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Voykit pocket guide · China
Nyalam
聂拉木
Use Nyalam as a transit stop between Tibet and Nepal: one night is enough to break the drive, but there's no reason to stay longer unless you're trekking in the Lapchi area.
Nyalam is a small border town on the Friendship Highway, 30 km from the Nepal border at Dram (Zhangmu). It has a monastery linked to the yogi Milarepa, a few basic hotels and restaurants, and no ATM. Most travellers stop for one night on the drive between Shigatse and Kathmandu, or use it as a base for high-altitude treks in the Lapchi region.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 聂拉木
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (snow on the pass), Jul–Aug (landslides on the highway)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥150–250 excl. bed · Mid ¥250–400 excl. bed · High ¥400+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Noodle soup at a highway restaurant | ¥15–25 |
| Bottled water (1 L) | ¥3–5 |
| Shared taxi to Shigatse | ¥100–150 per person |
| Hired car to the monastery | ¥150–250 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- RKZ · Shigatse Peace Airport
- About 4–5 h by road; check road conditions before planning a connection.
Typical fares
- Nyalam → Shigatse by shared taxi
- about ¥100–150 per person, 4–5 h (check)
- Nyalam → Dram border by shared taxi
- about ¥50 per person, 30 min (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Nyalam is small enough to walk. For the monastery (10 km (6.2 mi) north) or the border, you need a hired car or a ride from the highway bus.Nyalam is small enough to walk. For the monastery (6.2 mi (10 km) north) or the border, you need a hired car or a ride from the highway bus.
See and do
Known for
- Nyalam Pelgyeling Monastery (Milarepa's cave)
- Lapchi mountain trekking
- Friendship Highway border stop
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dram (Zhangmu) border | Hired car or shared taxi, about 30 min down the Friendship Highway | About 1 h round trip (border formalities extra) |
| Nyalam Pelgyeling Monastery | Hired car or walk (10 km (6.2 mi) north, about 2 h on foot)Hired car or walk (6.2 mi (10 km) north, about 2 h on foot) | About 30 min by car, 2.5 h on foot |
| Lapchi mountain area | Hired car and trekking guide | Full day or multi-day |
Sleep
- Along the highway
- All hotels are on or near the main road; Nyalam Binguan and Snowlands Hotel face each other.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much? | 多少钱？duō shao qián? |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cè suǒ zài nǎ lǐ? |
| I don't understand | 我不明白wǒ bù míng bái |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- No ATM or currency exchange in town: bring enough cash (CNY) from Shigatse or Kathmandu.
- The Friendship Highway can close due to landslides or snow: check the road status before you travel.
- Altitude: Nyalam is about 3,750 m; take it easy on arrival.
- Foreigners need a Tibet Travel Permit (TTP) and a group tour to enter Tibet; the permit is checked at checkpoints.
Nyalam is safe but remote. The main risks are altitude sickness, road closures and the lack of medical facilities. Carry a first-aid kit and enough cash.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Nyalam yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Nyalam Pelgyeling Monastery (Milarepa's cave)
- Lapchi mountain trekking
- Friendship Highway border stop
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Nyalam, revision 5020954 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5020954
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/nyalam). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.