Ngari Overview
Located in the west of Tibet, Ngari is the 'roof of the roof of the world' and the center of world in Tibetan's mind. The Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Ngari area are regarded as the 'sacred mountain' and 'holy lake'. In this land, sacred mountain, holy lake, mysterious ruins of Guge Kingdom make up the charm and mystery of Ngari.
‣ Basic Information of Ngari
● Chinese Name: 阿里
● Population:95,803
● Area:345,000 square kilometers
● Zip code: 859000
● Dialing code: (+86) 0897
‣ Ngari Climate
Ngari area belongs to windy region of second class and the annual days of strong wind are up to 149 days. The large temperature difference between day and night accounts for the saying about the temperature of Ngari that people wear jackets at night but wear gauze in the afternoon. The annual average temperature is 0℃. As for the precipitation, it is featured by few rainfall and strong seasonality. Every October to April, the precipitation occupies 10%～20% of the total while the precipitation accounts for 80%.
‣ Ngari Attractions
● Mount Kailash: the famous sacred mountain and the center of world regarded by Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism and Bonism.
● Lake Manasarovar: At the altitude of 4588 meters, it is one of the highest freshwater lake in the world, meaning the lake where God's will came into being.
● Toling Monastery: a famous monastery with wonderful murals that was built by the king of Guge Kingdom in A.D 996.
● Ruins of Guge Kingdom: a ruin that records the brilliant cultural and artistic achievement of Guge Kingdom, especially its gorgeous murals.
‣ Ngari Culture
The art and culture of Ngari area is the important part of ancient Zhang Zhung civilization that created many myths about nature. Zhang Zhung culture is famed as the root of Tibetan culture and its vestiges penetrate into every aspects of Tibetan culture. From cultivation to daily life and from customs to faith, everywhere can see the reflection of Zhang Zhuang culture, such as making pilgrimages to sacred mountains and holy lakes, carving scriptures on the stones and piling Marnyi Stone.
‣ What to Eat in Ngari
Because of the remote location of Ngari area, the conditions here is limited and restaurants can be only found in some downtowns. As same as other areas in Tibet, restaurants in Ngari serve Tibetan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine mainly and the prices are more expensive. Tourists can eat more vegetables in Burang County.
‣ Ngari Transportation
The airline(CA4417/8) serves travelers to get in Ngari which departs from Chengdu in the early morning, transits in Lhasa Gonggr Airport, then keeps flying to Ngari Gunsa Airport, which takes about 4 hours to arrive at Ngari. And the airline from Xian to Ngari will transit in Kashgar Airport. If tourists would like to get in Ngari by long-distance bus, there are two roads head to Ngari from Lhasa: North Road(1,760km), South Road(1,190km).
‣ Ngari Travel Tips
● Best time to Visit Ngari
July to October is suitable to travel to Ngari area. And because the rainfalls are concentrated on July to early September, the best time to visit is September to October. And the average altitude of Ngari is above 5000 meters so that warm clothes are necessary.
● Power Supply
The power supply is improving a lot compared with early years although some places will be power cut in the morning and after 2:00 am. The power cut will not influence the basic life and some hostels have electric generator.
