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Tibet

Tibet (Tibetan:, Bod, Mandarin: 西藏, Xīzàng), officially known as Xizang Autonomous Region , is sometimes described as the "roof of the world"; the entire region is on a high plateau and there are many large mountains. The area has its own unique culture, and most travellers will find some of the plants, wildlife and domestic animals quite exotic as well. When you enter Tibet you will feel as though you've found an entirely different world.

Politically, Tibet is part of China, one of five autonomous regions for minority ethnic groups. There is an active independence movement and even a government-in-exile headed by the former ruler, the Dalai Lama. For discussion, see the Understand section below. Travellers who disagree with the current political situation may think they have an ethical dilemma because if they go to Tibet they feel they are implicitly supporting the Chinese regime, with some of their money going to the Chinese authorities. However the Dalai Lama encourages foreigners to go, so that they can see the situation for themselves and because Tibetans welcome their presence.

Tibet is becoming a more and more popular travel destination among the Chinese themselves. For most Chinese from other regions, Tibet is as exotic as travelling to a different country. For others, this is a holy place where hearts can be cleansed.

Regions
There are seven prefectures in the Tibet Autonomous Region:

Several regions outside the TAR are culturally close to Tibet; see our articles on the former Tibetan Empire, on the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Yunnan, Sichuan and Gansu, on the Indian regions of Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti, and Sikkim, on the Pakistani region of Baltistan and on the independent states of Bhutan and Nepal.

The Chinese government also claims much of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of Tibet, but because it is under the effective control of the Indian government, we cover it as part of India on Wikivoyage.

Cities

 * - the capital of Tibet, and traditional seat of the Dalai Lama, the most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Lhasa is the starting point for most travel within the region.
 * (Chamdo)
 * (Shigatse) - the second largest city in Tibet, and traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism
 * - traditional seat of the Kamarpa, the third most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism
 * - traditional seat of the Kamarpa, the third most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism

Other destinations

 * - a sacred mountain revered by both Tibetan Buddhists and Hindus.
 * - the Tibetan side of Mount Everest
 * containing the world's largest canyon, the Yalung Zangbo Canyon.

Understand
This article covers only the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). There are also Tibetan autonomous prefectures and counties located in the provinces of Qinghai, southwest Gansu, western Sichuan and northwest Yunnan, covered in the articles on those provinces. See List of Chinese provinces and regions for an explanation of the terms "autonomous region" and "autonomous prefecture" if required.

The Tibetan Empire was once much larger than the current borders, and various areas outside the TAR are culturally, historically and linguistically Tibetan to varying degrees. In contemporary China, and in general English usage today, the term "Tibet" refers only to the TAR. However, the term "Tibetan Regions", with its focus on all of ethnographic Tibet is becoming more widespread amongst Chinese in China as well. The Dalai Lama's Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala continues to claim the entirety of the former Tibetan Empire.

The Tibetan Plateau is the world's largest and, with average heights of over 4,000m, also the world's highest, plateau. It includes all of the TAR, most of Qinghai, and parts of Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu. Parts of the region (northwestern region) are so remote they remain uninhabited to this day.

India and the rest of Asia are on separate continental plates which are colliding; that collision is what raised the plateau to its current height. Most of the world's highest mountains are in the Himalaya range along Tibet's southern border, along the line of the subduction zone where one plate goes under the other. Mount Everest, the highest of all, is on the border between Tibet and Nepal.

Politics and government
Tibet is officially known as the Tibetan Autonomous Region (Mandarin: 西藏自治区, Xīzàng Zìzhìqū; Tibetan: བོད་རང་སྐྱོང་ལྗོངས།, Poi Ranggyong Jong). It is one of five autonomous regions within the People's Republic of China.

Under Chinese law, autonomous regions are entitled to more rights and privileges — such as implementing their own economic policies and declaring additional official languages — but they have no legal right to secede.

People
Because of its harsh and rugged terrain and high altitude, the Tibet Autonomous Region has the lowest population density among all the provinces in the People's Republic of China. This is one region where Han Chinese are a minority.

Tibetans are the largest ethnic group in the region and they make up 90% of the population. Most Tibetans (70-80%) are adherents of Vajrayana Buddhism, which has been the main religion in Tibet since the 8th century. A significant number of Tibetans are followers of Bon, a shamanic religion that was once the main religion in Tibet prior to the arrival of Buddhism.

Han Chinese make up 8% of the population and they are the second largest ethnic group in the region. Most Han Chinese in Tibet are economic immigrants, and are concentrated in the major cities.

History
Tibet has a long and complicated history, at times an empire, at times warring with China, and at times a tributary of China or the Mongol Empire. It first came under common rule with China when the Mongols conquered both around 1300. Tibet became independent once more after the Mongols were expelled from China and the Ming Dynasty was established in the 14th century, but would subsequently be conquered by the Manchu-Chinese Qing Dynasty under the Kangxi Emperor in 1720.

For most of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Tibet was nominally part of the Chinese empire and there was a Qing official called an Anban in Lhasa who had tremendous influence, but in practice the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama (high-ranking religious figures) actually ran things. Pre-modern Tibet was a feudal theocracy with a caste system, with the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama, other senior monks and the nobility forming the highest class, and a vast population of serfs and peasants at the bottom, though the new Dalai Lama would always be selected from a lower class family when the old one died. While Chinese sources claim that the traditional Tibetan system of government was an oppressive regime built on slavery and serfdom, most Western sources, the Dalai Lama and his followers reject this view, instead contending that while there was some truth to the feudalism claim, its oppressiveness has been grossly exaggerated by the Chinese government in order to justify its continuing occupation of Tibet.

Britain sent a force to Lhasa in 1904/05, but the Anglo-Russian agreement of 1907, widely seen as the end to the Great Game (a competition for influence in Asia between those empires that lasted most of the 19th century), stipulated that neither country would interfere in Tibet, leaving it in China's sphere of influence. In 1910, Qing China sent a military expedition of its own to Tibet for direct rule.

However, after the Qing Dynasty fell in 1911, Tibet declared independence under the authority of the 13th Dalai Lama. Tibet was an isolated de facto independent nation for almost forty years, controlling most of what is now the TAR. The Chinese government, however, never accepted their claim to independence, though they were powerless to do anything due to being tied down by internal problems within the Han Chinese heartland.

After the retreat of the Nationalists to Taiwan and the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, the Communists turned their attention towards Tibet as they wished to consolidate control over all former Qing territories. In 1950, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) invaded Tibet. In the UN Security Council, the Nationalists (who still had China's seat) vetoed a motion that would have censured the invasion; they too considered Tibet part of China.

In 1951 an agreement was signed that annexed Tibet into China, giving Tibet — on paper — full autonomous status for governance, religion and local affairs. The current (14th) Dalai Lama was even made a vice-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 1950s. However communist reforms and the heavy-handed approach of the PLA led to tensions. After a failed Tibetan Uprising in March 1959, the Dalai Lama and many of his followers went into exile in India, setting up a government-in-exile in Dharamsala. Each side accuses the other of failure to live up to the 1951 agreement. The CIA assisted the uprising and Chinese propagandists still mention this often.

Tibet's isolated location did not protect it from the terror of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), and large numbers of Tibetans were killed or imprisoned at the hands of the Red Guards. Tibet's rich cultural heritage as well as much of neighboring Chinese ancient culture were reduced to ruins. After the end of that era, the rise of Deng Xiaoping and China's "reform and opening up" policies since 1978, the situation in Tibet has calmed considerably, though it still remains tense. Monasteries are slowly being rebuilt and a semblance of normality has returned to the region. Despite this, Tibet still suffers from independence-related civil unrest from time to time. The Chinese authorities often close Tibet to foreign tourists, usually in March, the anniversary of the 1959 uprising.

When the 10th Panchen Lama died in 1989, the Dalai Lama selected a new one, as was customary in Tibetan tradition. The Chinese government, however, did not accept this and instead installed a different boy as their officially-recognised Panchen Lama. The Dalai Lama's appointee disappeared shortly after, and has never been heard from since.

To a considerable extent, the issues in Tibet are the same as for indigenous peoples anywhere, such as Uyghurs in China's western province Xinjiang, or the indigenous peoples in the Americas, Australia and the Asian part of Russia. The government points proudly to development work such as mines, railways and highways; locals complain that those facilities are all owned by outsiders, outsiders get most of the good jobs while locals do most of the heavy work, and environmental consequences are often ignored. The government say they are improving education; locals complain that the system aims at forcing assimilation by using a language foreign to them. Immigration is encouraged and sometimes subsidized; locals complain of an influx of outsiders who do not want to adapt to local culture and often do not even bother to learn the local language. When the locals get really agitated, the government does not hesitate to send in troops to "restore order"; generally the locals see this as vicious repression, but the government claim they are only dealing appropriately with "hostile Indians", "reactionary elements" or whatever.

The question of Tibetan sovereignty is a hot-button issue in China. The party line is that Tibet has always been part of China and foreigners have no business meddling in internal Chinese affairs. There was no invasion in 1950, only the central government asserting its authority over a province to liberate it from a severely oppressive feudal system, a corrupt medieval theocracy with slavery. (That part makes a lot of sense to Chinese, liberated from their own feudal system in 1911.) Western powers are being extremely hypocritical since they roundly condemn theocracy (rule by priests) in Iran and simultaneously support it in Tibet. Most Chinese people agree with the government position, and some will ask foreigners about Tibet then firmly "correct" their "errors". Avoiding such discussions is a good policy.

Holidays
In addition to the national public holidays that are observed throughout China, Tibet observes two more public holidays, namely Losar (Chinese: 洛萨, Tibetan: ལོ་གསར་) or Tibetan New Year (Chinese: 藏历新年) in February or March, and the Sho Dun Festival (Chinese: 雪顿节, Tibetan: ༄༅། ཞོ་སྟོན།) in the summer, usually mid-August.

