Beautiful Tibet

Tibet Autonomous Region lies in the southwest of China and in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is bounded to the north by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, to the east by Sichuan Province, to the southeast by Yunnan Province, to the south and west by these countries: Burma, India, Bhutan, Sikkim and Nepal.

Tibet Autonomous Region is huge, covering an area of about 1.2 million square kilometers, which, by comparison, roughly equals the combined areas of France, Germany, the UK and Luxembourg. Tibet Autonomous Region is second only in size to Xijiang Uygur Autonomous Region, among all the provinces of China. With an average altitude of above 4,000 meters, Tibet Autonomous Region has very complex topography and falls into three geographic parts: the west, the south and the east. The west part, known as the North-Tibet Plateau, lies between Kunlun Mountain and Kangdese Mountain, and Tonglha Mountain and Nyainqentanglha Mountain. This part takes up 2/3 of the total area of Tibet. Most of the north part is uninhabited. The south part of Tibet consists of valleys and lies between Kangdese Mountains and Himalayas. The east part is mainly made up of canyons and is marked by a gradual decline in altitude intercepted by small ranges called Henduan Ranges. Most of the tourism resources now opened to foreign tourist are in the east and west parts.

Tibet remains a religious and spiritual sanctuary. The numerous monasteries, temples and chapels scattered around the region, and the pious pilgrims worshiping in front of these temples are testimonies to Tibetan people’s passion about their ancient religion.

Tibet is probably one of the last unspoiled lands in the world. Despite of the influx of tourists in recent years, Tibet’s natural scenery is largely remained untouched. The snow-capped mountains, abundant gemstone-like lakes, countless species of wild life, clear and blue sky excursive hold of imagination of many travelers.

Tibet is now easier to access since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in 2006, which have made it possible for budget travelers to lay eyes on this land of “Roof of the Word”by taking a train from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xining or Chongqing.