Though Tibet has been undergoing massive development over the past 50 years (especially over the past 10 years), there are still a lot of places that are pretty much untouched. I love all of Tibet, but the small towns way out in the middle of nowhere that nobody ever goes to are my favorite. The Tibetan culture in these towns is often still very much intact, which is something that is becoming more difficult to find in Tibet. Often these remote places of Tibet have no towns. There is just a wide expanse of mountains or grasslands. The only people that you might find would be nomads living in yak hair tents. The picture above is taken between the small towns of Nagchu (Naqu) and Amdo (Anduo). A bridge from the new train line to Lhasa can be seen in the distance.
If you do travel to the remote areas of Tibet, be prepared. These regions are still very undeveloped. Accommodations are limited to basic guesthouses with no running water or heat. All guesthouses will have blankets, though they are not always clean. Most of the remote areas of Tibet are above 4000m / 13,150 feet and are very cold in the winter. It may be a good idea to take a sleeping bag or a sleeping bag liner so that you don't have to sleep with dirty, smelly blankets. There are no showers and bathrooms are usually outhouses that are not connected to the guesthouse. There will not be any English speakers, so having some basic Tibetan phrases will be useful. Food options will also be limited. If you are in a very remote area (Ngari, Nagchu and parts of Yushu prefecture), there may not be any markets selling fresh fruits or vegetables. If there are restaurants, they will probably only serve a few different items. Bottled water is almost always available, even in the smallest of towns. The picture above is near Damshung (Dangxiong).
As I often have written on this site, the remote regions of Tibet will allow you to see authentic, traditional Tibetan culture that you can't find in the cities and towns of Tibet. Most of these remote regions are well over 95% Tibetan. Though they are difficult to get to and have little or no tourist infrastructure, they are well worth going to. The biggest problem is that most guidebooks don't cover these areas. If you do enough research (you can start by reading more through this site) you can find information on the lesser visited places of Tibet. The picture above is near Chumarleb (Qumalai).
This last picture is taken on the northside of the Tang Gu La pass.
For more information on the remote regions of Tibet, please send an email to [email protected]
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