Where To Go Now That Tibet Is Closed

Summer is the ideal time to visit Tibet. The best season to travel at the high elevation at the Roof of the World is June to end of September. But May 28 there were two self-immolations in front of the Jokhang monastery in the Tibetan quarter of Lhasa. The Chinese authorities immediately closed Tibet to foreign tourists. With many tourist bookings the operators hoped the government will reopen Tibet on July 1, the birthday of the Communist Party, but June 20 two more Tibetans set themselves on fire on Wednesday in Qinghai province in continued protest of the Chinese rule. More than 35 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in the Tibetan regions of China over the last year and half, most in the Tibetan parts of Sichuan Province.

Wanting to see Tibet and experience Tibetan culture first hand is high on many avid travelers' list. So what are your tour options in China when once again Tibet is closed and will likely remain closed for the rest of the summer?

You could compromise and follow the well trodden route on the east coast of China, namely Beijing via Xian to Guilin and Yangshuo and from there perhaps to Shanghai. But this tour of China will not give you any exposure to Tibetan culture. While you can see the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, admire the legendary Terracotta Army in Xian, marvel at the karst formations sailing down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, you will enjoy the journey but it will not be Tibet.

To get a taste of Tibet, without going all the way to Tibet, you can get a sample of it in Sichuan and Yunnan. Both provinces contain significant regions of eastern Kham and Amdo that were historically and culturally always part of Tibet. While you may not reach the heart of Tibet proper, visit the legendary Potala nor the famous towns of Gyantse and Shighatse, not to mention glimpse Mt. Everest, you can certainly experience Tibet in Zhongdian, the legendary Shangri La of Yunnan. Same as Tibetan Quarter of Barkhor in Lhasa, Zhongdian too has a well preserved Tibetan Quarter, and what Potala is to Lhasa, you will find Songzanlin Monastery is to Zhongdian.

In Sichuan, starting from Chengdu, you can set out on approximately six hour drive to Kangding, once an stop on the important trade route to Lhasa. Known as Tachienlu prior to 1949, Kangding was the Tibet gateway point for tea caravans passing through the region. Beyond Kangding you should visit Danba and admire the unique fortress-like house architecture of the local Tibetans.

You could continue on to Tagong Grassland and Tagong Monastery where Princess Wenchuan, on her way to Lhasa to married King Songtsen Gampo, left the now famous Jowo Sakyamuni statue. In the end you realize that Tibet is vast and there is far more of it to sample in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan.

This news article is brought to you by EXOTIC PETS - where latest news are our top priority.