Zanda Town (Tholing)
札达县城（托林镇）
A small county town surrounded by earth pillars, serving as the base for accommodation and supplies when visiting Guge, Tholing Monastery and Dungkar–Piyang.
Zanda Town, also known as Tholing Town, sits at an altitude of about 3,700 metres in a valley of earth pillars on the south bank of the Sutlej River. The town is small and has hotels, Tibetan-style guesthouses, Sichuan restaurants and supermarkets, and you can refuel here. Tholing Monastery is right on the edge of town, and watching the sunset among the stupas and earth pillars outside the monastery is the town's best pastime. In the early morning, you can head to the Guge ruins to see the sunrise. Lhasa's Ngari road distances are about 250 km to Shiquanhe and about 230 km to Ta'er Qin. The mountain roads cut through gullies of earth pillars. The scenery is spectacular, but the bends are sharp and the slopes steep. Entering Ngari requires a border management area travel permit, and accommodation registration requires identification documents.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Tholing Monastery
- Sutlej (Xiangquan) River Valley
- Zanda Earth Forest
- Guge Kingdom Ruins (Tsaparang)
- Dungkar Caves
- Piyang Caves