With an altitude of 4,000 meters, Tibet is reputed as the “Roof of the World”. Yet you wouldn’t believe that a place which is located at an altitude of around 3,000 meters is situated in Tibet until you see it in person. This place is Nyingchi, which is called “the Eastern Switzerland” and “Jiangnan of Tibet”.
People’s first impression of Nyingchi would always be the lush plants and snow-capped mountains. You will feel you are in a fairyland but not the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau when you set foot on Nyingchi.
Nyingchi is located in the southeastern part of Tibet. Surrounded by the east branches of Himalayas, the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, and the Hengduan Mountains, Nyingchi is actually lying in a valley area, enjoying the treasure from the Yarlung Zangbo River and the Nyang River.
Therefore, Nyingchi is a fertile land rich in natural resources.
Altitude changes along the Nyingchi section of the 318 National Road You will pass through Nyingchi if you go to Tibet via the south line of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway and the Yunnan-Tibet Highway. The most beautiful scenery along the Nyingchi section of the 318 National Road is the scenery from Ranwu Lake to Mila Mountain Pass. This section covers a length of about 640km. Although there are great altitude fluctuations, the scenery along this section are badly fabulous.
Detailed route of this section is as follow: Ranwu Town—41KM—Midui Glacier—100KM—Bomi County—93KM—Tongmai Super Bridge—70KM—Lulang Town—25KM—Sejila Mountain Pass— 50KM—Bayi Town—132KM—Jomda County—132KM—Mila Mountain Pass. The attractions where you can enjoy better scenery are all located at both sides of the 318 National Road. And you will pass through those attractions when you go to Tibet via the south line of Sichuan-Tibet Highway and the Yunnan-Tibet Highway.
With the lowest altitude of only 900 meters and the highest altitude of 7,782 meters (Namjagbarwa Peak), Nyingchi owns the biggest altitude gap in the world. Although there are many places which are over 4,000 meters above sea level in Nyingchi, there are also a lot of places which are located at an altitude of less than 3,000 meters, such as Bayi Town and Tongmai Town.
Nyingchi is rich in vegetation. Different from other high-altitude areas in Tibet, Nyingchi has dense plants and numerous forests, so oxygen content in the air is relatively high.
Because of the special Geo-location, the climate in Nyingchi is characterized by hot and humid summers, and cold to mild winters.
Sichuan-Tibet Highway is divided into two lines: the south line and the north line. The south line refers to the route from Chengdu in Sichuan to Lhasa in Tibet, which covers a total length of 2,166km and is reputed as the most beautiful landscape road in China. If you chose this route to Nyingchi, your Nyingchi journey may start from the Ranwu Lake. And then you can enjoy the scenery of Ranwu Lake, Midui Glacier, and the scenery of Lulang Forest along the 318 National Road. Because of the huge altitude fluctuation, you can experience four seasons within only one day in Nyingchi. You can go to Nyingchi via the south line of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway in spring and autumn, when the scenery along the way is the most beautiful throughout the year.
With a total length of 1,930km, the Yunnan-Tibet Highway starts from Kunming City. Then you will pass through the ancient city Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La in Yunnan Province. The highway will converge with the 318 National Road at Markam County in Tibet. And the terminal stop of this route is Lhasa. It takes about 6 days to get to Nyingchi from Kunming. If you want to go to Nyingchi via this route, you are also suggested to go there in spring and autumn, when you can enjoy picturesque scenery along the way.
Nyingchi Mainling Airport can also said to be one of the attractions in Nyingchi and is the only airport in eastern Tibet, offering services and bringing great convenience for ordinary tourists. It is in a winding valley, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. So far, direct flights to Nyingchi are available in Chengdu, Chongqing and Kunming, and indirect flights are also available in other cities.
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