Shigatze Transportation

Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet, is the transportation hub for mid-Tibet and the gateway to this vast western area. The city has a well established highway system with links to most of the important cities in Tibet. The major highways linking Shigatse include the 318 National Highway, the Shigatse-Yadong Highway, the Lhasa -Ali Highway and the China-Nepal Highway.

By plane

The city has only a helicopter airport which is not open to the public. The nearest public airport is in Qushui near Lhasa. For more details please see our Lhasa air transportation section.

By Bus

Western tourists are officially forbidden from using the bus in this area.

By car

The easiest and most popular way to travel in the region is to hire a Land cruiser which can seat up to 6 people. Prices are approximately RMB3-3.5/km for imported jeeps, RMB3.5-4.5/km for luxurious jeeps, RMB5.5-6.5/km for a 20 seat coach and RMB7-8/km for a 40 seat coach.

The most common tourist route out of Lhasa

This five day trip takes you southwest, towards Mt. Everest, which is visible on a good day from Tingri, (at the far end of the journey from Lhasa), and consists of stops in Shigatse, Lhatse, Tingri, Sakya ,Gyantse and Nangartse.