Enjoying a high prestige and a long history, Norbulingka has long been hailed as the summer palace in Tibet.

Long Standing History of Norbulingka Park
Summer Palace in Tibet

Norbulingka is often held as the garden of treasures by the Tibetan people. Every summer Dala Lamas would go to Norbulingka to handle official business, therefore it got its name as "the Summer Palace of Lhasa". The construction of the garden originally begun in 1740. It took about hundred years to complete and now it has boasts as the largest artificial garden in China. The garden houses a large number of historical and cultural treasures.

The Seventh Dalai Lama used to study Buddhist sutras at Drepung Monastery, so he spent most of his time there. For this reason, an imperial official of Qing Dynasty ordered to build an official residence for the seventh Dalai Lama. In 1751 the seventh Dalai Lama added a 3-storey palace named after him at the east of the garden, and it consists of Buddha hall, reading room, god temple, assembly hall, bedroom, etc. After the completion in 1755, this newly-built palace was used as the major place for the Dalai Lama to deal with official affairs across Tibet. The Eighth Dalai Lama also added some changes to the palace: the pool was turned into a lake, on which the Dragon King Temple, the Lake Heart Palace and Han-style pavilion were built. In 1922 and 1954, two enlargements were ordered respectively by the Thirteenth and the Fourteenth Dalai Lamas, which finalized the layout of Norbulingka in general.

Architecture Style in Norbulingka Park
Architecture Style in Norbulingka Park

Norbulingka is made up of the Kelsang Phodron Palace, the Kashak Cabinet offices and the Dadengmingjiu Palace. The New Palace houses a large number of murals which display the biography of Songtsen Gampo and Chisong Dezain. Kelsang Phodron Palace is typical Tibetan style architecture. The first floor is used for holding ceremonies and receiving guests, while the second and the third were the private space of the Dalai Lama, with bedroom and sutra room decorated with murals. Kashak Cabinet was built for the Thirteenth Dalai Lama by a rich man named Kashak in 1922. Gesang Deji is a small building housing portraits and sculptures of Sakyamuni, Avalokitesvara and other Buddhas. Lake Heart Palace is hailed as the most beautiful attraction in Norbulingka.

All in all, Norbulingka is as attractive as it could be and worth exploring during Tibet travel.

Located in the old area of Lhasa City, Tibet, Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the local are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it is also a must-see place for visitors.

History of Barkhor Street

According to the Chinese history book, the first Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo built the Jokhang Temple. Due to its magnificence, it quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. As a result, a trodden path appeared. That is the origin of Barkhor Street. Today even still many pilgrims hold the prayer wheels to walk clockwise there from dawn to dark. Also, you can see some pilgrims waking or progressing body-lengths by body-lengths along the street. Even some of them are teenagers or have experienced thousands of mile’s walk to reach this sacred place. The way they express their piety could make you understand the holiness of religion.

Prayer Wheel about Barkhor Street
Prayer Wheels, called Chokhor in Tibetan, are very common religious objects in Tibet. A hand held prayer wheel is a hollow wooden or metal cylinder attracted to a handle. Om Mani Padme Hung mantras are printed or etched weight with a chain, which facilities the rotation. Tibetans use prayer wheels to spread spiritual blessings to all sentient beings and invoke good karma in their next life. They believe that every rotation of a prayer wheel equals one utterance of the mantra, thus the religious practice will in return help them accumulate merits, replace negative effects with positive ones, and hence bring them good karma. The religious exercise is part of Tibetan life. People turn the wheel day and night while walking murmuring the same mantra. Buddhists turn the wheel clockwise. Bon followers turn the wheel counter clockwise.

Famous Shopping of Barkhor Street

Barkhor Street, often called the ‘Window of Tibet’ is famous for its shopping. Barkhor Street gives visitors a great insight into traditional Tibetan culture by selling it to them. The shops and booths along the street are filled with all sorts of items unique to Tibet. There is a large variety of Tibetan Buddhist articles including: Thangkas, Buddhist statues, prayer wheels, butter lamps, payer flags, sutras, beads and incense. There are also shops that sell house wares, but Tibetan house wares are also unique, and often beautiful: cushions, aprons, leather bags and dried meats. There are also an abundance of souvenirs available on Barkhor Street.

