Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour
- Duration:
- 5 Days
- Price:
- From USD720
- Route:
- Lhasa - Ganden Monastery - Lhasa
- Season:
-
- Spring
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
- Tour Type:
- Group Tour
- Group Size:
- Max 12
Overview
This 5 days group tour is designed for travelers who are particularly interested in Tibetan Buddhism culture. During this tour, you will not only explore the top attractions in Lhasa such as the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka but also visit two major monasteries of the Gelug (yellow hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism - Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery. The hiking tour of Ganden Monastery is definitely the highlight, from which you can enjoy the view of this monastery and get close to the local village to see the local Tibetan life. Finally, you will discover Drak Yerpa, one of the top meditation retreats in Tibet and famous for its temples on cliffs.
| Day | Route | Attractions & Activities | Accommodation | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival in Lhasa (3,650m) | Pick up and transfer to the hotel | Lhasa, 3★/4★ | |
| 2 | Lhasa Sightseeing | Drepung Monastery, Tibet Museum, Norbulingka | Lhasa, 3★/4★ | B |
| 3 | Lhasa Sightseeing | Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street | Lhasa, 3★/4★ | B |
| 4 | Lhasa- Ganden- Drak Yerpa- Lhasa, 130km, Approx. 3.5hrs | Drak Yerpa, Ganden Monastery | Lhasa, 3★/4★ | B |
| 5 | Lhasa Departure | Send off to the airport/train station | B |
Daily Itinerary
CollapseOur staff will greet you at Lhasa Airport/Railway Station to transfer you to the hotel. From Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa, it usually takes about one hour; from Lhasa Railway Station, about 20 minutes. After being transferred to the hotel, you will be free for the rest of the day to wander around the city on your own but try not to overtax yourself. Your good rest on the first day is crucial to acclimatize to the high altitude. Remember to drink lots of water, eat light, and avoid strenuous activities. As the capital city, Lhasa is the political, economic, cultural, communication and tourism center of Tibet with a history of over 1,300 years.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
After breakfast in the hotel, the tour guide will take you to Drepung Monastery, the biggest Tibetan monastery that housed more than 10,000 monks in the past. Drepung means Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. It's the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.
In the afternoon you will first visit the Tibet Museum. Here you can see life scenes, exquisite clothing, house architecture, and festival customs, etc. to explore the special and mysterious Tibetan customs. Then you will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
- Meals:
- Breakfast
Today, you will visit the most famous Potala Palace, which is the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. Potala Palace was the winter palace of successive Dalai lamas. It was built by the 33rd great king of Tibet - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th Century. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and the meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.
At noon, the tour guide will bring you to a good restaurant to have lunch and have a rest. In the afternoon, we will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
- Meals:
- Breakfast
In today's excursion outside of Lhasa city, we'll take you to Ganden Monastery (3,800m). It's located on Wangbozhi Mountain on the southern bank of Lhasa River, which is about 50km northeast of Lhasa. Ganden Monastery is the most special one of the top six Gelug monasteries in Tibet, as it was built by the founder of the Gelug sect - Tsongkhapa in 1409. It's quite worth seeing if this is your first time to travel to Tibet.
On the way, we will also visit the less-known-by-tourists Drak Yerpa hermitage. Drak Yerpa is only a short drive to the east of Lhasa. It's an ancient temple and meditation cave that has a history of more than a thousand years. After passing through a rugged path to the temple, you can see the beautiful scenery in the distance. Compared to the Jokhang Temple and Sera Temple, which are full of incense, there are not so many tourists. Only devout Tibetans burn mulberry to worship here, and you can feel the tranquility brought by Tibetan Buddhism.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
- Meals:
- Breakfast
- Meals:
- Breakfast
Cost & Calendar
All prices are in US Dollar / Person
Economic Class (3-Star Hotels)
| 2024-11-01 ~ 2025-02-28 | 2025-04-01 ~ 2025-05-31 | 2025-06-01 ~ 2025-06-30 | 2025-07-01 ~ 2025-10-10 | 2025-10-11 ~ 2025-10-31 | 2025-11-01 ~ 2026-02-28 |
| USD720 | USD780 | USD820 | USD860 | USD780 | USD720 |
Comfortable Class (4-Star Hotels)
| 2024-11-01 ~ 2025-02-28 | 2025-04-01 ~ 2025-05-31 | 2025-06-01 ~ 2025-06-30 | 2025-07-01 ~ 2025-10-10 | 2025-10-11 ~ 2025-10-31 | 2025-11-01 ~ 2026-02-28 |
| USD780 | USD830 | USD880 | USD920 | USD830 | USD780 |
Schedule
Discount Policy
You may only enjoy one of the advantageous policy, not both.
