【Highlights of the Southern Tibet Route】Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier, Baiju Monastery — a breathtaking one-day journey linking lake × glacier × ancient temple

This morning at 8 AM, we officially left Lhasa to begin the most spectacular one-day journey of the southern route. From Yamdrok Lake (the Holy Lake) → Karola Glacier → Pelkor Chode Monastery, the scenery unfolds layer by layer — from lake to glacier to ancient temple — making this one of the true highlights of the entire Tibet trip. 🗓 Today's Itinerary Departure from Lhasa → Yamdrok Lake (viewing platform + lakeshore) → lunch in Nagarze County → Karola Glacier (climb up to the 5,200m viewing platform) → Pelkor Chode Monastery → Shigatse Time Attraction/Activity Altitude 08:00 Departure from Lhasa 3650m 10:00 Yamdrok Lake (viewpoint + lakeshore) 4441m 12:00 Lunch in Nagarze County 14:30 Karola Glacier (challenge the 5200m viewpoint) 5036m (viewpoint) 18:00 Pelkor Chode Monastery (ancient temple where three sects coexist) 20:00 Arrive in Shigatse for overnight stay 3836m Yamdrok Lake (Yang Lake) — the Fairy Lake in the hearts of Tibetans | One of Tibet's Three Great Sacred Lakes It takes about two hours from Lhasa to reach Yamdrok Lake. The Tibetan scenery along the way becomes more and more open the higher you climb, leaving you refreshed and delighted even before you arrive.

Yamdrok Lake is one of Tibet's three great sacred lakes. According to Tibetan legend, it is the jewelry box spilled by a fairy that fell to earth and transformed into today's azure-blue lake. ▸ Best view from the observation deck The first stop is the observation deck, where you can look directly down over the entire lake. On clear days, the water displays multiple layered shades of blue, making it a wonderful spot for photos.

On the other side of the lake lies range after range of mountain peaks, and the contrast between the shimmering lake and the mountain scenery is truly spectacular.

▸ Getting Close to the Lakeshore Continue driving for about another 20 minutes and you'll reach a lakeside viewpoint, where you can walk right down to the shore to take photos. You'll often see yaks and Tibetan mastiffs here, with owners letting tourists pay to take photos with them (we didn't happen to see any Tibetan mastiffs that day). The lakeside scenery is simply the perfect combination of "yaks + snow mountains + lake.

Many seabirds are often seen over the lake too, and it's especially beautiful to watch them soaring over the lake's surface.

On a friend's suggestion, we also went to scoop up some fine sand by the lake. But I have to say: neither photos nor videos can really capture the beauty that was in front of my eyes.

The tour guide specially gave us 45 minutes of free time for photos, which was quite generous. Lunch at Nagarzê — simple but decent vegetarian dishes. We had lunch at noon in Nagarzê County. The guide had already reminded us in advance that some meals over the past few days would be vegetarian, and we were all fine with that. This meal had a good variety of vegetable dishes and tasted quite nice too — at 50 yuan per person, it's really great value for money.

Karola Glacier — Witness to Glacial Retreat After leaving Yamdrok Lake, we headed to Karola Glacier, situated at an altitude of over 5,000 meters. Our guide, Brother Yong, told us that ten years ago when he led tour groups here, the glacier was much larger than it is now — today its shrinkage is unmistakable. Standing there in person, it was hard not to feel a certain heaviness in my heart. ▸ The viewing platform where most tourists stop Most tourists simply take photos near the entrance and stay for about an hour.

▸ Our Challenge: Reaching the 5,200m Viewpoint Since we'd already come this far, we decided to bring oxygen tanks and climb up to the high point nearby. It was only a 200-meter difference in elevation, but at 5,000m, it feels completely different on the body. I walked the whole way while sipping oxygen, watching the parking lot get smaller and smaller and the mountain scenery grow more and more magnificent, and after 30 minutes I finally made it to the 5,200m high point.

The most surprising thing was: My mom actually climbed up too! Although she didn't reach all the way to the very top, that's already incredibly impressive.

⚠️ Suggestion: If you also want to go up to the viewing platform, start climbing as soon as you get off the vehicle, otherwise you'll end up rushing like we did at the end. Baiju Monastery (optional visit) — an ancient temple where three major sects coexist The journey through Tibet is never boring, with magnificent scenery outside the window at every moment.

After a 3.5-hour drive, we arrived at our last stop, Baiju Temple.

What makes Pelkor Chode Monastery (Baiju Si) special is this: it is a monastery where the Sakya, Shalu, and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism coexist together. Its main structures include the Tsochin Hall (the Great Hero's Hall), the Gyantse Kumbum (the Pagoda of Auspicious Many Doors, also known as the Stupa of a Hundred Thousand Buddhas), the sunning platform for displaying the great thangka, and the rare monastery fortress walls, which were built back then to defend against the British army.

▸ Protector Deity Temple We'll first visit the Protector Deity Temple. As soon as you walk in, you're hit by a strong smell of alcohol — in Tibetan Buddhism, wine is offered to the protector deities.

▸ Grand Hall (Mahavira Hall) The murals on the walls have been blackened by smoke, because after the British army occupied it, the hall was used as a kitchen. Although there are traces of damage, you can still see remnants of the original murals. Inside the hall you can see: An 8-foot-tall statue of Shakyamuni Buddha The side halls enshrine Vairocana Buddha and Champa Buddha (Maitreya Buddha) Many silk thangkas hang from the ceiling Photography is prohibited inside the temple, which actually makes it easier to focus on listening to the guide's explanations.

▸ Prayer at the Auspicious Multi-Door Stupa (Stupa of a Hundred Thousand Buddhas) After leaving the Tsemchok Main Hall, we came to the stupa. After climbing up to the second level, we walked around it once to pray for peace and safety.

We originally planned for 40 minutes, but the guide's explanations were so wonderful that we ended up spending over an hour there before leaving. On the bus, Brother Yong specially played a movie about the British invasion of Tibet, which gave the whole visit an even deeper sense of history. Arrival in Shigatse: tomorrow we take on Everest Base Camp! We arrived in Shigatse at 8pm. Since we're heading to Mount Everest Base Camp (5200m) tomorrow, our guide recommended we prepare two types of oxygen bottles: • Large bottle (700 RMB): provides about 14 hours of oxygen Small bottle (400 RMB): can be used for 4 hours. He said from experience, having one big and one small is just right — the big bottle for the car and accommodation, the small bottle for outdoor activities. Everyone obediently bought them too, after all, spending money is a small matter, but it would be a shame if altitude sickness ruined the trip. (I'll share later, in the guide post, whether "one big and one small" is actually practical or not.)

Tonight's accommodation & preparing for tomorrow's Everest trip The hotel we're staying at tonight is very advanced — as soon as you enter the room, the curtains and lights turn on automatically, and the toilet also senses you automatically. We had dinner at the dumpling restaurant next door, and while we were at it, bought the instant noodles we'll eat tomorrow at Everest Base Camp.

Today's summary: sacred lake × glacier × ancient monastery — together forming the most classic southern Tibet route. Today's itinerary involved a lot of travel time, but the scenery was wonderfully varied. The tranquility of Yamdrok Lake, the awe of Karola Glacier, the historical depth of Pelkor Chode Monastery — Three completely different landscapes, woven together in a single day into the most complete impression of Tibet. Tomorrow will be the part of this trip I've been most looking forward to — Everest Base Camp — The day I truly begin the challenge of high altitude.