Tibet is notorious for being an expensive place to visit – current requirements are a pre-arranged tour including a Tibetan tour guide, Tibet travel permits, and sometimes a car and driver depending on your itinerary. However, it shouldn’t be cut off your travel list because of worries like this; there are plenty of free things to do in Tibet, and free things to do in Lhasa that will help backpackers and budget travelers save their hard-earned pennies on the road. Want to travel cheaply in Tibet? Read on for tips!
Once you arrive in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, you’ll find that traveling there can be both cheap and rewarding. This is if you’re willing to be adventurous. Here are the top five free things to do in Lhasa to help budget travelers in Tibet. This is because you don’t have to be rich to experience Tibetan culture!
1. Barkhor Street
The Barkhor, or “Middle Circuit”, is the top destination in Lhasa for pilgrims from Tibet. It circles around the sacred Jokhang Temple in Lhasa’s old town. Each day from before sunrise until after sunset locals, pilgrims, and tourists shuffle their way along its path while mumbling mantras and swinging prayer wheels.
The early morning and late evening are the most ideal times to go, when the air is heavy with sweet-smelling smoke from the giant incense burners at each corner of the circuit, and the road is filled with local Lhasa people rushing about their daily practice before or after work. Be sure to greet locals with a polite nod of the head, a giant smile, and “Tashi Delek” and you might be invited for tea! If you’re looking to escape the crowds, don’t be afraid to wander down any of the small alleys that head off the main Barkhor road, and get a taste of traditional life in Tibet’s biggest city.
2. Monastery Kora
A “kora” is a trail that circumambulates a Buddhist holy site – often a monastery, a temple, or a mountain or lake in Tibet. One of the most accessible walks from downtown Lhasa is the Sera Monastery Kora. This is just a ten-minute bus ride north of Barkhor. The kora trail begins to the left just before the entry gate to the monastery (where tourists must buy tickets to enter), and then follows the outer wall of the monastery all the way around and back to the gate in around 1-2 hours.
If you’re in doubt about which way to go, follow the pilgrims and often they’ll be more than happy to adopt an interested traveler into their group, showing off all of the special activities that must be completed along the route such as washing your hands from a holy spring, taking a sip of water from the trunk of a tree, rubbing your knees against a clay wall, and making offerings to small shrines. All monasteries have a kora trail, some more adventurous than others. This is an excellent opportunity to experience Tibetan culture and scenery without paying.
3. Local Teahouses
Okay, this one isn’t technically free because you must spend money on food or tea. However, everyone has to eat so this made the list as an alternative-restaurant destination. Rather than relying on restaurants recommended by your guidebook, with proper English menus, why not try one of the many hole-in-the-wall local teahouses scattered throughout the Barkhor?
Their offerings are usually simple: momo (dumplings), took-ba or ten-took (broth with long or short noodles), and cha ngarmo/ suma/ or tang (sweet tea/ butter tea/ black salted tea). The reason why teahouses are counted as an “attraction” in Lhasa is simple – this is where you can observe and be included in daily Tibetan life.
Over a few minutes in a teahouse, you’ll see parents sharing lunch with children. You’ll also see youths studying, elderly pilgrims taking a break, and sometimes a monk or two popping in on their day off from the monastery. While the language may be a barrier, smiling makes a long way and before long you’ll have made new friends without saying a word.
4. Tsemonling and other small temples
If the steep ticket prices put you off visiting too many monasteries in Lhasa, why not explore the old town? You can find smaller temples more popular with locals than tourists. These temples are often overlooked by visitors due to their small size or lack of an immense historical background.
However, despite this, they still have a lot to offer, especially if your visit is timed with either the full or full moon (the 15th and 30th days of each Tibetan lunar month). Tsemonling Temple, down a small alley off Beijing Road, west of the famous Ramoche Temple, features several beautifully decorated rooms.
And becomes a hive of activity on full moon days when the courtyard is packed with a crowd of elderly Tibetan pilgrims making offerings, spinning prayer wheels, and drinking tea together. Because these places aren’t yet tourist attractions, foreigners are still a novelty. You’ll be heartily welcomed by enthusiastic locals who want to show you around. Come prepared with a big smile and some biscuits to share, and you could stay all afternoon!
5. Tibet Museum:
If your tour is hampered by inclement weather, the newly opened Tibet Museum is an excellent place to spend an hour. It’s near Norbulingka, west of Lhasa. Tibet Museum is free but sometimes extra exhibitions incur a small fee. The regular exhibits include ancient history, Buddhist artwork, daily cultural life, nomadic life, and many artifacts from the Dalai Lama’s Potala Palace and Norbulinka. Signs are in Chinese and English and aren’t as propaganda-filled as they once were, making for an informative and insightful look at Tibet’s past and present.