Tibet is a sacred place and the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people that surrounded by stunning nature landscapes as well as antique historical sites. But, Tibet has also known as the isolation place, where is hard for you to travel without the help from China travel agency. If you come to China and want to visit Tibet, here we make a list for you that you should aware before your travel:

About Tibet Travel Permit
Tibet Travel Permit

Foreigners are allowed to travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region under certain restrictions. They should arrange a Tibet Travel Permit which checked and issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) for free and is usually issued two weeks prior to your entry to the region.

According to the regulations of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), foreign passport holders (including the Taiwanese and Non-Chinese ID card holders) need to have Tibet Travel Permit for visiting. Chinese Passport Holders do not need the permit to go/travel to Tibet. People who hold Hong Kong SAR passports and Macau SAR passports do not need the permit.
Without Tibet Travel Permit, your flight tickets cannot be issued and that will called illegally travel in Tibet. Independent visit is prohibited in that area. You have to join an organized group or have a private tour arranged by a tour agency. Your travel agency will help you to organize your Tibet tour includes permits, a tour guide and a private vehicle with a driver. In additional, during the Tibet tour, you also should always be together with the tour guide to make sure your safety. And the most important thing is that foreign visitors could only visit the places (attractions) listed on the Tibet Travel Permit.

Best time to Visit Tibet
Potala Palace

It is recommended to visit Tibet between April and October since the weather is generally clear for viewing the Himalaya. Even the train tickets are much easier to get and tour prices are lower than in the summer. Most area of Tibet is relatively mild and clear, very ideal to travel. In summer, Tibet was relatively cool (the temperature could reach 29 degrees celcius) and the winter should be cold. For some preparation, you should bring some of your warm clothes even traveling Tibet in summer.

Health and Mountain Sickness
Bring some medicine for colds, diarrhea, nausea and fever during the tour for some preparation. But if you are not brings it, you could find it in Tibet too. Before the tour, please consult your doctor about the journey.

People who have anemia, hypertension, or heart problems as well as other illness of lungs, liver or kidney are prohibited visit Tibet. And because Tibet weather seems a little bit cool even though in summer, so we recommended you should bring some cajuput oil that will make your body warmer. Bring water and some fruit if you could with you.

Because Tibet is the highest region on earth with high altitude, then people who visit Tibet quite often have a short of breath or difficult to breathe. It is the biggest health risk for tourists in Tibet due to the decreasing availability of oxygen. If you can handle it, please do not rely on oxygen equipment all the time so that you can acclimate yourself to the high altitude as early as possible.

If you feel unhealthy before the tour, you should tell our guide about that. And during the tour, if you feel uncomfortable, you need tell your guide immediately. So because of that, during the tour, you should be near to the guide, make it easy to reach your guide as soon as possible if something has happened.

Some Tibet Tour Tips
Travel in Tibet

Because it will give benefit for your health when you are travelling Tibet then you should do and pay attention to these tips. Right after your arrival, you should not be too tired or handle anything heavy. Make sure that you get enough good quality rest. Running, smoking and drinking are also not advised. Keep your body fit and warm during the tour. For dinner, you are advised to not eat too much.

Besides the health problems, when you explore many religious sites in Tibet, there is a notice for you. Because all Tibetans are religious Buddhists, so respect their beliefs is very important. You are not allowed to touch Buddhist statues, sutras or take pictures of them inside temples or monasteries. Smoking is strictly prohibited.

Because Tibet is a sacred and important religious site, and also offers different nature landscapes, a lot of foreigners wondered to explore it. Although visit Tibet might be a little bit hard and difficult than another city in China, after you experience it, it all will be worth it! So come to Tibet with us and we will prepare the best Tibet tour for you!