Nakchu


Nakchu is 338 kilometers from Lhasa and at the juncture of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, northern section of the Sicuan-Tibet Highway and Heihe Highway.

It is located on the famous North Tibet Plateau, the area is high in the west and lies at an elevation of over 4,500 meters and low in the east.
The vast region of the central west is basically flat but dotted with hills and numerous lakes, and is crisscrossed by rivers. There are high mountains surrounding the river valleys in the east, which is the farming region of northern Tibet.

Nakchu Town is a political, economic, cultural and trading center as well as a transport hub of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is also the collection and reshipment centre for the region’s animal products, mineral ores, and agricultural and forestry products.

The natural wonders and the special folk customs have formed distinctive tourism treasures. The local people have created colorful religious legends for the mountains, lakes and rivers, which have retained their natural appearance.

In Nakchu, the vast Changtang grassland commands unique geological features and changing natural landscape. The great force of nature has shaped the gorgeous mountains and rivers of this region. And there also have numerous hot springs and geothermal spots in Nakchu.

Reserves of 232 mineral ores have been verified in Nakchu Prefecture, including gold, silver, chromium, lead, jade and so on. And Nakchu is also rich in salt, there are numerous natural salt sites in the area. Besides, a great variety of precious stones have also been found in Nakchu, including diamonds, rubies, jade, turquoise, agate and cat’s eye.

Nakchu is criss-crossed with rivers and dotted with lakes. Therefore, this area is very rich in fish resources. The fish in northern Tibet are known as "highland carp" and are very tasty.