Gyantse County and Road Trip to Shigatse

Soon we see an archway written with the welcoming words ”The Ancient Gyantse Town Welcomes you!”.

So After the 103km scenic and therapeutic drive from Nagarzêto County to Gyantse, we arrive at Gyantse at 2pm and all feel much hungry after hours’ driving and sightseeing on the way.

There are several restaurants in Gyantse downtown offering western food. We choose Gyantse Kitchen for our lunch. Actually this restaurant mainly offers Nepalese food.

ABC of Gyantse

Gyantse (or Jiangzi) is now a county under the administration of Shigatse Prefecture. The Gyantse Town is located 250km southwest of Lhasa and 100km southeast of Shigatse.

It takes about 5 hours to drive from Lhasa to Gyantse and 2 hours to drive from Gyantse to Shigatse.

Gyantse is normally considered the third largest town and historically one of the most important regions in Tibet. It has the important transportation hub linking Lhasa, Shigatse and Yadong.

With the government policy of “Go West and Develop West”, Gyantse has been entitled to the huge support from othe developed cities and provinces in China incuding Shanghai, which has given Gyantse the greatest assistance in terms of finance and technology. The main road in Gyantse is named “Shanghai Road” in praise of the efforts made Shanghai government.

People and Weather in Gyantse

The majority of the residents are Tibetans, accounting for 98%. Other ethnic groups include Han and Hui.

According to the seventh national Census, as of midnight on November 1, 2020, the permanent population of Jiangze County ( Gyantse ) is 68,650.

Gyantse County belongs to plateau temperate semi-arid monsoon climate zone with distinct dry and wet seasons. It has abundant and concentrated rain in summer, warm and wet, and sufficient sunshine and strong solar radiation in winter.

The daily temperature difference is big but the annual temperature difference is small, and the frost-free period is short. Annual sunshine hours 3189.8 hours, annual frost-free period of about 110 days, annual precipitation 291.1 mm.

Attractions in Gyantse

Gyantse is a must to visit place for most first time travelers in Tibet. People either go from Lhasa to Gynatse or go from Shigatse to Gyantse, or from the Nepalese and Chinese border city – Zhangmu Town.

Gyantse lies in the north of the middle section of Nyang Chu River (年楚河）, a tributary of Yula Tsangpo River and surrounded by the continous mountains in the north and south. The major attractions in Gyantse include Gyantse Dzong Fort ( 江孜宗山), the Palcho Monastery （白居寺）and Palha Manor （帕拉庄园).

Gyanstse is full of fertile land with the Nyang Chu River running to the south of Gyantse from west to east. Gyantse is a much developed agricultural county, which is acclaimed as the hometown of barley in the world.

The dominating sight in Gyantse is the Gyantse Dzong perched on a high hill in the west of the town.  Basically you can see it wherever you go in the downtown of Gyantse.

After lunch, we are arranged to visit Palha Manor, 2km in the southwest of Gyantse town. We pass the bridge over Nyang Chu River.

Palha Manor （also Pala Manor） is the only remaining manor in the old time in Tibet. It once belonged to one of the three nobilities in Tibet. Before Tibet’s liberation, Palha family had 37 manors, 12 farms, over 30,000 mu of land, 3,000 serfs, in Gyantse, Kangma and Bairang.

Now in the remaining manor there are a three-storey building with a residence area of 5,000 square meters. 82 rooms and serf yards and some well preserved property.

Butlers Room. The manor once had a senior butler, outside butler and inner butler. They had a great power and were responsibel for the host’s life and all trifles around the manor. 

Road Trip to Shigatse

After finishing our short trip to Palha Manor, we continue our road trip to Shigatse, 100km northwest of Gyantse.

It is an easy driving from Gyantse to Shigatse along the smooth asphalt road teemed with trees and barley fields.  

Gyantse Travel Tips

1. Where to stay in Gyantse
1) Gyantse Hotel 0892 – 8172222 2)
Wutse Hotel 0892 – 8172888 3)
Jian Zang Hotel 0892 – 8172324

2. Where to dine in Gyantse
1) Gyantse Kitchen 0892 – 8176777
2) Tashi’s 0892 – 8827512

3. Gyantse Shopping
Carpets

Hassle-free Lhasa & Tibet Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Lhasa and Tibet:

Lhasa Tour
Tibet Travel
Lhasa Tibet Group Tour
Lhasa Tibet Private Tour
Beijing Lhasa Tour
Lhasa China Tour

Further Readings

Best Time to Visit Lhasa
Top 10 Attractions in Lhasa
Lhasa Tourist Traps, Tourist Scams Lhasa
Where to stay in Lhasa
Makye Ame Lhasa Restaurant – Your Kitchen in Lhasa
Lhasa Airport, Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Xian Lhasa Flight Experience, Xian Lhasa Flight
Lhasa Railway Station Transportation, Taxi, Public Bus
Get around in Lhasa with Pedicab or Trishaw
lhasa Taxi
Best Places to Take Picture of Potala Palace Lhasa

4-Wheel Drive Trip from Lhasa to Ranwu
Tips for Visiting Drak Yerpa (Tips, Photos & Map)
The Pilgrim Kora in Lhasa, Lhasa Pilgrim circuits
How to Visit Sera Monastery in Lhasa
Beijing Road in Lhasa
Lhasa River in the City of Lhasa (Tips, Photos & Map)
Lhasa Great Mosque, the Mosques in Lhasa
Lhasa Yamdrok-Tso Lake Road Trip

Qushui Bridge in Qushui County, Tibet (Tips, Photos & Map)
Nagarzê County and Scenic Road Trip to Gyantse
Gyantse County and Road Trip to Shigatse

Any questions, just drop a line.