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  Just
look at the map, no doubt: Tibet IS the Top of the World! But travelling
and trekking in this high plateau country might not always make you feel
like being 'on the top of the world'! Yet Tibet is a most unusual and beautiful
place: Crisp blue sky and dazzling clear days go straight to your brain!
It almost feels like 'delete' and 'reload'. There are days, when Tibet's natural beauty is hidden by dusty storms, heavy rainfalls or icy winds. It's important to plan your visit for the best time of the year. If you are not into serious trekking, September and October, even November might be the best months to travel. Despite the seemingly never ending Tibetan plateau, where the majority of the territory rests above 4000 metres, with surrounding mountain ranges on three sides, the climate is relatively mild and not as harsh as many people might imagine. Though prepare yourself for sudden temperature drops and cold nights in these late autumn months. What you will be able to see is beyond your expectation …  The
month of May, when temperatures are rising and when heavy summer rainfalls
have not yet begun, might also be a good option. The so-called TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region) covers 1,2 million sq. km, but Greater Tibet which encompasses parts of the former provinces Kham and Amdo, now Qinghai and Sichuan in the PR China, is of course much larger. Once the entire region lay beneath the sea but as a result of a geological upheaval, the landmasses drove up and created two parallel ridges almost 3000 km long and in some parts almost as high as nine kilometres.  The
Yarlung or Brahmaputra River in the southern part of Tibet is crossing from
West to East almost the total length of Tibet, creating a fertile valley,
where crops can be grown success-fully. The area around Mt. Kailash is the source of three other great rivers: the Ganges, Indus and Sutley. But they all cascade out of Tibet and cannot be of use for the agricultural purpose in Tibet. From the eastern part of the plateau, Mekong, Salween and Yangzi transport their waters to the south and out of Tibet. Together with Yarlung, they create some of the deepest and remotest gorges in the world. An area of great beauty - but like everything in Tibet not easy to discover! Let's start somewhere to step into the secrets of this vast country! Let's start with the accessible! I will help you to get there! |
