Lhasa Travel Guide

The incidence of altitude sickness (AMS) is about 30-50%, unrelated to physical fitness! Fitness enthusiasts consume more oxygen and are actually more prone to altitude sickness. Prevention: ① Taking the train to Tibet (Qinghai-Tibet Railway, gradual acclimatization) is better than flying ② Absolute rest on the first day after arrival (lying flat/sitting quietly) ③ Drink more warm water ④ No alcohol, no smoking ⑤ Take rhodiola one week in advance (as a supplement). Response: Mild (headache/shortness of breath) → oxygen and rest; Moderate (vomiting/severe headache) → oxygen + painkillers + pulse oximeter monitoring (seek medical attention immediately if blood oxygen <80%); Severe (confusion/pink frothy sputum) → send to hospital immediately (hyperbaric oxygen chamber)! Pregnant women, patients with severe cardiopulmonary disease, and those with a cold are not advised to enter Tibet.

Tibetan food characteristics: highland ingredients (yak meat, highland barley, dairy products), high in calories to adapt to the highland environment. Sweet tea is Lhasa people's "Starbucks." Must-eat: sweet tea (Guangming Gangqiong Sweet Tea House, 7 mao a cup!), Tibetan noodles, yak hot pot, tsampa, butter tea (salty, may take getting used to at first), yak yogurt (extremely sour! needs sugar), Tibetan-style grilled mushrooms, highland barley wine. Lhasa has many Sichuan restaurants (many Sichuan immigrants), so there's a fallback if you can't get used to Tibetan food. Spiciness: Tibetan food is not spicy. Vegetarian: so-so, vegetarian meals available around temples.

⚠️ On the first day, you must rest to adapt to the high altitude! Do not shower, do not do strenuous exercise, drink more warm water! 3 days: D1 Arrival + rest (stroll around Barkhor Street to adapt); D2 Potala Palace (must be reserved 1 day in advance!) + Chakpori Hill (the filming location for the 50-yuan RMB background) + Jokhang Temple + Barkhor Street kora; D3 Sera Monastery debate (3 PM) + Norbulingka + Tibet Museum. 5-day in-depth: Add D4 Namtso 1-day tour (one of Tibet's three great sacred lakes, altitude 4718m), D5 Yamdrok Lake (the blue of heaven). Budget (per person): Budget type 2000-3500 yuan / Comfort type 4000-7000 yuan / Light luxury type 8000-12000 yuan. Prices in Lhasa are not low. High-altitude medicine: Take rhodiola one week in advance (limited effect), buy oxygen cylinders locally (20-30 yuan/canister). Seek medical attention immediately for severe altitude sickness!