Nyingchi Peach Blossom Valley

Eastern Tibet is lower and wetter than the plateau interior, and wild peach trees grow through the valleys around Nyingchi in numbers, many of them old and large. For a few weeks from mid-March they flower pink across the valley floors and lower slopes while the peaks above are still deep in snow, and the combination of blossom against 6,000-metre mountains is the reason people come, particularly to the Suosong and Bomi valleys where Namcha Barwa can be seen behind the trees. A peach blossom festival is held annually with village events, and the valleys fill with photographers.

What you actually see

• The wild peach blossom - old trees flowering across the valley floors.
• The snow peaks behind - Namcha Barwa and neighbours above the blossom.
• Suosong village - the classic viewpoint with the peak framed by trees.
• The blossom festival - village events through the flowering weeks.

When to go

Mid-March to mid-April; the peak varies by a week or two with altitude and year, and lower valleys flower first. Outside the window there is nothing particular to see. Accommodation books out.

Honest expectations

The season is short and easily missed. Namcha Barwa is often hidden in cloud. Prices rise sharply during the festival and roads through the valleys jam with traffic.

Nearby

Yarlung Tsangpo canyon lies east; Basum Tso is west.