html

What can you eat there:

For a Tibetan town of Gyantse's size, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants with reasonable food. Because it is on the 'tourist trail, with luck, you will receive a menu in an approximate English language. For foods that resemble European cuisine, try some Nepalese restaurant with 'western fare'.

Weather in Gyantse:

Weather in Tibet (including Gyantse) is characterized by cold winters with no precipitation and surprisingly warm but rainy summers. To visit Tibet, the best time to go there is spring and fall, when rainfall is low and is not terribly cold. Because it's good to know when to go to Tibet, here are some weather statistics on different websites.

Tibet visa

To enter Tibet, you must not only cover Chinese but also Tibetan visa (or so-called Tibet Tourism Board Permit). This can be achieved only with an accredited travel agency. If in Lhasa you can go by yourself (but still need a Tibet visa) to get out of Lhasa, including Gyantse, you need another permit and you can unly travel in cars with a guide and driver provided by a travel agency.