A Tibet Journey – Yungbulakang, Yamdrok Lake & Shigatse (Part 3)

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Part 3 Itinerary

D10:Tsetang 澤當– Yungbulakang Palace 雍布拉康—Yamdrok Lake 羊卓雍措湖– Shigatse 日喀則

D11:Shigatse 日喀則– Tashilhunpo Monastery 扎什倫布寺– Tingri 定日—Mount Everest Base Camp 珠峰大本營

Lunch – Tibetan Yak Stew

1. Yungbulakang Palace 雍布拉康

Yungbulakang was the first palace built by the first Tibetan King, Nitri Tsampo on the Yarlung Plain in the 2nd Century BC. The name in the Tibetan language is “Palace on the back leg of a female deer”

Inside the palace are statues of Sakyamuni Buddha (释迦佛), Btsan Zamprogna (聶赤贊普), Ratotory NianChan (拉托托日年赞), Songtsan Gamp (松赞干布) and Chisong Detsen.

There are two ways to reach the palace either hike or ride on a horse. We recommend riding the horse up and walk down after that.

Horse ride to the palace

Palace Surrounding

2. Yamdrok Lake 羊卓雍措湖

Yamdrok Lake is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet. The lake has an altitude of 4,441 meters above sea level and over 72 km long.

The lake is considered to be guarded by the goddess Dorje Gegkyi Tso. Tibetans perform pilgrimage to Yamdrok Lake and circumambulate around the lake in seven days to wash away their sins and earn merit.

It is said Tibetan Buddhist come to Lake Yamdrok to chant, pray and throw hada and other holy articles into the lake to find the reincarnated soul of the new Dalai Lama.

The scenery on the way to Yamdrok Lake

Yamdrok Lake

We paid approx 20 RMB to take photos with the Tibetan Yak

3. Tibetan Mastiff

Along the route from Yamdrok Lake to Shigatse there are some stops where locals offer photo taking of their Tibetan Mastiff. Price is around 20 RMB per person.

The Tibetan Mastiff is a large dog breed belonging to the mastiff family. They are primarily used by nomadic Tibetan as a guard dog to protect sheep and yak from wolves, leopards and tigers.

4. Tashilhunpo Monastery 扎什倫布寺

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was founded by His Holiness the First Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Gendun Drup, in 1444 in Shigatse.

The monastery covers an area of nearly 300,000 square meters, the main structures found here are the Maitreya Chapel, the Panchen Lama’s Palace and The Kelsang Temple.

5. Shigatse

Our hotel in Shigatse

Steamboat for dinner

Guided Tour

All foreign tourists travelling in Tibet must be accompanied by an official tour guide. Your trip MUST be arranged by an appointed local travel agency in Tibet.

If you are interested to travel to Tibet, you can MESSAGE US on Facebook and we will connect you with our local Tibet Travel Agency which took us around Tibet.

Follow us on our travels on Instagram: Tommy Ooi & Cecilia Black

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About Tommy Ooi 509 Articles
Luxury Hotel Reviewer & Destination Blogger. Passionate for travel, exploring new culture & indulging divine food, Tommy has traveled to 42 countries & 140+ destinations.

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