Winter Lhasa Small Loop Tibet Self-Drive Guide

There are many Tibet self-drive guides online, but they often take 10 days or more. For most people who can only take 7 days off by adding annual leave, time is a real issue. Today, we recommend a 3-day, 2-night self-drive short loop around Lhasa! Day 1: Lhasa - Yamdrok Lake - Karola Glacier - Langkazi County, 224 km, 4 hours Route conditions: Yaye Expressway + National Highway 349, good road conditions, many people and cars near Yamdrok Lake, be careful Points to note: - Yamdrok Lake: The Yarlung Zangbo River Valley Viewing Platform mainly overlooks the canyon, not the lake. Viewing Platforms 2-4 are on the same road, close to the snow-capped mountains, with beautiful scenery. Viewing Platform 3 allows you to get close to the lake, and Viewing Platform 4 has a "Yamdrok Lake" 4,441-meter stone monument. - Karola Glacier: 2 viewing platforms, we recommend the one at the back, where you can see the full view of the glacier. Day 2: Langkazi County - Nyenchen Tanglha Mountain - Nagenla Pass - Namtso Lake, 315 km, 4.5 hours Route conditions: National Highway 349 + Jingzang Expressway Points to note: The Nyenchen Tanglha Mountain Viewing Platform not only allows you to admire the main peak of Nyenchen Tanglha, but also lets you see the train to Tibet from afar. At Nagenla Pass, you can watch the sunrise over the snow-capped mountains and see the distant view of Namtso Lake. It's definitely an underrated beauty. If you want to take the free route to Namtso Lake, we recommend driving around the east or north shore. ✅ East shore: Maniyangtang, search for [Maniyangtang] in navigation ✅ North shore: Duoqiongzha Buzhang, search for [Duoqiongzha Buzhang] in navigation Day 3: Namtso Lake - Basum Lake, 456 km, 6 hours Route conditions: National Highway 561 + Yaye Expressway Points to note: Basum Lake means "green water" in Tibetan, so visiting on a sunny day will be particularly impressive. The scenery on the island in the middle of the lake is the most open, and you can take a boat tour. Basum Lake is free of charge in winter. Day 4: Basum Lake - Lhasa, 348 km, 4 hours Route conditions: Yaye Expressway You can visit the surrounding areas of Lhasa on the same day. There are many temples in Lhasa to explore. ‼️ TIPS: Items to prepare: ✅ Portable oxygen bottle: Choose one that can spray 50 times, which should be enough for 2 days. Namtso Lake is at a relatively high altitude. ✅ Thermos with warm water: Drinking a sip of hot water is important in high-altitude areas. ✅ Snacks and bread: The journey is long, so prepare some snacks, fruits, bread, and other filling foods in the car. Clothing suggestions: ✅ The temperature difference between morning, evening, and noon is quite large. You can wear a sweater or sweatshirt for photos and pair it with a ski jacket or down jacket. ✅ Wear comfortable sneakers. You'll be walking and sightseeing every day, so shoes are very important.