Shannan Overview
Lhoka(Shannan) is the birthplace for Tibetan people and culture where the first palace in Tibetan history, Yungbulakang Palace, is built, the first monastery, Trandruk Temple, is stood and first king, Nyatri Sanpo, was borned. It borders India and Bhutan to the south and southwest. Here you can feel the original Tibetan culture and customs.
‣ Where is Shannan
Lhoka connects Lhasa to the north, Shigatse to the west and Nyingchi to the east, and borders India and Bhutan to the south. Covering an total area of 79,699 square kilometers, it occupies one fifteenth of the Tibetan area. The boundary line is more than 600 kilometers long.
‣ Basic Information of Shannan
● Chinese Name: 山南地区
● Area: 79,699 square kilometers
● Population: 370,000
● Zip code: 856000
● Dialing code: (+86) 0893
‣ Climate of Lhoka
The climate of Lhoka belongs to temperate arid climate. The annual precipitation is below 450 ml and concentrates on July to September. The annual sunshine time is 2,600-3,300 hours. The lowest average temperature in a year is 6℃ while the highest is 8.8℃.
‣ Shannan Attractions
There are many "firsts" of Tibetan area in Lhoka, like the first palace, the first king, the first monastery and the first Tibetan opera.
● Yungbulakang Palace: the first palace in Tibetan history with a long history of more than 2100 years.
● Lake Yamdrok: Lake Yamdrok, Lake Manasarovar and Lake Namtso are the three holy lakes in Tibet.
● Trandruk Temple: the first monastery in Tibetan history that belongs to Gelug sect.
● Samye Temple: The famous murals in Samye Temple record the historical affairs of the introduction of Buddhism and many buddhist stories.
● Mindroling Monastery: an important monastery for studying the history and doctrines of Nyingma sect, a sect that focus on astronomy and calendar.
‣ What to Eat in Shannan
There are many restaurants in decoration of Tibetan style of different levels in Shannan and the Tibetan food are served, such as highland barley wine, buttered tea, mutton and roast sausage, etc. Apart from Tibetan restaurants, Sichuan restaurants are also common to be seen in towns.
‣ Shannan Transportation
There are no train heading to Shannan so that tourists should firstly get into Lhasa and then transfer to Shannan by long-distance bus or air. And the Lhasa Gonggar Airport operates the international airline to Kathmandu and domestic airlines to Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xi'an, Xining, Guangzhou, Qamdo, Kunming.
‣Shannan Travel Tips
• Best Time to Visit Shannan
The best time to visit Shannan is June to August because the highest temperature of this period is about 20 degrees. December and January are the coldest months when the lowest temperature will drop to minus ten degrees centigrade.
