It has been said that there are two impulses in one’s entire life. One is to pursue true love passionately at all costs; while the other is to travel without any hesitation. A trip to Shigatse is guaranteed to be one of the most memorable experiences of your life. Shigatse is an ancient city, renowned for several Buddhist monasteries and the world’s highest mountain-Mt. Qomolangma. Here are a number ofTibet travel tipsfor you before travelling to Shigatse.

Altitude Sickness

Travelling in Shigatse (with an average altitude of above 4000m), tourists need to pay special attention to effect of the altitude change on you. Normally, as tourists arrive in Lhasa (3650m) , they will gradually experience the mild altitude symptoms such as headache, shortness of breath, fatigue, and insomnia, etc. There is no need to panic. In most cases, there early symptoms will disappear as your body gets acclimatized to the new environment.

One suggestion is that do not use oxygen if your symptom is not unbearable and violent to avoid your dependence on oxygen. Do walk slowly and sleep well. Nothing is more important than getting used to the high altitude in Lhasa before ascending to higher places like Shigatse. And you may prepare some altitude sickness medicine under the guidance of the chemist in pharmacy in Lhasa.

Never catch cold

You’d better not catch cold in your first few days in Shigatse. Since the cold might trigger acute pulmonary edema, and the full recovery would take much longer time in low oxygen-content environment.

Extra gears for harsh environment

As the high plateau features dry and chilly weather and strong ultraviolent light, the overexposure to such environment may lead to bleeding and chapped lips. It’s advisable to bring lip balms, sun cream and sunglasses, trekking hat to protect your skin, eyes.

Eat more fruit and vegetable

In addition to drinking water, tourists shall replenish carbohydrates by eating more fruit and vegetables. Do not eat too much at mealtimes because it may create burden for your digestion and your body would need extra oxygen for digestion.

Dramatic temperature change

Dramatic temperature change between day and night is pretty common on high plateau like Tibet. So is in Shigatse. Normally, the altitude rises by 1000m and temperature would drop 6 Celsius. And the annual average temperature of Shigatse is around 6.3 Celsius. Even in summer, you should bring down jacket, sweater, pullover, etc.

Medicines for reference:

Medication for cold relief, anti-diarrhea, Band-aid, eye drops, altitude sickness relief, etc. (under the consultancy of pharmacists or doctors)