Where is Tibet? What’s travel without collecting experiences? And what’s travel without capturing those experiences? Tibet is a destination where you will be finding yourself not only capturing experiences, but also tirelessly capturing the beautiful surr
Lhasa to Everest Base Camp
Where is Tibet? What’s travel without collecting experiences? And what’s travel without capturing those experiences? Tibet is a destination where you will be finding yourself not only capturing experiences, but also tirelessly capturing the beautiful surroundings. Tibet is called as the Roof of the World; it is after all the highest plateau in the world. The topography is filled with spectacular views of mighty mountains, glistening lakes in high altitudes, over high passes adorning prayer flags, cliffside monasteries and retreats.
Cliffside Monastery
prayer flags
The high altitude of the region and the varied topography might give photographers really good views and plenty natural wonders to photograph. The every changing weather and ambient lighting of the region gives plenty to capture to the photographers. The strong sunshine makes everything glisten a bit more, the clear blue skies portray a beautiful reflection in the lakes, the snow topped mountains look like silver linings in the sky, and the high lands help you see night skies sprinkled with shining stars. Here are some of the things that you should not miss photographing in Tibet:
ALPINE LAKES
Tibet is famous for its glistening, clear, turquoise lakes in high altitudes amidst the mountains or foregrounding the mountains. The three famous scared lakes of Tibet are Namtso Lake, Yamdrok Lake, and Mansarover Lake.
Namtso Lake
Namtso Lake
Namtso Lake is located 250km from Lhasa along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, at altitude of 4,750m. It is a vast lake which is 70km long and 30km broad. Namtso is called as the heavenly lake owing to the truly heavenly views surrounding the lake. It is the second largest and highest salt water lake in China. There are no particular buses from Lhasa to Namtso Lake. You can hire a car or by cycle to get to the lake.
Yamdrok Lake
Yamdrok Lake
Yamdrok Lake is located 110km southwest of Lhasa and stands at an altitude of 4,471km. It is a 2-3hr drive from Lhasa. It is 70km wide and 130km long. Yamdrok means upper pasture and you will find the water colour to be a beautiful turquoise blue. The lake is fed by water from melted ice and it is the largest inland lake in the northern Himalayan ranges. Apart from photography you will find locals and tourists doing and participating in activities like fishing and bird watching. You can hike one of the surrounding small mountains to get better shots of the lake.
Manasarover Lake
Calm mornings are the best time to capture the reflection on the still waters.
Manasarover, which literally translates to immortal lake of jade, is the highest freshwater lake in the world at an altitude of 4,588m. It is 938km from Lhasa, and travellers usually take a long 9-8 day trip to Manasarover. This lake is considered as the most sacred lakes of all by many Tibetans and Hindus. This lake is also the source for four very important lakes in Asia. The grand views of Mt. Kailash, the breathtaking 80km circumference of the lake, the spiritual significance of the lake, and many mysteries surrounding the lake are some of the many reasons why many, travellers and devotees alike, travel to this lake.
Tibetan Monasteries
Monasteries in Tibet hold a significant representation in Tibetan culture and religion. They are major part of the national identity of the Tibetans. Monasteries are the best place for the tourists to learn and know more about the culture and practices followed by the natives. There are some very popular monasteries in Tibet and Shigatse. If you want to know more about the religion here are some of the monasteries that you can visit: Rongbuk Monastery, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Shalu Monastery, Natang Monastery, and Yungdrungling Monastery.
Make sure to check if photography is allowed or not in the sites.
Rongbuk Monastery is the highest monastery in the world. It is located in the Everest Base Camp and you can catch some amazing views of the mountain. Many travellers stay in the monastery just to capture the mountains in the morning light in all its glory. Sera Monastery is one of the most famous monasteries in Lhasa, it is known for the public debate between the monks in the courtyard. Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet; it is famous for hosting the Shoton Festival in the month of July. Shalu Monastery, located 20km from Shigatse, is known for its architectural distinction. It is a perfect combination of Han and Tibetan architecture. Natang Monastery, 15km from Shigatse, is known for its workshops on printing Buddhist Sutras. Yungdrungling Monastery is located in between Lhasa and Shigatse and there was a time when this monastery housed 300 monks but the numbers have dwindled drastically over the years.
Shoot Everest from Rongbuk monastery
This big land in the sky has no dearth of towering and silver-topped mountains. Tibet is the land to some of tallest mountains in the world, with many making it to the top 10 list of highest mountains in the world. Mountain Everest, the highest mountain in the world is in Tibet. Capturing the mightiness of these ranges in all its glory is one of the exhilarating experiences one can have. Trekking is the best way to explore and experience the roof of the world in its truest form. Here are some of the treks that you can take for an adventurous experience and to capture some breath-taking pictures of Tibet.
Lhasa to Everest Base Camp
The View of Everest
Trekking to Lhasa to Everest Base Camp (EBC) is one of the most magical treks as you will be at the foot of the world’s highest mountain. The actual trek starts from Rongbuk Monastery. The trek itself takes about a week to get to EBC. There are multiple routes to get to EBC from Lhasa. You can choose an itinerary according the time, budget, and other factors. From Lhasa most of the EBC routes is via Shigatse. En route there are plenty of scenic spots to stop at and see and enjoy. There are plenty variations in the route depending on if you want to cover a lot of places en route or of you want to do a mix of trekking and driving to Rongbuk Monastery or only drive to Rongbuk Monastery.
EBC to Mt Kailash
Trekking Mt Kailash is considered to be a sacred ritual by the locals and by many Hindus and Buddhists. Trekking to Kailash or visiting the sacred Lake Mansarover is almost like a pilgrimage. This could be a very challenging trip to the pilgrims. The trekking route is popularly known as Kora by the locals. Darchen is the starting point for trekking Kailash. But there are inclusive tour itineraries that cover Lhasa, EBC, and Mt Kailash.
Trekking Mt Kailash