Read

 * Eight Years in Tibet by Peter Aufschnaiter and Martin Brauen ISBN 9789745240124
 * Dialogues Tibetan, Dialogues Han by Hannü: Tibet through the Tibetans with a Han traveller ISBN 9789889799939
 * Tears Of Blood: A Cry for Tibet by Mary Craig ISBN 9781582431024

Talk

 * See also: Tibetan phrasebook and Amdo Tibetan phrasebook

The main language of Tibet is Tibetan, which is co-official with Mandarin within the region. Many Tibetans, especially young people, are basically able to speak Mandarin, while those who can only speak Tibetan are mostly elderly. Tibetan is closely related to Burmese and much more distantly to Chinese. Several dialects of Tibetan exist, and not all of them are mutually intelligible; standard Tibetan is based on the Lhasa dialect. Depending on the dialect of Tibetan spoken, it may be tonal or non-tonal. In the cities people speak Chinese fluently; in the villages it may not be understood at all. Han Chinese people, on the other hand, normally don't know any Tibetan at all. Signs in Tibet, including street signs, are at least bilingual — in Chinese and in Tibetan — plus a major local language when there is one.

It makes Chinese a more useful language for travellers in many ways. Many Tibetans view Chinese as a useful lingua franca and a few Tibetan pleasantries are enough to befriend Tibetans. Tibetans from different regions converse in Chinese since Tibetan dialects vary so much that they are not immediately mutually intelligible. If you speak Tibetan to Chinese police you may raise suspicions that you are in Tibet to support Tibetan Independence.

Tibetan is, however, an extremely difficult language to learn, and most foreigners who claim to know Tibetan can hardly get by. When it comes to writing, a focus on Mandarin in the education system means that even the Tibetans themselves have difficulties and many are in fact illiterate.

Requirements
Unless you are a citizen of the People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau), travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region is only possible by joining an organized tour lasting the entire duration of your time in Tibet. This requires going through an approved Chinese travel agency, who will apply for your Tibet Entry Permit (外国人进藏许可证 wàiguórén jìn zàng xǔkězhèng) and arrange a mandatory guide and car to take you around. Many tour guides are ethnic Chinese and even the ethnic Tibetan guides have to sit exams in Chinese and learn the official Chinese government-sponsored perspective on Tibet in order to gain and keep their tour guide licence. Some particular occupations (e.g. press, professional photographers, diplomatic personnel and foreign government officials) can only obtain the permit from the Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet Autonomous Region.

As you need to pay for all this, the cost of travel in Tibet is far higher than anywhere else in China, with barebones group rates starting around US$120/day and going up if you want a private tour, decent accommodation, etc. Demand also far exceeds supply in the summer high season, with flights and train tickets into Tibet very difficult to get, not just for foreigners but Chinese as well. For these financial, ethical and logistical reasons, some travellers opt to travel to other Tibetan regions of China instead: Qinghai, Northwestern Yunnan and western Sichuan.

If you do opt to go, you must start your paperwork well in advance. Regulations may change and permits to Tibet may be halted at short notice: for example, the entire month of March is off-limits every year due to sensitive anniversaries, and Norwegians were not permitted to enter for several years after Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. If you are caught by authorities in Tibet without the appropriate permits, you will either be sent back (at your own expense), have your visa cancelled, be deported, or in extreme cases banned from ever re-entering China. There are even reports of foreigners being imprisoned for breaking travel bans.

 * You must have a Chinese visa before the agency can apply for your Tibet entry permit, but Chinese visa applications that mention travel to Tibet are routinely rejected. The usual workaround is to apply for your Chinese visa without mentioning Tibet — travel agencies may even offer certified but fake itineraries to help you do so!
 * Once the visa has been granted, the agency will apply for the Tibet entry permit. The permit can only be applied for 20 days before your trip, and usually takes 8-9 days to issue.  The permit must list all places you intend to visit, so make sure your itinerary is locked down, or negotiate with your tour provider to ensure that all places you may want to visit are listed.

Some parts of Tibet also require an Aliens' Travel Permit (ATP), which is issued by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in major Tibetan cities like Lhasa, Shigatse and Ali. The list of regions that require ATPs changes constantly, so enquire locally. Lhasa's PSB has a poor reputation, while Shigatse and Ali are said to issue permits without any unnecessary difficulties. If your papers are in order, the permit can be issued in several hours for ¥100.

Finally, some remote areas also require a military permit. These are only available in Lhasa, where processing takes several days, and are only granted for an appropriate reason.

Agencies
The following is a partial list of well-recognized tour companies licensed to host foreigners in Tibet:
 * China Highlights, well-connected pan-China agency specializing in tailored tours; expensive but may be worth it
 * Explore Tibet, Tibet based Tibet Travel Agency who offers the smallest group tours in the industry
 * I-Tibet Travel & Tours, A Tibetan Travel agency in Tibet
 * Touch Tibet Tour Lhasa based local travel agency, offering a wide range of tours in Tibet.
 * Tibet Highland Tours, well connected, custom trips.
 * Tibet Ctrip Travel Service, local longstanding Tibetan travel service
 * Tibetan guide small group tour by group of local Tibetan guides.
 * Tibet China Tibet, local travel agency in Lhasa
 * Travel China Guide, the largest online tour operator in China, operating trips throughout China.
 * Tibet Focus Travel & Tours, a local Tibetan travel agency in Tibet.
 * Tibet Nature Tour, Tibet based local travel agency.
 * Tibet Universal Travel & Tours, Tibetan travel agency founded in 1997
 * Tibet Vista, managed by local Tibetans and operated by CITS, the tourism and travel agency of the government of the People's Republic of China.
 * WindhorseTour, An experienced inbound local travel agency specializing in customized tours for families and small groups to Tibet.

By plane
You can fly directly to Lhasa, which is well connected with most major Chinese cities and has a few flights to Kathmandu, but flying in from a much lower altitude city puts you at high risk of altitude sickness because of the quick transition. Most other larger Tibetan cities including Shigatse and Ali also have airports, but flights are very limited.

Safest is to follow the Yunnan tourist trail to Zhongdian (Shangrila) and fly from there to Lhasa. If you spend a night or two each in Kunming (2,000m), Dali (2,400m) or Lijiang (2,400m), and Zhongdian (3,200m) to acclimatise, you should be able to fly to Lhasa (3,650m) with little risk. You can also travel from Zhongdian to Lhasa overland; see overland to Tibet.

If you are in Sichuan or nearby and aren't satisfied visiting the many ethnically Tibetan areas to the east of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, flying from Chengdu (500m) is the easiest option, but the rapid increase in altitude risks altitude sickness. It is safer to travel overland from Chengdu to Zhongdian via Panzhihua, or take a train or plane to Kunming and follow the Yunnan tourist trail from there.

By train

The Qinghai-Tibet (Qingzang) Railway from Golmud to Lhasa started operating in July 2006, and was extended to Shigatse in 2014. The journey from Beijing to Lhasa takes just under 48 hours, costing ¥360 in the cheapest hard seat class and ¥1144 for a soft sleeper. Direct trains to Lhasa originate from Beijing, Xining, Lanzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Chengdu. For a hard sleeper from Chengdu with 6 bunks in each compartment, the cost is ¥692 per person.

The main advantage for this mode of transportation is often claimed to be that you can gradually acclimatise to high altitudes instead of the sudden shift if you were to take a plane. However, in reality the high-altitude parts of the journey are all covered within the last 12 or so hours and this does not offer enough time to acclimatise. Some thus opt to acclimatize for a few days in Xining (2,300 m), which can be reached by overnight trains from most major Chinese cities and is near several points of interest like Lake Qinghai (Koko Nor) and Kumbum Monastery. Golmud (2,900 m) is the last city of any size on the railway before Tibet, but it's an unattractive industrial town with no sights of significance.

Be warned that the lower classes in these trains are not for the faint-hearted and the less adventurous type: they do not have Western-styled toilets and bunks are relatively cramped. Soft sleeper class is recommended, and here you will mix with middle-class Chinese tourists or business people.

The trains to Tibet are available from any major city in mainland China though not all have daily service and some routes involve changing trains part way. See the main China article for information on how to book.

A new direct railway line from Chengdu, Sichuan to Lhasa via Nyingchi is under construction, but will not be ready until around 2025.

By road
There are four roads into Tibet, roughly corresponding to the cardinal directions. Foreigners on any of these routes are rare, so make sure you have all the necessary permits and tour guide accompaniment for these trips. On the other hand, road trip is rather common for Chinese travellers owing to increasing automobile proliferation.
 * North: National Highway 109 from Golmud is the easiest legal overland route with beautiful scenery, but it is deserted compared to the east and there is very little food and accommodation, so it is advisable to bring your own food. The Tanggula Pass near the Qinghai-Tibet border is over 5,000 metres above sea level and altitude sickness can easily be exacerbated. As the road is mainly built on permafrost, it fluctuates greatly and is potholed. Moreover, the road is relatively straight, and it is easy to drive too fast, causing accidents. Therefore, you should pay attention to your speed.
 * East: The other main approach to Tibet is from Sichuan (National Highway 318) and Yunnan (National Highway 214), starting from Zhongdian (Shangri-La). The road is much improved, but still requires a 4WD and has multiple passes over 5,000 m. The route is difficult as it passes through a number of large mountains, but there are plenty of places to eat and accommodation along the way.
 * An overnight intercity bus service from Chengdu to Nyingchi is available. Depending on road condition and traffic, it takes about 1.5 to 2 days and costs ¥550. Drivers will not drive from midnight to dawn, so travellers will be accommodated in a hostel at night. Accommodation is not included in the ticket and costs around ¥60.
 * West: From Kashgar, the road is more than a thousand kilometres with villages and water few and far between. The advantage of this route is that it passes through a more inhospitable and stunning landscape than the rest, including the famous Mount Kailash. You should be very well prepared to travel this way and take everything you would need for independent trekking: camping equipment suitable for freezing temperatures even in the summer, a good tent and some food (there are some food and accommodation points along the way, but not always when you want them). Expect the trip to take two weeks or more. From Kashgar it's much farther to go to Lhasa via Urumqi and Golmud but the better transport (trains and good paved highways) make it no more time consuming to travel this way. There are many interesting things for the tourist to see on the way and it is worth considering travelling this way instead of via Mount Kailash.
 * South: From Nepal, the only option to get to Tibet is to book a tour with a travel agent in Kathmandu. In addition, you cannot use a normal Chinese visa, but need to apply specifically for a "Group Tourists Visa" (团体签证 tuántǐ qiānzhèng) in Kathmandu, which will only be granted once you have a confirmed and paid tour. The drive from Kathmandu to Lhasa takes a couple of days and is very rough, but sceneic.
 * Southeast: The Nathu La pass to Sikkim, India — a part of the historic Silk Road — is open only to Indian citizens who obtain a permit in Gangtok.

