Tibet Travel Weather and Climate in October
Tibet Travel Weather and Climate in October
Average Minimum Temperature (℃): 1
Average Maximum Temperature (℃): 17
Tibet Average Temperature (℃): 9
Average Precipitation/Rainfall (mm): 13
Wet Days (>0.1mm): 2
Relative Humidity (%): 64
(Overall Tibet weather in October)
When you travel to Tibet, in October, the temperatures are starting to cool down, although most of the region still stays above freezing. Average temperatures across the plateau range from around 1 degree to as high as 17 degrees, with a large temperature difference between day and night. While it can get colder at night in October, the bright sun and clear skies at the high altitudes of the plateau mean the days are still fairly warm.
The entire plateau is filled with bright sunshine throughout October, with almost no rain at all, and the thinner clean air makes the ultraviolet rays of the sun stronger again after the summer.
What to Wear for an October Tibet Travel
For the temperature changes as you travel, it is best to dress in layers with a coat, trousers, a T-shirt, a sun hat and sunglasses. You can even wear shorts on some days, but you’ll still need a coat at night. Take some rain gear, and remember to take heavy winter gear and gloves up to the higher mountains. The UV radiation is intense, so have a sun hat and sunglasses.
Useful Travel Tips for your Tibet Travel in October
- There are some medications for altitude sickness available, but you should consult your own doctor before you take them, and it is not recommended.
- Tibet Travel Permit: This permit is issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau and is required for all international travelers heading for Tibet. You need to apply for this permit one month prior to your arrival in Tibet as this permit takes some time to get ready and you need to produce the original copy of this permit at the Airport before you board the flight.
- Oxygen levels are much lower in Tibet, so most people get altitude sickness. Cardiovascular conditions are exacerbated, so for the best experience, seek health advice before going and acclimate before exertion or going higher than Lhasa.
- In one of three years the Mid-Autumn Festival adds even more Chinese tour groups in the first week of October. But tourism drops off in the second half of October when there are better prices and accommodations.
Things to see and do at Tibet in October
- Pilgrimage is an important part of Tibetan Buddhism, and the autumn months are the best time to experience the pilgrims making the ritual kora around Lhasa’s Jokhang Temple, and prostrating in front of the doors, one of the most spectacular sights of the Tibetan plateau.
- October is the main autumn month in the area of Lake Yamdrok, and the area is drying up fast, ready for the rest of the dry season. The rains are almost completely gone, with only the odd shower in the late evening, and bright sunshine prevailing throughout the long days. The summer birds begin to gather ready to fly south for the winter, and the beauty of the azure blue waters reflects the view of the surrounding mountains in the lake’s surface.
- October is the start of the autumn season in Shigatse, as well as being the best time to go trekking in the region.
- Mount Everest is a great place to travel to in the month of October, as the weather is finer again, with clear skies for viewing the summit of the world’s highest mountain and fewer tourists at the base camp.
- Mount Kailash in October is also a great place to be, as the kora trek around the world’s most sacred mountain is dry, the weather is cool and comfortable, and the views of the unclimbed peak of sacred Mount Kailash are the best in the year. October is also a time when pilgrims from across Tibet make their way to the various sites of pilgrimage worship, often trekking or prostrating for thousands of kilometers from their distant homes to get to Mount Kailash and the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.
