About Tidrum Hot Spring
At the Tidrum Hot Spring, Tibetans bathe either in swimsuit or birthday suit. Piping-hot water at this altitude can be a shock to the system, and can make foreign visitors feel dizzy. Best to take this in small doses until you get accustomed: take a dip for 10 minutes, get out, rest, and go back in again. Those with high blood pressure or a heart condition should not partake.
That said. These have to be the finest hot springs in central Tibet: the springs are located right near a river, where the water bubbles under a great rock and disappears. There are 3 hot spring pools with attractive stone– laid enclosures surrounded by wooden fencing. 1 pool is for men, another for women, and the 3rd pool is mixed: it is extra-hot and lies across a small footbridge. You can get a hot stone treatment, of sorts– there are hot stones below your feet if you step into a pool.
If you stay overnight, you can indulge in a moonlit soak with candles, and — if skies are clean– a magnificent canopy of stars overhead.
Hiking above Tidrum Hot Spring is rewarding, in terms of views and photography. You can hike up to several small gompas; there are also nomad tents in the vicinity.
Tips of Tidrum Hot Spring
- Remember not to soak in within 1 hour before or after meals. Do not soak when you are hungry or drunk.
- Remember to take off all your metal jewelry or accessories before bathing, preventing them from being eroded by certain minerals.
- It is not advisable to soak for a long time. You can soak for 15 to 20 minutes at one time and rest for a while before take another bath.
- Avoid doing active exercises when bathing, especially in highland.
- Tidrum Nunnery is just near by. You may pay a visit by the way.
- The Tidrum Hot Spring’s infrastructures is not as good as that of Yangpachen Hot Spring, but it’s still very popular locally for its naked bath.