Due to Tibet's highly mountainous and rugged terrain, there are no roads to Tibet from Bhutan and Myanmar and this is likely not going to change for a long time. There is, however, a road to Tibet from Nepal that you may use if you have arranged it as part of your Tibet tour. There Nathu La Pass is the sole official border crossing between China and India, connecting Tibet with Sikkim, but it can only be crossed by local traders, not tourists. Except limited expressways in Tibet, road conditions are significantly worse than typical Chinese national highway owing to geography, finance and a large number of truck traffic. Frequent potholes, traffic jams and accidents should be expected.

Get around
Due to Tibet's immense size, mountainous geography, and low population density, the quickest way to get around the whole region is by car. Even though China has poured large amounts of money into improving infrastructure, meaning that there are now modern four-lane highways connecting major towns, travel off the beaten track remains very rough.

Good road maps of Tibet are common in China, including the Baidu Maps app, but they are only in Chinese. Beware that Chinese names can be very different from those used by Tibetans. Tibetmap.com has a free downloadable set of maps covering much of Tibet with detail almost good enough to use for independent trekking.

While Chinese citizens may travel freely around Tibet, foreigners are required to join a guided tour, and the tour company will take care of all your transportation arrangements.

By plane
Tibet Airlines has limited services connecting Lhasa to regional towns.

By train
The train line from Lhasa to Shigatse opened in 2014, and is open to non-Chinese tourists if they have arranged this as part of their organized tour. The trip takes about 3 hours and is the most comfortable way to travel between the two cities. A further extension to Gyirong on the Nepalese border is planned to open in 2022, but construction of the Nepalese side of the link to Kathmandu has yet to begun.

A second train line to Nyingchi opened in 2021, bringing travel time down to 3.5 hours. This line will eventually extend this across eastern Tibet all the way to Chengdu in Sichuan, opening around 2030 if all goes well.

By bus
Central Tibet has a reasonable public bus network. However, non-Chinese tourists cannot make use of it since even with travel permits they cannot generally buy a ticket.

By jeep
Jeep tours are a popular way of getting around Tibet, while not cheap, the tour operator will sort out all the necessary paperwork, and they offer you a reasonable chance of sticking to a schedule.

Your driver will likely be an indigenous Tibetan who can speak Chinese. He'll get to eat and sleep for free wherever you go (he'll often be treated like a king), and he'll often need to stop for a smoke or a pee by certain vendors on the road. ¥4500 will get a jeep that can seat 4 people and luggage comfortably for 4 or 5 days.

By hitching
Hitchhiking used to be a good way to get around Tibet for someone who is flexible and has a lot of time. However, tighter regulations and enforcement introduced since 2008 have made this almost impossible in practice, with frequent police checkpoints and heavy punishments for both hitchhikers and their drivers.

By bicycle
There are a surprising number of Chinese tourists travelling to and around Tibet by bicycle, but foreigners can only do this by joining an organized tour. The roads vary from rough dirt tracks to good quality paved roads. There are restaurants, truck stops and shops scattered around often enough so that you don't need to carry more than a day's worth of food (with the important exception of the west of the country). The roads are often well graded, being built for overloaded trucks. 26-inch wheels would be preferable as 700-cm (ISO 622) are almost unknown in China. Good mountain bikes are available in large cities of China or in Lhasa.

See

 * The Potala Palace, a, and the home of successive Dalai Lamas is in Lhasa
 * The Jokhang Temple in Lhasa was built in 647 AD by Songtsen Gampo and is one of the holiest sites in Tibet.
 * The Barkhor in Lhasa is the name for the ring of streets of traditional Tibetan buildings surrounding the Jokhang Temple.
 * The 'Norbulingka (Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama) is located in Lhasa, about 1km south of the Potala.
 * Samye Monastery - constructed in 779 AD, Samye was the first Buddhist Monastery established in Tibet, and is located near Dranang, Shannan Prefecture, 150 km south-east of Lhasa.
 * Tashilhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas, the second highest office in Tibet after the Dalai Lama. It was constructed in 1447 and is located in Shigatse.
 * The Rongbuk Monastery, one of the highest monasteries in the world, from which the view of the Mt. Everest is just amazing.
 * Tsurphu Monastery in Doilungdêqên about 70 km from Lhasa, is the traditional seat of the Kamarpas, the third highest office in Tibet after the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama.

Do
Trekking is a major draw in Tibet, with Mount Kailash (Lake Manasarovar) and Everest Base Camp (5200m) in Qomolangma being the best-known attractions. Both are remote and challenging, generally requiring at least ten days in Tibet to complete.

Festivals

 * Tibetan New Year (Losar), a traditional folklore activity popular in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, is one of the national intangible cultural heritages. Tibetan New Year is a traditional festival of the Tibetan people. It begins on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar and ends on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar, lasting for 15 days. Because all the people believe in Buddhism, the festival is filled with a strong religious atmosphere, and it is a national festival that entertains both gods and people, and celebrates and prays.
 * Sho Dun Festival is a national festival of the Tibetan people. It is celebrated from the 29th day of the 6th month to the 1st day of the 7th month of the Tibetan calendar. "Sho Dun Festival" is a festival of eating yoghurt according to the Tibetan language. Because there are Tibetan opera performances and Buddha basking ceremonies during the Sho Dun Festival, some people also call it the "Tibetan Opera Festival" or the "Buddha Exhibition Festival".
 * Dharma Festival is a traditional festival with more than 600 years of history and unique Tibetan characteristics. From the 10th to the 28th day of the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar, it is the traditional festival of the people of Gyangtse, the Dharma Festival, which means horse-racing and archery in Tibetan. At that time, the Tibetans of Gyantse gather at the foot of the Dzong Mountain to celebrate the Dharma Festival with a variety of colourful sports performances and sports competitions, and the celebration generally lasts for a week.

Buy
Tibet is known for its Tibetan carpets, with the city of Gyantse being home to Tibet's most famous traditional carpet factory. Other traditional Tibetan handicrafts can be purchased in the numerous local markets and souvenir shops.

Eat

Tibet is not an area people visit for the cuisine. Due to the harsh climate, only a limited variety of foodstuffs can be produced locally. The traditional Tibetan diet is largely limited to barley, meat (mutton or yak) and dairy products, with very few spices or vegetables, although brutally hot chili sauce may be served on the side. Even good Tibetan food is very monotonous with most Tibetan restaurants serving nothing other than thukpa (noodle soup) and tea. A selection of popular Tibetan fare:
 * Momos - dumplings filled with meat or vegetables, steamed or fried
 * Tingmo - bland, nearly tasteless steamed bread
 * Thukpa - a hearty noodle soup with veggies or meat
 * Thenthuk - thukpa with handmade noodles
 * Yak butter tea - salty tea churned with butter, a Tibetan staple and a rather acquired taste for most Westerners (see Drink)
 * Tsampa - roasted barley flour, a common travel food and temple offering, usually eaten by mixing it with butter tea to create dumplings or porridge

Restaurants in Tibet can broadly be categorized into three groups:
 * 1) Tourist restaurants catering to non-Chinese, which have near-identical English menus of foreigner-friendly Tibetan fare, some Nepali dishes, and varyingly successful attempts at Western food like pizza, spaghetti and hamburgers.  While comparatively few, in Lhasa you will likely eat most of your meals in these, because your tour guides will inevitably take you to them: not only is the food "safe", but they pay the best commissions too.
 * 2) Chinese restaurants catering to ethnic Chinese, serving authentic but often delicious Chinese food (fearsomely spicy Sichuanese is prominent) and Chinese-friendly Tibetan fare like yak hotpots.  Some travellers feel that Hui (ethnic Chinese Muslim) places are cleaner because of halal food laws; they can be recognised by the green flags and crescent moons (and because they do look cleaner).
 * 3) Tibetan restaurants/tea shops catering to Tibetans, serving drinks and a very limited range of Tibetan food, often just thukpa noodle soup.

Vegetarian food
Despite being a predominantly Buddhist region, Tibet is not particularly vegetarian-friendly - the altitude being the main justification for this. In rural areas, vegetarians need to be prepared to compromise or live on very simple diets. Even if a thukpa is without meat, you can bet the broth they use is a meat broth.

However, monastery restaurants and some large towns do offer restaurants serving vegetarian food and even some Tibetans observe a vegetarian diet on particular days of the religious month. So it is worth asking. One key term to look out for is དཀར་ཟས་ (literally, "white food" - kar zey) which you will see, for example, on some monastery restaurants or in Lhasa, where there are Tibetan vegetarian restaurants. In spoken Tibetan, vegetarian food is also simply referred to as "without-meat-food" ཤ་མེད་ཁ་ལག sha mey kha la'.

Drink

Tea houses are an important social venue in Tibet, and offer a chance to sit down and relax. The tea houses in the larger towns and cities offer sweet milk tea, salted black tea or salted butter tea; in the villages you may only have the option of salt tea. The line between a tea house ( ཇ་ཁང་ cha khang) and a restaurant ( ཟ་ཁང་ za khang) is blurred and many tea houses also offer thukpa noodle soup.

Tea
Tibetan butter tea (བོད་ཇ pö cha, Chinese 酥油茶 sūyóuchá) is a must try, though it may not be a pleasant experience for all — even the Dalai Lama famously said that he's not a fan of the stuff! It is a salty mixture of black tea and Tibetan butter. Traditionally it is churned by hand with a thick rod in a long upright wooden container. However, when electricity came to the city, modernized Tibetans turn to use electric mixers to make their butter tea. The Tibetan butter is not rancid as commonly described, but has a cheesy taste and smell to it, close to blue cheese or Roquefort. Think of it as a cheese broth rather, that you will appreciate particularly after a long hike in cold weather.

