Trip Overview
This tour includes three biggest ancient cities: Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse. By visiting these places, tourists will get an overview of Tibet’s religion, cultural treasures, and dream-like landscapes. The highlights of this tour will be the Tibetan architectural treasure, the Potala Palace, Jokhang and Sera, Holy Yamdrok Lake and Karo glacier as well as Tashilumpo Monastery which stores the biggest copper Buddha statue in the world.
Highlights:
– Potala Palace: Winter palace of the Dalai Lama
– Jokhang Temple: Spiritual Center for Buddhists in Tibet
– Sera Monastery: One of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet, the hot attraction is monks debate.
– Drepung Monstery: Drepung used to be a seat of central government until the 5th Dalai Lama built Potala Palace.
– Yamdrok-tso: A sacred lake with stunning blue water on a almost desert mountain background.
– Tashilunpo monastery: The seat of the Panchen Lama.
Price Inclusions
– All necessary travel permits for Tibet (excluding the Chinese visa)
– Tourist bus/minibus transportation with experienced local driver during tour
– Tourist bus/minibus transportation between airport/train statin and Hotel at designated period of time
– Experienced Local Tibetan private guide
– 5 nights of Economy Hotel twin sharing accommodation with breakfast (B.B)
– One welcome or welfare dinner
– All admission fee of tourists sites listed in the itinerary
– Oxygen bottle provided during the tour days in Tibet
Price Exclusions
– Chinese visa
– Lunches and Dinners
– Tips to driver and tour guide
– Single room supplement if clients request a private room in hotel
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa.
After arriving in Lhasa, local tour guide will welcome you at the airport/train station, then transfer the guests to the hotel. Acclimatize the high altitude in the hotel.
Overnight in Lhasa
Day 2: Lhasa City, Potala Place and Barkhor Street (B,D).
The tour will begin from UNESCO World Heritage site – Potala Palace, which is also the winter palace of Dalai Lama. It’s situated at 12,139 feet above sea level. It’s a 13-story high building that contains over 1,000 rooms, various statues, stupas, murals and artifacts.
Then continue to Jokhang Temple, another UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a spiritual center for Buddhists in Tibet. Next to the temple there is Bakhor Street, filled with pilgrims and street vendors, selling traditional Tibetan items such as prayer wheels and jewelry.
Day 3: Monasteries in Lhasa, Drepung and Sera (B).
In the morning, tourists are going to visit Drepung monastery which was one of the “three greet” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1416. Ganden palace is used as Dalai Lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace.
Afternoon, Sera Monastery—It was one of the “three great” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1419. The highlight is the Monks debate at around 3 – 5 in the afternoon.
Day 4: Lhasa – Gyantse – Shigatse (B)
Drive from Lhasa to Gyantse. Admire the Gampala pass (4790 m) on the way, and get a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso (4400m), which is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains. Then continue to drive west towards Gyantse. In Gyantse, tourists will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum. After one and a half hour’s drive, clients will arrive in Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet.
Day 5: Shigatse – Lhasa (B)
Today, explore Tashilunpo monastery of Gelug Sect, the seat of the Panchen Lama, built in 1447. The monastery houses a giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha – the biggest gilded statue of Maitreya (Buddha of the future) in the world and a tomb of all the Panchen Lama, containing jewels and gold. In the afternoon, you will drive back to Lhasa, which will take around 6 hours.（Shigatse to Lhasa’s transfer perhaps by train）
Day 6: Depart from Lhasa (B).
Transfer clients to the airport or train station.