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ozalp Says: This monastery is like a city complex like Sera Monastery in Lhasa. It is the traditional seat of Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo Monastery is the biggest functioning monastery in Tibet and one of the 6 biggest Gelukpa monasteries. In its best times, 4700 monk lived in...
nattybabe Says: The monastery is 130km from Shigatse and Sakya means "Grey Soil" in Tibetan as it is surrounded by grey soil. Sakya is the main monastery of the Sakyapa Buddhism sect and is deemed as the Second Dunhuang. The Drum River divides the monastery into two parts, north and south....
nattybabe Says: Sakya was once the centre of political and religious power in Tibet. Many buildings featuring the town's unique architectural style suffered the ravages of the 1960s, but the well-fortified citadel still stands and much rebuilding is in progress. The town itself is very...
nattybabe Says: One of the 6 great Gelukpa monasteries, founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in the 15th Century, it has flourished since its head, the Panchen Lama, was recognised as the embodiment of the Amitabha Buddha. The huge monastery, built in 1447, was once inhabited by over 4000 monks,...
Outlook from the hills around Shigatse
tremendopunto Says: Walking through Shigatse you reach a huge park-like area with several hills, where the people of Shigatse do their pic-nics. Climb up one of those hills and enjoy the surrounding view...nice!
tremendopunto Says: From the Drölma Ri you can enjoy the best view over the city and its monastery. Start with the Kora around the monaster and you end up in the old quarter of Shigatse, one of the last places that remind of how Shigatse must have been like 50 years ago.....
tremendopunto Says: The Tashilunpo is a magnificent monastery in Shigatse. It is one of the six great Gelugpa monasteries and home of the Panchen Lama - who is, by the way still hidden by the Chinese. Situated at the foot of Drölma Ri, there is also a nice Kora (or pilgrimage) around the...
The Kora around the Tachilhunpo Monastery
tremendopunto Says: This is a nice Kora (or pilgrimage) around the monastery that goes up a little bit on the foot of Drölma Ri mountain. Dont worry, it is an easy walk - no comparison to the high Kora of Ganden (another tip). Dont miss this Kora, since you will have a great view over the huge...
blueskyjohn Says: I recommend visiting this monastery if you are in Shigatse. The monks here are very friendly and there are many things to see. There is a fee to get in, 55 yeun. The monastery is in town and you can get there by a quick taxi ride that should cost only 5y.
Songsten Tibetan Restaurant: Don't miss this restaurant
ozalp Says: This is our first stop after leaving our luggage to hotel. It was a small restaurant with a modest ambiance. I must admit that I was surprised when the food came. Everything was so delicious. We ate lots of stuff which I barely remember. The soup was very good, I remember...
Songtsen Tibetan Restaurant: Best in Shigatse
blueskyjohn Says: The food is the best I found in Shigatse. It is a bit out of the way. There is a small seeting area with couch and tables. A very relaxed atmosphere. They do have an english menu which makes things much easier. Any of the Tibetan or Nepali dishes
Shigatse lies on the main Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu, so, although tourists typically make the trip in Land Cruisers, any two wheel drive car is good for the job.
There are two routes one can take, the south and the north one. The longer route is the one you would normally take on the outbound leg of your trip from Lhasa. Although it is possible to drive the distance in a day, the trip is normally split in two with an overnight stop in Gyantse, leading past Yamdrok Tso.
The shorter route takes about 4 hours maximum, including short stops - and goes direct from Shigatse to Lhasa. This is the route you would normally take on the return leg (if coming back to Lhasa by Land Cruiser).
There is very little traffic on the route by Chinese standards, hence even tourists (who are usually discouraged from driving in China) would be able to drive themselves, if self-drive tours were allowed/became more popular.
Written Nov 6, 2011
Antique Market: Tourist shopping dream
nattybabe Says: Shigaste is quite big and there are heaps of shopping opportunities to be found all over the city. Of particular interest is the antique market. It is a fairly small market with majority of the vendors selling the same thing but you can have fun bargaining between the...
The West Quindao Lu: a brandnew street
tompt Says: The main street along the monastery has been completely renovated. Both ends marked by a chinese gate. The street has a lot of shops and restaurants, but many were still empty when we visited.The street can be sealed of for cars at the gates.
Helpfulness
This Buddha statue is typical of what can be found in Tibetan monasteries. It is rare to be able to take pictures. The Tibetans cover these figures in silk cloth and put money as offerings as well. The Buddha figure can be recognised based on the position of his hands, symbolising various representations.
Written Mar 29, 2003
mavl Says: when making the trip to xigaze (usually from lhasa), you'll be on the road for several hours. the places along the way where you can stop will be few and far between so make sure you bring an adequate supply of bottled water (adequate depends on how quickly you get...
WATCH W/ ALTIMETER (it's all about elevation)
mavl Says: bring a watch with an altimeter (i had a suunto xlander).if you're going to tibet, you'll be encountering elevations you're likely never to encounter again - personal altitude records is what i mean. might as well record it, right?also, better to be aware of the elevations...
The first time I went here was in 2006 when travel was a bit easier. Part of the adventure was taken a beat-up bus from Shigatse to Shalu. This is not very far but back then the bus dropped you off at a dirt road intersection and you had to walk. A nice walk surrounded by the mountains. I think the bus ride was more of an adventure! A unique experience happened. As you may know, many Tibetan travel from Monastery to Monastery to pay respect. The bus was loaded with elderly Tibetan women. During the ride they kept staring at my and pointing to their eyes (I have blue eyes is all I can figure why they did this), then without asking, an older one reached out of her seat and grabbed the hair on my arm and pulled hard! Then she started laughing. They all got a big kick out of this.
Anyway, Shalu is nice and small. I like going to these types of Monasteries because they do not get the traffic of the big and more popular location. The monks and other people are usually so happy to see you. A great experience.
Written Apr 21, 2011
extrajoce Says: As opposed to the wheel of life described and pictured for Gyangze, this new one painted on a wall at the Tashilhunpo monastery shows how much artistic talent is being lost under the Chinese rule of Tibet. The artists must be accredited with the government, and are said to...
Buddhist monks - Tashilhunpo monastery
extrajoce Says: As anywhere I have been in Tibet, the monks were very nice and friendly in the Tashilhunpo monastery. We breached the language barrier by laughing together, especially when they pulled on a friend's hairy arms. Contact with foreigners is still rare, so it is always a great...
Xigaze is the second largest city in Tibet with around 40.000 inhabitants. Xigaze is an important city because it is the seat of the Panchen Lama, Tsong Khapa, the originator of the Yellow Hat Sect or...
Shigatse - home of the Tashilhunpo Monastery
Shigatse is the second biggest city in Tibet and capital of the Tsang Province. The main highlight of this place is the magnificent Tashilhunpo Monastery. It is one of the six great Gelugpa...
Xigaze, the Panchen Lama residence
Xigaze (or Shigatse) is located 250 km south west of Lhasa, along the Friendship Highway. It is the second largest city of Tibet. And it is the traditional home of the Panchen Lama. The Panchen Lama...
The drive to Shigatse is a relatively short one from Gyantse predominantly along the valley floor before arriving at Tibet's 2nd largest city. It is the seat of the Panchen Lama who ranks close to...
Build your own Xigaze page
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