An alternative to Tibetan butter tea is sweet milk tea (cha ngar mo) which is more familiar to western palates. Sweet tea drinking was introduced by merchants returning from India, first among well-off Tibetans, since sugar was a luxury on the Plateau, then when sugar became more available among the general public. Unlike Indians, Tibetans do not use spices (clove, cinnamon, cardamom) to flavour their tea.

Salted black tea (cha thang) is another alternative, refreshingly free from milk or butter!

When ordering tea in a teahouse, the price is usually for a full thermos bottle of the stuff, not a single cup.

Alcohol

Chang, or Tibetan beer made of barley, has a lighter flavour than a Western-type, bottled beer, since they do not use bitter hops. Often home-brewed and with as many taste and strength variants as industrial beers, but the blue cans of Shigatse Chang sold in restaurants and shops around Lhasa are quite mild-flavored and low in alcohol (around 1.5%).

While a comparatively recent import, Western-style beer is also widely available, particularly the rather light/bland locally brewed Lhasa Beer. Various Chinese-style baijiu spirits are also sold, often with herbs of dubious medicinal value blended in.

Stay safe
Perhaps the biggest danger travellers face is altitude sickness; give your body enough time to acclimatize before going higher. This is important both when getting in, and when ascending within Tibet. Be prepared to adjust your plans, descend or spend a few extra days acclimatizing if it proves necessary. Wear protective clothing, UV-protective sunglasses, and sunscreen, especially if it gets very hot.

There are numerous stray dogs in and around Tibet, and in the countryside, villagers and nomads keep large guard dogs for security, (usually chained up). A modest level of caution is enough to prevent you from being bitten, as the strays usually run in packs.

Although they are unlikely to occur, avoid political protests. The authorities do not look too kindly on visitors trying to participate in, support, and/or take photographs of protests. The same principles apply for those trying to initiate political discussions.

Given Tibet's location between the Eurasian and Indian plates, Earthquakes are likely to occur.

Respect

As in the rest of China, do not get involved in anything political. This includes the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government, and the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Be respectful and cooperative when your papers are checked or bags inspected, which they will be, often many times a day. That said, foreigners are rarely if ever hassled and your tour guide will take care of the vast majority of the paperwork.

When you are communicating with Tibetans, you can say "Tashi delek", which is typically enough to make the locals friendly.

Do not touch people's heads, including those of young children, as Tibetans consider this to be very offensive. Touching people on the head is typically reserved for elder family members and senior monks only.

Religion is extremely important to the majority of Tibetans, and travelers should endeavor to respect their customs and beliefs. Always walk around Tibetan Buddhist religious sites or monasteries in a clockwise direction, and when in a monastery do not wear a hat, smoke or touch frescoes. In addition, refrain from climbing onto statues, mani stones or other sacred objects.

Do not take photographs of police, military, checkpoints, etc. Don't photograph people without permission; photography inside temples and palaces is generally prohibited unless you pay fees ranging from reasonable to extortionate. Sky burial sites are obviously off-limits.

Tibetan Buddhism and its impact on Tibetan culture is a major draw for tourists. Funds used to pay entry fees at major religious sites will probably go into the coffers of the local Communist Party and its Chinese members. Funds donated directly to individual monks and nuns and left on altars will remain and be used to maintain and support the local religious infrastructure. Appreciate the work of the monasteries and those within and help support these great institutions with non-monetary donations and by attending the festivals and just spending a little time getting to know the monastic community.

Supporting the Tibetan economy by purchasing from Tibetans is a great way to help. Pay a fair price while bargaining. Beware that some vendors may try to swindle tourists by selling at very high prices.

Help protect Tibet for future generations by not purchasing products made from wild animals. Many items are made from endangered species. Remember to leave only footprints and take lots of photographs while visiting Tibet. Take the initiative and pack out trash and recyclables you see around while travelling outside of urban Tibet. The ecosystem in the Himalayas is very fragile due to the weather being so cold, so be careful of where you hike and try to keep erosion down.

When visiting temples, monasteries or shrines you may wish to leave a donation, which will help their upkeep. It is best to leave it on the altar or give it directly to a monk or nun. This will ensure it stays in the temple. You may also wish to give a small donation to pilgrims from rural Tibet.

Go next
You can travel into Nepal or to other parts of China. The border crossing with India is only open to local traders and cannot be crossed by tourists.

title: Tibet


text:
Tibetan phrasebook

Tibetan (བོད་སྐད་ / ལྷ་སའི་སྐད་) is the main language of Tibet, and its accompanying regions and among overseas Tibetan communities around the world. Tibetan is spoken by several million people in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of the Chinese People’s Republic, the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan, as well as the neighboring countries Bhutan (around 4,000 speakers), India (over 124,000 speakers), and Nepal (around 60,000 speakers). Written Tibetan is used as the religious language in the countries where Tibetan Lamaistic Buddhism is practiced (e.g. in Mongolia and parts of China proper). Tibetan communities also exist in Taiwan, Norway, Switzerland and the United States of America. It is an official language in Tibet, as well as in the Tibetan autonomous prefectures of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan, and all road signs in this region are bilingual in Chinese and Tibetan.

This phrasebook is based on the Ü-Tsang dialect of Tibetan, which is the dialect spoken in Lhasa, and the officially-recognised standard version of Tibetan. We have a separate Amdo Tibetan phrasebook for that dialect.

Pronunciation guide
The Tibetan script is an Indic script related to those of many South and Southeast Asian languages. Like other Indic scripts, it is an abugida, meaning that each letter represents a consonant, and vowels are indicated by modifications to the consonant letter.

While Tibetan spelling in the written language is fairly standard throughout the ages and regions, spoken pronunciation is very diverse and there are many, often mutually incomprehensible, dialects.

In recent times "Lhasa dialect" has been taught to foreigners as a standard. However, there is neither an easy nor a widely agreed standard on how to indicate the phonetics of speaking Tibetan using the Latin alphabet. So be prepared for confusion and fun as you try to pronounce these phrases and hear many different pronunciations from the locals.

Vowels

 * ཨ : Like "a" in "alone"; like "a" in "cat" (a).
 * ཷ : Like "aw" in "paw" (å).
 * ེ : Like "e" in "bet" (e).
 * ི : Like "i" in "in" (i).
 * ཱི : Like "ee" in "seen" (í).
 * ོ : Like "o" in "so" (ó).
 * ྲྀ : Like "e" in "father" (ö).
 * ཱུ : Like "ue" in "glue" (ú).
 * ུ : Like "oo" in "soon" (ū).
 * ུ : Like "ee" in "seen" but with rounded lips (ü).
 * ེ : Like "ay" in "day" (ą).

Consonants

 * ཀ : Like "k" in "skill" (k).
 * ག : Like "g" in "garden" (g).
 * ང : Like "ng" in "sing" (ng).
 * ཅ : Like "ch" in "charge" (ç).
 * ཇ : Like "j" in "jar" (xh).
 * ཉ : Like "ny" in "canyon" (nj).
 * ཏ : Like "t" in "stop" (t).
 * ད : Like "d" in "drop" (d).
 * ན : Like "n" in "never" (n).
 * པ : Like "p" in "spot" (p).
 * བ : Like "b" in "beat" (b).
 * མ : Like "m" in "mighty" (m).
 * ཙ : Like "ts" in "weights" (c).
 * ཛ : Like "ds" in "adds" (x).
 * ཡ : Like "y" in "you" (j).
 * ཟ : Like "z" in "zoo" (z).
 * ཞ : Like "s" in "treasure" (zh).
 * ར : Must be trilled - just like Italian "r" (r).
 * ས : Like "sa" in "sand" (s).
 * ཤ : Like "sh" in "shut" (sh).
 * ལ : Like "l" in "lonely" (l).

Common diphthongs

 * ཁ : Like "k" in "kill" (kh).
 * ཆ : Like "ch h" in "punch hard" (çh).
 * ཐ : Like "t" in "time" (th).
 * ཕ : Like "p" in "pit" (ph).
 * ཚ : Like "ts h" in "fights hard" (ţh).

Basics

 * Hello. : Tashi delek.
 * Hello. (informal) : De-po
 * How are you? : Khye-rang ku-zug de-po yin-pe
 * Fine, thank you. : De-po yin. Thug je che.
 * What is your name? : Khye-rang gi tshen-la ga-re zhu-gi yod? (polite) Khye rang gi ming ga re yin (informal)
 * My name is ______ . : Ngai ming ___ yin.
 * Nice to meet you. : Khye-rang jel-ney ga-po joong
 * Please. : Thuk-je zig
 * Thank you. : Thuk-je-che
 * You're welcome. : Yin dang yin
 * Yes. : Re
 * No. : Ma re
 * ( Note: Yes and no are usually expressed using an affirmed or negated version of the question ending. )
 * Excuse me : gong-pa-ma-tsom / gong-ta
 * I'm sorry. : Gong dag
 * Goodbye : Chagpo nang, as in take care. Kha lay shug (said to other person if they are staying). kha lay pheb (said to other person if they are going)
 * I can't speak Tibetan [well] : nga pö-kay [yag-po] kyab gi mey
 * Do you speak English? : khye-rang in-ji-kay she gi yö pey?
 * Is there someone here who speaks English? : dhir inji-kay shenyan yö pey.
 * Help! : Rog pa je
 * Look out! : Phar toe
 * Good morning. : ngadro deleg
 * Good evening. : gondro deleg
 * Good night. : Sim shag nang
 * I don't understand. : Ngai she gyi med. Ha kho gi mey.
 * Where is the toilet? : Sang chod gawa yö rey.

