Ngari is the highest area in Tibet and is located at the westmost part of this Autonomous Region. It boasts many famous and breath-taking attractions: the sacred Mount Kailash and holy Lake Manasarovar, the ancient Ruins of the Guge Kingdom, and the magnificent Zanda Earth Forest, etc. Ngari is the only path where people can get to Tibet from Xinjiang, as the core part of the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway is situated at Ngari. This area had remain untouched for a long time because of the poor transportation system in the past. However, things are totally different now. People can go to Ngari easily today via not only overland, but also flights - because of the operation of Ngari Gunsha Airport since 2010.
Ngari Gunsha Airport is located in Gunsha Village, about 45 kilometers southwest of Shiquan River Town. It was officially put into operation on July 1st, 2010, becoming the fourth civil airport in Tibet after Lhasa Gongga Airport, Nyingchi Mainling Airport, and Qamdo Bangda Airport. It is 4,274 meters above sea level. The runway of the airport is 4,500 meters long and 60 meters wide, which can meet the take-off and landing requirements of planes like Airbus A319 which flies over plateau areas. The terminal building covers an area of approximately 3,900 square meters.
Ngari Gunsha Airport is located in Gunsha Village, about 45 kilometers southwest of Shiquan River Town. Exactly speaking, the airport is situated in a valley area, with high mountains surrounding it. Oxygen content in the air here is half less than that of other mainland cities. The climate here is complex and changeable. Accumulated days when level-8 wind will range through this area can reach up to 120. In addition, the temperature in the daytime will increase quickly because of the scarce vegetation here. High temperature and high altitude will lead to worse attenuation of flight performance, and the amount of passengers that are allowed to take the flights will be limited as well. Aircraft can only take off and land in the morning. As a result, the time that is fit to fly of Gunsha Airport is half less than that of other airports in plain areas.
Ngari Gunsha Airport is located at an altitude of 4,274 meters, ranking the fourth highest airport in the world, only after the 4,411-meter Daocheng Yading Airport (Sichuan Province), the 4,334-meter Qamdo Bangda Airport (Tibet), and the 4,280-meter Kangding Airport (Sichuan Province).
As the altitude here is relatively high, those who had never been to Tibet before are not suggested to take flights to Ngari directly. If you have stayed in Lhasa for about week and want to take flights to Ngari to visit the sacred Mount Kailash and holy Lake Manasarovar and the Ruins of the Guge Kingdom, you can contact us and we will tailor a private Nagri travel route for you.
Due to the special terrain conditions and atmospheric environment, the time when aircraft can take off and land at Gunsha Airport is relativity limited. For the sake of passengers’ security, aircraft can only take off and land in the morning.
So far, people can only take direct flights to Gunsha Airport from either Lhasa Gongga Airport in the east, or Xinjiang Kashgar Airport in the north. Direct flight to Gunsha Airport is unavailable in other airports. Therefore, you need to transfer flights at the above two airports when you set off from other airports. And foreigners need to get to mainland China at first and then transfer flights to Ngari, as there isn’t any international flight that can go to Ngari directly so far. And finally, please remember the flights to Ngari are normally arranged in the morning.
Firstly, you can take a bus from the airport to Shiquan River Town, and then transfer a car or bus to visit Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. We will arrange a comfortable bus and experienced tour guide and driver for you if you buy tour product and services from us.
Ngari Gunsha Airport is one of the five largest airports in Tibet. According to the regulations, foreigners need to offer a Tibet Travel Permit when they take flights or trains in Tibet. And an Aliens' Travel Permit is needed when foreigners take flights to Ngari and visit Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.
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