Dining in Ngari (Western Tibet)
The choice of food in Ngari, western Tibet, is limited by the harsh climate. Most vegetables and fruit come from far away, so food here costs more than you might expect.
There are restaurants in most towns, serving Tibetan, Sichuan and Xinjiang food. On the way to Mount Kailash and beyond, most meals are fried rice, noodles and simple stir-fried dishes.
Essential advice: stock up before you enter Ngari. Bring your own snacks, instant food and energy bars, especially for the Kailash kora. Menus in remote places are very short.
Purang County
Peacock Restaurant — although Purang is near Nepal, the food here is Chinese rather than Nepali. Clean, with a good range of dishes, and one of the better places in town.
Zanda County
Chinese, Tibetan and Muslim restaurants fill much of Zanda’s main street. Hong Man Tian Restaurant has good Chinese food and an English menu, handy when you visit the Guge Kingdom ruins.
Shiquanhe County (Ali Town)
Ali is the biggest town in Ngari and has the widest choice. Uyghur restaurants serve Xinjiang lamb dishes, kebabs and noodles. Jin Mantang serves good rice and noodle dishes, with an English menu.
Darchen Town (Mt. Kailash Base)
Darchen is the starting point of the Kailash kora. Simple Chinese and Tibetan restaurants serve breakfast of steamed buns and rice porridge, and noodles and rice dishes later in the day. On the kora itself, guesthouses and tea tents sell instant noodles, tea and simple meals.
Gegye & Gertse Counties
Many Chinese and Muslim restaurants and a few Tibetan teahouses along the main road. No English menus. Most open for lunch and dinner, and several serve steamed buns and rice porridge in the morning.
On our tours: your guide orders for you and knows the best place in each town.
We answer within 12 hours, Monday to Saturday.