Numbers

 * ༡ : chig
 * ༢ : nyi
 * ༣ : sum
 * ༤ : zhi
 * ༥ : nga
 * ༦ : drug
 * ༧ : dun
 * ༨ : gyey
 * ༩ : gu
 * ༡༠ : chu
 * ༡༡ : chu chig
 * ༡༢ : chu nyi
 * ༡༣ : chu sum
 * ༡༤ : chu zhi
 * ༡༥ : chob nga
 * ༡༦ : chu drug
 * ༡༧ : chu dun
 * ༡༨ : chu gyey
 * ༡༩ : chu gu
 * ༢༠ : nyi shu
 * ༢༡ : nyi shu tsa chig
 * ༢༢ : nyi shu tsa nyi
 * ༢༣ : nyi shu tsa sum
 * ༣༠ : sum chu
 * ༤༠ : zhib chu
 * ༥༠ : ngab chu
 * ༦༠ : drug chu
 * ༧༠ : dun chu
 * ༨༠ : gyey chu
 * ༩༠ : gub chu
 * ༡༠༠ : gya
 * 1000 : chig tong

Time

 * Now : da ta
 * After : Jē la
 * Before : göng ma
 * Morning : shok-pa
 * Moon :nyin-gung
 * Evening : gong-dag
 * Night : tsen mo
 * Midnight : tshen gung

Clock time

 * 1AM : tshen la tchhu tshö chig pa
 * 2AM : tshen la tchhu tshö nyi pa
 * 1PM : tchhu tshö chig pa
 * 2PM : tchhu tshö nyi pa

Duration
du ring
 * Minute(s) : kar ma
 * Hour(s) : tchhu tshö
 * Day(s) : nyi ma
 * Week(s) : za khor
 * Month(s) : da wa
 * Year(s) : lo

Days

 * today : (de ring)
 * yesterday :  (kha sang)
 * tomorrow : (sang nyin)

 * last week :  (za khor ngön ma)
 * next week : (za khor jey ma)

 * Sunday : (za nyi ma)
 * Monday : (za da wa)
 * Tuesday : (za mi mar)
 * Wednesday : (za hlag pa)
 * Thursday : (za phur pu)
 * Friday : (za pa sang)
 * Saturday : (za pen pa)

Months
When referring to months, the Tibetans distinguish between their own calendar and the internationally used calendar. For the purposes of this phrasebook we only want to refer to the latter and this is quite easy, since it follows the pattern:

"foreigner-month--pa"

chhi da  pa

The numbers are listed above. The only exception is for January, because the Tibetan for 'first' is not chig pa but dang po, so:

 * January : chhi da dang po
 * February : chhi da nyi pa
 * March : chhi da sum pa
 * April : chhi da zhi pa
 * May : chhi da nga pa
 * June : chhi da drug pa
 * July : chhi da dun pa
 * August :chhi da gyey pa
 * September : chhi da gu pa
 * October : chhi da chu pa
 * November : chhi da chu chig pa
 * December : chhi da chu nyi pa

Colors

 * Color : tseun dok
 * Blue : ngeun po
 * Yellow : ser po
 * Green : jang koo
 * Red : mar po
 * Brown : mook po
 * Black : nak po
 * Orange : li wang
 * White : kar po

Directions

 * Street : Lam kha
 * Right: Ye-la
 * Left : Yon-la
 * Straight : kha thug
 * North : Jang chog la
 * South : lho chog la
 * East : shar chhog la
 * West : nub chhog la

Money
How Much

Ga-Tsod

Yuan

Gor-mo

1-Yuan

Gor-mo Chik

Eating

 * Fruits : sching tog
 * Vegetables : tsel
 * Apple : ku shu
 * Breakfast : zhog dzha
 * Lunch : nyi gung kha lag
 * Supper : gpong dro kha lag
 * Chicken : dzha scha
 * Beef : Kang scha
 * Meat : tshag scha
 * Fish : nya scha
 * Cheese : chur wa
 * Egg : go nga
 * Salad : drang tsel
 * Bread : ba lap
 * Rice : dre
 * Noodles : thuk pa
 * Bon appetit! : shelak nye po nang ko
 * delicious : (H) shimpo  t(r)opo (H)
 * meal : sol tsi'
 * meal, food : (NH)  (H) kalak, shelak

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Tibetan phrasebook


text:
Tiburon

Tiburon is a small historic town in California's Marin County, located across the bay from San Francisco. Tiburon's Main Street has been preserved as it was when the town was a Gold Rush train town and lumber yard. The scenic "Ark Row" shops are actually housed in turn of the century boat houses that were converted into homes and shops when the lagoon between the Tiburon peninsula and the neighboring island of Belvedere was filled in.

By boat
Tiburon is served by three ferry companies:
 * Blue and Gold Fleet, +1-415-705-5555. Offers ferry service between Tiburon and San Francisco. Most ferries go to Pier 41 in Fisherman's Wharf, but a few will go to the Ferry Building in the Financial District. Adults $9.50 one-way, children $5 one-way.
 * Golden Gate Ferry, +1-415-455-2000. Service between Tiburon and San Francisco.
 * Angel Island - Tiburon Ferry, +1-415-435-2131. Offers service to/from Angel Island State Park. Adults $18 round-trip, seniors $16 round-trip, children $15 round-trip, small children (ages 3 – 5) $6 round-trip.

By car
Take Highway 101 from San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge. The 'Tiburon' exit is about 10 minutes from the bridge. Turn right onto Tiburon Blvd. and follow it all the way to the end of the peninsula (about 15 minutes).

By bus
Tiburon is served by Marin Transit route 219, running from Strawberry and Golden Gate Transit route 8, a weekday commuter line between Tiburon and San Francisco.

Get around
Downtown Tiburon is great for walking and biking. Parking is available at the Bank of America lot at the stoplight before main street ($5/day), at the Ark Row Parking lot at the end of Main Street ($2/hour), and along Tiburon Blvd. 2-hour street parking is also available, though limited.

Do

 * Bike-riding. The Tiburon Bike Path runs from downtown Tiburon, along Richardson Bay to Blackie's Pasture, near Highway 101. The path is wide and paved with a running path to one side. There are several parks and sights along the way.
 * Swing - take a short hike up the hills to the Hippie tree (100 Gilmartin Dr). Here you can swing under a tree and enjoy the incredible view of San Francisco and the bay area.

Buy
There are many cute boutiques on Main Street and Ark Row. These include a shoe and purse store, as well as a dog store.

 * Main St. shops have souvenirs, T-shirts, etc.
 * Ark Row has a number of art shops and boutiques

Go next

 * Mill Valley
 * San Rafael
 * Sausalito

title: Tiburon


text:
Tichit

Tichit is a town in Mauritania.

Understand
Tichit is a town for explorers and romantics. Built on the high plains of eastern Mauritania, the town is a major trading centre of salt, and it is this commodity that has been drawing traders across the desert with camel caravans for almost a thousand years. Tichit was also the site of the former Koranic school, and although this has declined, the town has been left with a heritage of ornate mosques that spectacularly punctuate the otherwise barren and sand coloured landscape.

The medieval trading settlement at Tichit is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Settlements of communities from around 2000 BC are nearby. These are the oldest surviving archaeological settlements in West Africa and the oldest of all stone base settlements south of the Sahara.

Get in

Public transportation to Tichit does not exist. The only way for visitors to get to it is by renting a 4x4. Tracks lead out to the city from Tidjikja, and the trip is about 200 km. The tracks are well-marked, but it is a good idea to bring a guide/translator, as most people in Tichit only speak Hassaniya and the road to Tichit is barren. You will need enough fuel to get to Tichit and back to Tidjikja, since there is none available in Tichit itself.

See
Tichit is home to a unique style of architectural design not found anywhere else in Mauritania. The surrounding area provides six unique colours of stones that are used in construction of houses and other buildings. Like most of the North of Mauritania, these stones are stacked to build houses and walls, but unlike most of the rest of the country, in Tichit they are shaped to a certain degree, and the different colours of stones are used to make designs in the walls.

The mosque, build entirely out of the blue-grey stacked stones, is one of the more famous mosques in Mauritania.

The cemetery looks like most of the other cemeteries in Northern Mauritania, but with the unique green stones found in the area.

The date harvest is an especially exciting time in the area. Arriving around this time, you should be able to see the harvested dates being piled into large mounds and covered with palm fronds and then sand to preserve them.

Finally, as you drive into the city, you can't miss the endless white sand dunes receding off into the distance.

Buy
It is possible to buy very old beads and grinding implements, but finding them for sale will take a little bit of work.

title: Tichit


text:
Ticino

Ticino is an Italian-speaking region in Switzerland. It is in the south of the country bordering Valais, Uri, Graubünden and the north of Italy.

Cities

 * — known sometimes as the Swiss Riviera
 * — the capital of the canton
 * — is the southernmost town in Switzerland, it is surrounded on three sides by Italy
 * — is the town at the shore of Lago Maggiore
 * — is the largest city in the canton, it is located on the shore of the homonymous lake. There is a pleasant waterfront there, stunning lake views and steep hillsides.

Other destinations

 * — Lake Lugano
 * — Lake Maggiore located in Italy and Switzerland
 * — Lake Lugano
 * — Lake Maggiore located in Italy and Switzerland

Public holidays
These are the public holidays in addition to those observed in the whole of Switzerland:

 * Epiphany (6 January)
 * St Joseph's Day (19 March)
 * Labour Day (1 May)
 * Corpus Christi (60 days after Easter)
 * Saints Peter and Paul (29 June)
 * Assumption (15 August)
 * All Saints Day (1 November)
 * Immaculate Conception (8 December)

By plane
Milan Malpensa Airport is connected to Ticino by a cross-border commuter rail network.

By train
The area is served by the Swiss Federal Railways with all connections from the north passing through the Gotthard massif and hence significantly improved with the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

See

 * Go to Melide to visit Swissminiatur where a lot of Switzerland's sights are replicated as models.
 * Go to Melide to visit Swissminiatur where a lot of Switzerland's sights are replicated as models.

Hiking
Ticino has some of the most scenic hiking trails in whole Switzerland. Below is a selection:
 * Crest hike Monte Tamaro–Monte Lema
 * Hike down the Verzasca valley
 * Greina Walking Tour from Campo Blenio in Tre Valles to Vrin in Val Lumnezia of the neighbouring canton Grischun (Graubünden)

Eat
There are numerous delicatessen specialties (such as boiled luganighe, typical with carnival risotto, grilled luganighetta); polenta (both yellow and gray) cooked on the fire, with cheese, milk or meat (stew, rabbit, stew, etc.); baked kid, especially at Easter; in the grottoes one can still find good soaked fish; game in autumn, especially salmì and saddle of roe deer.

Among the desserts, we note the panettone (a tradition shared with Milan), the amaretti (excellent those with kirsch) and some regional specialties, especially biscuits.

A list of Ticino's culinary heritage can be found here.

