LHASA TOUR

Lhasa is the heart and soul as well as the capital of Tibet. Lhasa means God’s land and known for its monasteries and pilgrimage sites. There are some of the most famous tourist site like Potala palace, Bhakor Street and Jokhang temple. There are also many tourist sites near Lhasa which will take about one day or two days like Sera, Drepung, Ganden Monastery, Samye, Namtso ,Yamdrok Tso and so on. People who come to Lhasa never return back with empty hand, their hearts were always filled with happiness and finds comfort. Lhasa has become the heart and soul’s comfort zone where people often come here to find the real happiness in life.

Day	Activity/Valley
1	Reception at the airport
2	Visit Jokhang temple and Sera monastery
3	Visit Potala Palace and Norbulingka
4	Drive towards Gyangtse
5	Drive towards Shigatse
6	Drive towards Mt. Everest
7	Drive towards Namtso lake
8	Visit Lo Mantang
8	Drive back to Lhasa
9	International Departure

Day 1|Pick up from the airport

About 1 hour drive to Lhasa

Altitude – 3,650 m

Hotel check-in and rest for the day. There will be a briefing about the tour and some travel tips with welcome dinner, by our local organizer.

Day 2|Sightseeing in Lhasa

Visit Jokhang Temple and Sera Monastery

Morning we will visit the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism which attracts thousands of pilgrimage from all over Tibet and around the world. The great King Songten Gampo built it in the 7th century.
In the afternoon we visit Sera monastery, one of biggest monastery in Tibet, which belong to the Gelugpa or the yellow sects. The original Sera Monastery is a complex of structures founded in 1419 by Jamchen Chojey Sakya Yeshe of Zel Gungtang (1355–1435), a disciple of Je Tsongkhapa.

Day 3|Sightseeing – Potala Palace and Norbulingka

Visit Potala Palace and Norbulingka

Altitude – 3,700 m

In the morning we will visit Potala palace, served both as administrative center and religious center in Tibet. It was built in the 7th century by Tibetan king “Songtsen Gampo” and later renovated by 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. You can explore the grandest of this myriad chapel, its audience halls, the jeweled and golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, Thangkas, combinations of Mandala, figures of the Buddha.

In the afternoon we will visit Norlbulingka, the summer palace of Dalai Lamas. Norbulingka is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was added as an extension of this Historic Ensemble in 2001. It was built by the 7th Dalai Lama and served both as administrative center and religious center. It is a unique representation of Tibetan palace architecture.

Day 4| Lhasa – Gyangtse

Drive to Gyangtse

Altitude – 3,7900m

Today you will drive about 300KM to Gyangtse. Take a look at Yamdrok Yumco Lake on the way and overlook Kalais Kora Glacier. Yamdrok Lake is a coiling, many-armed body of water shaped like a scorpion. It doubles back on itself on the western side, effectively creating a large island within its reaches. For Tibetans, it is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet, and the home of wrathful deities. The lake lies several hundred meters below the road, and in clear weather is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. Far in the distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangtsang (7191m).
In the afternoon, you will arrive in Gyangtse and go for the tour of Palkhor Temple, built in the 15th century, is situated in the west of Gyangtse Town with mountains enclosing form three sides of the east, west and north. Its uniqueness is that its three sects of Buddism, Sakya, Nyingma, and Gelug stayed harmoniously under one roof.

Day 5 Gyangtse – Shigatse

Drive to Shigatse

Altitude -3800m

Drive about 90KM to Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet. It’s also the hometown of Panchen Lama. In the afternoon, you will visit Tashi Lunpo Monastery. Tashi Lunpo sprawls on the slops of Mt. Niser, southwest of Shigatse. It covers an area of about 300,000 square meters. There are many valuable and rare historical articles in the monastery, En route, visit Shalu Monastery,I ts architecture is of typical combination of the Tibetan and Chinese styles with archways, carved pillars, tilled roofs and the Song and Yuan style murals.

Day 6 Shigatse – Rongbuk Monastery – Mt. Everest

Base camp altitude – 5200m

Today we drive to Mt. Everest and overnight here. It takes about 7 hours since the cracked winding roads demand much caution. But the views are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge sweep of the Himalaya range including peaks over 8000, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu. When you finally get to Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty Everest simply leaves you speechless. All the hardship you bear along the way makes sense at this while. The best moments to watch Mt. Everest’s are early morning and late evening when Everest is shining like a goddess in the sunglow.

Day 7|Shigatse – Namtso Lake

Drive to Namtso Lake

Altitude – 4700m

Leaving Shigatse to Namts the holy Lake, on the way the beautiful Nyenchen Thanglha Snow Mountain will accompany us. Today, we will have chances to escort at the grassland, visit the nomad family and walk into the tent to drink the fresh yak milk, and interact with the Tibetan Children. In Tibetan, Namtso means ‘Heavenly Lake’. It is famous for its high altitude and beautiful scenery. Being the second largest saltwater lake in China only after Qinghai Lake, Namtso Lake is the biggest lake throughout Tibet, also one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet. With 4,718 meters (15,475 feet) above sea level and covering 1,900 square kilometers (735 square miles), the lake is the highest saltwater lake in the world.

Day 8|Namtso- Yangbachen – Lhasa

Drive back to Lhasa

Altitude of Lhasa – 3650m

Free morning on your own, you can trek along the lake to Tashi Island to explore meditation caves. Later on, drive to Dmxung for lunch. In the afternoon, touring at Yangpachen hot spring while on the way back to Lhasa. Yangpachen is famous for its richness of terrestrial heat. Not only Yangpachen owns common hot springs and fountains, but also various geysers, boiling springs, and hot-water lakes, which is rare in the world. Now it has a thermoelectricity plant, green houses, and hot spring baths, attracting more and more tourists. Drive back to Lhasa after visiting. Overnight in Lhasa.

Day 9|International departure (by train or air)

Hotel checkout & pick-up by your guide and driver again, then transfer you to the airport or train station, lovely tour ends!

Highlights of this travel

Visit Jokhang Temple and Sera Monastery
Visit Potala Palace and Norbulingka
Enjoy the stunning view of Kalais Kora Glacier on the way between Lhasa – Gyangtse
Visit the second largest city in Tibet, Shigatse
Overnight at base camp of Mt. Everest
Enjoy the stunning view Mt. Everest early in the morning
Visit the Holy lake “Namtso”
Trek along the lake to Tashi Island and explore meditation caves
Travel along mystical mountains
Take in stunning himalayan mountain views