Nyingchi, nicknamed the “Switzerland of Tibet,” is famous for its beautiful scenery. The area offers views of snow-capped mountains, clear lakes, green forests, and colorful flowers. The cherry blossoms during springtime are particularly stunning.
This region is a hidden gem waiting to be explored. Self-driving allows you to experience it at your own pace, with the freedom to stop and enjoy the scenery whenever you want.
Whether you’re an experienced driver or a newbie on the road, this route offers a unique and unforgettable driving experience that will take you through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. So buckle up, start your engines, and embark on an unforgettable journey through the heart of Tibet’s Spring Blossom Nyingchi.
First stop: Nyingchi
The most beautiful spring in Tibet. It is said that the spring in Tibet starts from Nyingchi. The snow-capped mountains, forests, and the Niyang River surround it, giving it an element that other cities in Tibet need more water gas.
With the two advantages of an altitude below 3,000 meters and the Tibetan transportation hub point, one can welcome spring in the fastest time.
Modern equipment and hotels can let you arrive in Nyingchi on the first day, comfortably resting.
While most places throughout Tibet have yet to wake up from the holiness of winter, Nyingchi is ready to welcome the peach blossoms that are as charming and romantic as early morning smoke.
The best place to enjoy peach blossoms in Nyingchi is generally recognized to be Galacun.
Leaving the lively Galacun and following our route, you can move to Dazhe village or Kasimucun.
These villages are around Benri Mountain, with Kasimucun located halfway up the mountain and Dazhe village facing the Niyang River.
Although these two villages don’t have as many peach blossoms as Gala village, they are great spots to admire them in peace. You can even get a great view of the blooming peach blossoms from here.
Self-driving tips: Nyingchi City is about 272 kilometers from Bome County, driving time of about 5 hours and 30 minutes; the journey on the G318, along the way, needs to go over the Sedgala Pass, over the ancient township and to Bome.
Second stop Bome
In the south of the snowy region, deep love peach blossom ditch.
Leaving Nyingchi, where the peach blossoms are in full bloom, you will start to go east. The altitude will gradually rise until you cross the Sedgala Pass, which is 4720 meters above sea level.
Geographically, Sejira is the dividing line between the river valley farming area and the forest livestock hunting area. Lunang, east of the pass, is the place that best reflects the characteristics of forest and hunting.
Every traveler who takes the G318 will not ignore the scenery of Lunang.
When you get to Lunang, we recommend you try the stone pot chicken. This is the origin of stone pot chicken, a dish that was worked out by a master from Chongqing and later taught to the local villagers.
The elevation of this stretch of road from Lunangto Bome is up and down.
Despite not being very tall, the area has plenty of water and gas resources, making it a beautiful route in the spring. As the forests turn green and peach blossoms bloom, it becomes a scenic route.
Along the way, the “ghost gate” Tongmai Heavenly Danger disappeared because of the tunnel’s passage, becoming a once-upon-a-time in the mouth of the old drivers. However, the wrong road to Egon Lake still exists.
Egon Lake is a secret place of great beauty in the mouth of people. Influenced by the water and air of the Indian Ocean, the 2,200-meter-elevation Egon Lake is well hydrated all year round, warm and humid with clouds and mist. The lake’s sparkling surface often makes viewers feel that people are in the south of the Yangtze River.
In more than 120 years, Yigong Lake has experienced the transformation from a river to a lake.
The presence of many terraces around the lake has allowed the locals to create large tea plantations, which are considered rare in the Nyingchi and Bome areas. During April and May, when the tea is picked, the view of the white snow-capped mountains and crystal clear lake reflecting the scenery is stunning.
Once you get to Bome, you can start looking for peach blossoms.
Since the elevation of Bome is quite a bit lower than Nyingchi, in general, the peach blossoms will open earlier than Nyingchi. Therefore, the picture of peach blossoms against the snowy mountains can only be seen during this period.
The best place to enjoy the peach blossoms in Bome is the dumping ditch where Peter Zangbo flows through. The road of peach blossoms is about 50 kilometers long, starts from Bome County and passes through Runa Village, Qiangdu Town, and finally arrives at Yushu Township. It is also called “Peach Blossom Ditch” because of the peach blossoms.
The scenery along this ditch may be more prosperous and layered than Gala Village, such as Runa Village, called “Peach Blossom Island.” Looking down from above, you will see clusters of peach trees scattered among the green fields, like pink flowers set off by green leaves.
Most travelers will run up to the top to photograph the peach blossoms and the temple once they reach the town of Tando, usually with the spectacular glaciers in the distance as a backdrop. There are also a small number of travelers who will continue to the secret peach blossom areas of Dongqu and Baiyu villages on the way, where there are fewer people.
If you like to photograph or enjoy the peach blossoms along the highway but don’t want to be distracted by the cars parked around. You can choose to walk up the peach blossom ditch in the early morning when the sun is just starting to rise. You will find a different world of peach blossoms than usual – no crowds of people and no hustle and bustle of traffic.