Locarnese
In the Locarno area, a region with a tourist vocation, there are numerous restaurants and grottos of undoubted interest. The advice is to avoid the more touristy ones to let yourself be seduced by the proposals, perhaps on a smaller card, but certainly fascinating. All restaurants have been tried between July 2020 and June 2021).

Here are just a few addresses that may be of interest:

In Locarno the Locanda Locarnese or the Bistrot Latino, both located in the old town, which offer a menu that is always varied and in season (medium-high prices); for those who love something different, for example, there is the Balena restaurant, a boat moored at the port.

In Valle Maggia and Centovalli there are numerous grottos and restaurants with tempting proposals and still firmly anchored to Ticino cuisine. Here are some of them: in Ponte Brolla the Centovalli restaurant: offers only ravioli or risotto with gorgonzola and porcini mushrooms, and grilled fillets and entrecote (but the risotto is worth it); in Avegno, the Mai Morire grotto, with grill and Ticino dishes (not to be missed are the ribs at will).

Bellinzonese
In Monte Carasso the Romitaggio restaurant: generous portions, excellent cuisine, and in particular fish, their specialty.

In Bellinzona the Malakov restaurant, a rather special place (small, book otherwise there is no place) run by Calabrians; you eat excellent pasta, even in numerous small portions.

In Airolo, at the foot of the San Gottardo, it is worth having dinner one evening, perhaps not in the summer, at the Gottardo Dairy, which in particular offers excellent cold cuts and cheese specialties, such as fondue and raclette.

In the Morobbia valley, in Scarpapé, the homonymous grotto-restaurant offers a simple menu (cold cuts, polenta, braised meats, rabbit and some grilled meats) with a spectacular view of the Magadino plain and Lake Maggiore; suitable for families, due to the presence of a beautiful lawn with playground.

Malcantone
Albergo Della Posta in Novaggio where you can taste the largest Cordon Bleau in the Canton

Grotto Lema in Novaggio, offers themed evenings (marmot, polenta and usei, ..) and Ticino specialties; simple but very familiar

Drink
Typical of Ticino is the ratafià, a walnut liqueur, which seems to have been created by the friars of the Bigorio convent, and which they offered to travelers and especially to those who gathered there to make important decisions: at the end of the meeting, to celebrate the pact, they toasted with this liqueur, which sealed the pact reached (rata fiat).

Grappa is also very popular, in particular that of American grapes.

Merlot is a wine that has reached levels of vinification and quality that have nothing to envy with other international wines. There are numerous producers, who offer red, reserve and barrique, as well as some merlot whites.

A non-alcoholic specialty is gazzosa (or gaseous), a sweet drink, available in different flavours (lemon, mandarin, raspberry).

Sleep
Ticino has a full range of accommodations including hotels, holiday houses, hostels, huts, campsites and agritourism stays.

title: Ticino


text:
Ticonderoga

Ticonderoga is a town in the Adirondacks that borders both Lake George and Lake Champlain.

Understand
Ticonderoga is situated on a high promontory overlooking the LaChute River, which connects Lake George and Lake Champlain, giving it an important strategic location. It was a boundary marker from the earliest days. According to historians, native tribes met and fought at this location prior to European settlement. Samuel de Champlain, accompanied by Mohawks, fired upon the Iroquois here in 1609. The French and the British battled here, and the Loyalists and Patriots struggled here during the American Revolution.

Ticonderoga is unique in Essex County for its graphite business. The ore, in a very pure form, was discovered on Lead Mountain in 1815. Its first general use was for polishing stoves which were replacing fireplaces. In 1839, a patent was issued to a local entrepreneur for lead pencils. American Graphite Company made the Ticonderoga Pencil famous; the brand still exists today (as "Dixon Ticonderoga") but is no longer made in the USA.

Fire laid waste to the town in 1875 as they prepared to celebrate the centennial of Ethan Allen’s capture of the Fort during the Revolution. In 1976, the bicentennial was celebrated with a re-enactment of the takeover of the Fort by the Patriots at the same time of night as the original siege. Tourists in southern Essex County can follow an historic trail in Ticonderoga to The Black Watch Library, a Carnegie Library, to the Hancock House, a replica of John Hancock’s Boston home.

By car
The best way in is by car - fill up the tank, because there is quite a distance between stops, and gas stations can be tough to find. The city can be accessed via the Northway (Interstate 87) from both the south (Albany) and north (Plattsburgh/Montreal).

By train

 * Train operator:
 * Route stopping at Ticonderoga:
 * Adirondack operating daily between Montreal and New York City including stops along the way in Saint-Lambert, Rouses Point, Plattsburgh, Westport, Ticonderoga, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.

There is one daily Amtrak service, the Adirondack between New York City and Montreal. Both north and southbound trains depart early afternoon.

Get around
Like most Adirondack towns, the transportation infrastructure is non-existent. Cars are required for travel.

Do

 * Ticonderoga Festival Guild, +1 518-984-0088. The Ticonderoga Festival Guild provides a diverse arts program year-round. In summer, the Guild presents performances by jazz, folk, and big band acts from around the country.
 * Ticonderoga Golf & Country Club, Route 9N, 518-585-2801. Season: April 15 - October 31. Holes: 18, Par: 71, Yards: 6,287; Men's Slope: 120, Men's Rating: 69.7, Women's Slope: 115, Women's Rating: 69.4. Pro shop, carts, rentals, lessons, restaurant, cocktail lounge. Course/Additional Amenities: Designed by Seymour Dunn and established is 1925, this course is in the historic Lord Howe valley.
 * Ticonderoga Heritage Museum, Montcalm Street, Bicentennial Park, 518-585-2696. The Ticonderoga Heritage Museum is in downtown Ticonderoga. Situated in a lovely setting next to Bicentennial Park and the lower falls of the LaChute River, this charming brick building, constructed in 1888, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the few examples of High Victorian architecture in Ticonderoga. It also represents an important part of Ticonderoga's industrial past, as it remains the sole remnant of the pulp and paper complex which dominated this part of the village for over one hundred years.
 * Ticonderoga Heritage Museum, Montcalm Street, Bicentennial Park, 518-585-2696. The Ticonderoga Heritage Museum is in downtown Ticonderoga. Situated in a lovely setting next to Bicentennial Park and the lower falls of the LaChute River, this charming brick building, constructed in 1888, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the few examples of High Victorian architecture in Ticonderoga. It also represents an important part of Ticonderoga's industrial past, as it remains the sole remnant of the pulp and paper complex which dominated this part of the village for over one hundred years.

Eat

 * Fort View Inn, Montcalm Rd, +1 518-585-7767.
 * Fort View Inn, Montcalm Rd, +1 518-585-7767.
 * Fort View Inn, Montcalm Rd, +1 518-585-7767.
 * Fort View Inn, Montcalm Rd, +1 518-585-7767.

Go next

 * Chester on I-87 / US9 is thirty miles to the southwest; take 9N south to Hague, then turn west on NY route 8.
 * Vermont is directly across Lake Champlain

title: Ticonderoga


text:
Tidaholm

Tidaholm is a city and the seat of Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland, Sweden, with 7,920 inhabitants in 2005.

Stay safe
Tidaholm is a very safe city and crime is very rare, although there is still petty crime and if you are elderly you should try and avoid walking alone at night.

title: Tidaholm


text:
Tieling

Tieling (铁岭; Tiělíng) is a city in Liaoning Province of China.

title: Tieling


text:
Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego is a large archipelago off the south of South America, divided between Argentina and Chile by the 1881 Treaty. The archipelago is a panoply of pristine, mostly uninhabited and innaccesible islands, and includes the famed Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of the archipelago.

Islands

 * Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego — the main island, with an area around 48,000 km² whereby 38.6% belong to Argentina, is commonly referred to as Tierra del Fuego or as Isla Grande. The argentine fraction is shaped like a triangle with its base at the Beagle Channel. Over 90% of the island's population live in Ushuaia and Rio Grande, both on the eastern, Argentine side.
 * Isla de los Estados — 530 km², unpopulated, 30 km off the south-eastern edge of Isla Grande.
 * Small, unpopulated islands facing Ushuaia — Les Eclaireurs, Bridges, Hache and others
 * Other islands on the Beagle Channel — Gable Island (20 km²) and other small islets, all uninhabited

Argentina

 * — the economic capital of Argentine Tierra del Fuego, its industries include oil, electronics and cattle breeding. It's traditional estancias and trout fishing are touristically notable.
 * — tourist centre of Tierra del Fuego, and base for most excursions, treks and trips to Antarctica. Arguably the southernmost city in the world.

Chile

 * , capital of the Chilean Tierra del Fuego, a town of 6,800 people (2017), has museums, hotels, restaurants and other services of tourist interest.
 * , a town of 700 people (2017) that is a residential and service center for the Bational Petroleum Company.

Argentina

 * — a rugged, mountainous national park with great views of Lapataia Bay.

Chile

 * – the world's southernmost national park, just to the south of Tierra del Fuego.
 * protects a representative sample of the ecosystems of the south-central sector of the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego. Its main attractions lie in the pristine characteristics that the area still maintains, which leads to the survival of the characteristic species of the Fuegian fauna.

History
Tierra del Fuego (translation: "Land of Fire") got its name from Ferdinand Magellan who, on passing the archipelago in 1520, spotted a number of fires burning along the coastline. These fires may have been made by the archipelago's aboriginal inhabitants: the Ona, Alakaluf and Yahgan (commonly called Yámana). Four aboriginals were taken from Tierra del Fuego in 1830 by Robert Fitzroy, and were sailed to Britain to meet the King. The three survivors later returned to Tierra del Fuego on the Beagle, with Charles Darwin, who believed the native Fuegans to be "the missing link". The arrival of missionaries, introduction of sheep farming and the discovery of gold in the 1880s led to European, Argentine, and Chilean immigrants, which gradually killed off the native Fuegans.

An excellent book on the history of the Yámana and their demise is The Uttermost Part of the Earth by E. Lucas Bridges, the son of one of the early missionaries. His father, Thomas Bridges, documented what he could of the Yámana language and found that it had a larger vocabulary than the English language.

Today, the economy is based on petroleum, tourism, textiles, electronics and, to a decreasing degree, sheep-farming.

