Lhasa to Gyantse via Yumdrok Lake

I start walking out of the city, heading to Yumdrok Lake which I’ve heard is incredibly beautiful. After hours walking through the city and its outskirts, I finally reach the highway towards Yumdrok Lake and catch a bus most of the way. The only thing between me and the lake is a 1200m climb up a mountain.

I sit and wait trying to hitch a lift, which isn’t too hard given that it’s a very popular destination with Chinese and foreign tourists. Foreign tourists have paid a lot of money for their tours so they won’t be picking up hitchhikers without permits in the near future.

Yumdrok Yum Tso (Yumdrok Lake) is one of the most beautiful places in Tibet and apparently has an entrance fee of 40 Yuan, although we don’t go down to the water’s edge, our driver is feeling unwell and is probably suffering from altitude sickness.

The route from the lake to Gyantse has many snow-capped mountains, unfortunately, they don’t want to stop to admire their beauty.

When I arrive in Gyantse, I stay in a place that doesn’t mention anything about the registration forms, they know that as a solo traveller I’m here illegally. I meet a man who knows much about Tibet. He tells me that the penalty for being caught without a Tibet Travel Permit is being blacklisted from China and unable to ever get a visa for the country again. That seems a little heavy handed. I get rid of my fake permit since I imagine there might be a prison sentence involved if I’m caught with it.