Peach blossoms are in full bloom in Bome County of south Tibet's Nyinghchi between March and April, looking like a sea of peach blossoms. [Photo/China Tibet Online]

Time flows with eternity, in spite of sunshine, mist, rainbow and snow, leaving our timeless memories on this soil of Tibet. Holding a reverence in nature, we set our sights on the different seasons of Tibet.

January in Lhasa: Stepping into sunshine

Courage is absolutely the first thing if you travel to Tibet in winter, considering the freezing weather in January. In inland areas snow and cold waves keep people at home all the day.

Tibet, the land closest to the sun, however, witnesses crowds of people enjoying leisure in the sun, drinking sweat tea, chatting and laughing. The scene, warm and casual, often makes travelers forget time and where they are.

Statistics show that Lhasa has an average annual sunshine of more than eight hours a day. You can wear only a woollen sweater at noon in the sun in Lhasa even in winter.

February in Lhasa: Celebrating three festivals

The traditional Tibetan Losar (Tibetan New Year) fall on Feb. this year. Traveling in Tibet on that special day will certainly be an once-in-a-life experience.

People celebrate the Tibetan Losar in various ways, which will make your trip more interesting. 

March in Nyingchi: Enjoying peach blossoms

When spring comes to Nyingchi in March, it is a great time to watch the wonder of peach blossoms.

Nyingchi is a sea of peach blossoms in March, like crimson clouds hovering in the embraces of snowy mountains.

Wild peach blossoms can be seen everywhere along the banks of the Nyang River. Taohua Village (or Peach-blossom Village) is the best choice for enjoying peach blossoms. 

April in Namtso: IIce-thawing Namtso Holy Lake

April is not the best time to visit the Namtso Lake for tourists. However, the ice-thawing Namtso Lake presents a rare scenery for most people.

Equestrians present the horse riding skills for local Tibetans, photo from Xinhua.

May in Lhoka: Shelter forest along the Yarlung Zangbo River

The 150-km shelter forest along the Yarlung Zangbo River serves as a green protective screen for the river.

Viewed from the sightseeing plane, the scenery of the river and the forest resembles an impressionist oil painting.

The Samye Monastery, peaceful and mysterious, along the bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River is another option for tourists.

June in Shigatse: Lingka Woods Festival

Shigatse usually welcomes the Lingka Woods Festival in June, which is different from Lhasa where the festival is celebrated in July and August.

The Children's Day, on June 1, is also nicknamed "the Lingka Woods Festival"since adults and children enjoy the best days of a year in the period.

Shigatse covers a vast territory and as a result has a variety of weather phenomena. The area is usually covered by green grass and trees in June, with everyone enjoying the festival, which can even match the Shoton Festival.     

July on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway

The Sichuan-Tibet Highway boasts the most gorgeous overland route to Tibet, as well as the most dangerous one. July, also before the rainy season starts, is the best time for tourists to travel through the route to Tibet.

The route includes the south line and the north one, diverging in Xindu Bridge, known as "a paradise for photographers."

The two lines have the following most beautiful places in China named by the magazine of Chinese National Geography:

Dampa Mountain Village, one of the six most beautiful villages, Midui Galcier, one of the six most beautiful glaciers, Nyingchi Spruce Forest, one of the ten most beautiful forests, Namjiagbarwa Peak and Gonggar Snow Mountain, two of the most beautiful snow mountains.

August in Nagqu: Horse Festival on Changtang Grassland

Nagqu, also famous for its yogourt and jerked yak meat, is a place to get rid of your burden.    

Tired of the busy life in urban cities, tourists should not forget the Horse Festival in Nagqu. Viewing the grassland and an endless skyline, you will forget the boredom for a while. Cheering with the heroes on the horsebacks, travelers can relax in the natural world. 

Toursits are taking photos against the stunning Zhada clay forest in Nagri, Tibet. [Photo/China Tibet Online]

September in Ngari: Destination of your soul

The Zhada Clay Forest is regarded as a world wonder by the tourists. The wilderness soon catches tourists' hearts when they see the Earth Forest extending far to the horizon.

Entering into Zhada County, the clay forest standing on both sides of Elephant Spring River winds over more than five kilometers. The clay is like warriors defending the mountaintop, some like thousands of horses galloping, and some like devout followers of a religion nurturing themselves, standing there quietly. From different angles, you can see wonderful scenery.

A tourist says: "No matter how far we go, the destination we long for is the rest place of our soul. Ngari and Guge are the rest place of my soul."

Ngari also has some other famous tourist sites, such as the Mapham Yutso Lake, the holy Mountain of Kangrinboqe, the Lannga Co Ghost Lake, the Pangong Tso Lake, the Tsada Toding Monastery and the ruins of Guge Kingdom.

October in Chamdo: Pearl in eastern Tibet

The Hengduan Mountains are magnificent and beautiful with fall getting closer in October's Chamdo, where three rivers meet, namely, the Jinsha River, the Lantsang River and the Nu River.

Khampa culture is the core point of Chamdo tourism, with intangible cultural heritage such as Shinze dance, Repa dance in Dengqen County and Tibetan Opera.

Chamdo also is dotted with cultural relics, such as Karub ruins, Yanduo ruins, Lessor Enda site and Sengezong ruins.

Also, the ancient Saltern in Yanjing County, the folk houses in Sanyan area of Gongjo County and culture of the Tea Horse Trail all build up the reputation of Chamdo.  

A flock of black-necked cranes dance on the grassland in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) on Jan. 2, 2011, photo from Xinhua.

November in Nyingchi: Simple life in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon

The tourist sites in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon include the canyon itself, the Namjiagbarwa Peak -- one of the most beautiful mountains in China, the Medog County.

Appreciating the golden yellow forests and the Namjiagbarwa Peak, tourists will be touched by the simplicity of life. They can spend some days resting in the Zhibai Village at the foot of the peak to enjoy the sunrise and sunset.

Breathing the fresh air and eating the simplest food, tourists can rise with the sun and sleep with the moon there, chewing the happiness of life.

December in Lhasa: Birds watching 

Lhasa, at an altitude of 3,700 meters, attracts thousands of birds for its wetlands.

Many species of birds, such as black-necked cranes and bar-headed geese, fly to the holy city to live through the winter.

The Lhalu Wetland and the Hutou Reservoir in the Lhunzhub County are both nice choices for bird watching.

If you love the black-necked cranes, you should definitely go to the Lhunzhub County in December or January, where birds present a unique landscape of Tibet.