Climate
The western parts of the archipelago form the southernmost tip of the Andes range. The eastern parts are an extension of the Patagonian plateau. Based in the south of Patagonia, the climate is cold but warmer than many assume; in winter, the average temperature is -2°C (28°F). In summer, it can climb to 30°C (86°F), although in reality it rarely rises far beyond 10°C (50°F). There are frequent high winds and much rainfall, especially in the coastal areas.

By plane
There are regular Aerolineas Argentinas flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and Rio Grande. Air services also link major settlements to Punta Arenas in Chile.

By bus
Buses from all over Argentina enter Tierra del Fuego via Rio Gallegos. Note that buses running from Rio Gallegos to Ushuaia all pass through Chile, and thus trips include two border crossings.

By car
Argentine National Route 3 connects Buenos Aires to the Chilean border near Tierra del Fuego. There is no road from main cities of Chile to Tierra del Fuego, so the Argentine road must be used. To reach Tierra del Fuego by car the ferry service must be used.

By ferry
Ferry service on the Melinka regularly links Porvenir and Punta Arenas, and naval vessels supply Ushuaia and Isla Navarino, Chile.

There is also a ferry at the narrowest part of the Strait of Magellan that connects Tierra del Fuego to mainland Chile at Primera Angostura (between Punta Delgada and Cerro Sombrero), with many departures from 8:30AM (mainland) to 11:00PM (island) every day. The crossing takes approximately 20 minutes.

Get around
Roads are poor in Tierra del Fuego, and apart from the tourist tour train, there are no railways. There is little public transport. However, tours and transport can be booked through the Tourist Office (on San Martin, Ushuaia) or through many of the hostels.

See

 * Estancia Haberton — open only in the summer months, Estancia Haberton is a worthwhile trip for those interested in the Bridges family and their role in local history
 * Museo Marítimo — located in Ushuaia's old prison, this excellent museum displays a collection of the history of Tierra del Fuego

Do

 * Catamaran trips — catamaran trips will take you around the Beagle Channel and give you nice views of the mountains, cormorants, sea lions and penguins
 * Cerro Castor — this centre for winter sports offers skiing and snowboarding. Nearby, you can also ride snowmobiles or husky sleighs during the winter
 * Fin del Mundo Train — a steam train running from Ushuaia to the national park
 * Hike the Glacier Martial — provided that you wear comfortable shoes and have the patience, a hike up the Glacier Martial will provide a very beautiful view of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel
 * Hike around Lakes Escondido and Fagnano — beautiful spots to walk, relax, fish, or ride a horse
 * Kayak the Beagle Channel — Kayaks can be hired near Ushuaia's Aeroparque, on the promontory
 * See king penguins — at Parque Pingüino Rey, on the eastern shore of the Bahia Inutile
 * Take a cruise — several cruises operate from Ushuaia, taking in the Beagle Channel and some islands, such as Los Lobos Island
 * Take a trip to Cabo San Pablo, Ojo del Albino or Laguna Esmeralda — these sites offer more stunning and rugged scenery
 * Tierra del Fuego National Park — this national park provide some nice day hikes on well-marked trails

Eat
A regional specialty is king crab, called centolla in Spanish, and seafood is usually excellent. Otherwise, local cuisine follows the general Chilean and Argentine traditions. Fruit and vegetables have to be transported from thousands of miles away and, as such, are rarely tasty and rather expensive.

Drink
Ushuaia has several bars and one nightclub.

Stay safe
Crime rates in Tierra del Fuego are very low. If hiking or trekking, it is important to take warm, waterproof gear.

Go next
Flights can be booked from the Aerolineas office in Ushuaia. Buses to Buenos Aires and other destinations (apart from Puerto Natales) all stop at Rio Gallegos. It can be cheaper to just buy a ticket to Rio Gallegos and purchase an onward ticket from there.

Most Antarctic cruises either start in Tierra del Fuego, or go through it, so Antarctica is another destination accessible from Tierra del Fuego.

title: Tierra del Fuego


text:
Tierra del Fuego (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Tierra del Fuego:

 * Tierra del Fuego – An archipelago off the south coast of South America, split between Argentina and Chile.
 * Tierra del Fuego National Park – A park in Argentina inside of the Argentinian part of Tierra del Fuego.

title: Tierra del Fuego (disambiguation)


text:
Tierra del Fuego National Park

Tierra del Fuego National Park (Spanish: Parque National Tierra del Fuego) is in the southwestern end of Tierra del Fuego island, in Argentina. The park borders Chile and, with the right papers, it's possible to enter Chile through the park.

Tierra del Fuego National Park is the world's southernmost national park.

Understand
The 63,000 hectare area was given national park status in 1960, and enlarged in 1966;, it's the southernmost example of the Andean-Patagonian forest. Often compared to Alaska's panhandle, it is Argentina's only coastal national park and offers opportunities for hiking, climbing, fishing and kayaking. In wintertime, you will often find the trail or mountainside to yourself.

History
The first humans occupied Tierra del Fuego 10,000 years ago. The area covered by the national park was inhabited by the Yamana, who camped on its beaches and often travelled in canoes made of "lenga" to hunt sea mammals and collect shellfish. When settlers (initially missionaries) appeared in 1880, disease spread and the Yamana began to die out. By 2005 there was allegedly only one full-blooded native-speaking Yamana left, living on Isla Navarina.

The area was given national park status in 1960. Nowadays, the only evidence you will see of the former Yamana inhabitants are piles of mussel shells overgrown with grass near the shore, indicating areas of Yamana settlement.

Landscape
The landscape of the park consists of great bays and small beaches, backed by rugged mountains and valleys created by glacial erosion.

Flora and fauna
The forests are a mixture of Patagonic and Altos Andes forest, and "lenga" covers mountain slopes from an altitude of 600 me. Guindo trees also occupy the wetter areas and some parts of the mountain slopes. On the guindos, you will often see large nodules with an orange fungus growing out of them: the parasitic "farolito chino”. The undergrowth consists mostly of mosses, ferns and prickly bushes like the "calafate".

There are 20 species of mammals, including the red fox, the guanaco, the otter (chungunco) and the Canadian beaver (introduced and causing flooding in some areas of the park due to their dam-building). Rabbits have also been introduced and the damage they have inflicted to some low-lying lake-side regions is clearly visible in places. Birds include the black eyed albatross, the condor, the oystercatcher, the white cuaquene, the steam duck and the diving petrel.

Climate
The average annual rainfall is 700 mm (at its highest in March, April and May). There is no dry season. Temperatures average at about 0ºC in winter and 10ºC in the summer.

Get in
The park is usually accessed from the Argentine side of the island. It is 12 km west of Ushuaia along National Route 3. The buses to the park charge $500 per person for the round trip. Between the different companies, there are buses roughly every hour to and from the park, starting at 8AM and the last bus leaving the park at 7PM.

By bus
You can book the bus through most hotels and hostels in Ushuaia, as well as through the Ushuaia Tourist Office. All the companies will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel or hostel. However, you don't need to do this; just go to the bus station and buy a ticket directly in front of the bus.

By car
There are several car hire companies in Ushuaia, and parking spaces in the park.

By bike
It is also possible to reach the park by bicycle; the journey takes around 1 hour. For most of the trails, you will have to leave your bicycle and walk on foot.

Fees and permits
The entrance fee is $350 for foreigners, valid for at most 3 days and 2 nights consecutively in the park.

Get around
There are several marked trails (although it's also possible to get off the beaten track). The trails usually start from different points on National Route 3 and are covered in the See and Do sections below.

See

 * The beaver dam (Castorera) - A 400 m walk, where you can see the series of ponds created by the beavers, and the damage caused by their introduction.
 * The views from The Lookout - A 500 m walk through lenga forest to a lookout over Lapataia Bay.
 * Acigami Lake - A binational area of water in the south of Isla Grande. It's the last Argentinian strip of land inside the National Park, opposite Chile. The Argentinian side of the lake was also called “Lago Roca” in the past. It is a glacial freshwater lake, between the “Guanaco” and “Pirámides” hills in the Andes, and flows into the Beagle Canal. Although there are many tourists, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the local flora and fauna.

Do

 * Climb Cerro Guanaco - A 4 km high-difficulty uphill climb to reach 970 m above sea level (and another 4 km to return). There is a fantastic view from a rocky bluff about 3 km up. The view from the top makes the climb worthwhile.
 * Walk the De la Isla path - An 800 m walk around the Cormoranes archipelago, along the shores of Lapataia and Ovando.
 * Walk the Hito XXIV trail (a border marker) - This is a medium-difficulty 10-km trail following the north shore of Lago Acigami, which is actually the border between Argentina and Chile. It can be covered in approximately 3 hours.
 * Walk the Paseo del Turbal (peat bog) - A 400 m walk up to Lapataia Bay, through lenga woods, past an abandoned beaver dam.
 * Walk the Seaside Path - This 8 km walk from Ensenada to Lapataia takes in the marine coast.
 * Walk the Pampa Alta Trail - A 5 km trail connecting the Pipo and Ensenada campsites and offers wonderful views of the Beagle Channel.

Seaside and Pampa Alta trails can be combined in a "half 8" shaped longer walk (a full leisure day), so that the marine and hill environments can be enjoyed together.

 * Laguna Negra Walk - 400 m to the dark-water lake, stained dark by the peat bog.

Buy
Souvenirs are available from a shop just outside La Confiteria, or at the post office in Ensenada bay: stamps, postcards, overpriced certificates of being at the end of the world.

Eat
La Confiteria, where most buses will drop you off and pick you up, is a small cafe with a crackling fire, selling sweets, chocolate and a few basic snacks (a hamburger costs $280).

There's a restaurant near Acigami Lake.

Drink
The Confiteria sells hot and cold drinks.

Lodging
There is no lodging inside the park.

Camping
There are several free campsites with basic amenities, one of them near Lake Acigami. Remember, this is a protected area, so leave the place as you found it, remembering to carefully extinguish any fires.

Backcountry
It's possible to get off the marked trails and walk through the forests around the lakes in some places.

Stay safe
The park administrators suggest that people only camp and make fires in designated areas. Fires should be carefully extinguished before leaving. If you want to go salmon fishing, ask for permission and follow instructions. Do not hike up the mountain alone, do not bring pets into the park and do not feed wild animals. Adhere to the speed limit inside the park: 40 km/h.

