Northern Tibet

The northern Tibetan plateau centered on Nagqu, with the holy Lake Namtso and the vast Changtang grasslands, it is the most wild-feeling region in Tibet.

The Northern Tibet region follows traditional Tibetan geography and is centered on Nagqu City. Its northern part is the Changtang Plateau, at an extremely high average elevation, and it is the largest and most sparsely populated of the 'six regions of Tibet'. A note on boundaries: the surface of Namtso spans Damxung County of Lhasa and Baingoin County of Nagqu. Visitors mostly enter from Lhasa through Damxung, but because it belongs to the lake group of the northern Tibetan plateau, it is grouped here under Northern Tibet. The main highlights are the deep blue waters of Namtso, the Tashi Dor peninsula and the snow peaks of the Nyenchen Tanglha range, along with larger lakes deeper in, such as Selin Co and Dangra Yumco, and wildlife of the Changtang grasslands such as Tibetan antelope and wild yaks. The classic trip is a one- or two-day round trip from Lhasa to Namtso to watch the sunrise and stars by the lake. For a deeper trip, head northwest from Nagqu to explore the great lake groups and pastoral areas, which suits experienced off-road self-drive teams, and we suggest allowing five to seven days. Lhasa is the gateway, the Qinghai–Tibet Railway passes through Nagqu, and self-driving mainly relies on the Qinghai–Tibet Highway and provincial roads to the counties. Northern Tibet as a whole is high, with large day-night temperature swings, so acclimatize in Lhasa first and bring plenty of warm clothing and oxygen. Routes through uninhabited areas should be reported in advance, done in company and carried out with supplies, and accommodation is tight during the summer Nagqu Horse Racing Festival, so arrange it in advance.

Destinations

Itineraries