Shigatse-Karola Glacier-Yamdrok Lake-Lhasa
After breakfast, you will return to Lhasa, about 380 kilometers in total, taking around 7 hours by car, but the scenery along the way is very beautiful, and you will also pass the Karola Glacier and Yamdrok Lake.
【Karola Glacier】is one of the three major continental glaciers in Tibet. The glacier is backed by the Noijin Kangsang Snow Mountain, one of the four highest peaks in Tibet. The massive glacier extends from the misty clouds at the mountaintop all the way down to the roadside, just a few hundred meters from the highway. Although the glacier appears in black-and-white layers due to years of dust from the highway, the upper part of the glacier shines brilliantly in the sunlight, like a giant thangka hanging on the mountain wall.
【Yamdrok Lake】is a freshwater lake and one of the three sacred lakes of Tibet. The water is as clear as mutton fat and sweet enough to drink. The deep blue water merges with the distant snow mountains, and with the colorful mountain ranges on both sides, the distinctive Tibetan villages, and the herds of cattle and sheep everywhere, the journey is truly refreshing. Yamdrok Lake covers an area of 638 square kilometers, with a surface elevation of 4,441 meters and a shoreline of 250 kilometers. This lake is also considered a turquoise earring dropped to the mortal world by a goddess. Standing at the top of Gangbala Mountain at 4,950 meters and looking south, Yamdrok Lake looks like a sapphire inlaid among the peaks, its blue water smooth as a mirror, reflecting the bright blue sky.
Then you will ascend to Gangbala Pass, at an altitude of 4,950 meters, the best viewpoint for viewing Yamdrok Lake. After the visit, you will descend the mountain, passing 【Yarlung River Valley】, where you can see the Yarlung Tsangpo River valley area. This is a viewing platform with Tibetan mastiffs and sheep available for paid photos. Finally, you will descend all the way back to downtown Lhasa.
🍽️ Breakfast included, lunch on your own, dinner on your own
🏨 Lhasa