Go next
The bus companies Eben-Ezer and Pasarela will pick you up at a designated time and place (usually between 3PM and 6PM from the Confiteria).

title: Tierra del Fuego National Park


text:
Tierradentro

Tierradentro is in the department of Cauca in Colombia. The Tierradentro Archeological Park is famous for its painted underground burial chambers, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Understand
The subterranean tombs were created around 700 AD and rediscovered and excavated between 1930 and 1995. Most tombs had been damaged and looted by grave robbers but the level of preservation of the actual structures is impressive. These tombs provide a unique opportunity to study an ancient pre-Columbian civilization, and for this reason the Tierradentro Archeological Park has earned its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

History
Not much is known about the pre-Colombian civilization who created the burial chambers.

Get in
San Andres de Pisimbala or simply San Andres is the tiny hamlet where most people stay.
 * From Popayan : several buses a day make the 4-hour ride to Tierradentro. Some will drop you off at a place called El Cruz from where it's a 2-km walk to San Andres (COP$30,000). The company Popayan Tours offers daytrips from Popayan to Tierradentro if you don't want to spend the night in Tierradentro.
 * From San Agustín : you first have to go to Pitalito and then get a bus to La Plata which leaves at 6AM and 10AM From there you can take bus to San Andres at 4PM.
 * From Neiva and Bogota. There are several direct, luxury bus services between Bogota and La Plata, (8 hr, approx COP$70,000). More frequent is the connection at Neiva (3 hr, COP$20,000). From La Plata you can catch a pickup to the San Andres village (1½ hr). The last pickup to the San Andres leaves around 5PM. There are several basic hotels in the La Plata if necessary.

Get around
All sites are within walking distance. It's possible to visit all of them in one long day starting at the then hiking to,  and  before having lunch at San Andres, and finally visiting  and  in the afternoon. This 14-km loop takes between 8 and 9 hours, so start early.

See
Near the entrance of the park there are two museums. An archaeological museum with pottery, statues and interesting information (in Spanish) and an ethnological museum with interesting information about the Paez Indians who nowadays live in the surrounding mountains.

From the entrance there are two walks. One will lead to Segovia an extensive site with the best preserved burial chambers and the only ones with light. Further up is the site El Duende with some more burial chambers. And close to San Andres is El Tablon with statues similar to the ones in San Agustín.

The other walk will lead to Aguacate sitting on top of a mountain. The views are amazing, but most of the burial chambers are not maintained at all. Close to San Andres is the site Alto de San Andres.

Buy

There is no bank nor cashpoint. Take enough money especially in small bills, changing your COP$20,000 bills can be hard.

Bring a torch before going to Tierradentro. The ones available in San Andres are bad.

Eat
In San Andres there is only one restaurant, you can't miss it.

Sleep
There are several budget residentials renting out rooms and cooking meals. One of them is an old lady called Marta which has rooms for COP$8,000 and a meal cost around COP$2,000.

Stay safe
Tierradentro is a guerrilla area, but up till now they haven't harmed any tourists. Armed conflicts between guerrilla and military aren't uncommon, so inform yourself of the situation before setting off.

Go next
There is a 6AM bus to Popayan (4 hours, COP$20,000). Otherwise, catch one from El Cruz.

title: Tierradentro


text:
Tiffin

Tiffin is a city in Northwest Ohio and part of the United States of America. It is the county seat of Seneca County, a rural county of Ohio. It is also the home to two institutions of higher learning: Tiffin University and Heidelberg University.

Understand
Once a bustling industrial city, Tiffin's manufacturing base and population has declined in recent decades. However, Tiffin residents enjoy cultural and educational opportunities unmatched by most small towns thanks to the two colleges that that call Tiffin home.

The city of Tiffin is bisected by the Sandusky River. Just east of the river is the city's downtown area, including city hall and public library. On the western side of the river, on the outskirts of town is the Wal-Mart, shopping mall, and supermarket.

Tiffin itself is seldom a destination for tourists. However, if family or business reasons call you to Tiffin, rest assured you will find activities to fill your time, as well as a friendly small town atmosphere.

Get in
Driving is the only realistic way to get in.

By car
US224 passes through Tiffin.

By foot
Tiffin is a small town and you can easily walk anywhere in the downtown area or through the older neighborhoods.

By car
Some newer neighborhoods and shopping malls are on the outskirts of town, requiring a car.

By taxi
Tiffin does have several taxi services available for those who do not drive.

By bike
The Mad River Bike Trail goes from the Fairgrounds to Tiffin University near Downtown.

See

Go next

 * Toledo - The nearest major city.
 * Toledo - The nearest major city.

title: Tiffin


text:
Tifton

Tifton is a city of 17,000 people (2019) in the Plantation Midlands of Georgia. Sites in the area include the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and the Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village. The Tifton Residential Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History
Tifton was founded in 1872 in Berrien County at the junction of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad and the Brunswick and Western Railroad by sawmill owner Henry H. Tift. Tifton was incorporated as a city in 1890. In 1905, it was designated county seat of the newly formed Tift County.

Several Chicago-Florida passenger trains made stops in Tifton: the Atlantic Coast Line's Seminole, Flamingo and City of Miami and the Southern Railway's Ponce de Leon and Royal Palm. With the discontinuance of the Royal Palm in 1970, Tifton was left without passenger service.

By car
Interstate 75, US 82, US 319.

By bus

 * The Greyhound stop is at 306 E 5th St.
 * In addition, RedCoach provides service from Atlanta and various cities in Florida. Buses stop at the Pilot Truck Stop at 4431 Union Rd.

Connect

 * The local area code is 229 and is not required for local calls.

Go next

 * Atlanta, Georgia. (about 2 hours and 30 minutes north)
 * Gainesville, Florida. (about 2 hours south)

title: Tifton


text:
Tigard

Tigard is a city of 55,000 people (2019) in the greater Portland area of Oregon. The city has revitalized its downtown with public art, and multiple connections, creating a walkable destination for residents and visitors.

By car

 * I-5.svg Interstate 5 travels along the eastern edge of Tigard.
 * OR 99W.svg Pacific Highway goes through Tigard, King City and Sherwood from Southwest Portland going towards Newberg. Going into Portland 99W becomes SW Barbur Blvd. Lots of restaurants, retail stores, strip malls lined up along Pacific Hwy. It also intersects I-5 at Exit 294.
 * OR 210.svg SW Scholls Ferry Rd goes from its intersection with OR 217 to its intersection at OR 219 in Scholls. It goes along the northern city limits serving as a border between Beaverton and Tigard.
 * OR 217.svg Highway 217 main north-south freeway through Beaverton and Tigard connecting US Hwy 26 (Exit 69A from both directions) in the north and I-5 (Exit #292) in the south. Both Scholls Ferry Rd (OR 210) and Pacific Hwy (99W) intersect OR 217. The road continues past I-5 and becomes SW Kruse Way into Lake Oswego.
 * OR 141.svg SW Hall Blvd a major north north-south road connecting (old) downtown Beaverton to downtown Tigard. The section of SW Hall Blvd through Tigard between SW Scholls Ferry Rd (OR-210) and Durham Rd (south of Tigard) is designated as OR-141 on the maps but is not signposted as such.
 * SW Greenburg Rd

By public transit
The and the  serve as bus/train stations for Tri-Met trains & buses in Tigard. Yamhill County buses traveling along Hwy 99W towards Newberg & McMinnville stop only at the Tigard Transit Center and in Sherwood:

 * Commuter rail from Beaverton Transit Center to Wilsonville via Tigard & Tualatin.
 * Rt 12 connects Tigard, Barbur Transit Center, SW Portland, Portland City Center, NE Portland and Parkrose Transit, via SW Pacific Hwy/Barbur Blvd, Burnside & NE Sandy Blvd.
 * Rt 43 Connects Washington Square to downtown Portland through SW Portland (Burlingame) along SW Hall Blvd, 80th Ave & Taylors Ferry Rd.
 * Rt 45 Connects Tigard, Washington Square, SW Portland (Garden Home & Multnomah Village) and downtown Portland.
 * Rt 56 runs between Washington Square & downtown Portland via Raleigh Hills and Hillsdale along Scholls Ferry Rd (SR-210) and Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy (SR-10)
 * Rt 62 runs between Washington Square and Sunset Transit Center, along Scholls Ferry Road, Murray, Millikan, Hocken, Jenkins, Cornell and Barnes
 * Rt 64 Express (commuter) bus to Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) & VA Hospital on Marquam Hill. Bus runs weekday mornings to Marquam Hill and returns to Tigard on Weekday afternoons. It makes limited stops along the route. Check schedules.
 * Rt 76 runs between Tualatin, Tigard, Washington Square and Beaverton
 * Rt 78 runs between Lake Oswego, Southwest Portland, PCC Sylvania, Tigard, Washington Square and Beaverton.
 * Rt 93 Connects Tigard to S King City & Sherwood along Pacific Hwy 99W.
 * Rt 94 Connects Sherwood to downtown Portland through Tigard Transit Center, Barbur Transit in Southwest Portland along Pacific Hwy/Barbur Blvd (Hwy 99W). It runs the same route as the #93 between Sherwood & Tigard and as the #12 between Tigard and downtown Portland.

 * Yamhill Co Transit Rt#44/44x Goes to McMinnville through Sherwood and Newberg along SR-99W from Tigard Transit Center. No stops between Tigard & Sherwood. Passengers must use Tri-Met #93 or 94 bus to be let off or picked up along the road between Tigard & Sherwood.

By plane
Portland is the closest major airport.

Mid-range

See the Beaverton article, under Sleep, for additional listings of accommodations near the Washington Square Mall at SW Hall & Scholls Ferry (SR-210) and the Lake Oswego article, under Sleep, for additional listings of accommodations east of the I-5 corridor from Exits 290 to 292.

Newspapers
Tigard's primary newspaper is

Consulates
The only consulate in Tigard is an honorary consulate which means it is there for commercial and business purposes and offers limited or no consular services except in emergency situations. The nearest cities for additional foreign consulates are in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco:

 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic

title: Tigard