Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NORTHERN ROUTE
The northern route is the longer of the two routes from Lhasa to Ngari, but there's a reason
people put up with days of its bumpy, dusty roads. It's the landscapes, the mystical, out-
sized landscapes, which include huge salt lakes, multi-coloured mountains, and valleys of
seminomadic herders. The wildlife is also far richer than along the southern route and you
are very likely to see marmots, blue sheep, wild asses, small herds of antelope and lots of
yaks.
Despite the bumps, driving conditions are generally good. The first part of the route,
like the southern, follows the road from Lhatse to the turn-off near Raka. If you're travel-
ling this route by 4WD, seriously consider camping at least once or twice (though you will
likely have to pay some cash for the privilege), as the towns are dismal. You need to be
well acclimatised if you intend to tackle this route before the rest of Ngari (most people
use this route for the return from Kailash) as the road from Raka never really drops below
4500m and is often above 5000m.
King Tiger Hot Springs & Tagyel-tso
Elev 5070m
Only 21km north of the Raka junction are the Tagyel Chutse, or
King Tiger Hot Springs
, a collection of geysers, bubbling hot springs, puffing steam outlets and smoking holes
that seem to lead straight down into the bowels of the earth. The best time to visit is during
the
Tibetan Bathing Festival
, or Gama Rije (early July of the lunar calendar; usually
September in the Gregorian), when hundreds of nomad families, with their herds of yak,
set up a colourful, lively camp around the springs. The atmosphere is convivial, making it
a great time to mingle with Tibetans. The festival is associated with the re-appearance of
Venus in the evening sky.
From the hot springs, the road skirts the western side of a beautiful lake, then through a
wide valley, one of numerous stretches of open plateau in Ngari where you can see for
many kilometres ahead of you. From a 5235m pass, the route descends to a much larger
lake,
Tagyel-tso
, the waters of which are a miraculous shade of the deepest blue imagin-
able and ringed with snowy peaks. With luck you can spot gazelles, wild asses and even
the occasional wolf, hungrily eyeing the valley's many fat marmots. This is a great place to
