Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Western Tibet (Ngari)
མངའ་རིས་
Why Go?
Vast, thinly populated and with an average altitude of over 4500m, Ngari is a rough and
ready frontier occupying one of the remotest corners of Asia. For most travellers the main
attractions of what is likely to be a two- or three-week overland trip are the almost le-
gendary destinations of Mt Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. Indeed, many of the Tibetan
and Indian pilgrims on this road have been planning a visit all their lives. For those less
fussed by the spiritual significance of Mt Kailash, travelling over the Changtang (the high
plateau), with its endless steppes and impossibly high snowcapped peaks, is likely to be an
attraction in itself.
Freshly paved roads and a new airport are opening up the region in a way unimaginable
a mere decade ago. There's no escaping mass Chinese tourism now, but the faster routes do
open up all sort of possibilities for detours to still-off-the-beaten track destinations.