Self-driving tips: Bome County is about 111 kilometers from Murtaugh County, and driving time is about 3 hours and 50 minutes (speed limit control); from Bome take G559, through the Galongla Tunnel and to Murtaugh County.
Third stop: Mêdog
Since you have arrived at Bome, you can still walk to Mêdog and see Garong La if time permits.
Galongla is between Bome and Mêdog, a geologically unstable snow mountain. Back then, when there was no tunnel, going over the hill was miserable for everyone.
When you finish the tunnel, you can find a broader place to park and look up at the old road on the Galongla Snow Mountain. The old road on the mountain has been abandoned for a long time, but there are still traces of the road, and from these circling mountain roads, you can even imagine how dangerous it was back then.
After that, it is the downhill road with many curves, the altitude will also start to drop from more than three thousand, all kinds of primitive forests, ancient trees in the sky scene is no longer rare, large and small rivers from the road through the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, the scenery at a glance.
And when you get to the county of Mêdog, you will feel that this is an ordinary county; there seems to be no unique attraction, but it is the founder of Tibetan Buddhism – Padmasambhava, the place of his practice.
In the past, if you want to return to Nyingchi from Mêdogch, you must return the same way to Bome and then take the G318 to Nyingchi. But today, the Mo Tou-Pai Town’s Pai Mo Highway (G219) is open to traffic.
In the case of good road conditions, you can take this road directly to Pai Town and then roll over to the village of Sosong to enjoy the peach blossoms.
As the road into Mêdogch is in a geologically active area, landslides, mudslides, and other geological disasters are frequent, so you must be prepared for all kinds of responses before entering Mêdogch.
Self-driving tips: there are two ways to go from Mêdogch County to Suosong Village; one is to return by the same road; the whole process is about 463 kilometers, with a travel time of about 12 hours and 30 minutes; from Mêdogch back to Bome, and then take the G318 to Nyingchi Town, and then take Nyingchi Airport Expressway or S306 to Yajiang scenic area, and then to Suosong Village. The second is to take the Pai Mo highway, a total of about 102 kilometers, travel time of about 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Fourth stop: Sosong Village
The village is located in the Yajiang Grand Canyon. It is generally the last stop for travelers who only enjoy peach blossoms near downtown Nyingchi.
The altitude here is higher than in downtown Nyingchi. The village sits atop a cliff several hundred meters high, with the Yarlung Zangbo River flowing below it.
This place is a popular spot for travelers to take photos of the Namcha Barwa peak and peach blossoms. The area offers a view of the peak. It is located at the foot of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, with peach trees scattered throughout the surroundings.
Of course, during the peach blossom festival, the famous part of the scenic area, many people want to take a picture of only natural scenery without people needing a little patience.
Self-driving tips: Soosong village from the wrong about 200 kilometers, driving time of about 3 hours and 30 minutes; from the town of Soosong, through the canyon, can take the Nyingchi airport highway to Nyingchi, after taking the high-grade road to the river town, and finally take the path can be to the wrong Bassong.
Fifth stop Pagsum Co
From Nyingchi to the west, the altitude will get higher and higher; the peach blossom bloom time will also get later and later.
Before going to the Pagsum Co, we will pass through two of the more famous peach village, Xiuba village, and pull as a village.
Laru village has the most peach blossoms in the entire territory of Gongbu Jiangda. It is one of the best-looking villages in full bloom. Although in recent years, because the Nyingchi Peach Blossom Festival began to rise to fame, the current fame compared to other peach blossom villages still needs to be stronger.
After pulling the village, also to the Pagsum Co. In Tibetan Buddhism, Pagsum Co is a clean, holy lake planted with peach trees on the hillside. It has a waterwheel crunching, small bridges, and flowing water homes of idyllic scenery.
In addition, snow-capped mountains, forests, waterfalls, pastures, civilization monuments, and famous ancient temples are Bassong Tso “occupied.” Still, they are better than the lake island in the spring blooming peach pine tree. After all, the pine leaves on the open peach blossom are probably difficult to find in other places.
From the Pagsum Co back to Bahe town, and then go west, three more famous peach blossom villages will also cross in turn, they are west of the village, Linzhe village, Gadan village.
Along the G318 or Pulling Lin highway, three villages are located on a river valley road. The area is known for its beautiful peach blossoms which can be seen along the highway and near the surrounding rivers.
Due to the problem of the flowering period, the peach blossoms of these villages will generally bloom in April, considered the latest bloom in the Nyingchi River Valley.
Driving tips: Pagsum Co is a city in Lhasa that is located about 344 kilometers away. It takes around 4 hours and 20 minutes to get there by car. If you want to travel from Pagsum Co to Bahe town, you can take the high grade highway to Lhasa.
In conclusion, this is an incredible journey that offers a unique and unforgettable experience for travelers seeking to explore Tibet’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. This route takes visitors through some of Tibet’s most stunning and remote areas, where they can witness the majesty of snow mountains, pristine lakes, and ancient monasteries.