The Niyang River valley stretches west from Bayi through broad agricultural lowlands — unusual in Tibet, which is mostly too dry and high for this kind of farming landscape. Barley fields, apple orchards, and villages of traditional Tibetan farmhouses line the river, backed by forested slopes. The valley road is pleasant to cycle or drive slowly, stopping at villages and small monasteries along the way.
The valley is also the route toward Basum Tso Lake and the Sichuan-Tibet Highway west toward Lhasa. Even without specific destinations, the drive along the Niyang provides a good sense of everyday Tibetan rural life in this unusually green corner of the plateau. Peach blossom in March is spectacular — this is the season for the annual Nyingchi Peach Blossom Festival.