Tibet Weather in December

December in TibetDecember in Tibet

Weather: It also isn’t as cold overall in Lhasa and other valley cities as people usually think. December is cold, but the high altitude sunny dry weather makes it feel warmer than the temperatures suggest. The temperatures in Lhasa range between about -9 °C (16 °F) and 8 °C (46 °F). It is quite windy.

Clothing: Bring a coat, hat, long johns, and gloves. Wearing layers is a good idea. Bring sunglasses to avoid the sun’s glare.

Things to do:The special winter seasonal highlight is the Tibetan New Year. It usually falls between in late December, January, or February. The famous sights in Lhasa are also open, such as the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, the Norbulinka, Drepung Monastery and Barkhor Square.

Be aware: Areas higher than Lhasa are extremely cold in the winter, especially when windy, and are best visited at other times.

Tibet travel: During the winter there are fewer tourists overall and Lhasa is crowded with drokpas (nomads) and regular Tibetans who stay in cities or make a visit in the winter. Getting train tickets to Lhasaand Lhasa flights is much easier than in summer.

Low season: December is part of Tibet’s low travel season. The cold and lack of available holidays keeps Chinese tourists away. So the prices for rooms and tours are lower than normal, and the city is free of large crowds of tourists. Let us help you plan a personalized winter tour of Tibet.

For more winter options read our Winter Travel Guide.

There is a "tent city" near Mt. Everest Base Camp that offers beds in traditional style Tibetan tents for around 40 RMB per person.

Tibet Weather by Month

Hi, I'm Ruru Zhou
I updated this article on October 22, 2012
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