The press conference for the hiking festival (Photo/Li Yuanmei) 

According to China Tibet Online, The 11th Namtso Hiking Festival, an important activity of 2017 Lhasa Shoton Festival will be held in Lhasa from August 20 to 25. 

Tibetan opera performed in Shoton Festival (Photo/Xu Na) 

Themed “sacred lake on the top of the world, public benefit and environmental protection hiking”, the event consists of two phases. The first phase will be held in Lhasa. Participants can get involved in 2017 Shoton Festival, including watching the opening ceremony, performances and Tibetan operas, taking part in the yoghurt drinking game, painting thangkas, etc. 

The sacred lake Namtso (Photo/Yuan Di) 

The second phase is a hiking friendship competition in Namtso’s Tashi Biland in Damxung County. Participants can enjoy the fascinating scenery while hiking.  

According to the organizer, participants are requested to collect garbage along the track, thus to summon tourists to take good care of Namtso’s ecological environment. 

Along the 10km hiking route, three experience and two rest stations will be set up. Local herdsmen will be invited to teach participants how to knead tsampa, make buttered tea, knit yak hair string, etc. Therefore, besides hiking, participants can also experience traditional Tibetan folk customs.