| Option A: | 3 or More from You Join Together | $30 Off / person |
| Option B: | Tour in Apr~Oct |
|
Our Service
INCLUSIONS
*Lodgings: 4 Nights, twin room en suite in 3★/4★;
*Meal: 4 Breakfasts;
*Travel-licensed vehicle according to group size & season as itinerary needed including gas and parking fee;
*Free Lhasa Railway Station transfer at all time on first & last day;
*Free pick-up from Lhasa Gonggar Airport to the hotel at 9:30 am, 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on the first day;
*Free drop-off from the hotel to Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 8:30 am, 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm on the last day;
*Guide: experienced local English-speaking tour guide;
*Attractions: all entrance fee mentioned in the itinerary;
*Permit: Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit;
*Travel Agency Liability insurance;
*Government Tax;
*Express delivery fee of Permit (eg. SF. Express);
*Food & lodgings for guide & driver;
*Oxygen tank for emergency use;
*Two bottles of mineral water per person per day;
EXCLUSIONS
* International flight to and out of China;
* Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa; (We can help you book the domestic flight/train ticket at the BEST price. Please contact us for details.);
* If you miss the free transfer schedule due to flight delay or cancelation, then you are required to pay a private transfer from USD 80/vehicle/time;
* Lunch & Dinner are not included but we will recommend some good ones for you according to your requirements. Usually, it takes 5-15 USD per person for each meal;
* While the gratuity for guide and driver is NOT mandatory, it is expected. Based on their service, you can tip them on the last day of the tour. Each of you is suggested to tip them 8-15 USD/day in total;
* All the commission and tax charged by PayPal, Bank, and government when making payment. (e.g. PayPal --- 4.4%. Wire transfer --- 2%);
* Personal expenses;
* Anything not mentioned in the Inclusions;
Note
*Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit (TTB) usually takes about 12-working-day to apply. If you couldn’t provide the required docs & info on time, an extra handling fee will be charged. Please consult your travel consultant for details;
*We reserve the right to change the itinerary order and attractions in Lhasa;
*If you prefer to book your own hotels over those included in our group tour, please meet the rest of the group at their daily hotel on time. We don’t include the transfers to your own hotels;
*We need to pick up and drop off all members of the group on first & last day from Lhasa Airport/Railway Station, thus there may not always be a guide's presence but a driver;
*Due to the special nature of Tibet travel, any unforeseeable and unavoidable objective circumstances, including but not limited to natural disasters, war, terrorism, riot, civil commotion, strikes, public health emergencies, government action, major traffic jams, delay or cancellation of flight/train, attractions temporarily closed. etc., resulting in a change of itinerary, the increased cost will be paid by travelers; if any attraction visits have to be canceled due to the same reasons above, GTT won't be held responsible for the refund except certain attraction entrance fee which will be solely decided by GTT;
*Single Supplement: our quote is based on twin rooms. For single travelers, a single supplement is required at the time of booking. If later we manage to match you with another traveler to share the twin rooms, the single supplement will be refunded;
My tibet travel was everything fine, except losing the permission by Beijing hotel. My guide is very friendly and much know about temple and buddhism. Also drivers and vehicles is fine, too. Someday I'll visit Tibet again. At that time, I'll ask you again. ....
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Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients
Asked by Ms K***
Dear GreatTibetTour Team,
I am traveling to China in mid-October and would like to ask if it is possible to join Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour around that time. Thank you for the information in advance. Kind wishes, Daria Kim
Dear Ms Kim****,
We can arrange the Tibet Tour for you. Up to now, we don't have a confirmed Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour around mid-October. However, we have confirmed a 4-Day Lhasa City Essential Group Tour on 17/18 Oct. If you would like to Ganden Monastery, we can arrange a one-day private tour.
Asked by Audu***
Hello, I'm a student in Beijing I really want to travel to Tibet during my stay here. Because I don't have a lot of holiday, I will be aiming to travel in the natinal holiday or the weekend before it starts.
There are at least 2 people who want to go, but there might be more.
Is travel to Lhasa included in your tours? If not, do we need the permit to Tibet first when we book independently?
We are also looking for a budget-friendly trip, and we are experienced travellers who can speak Mandarin. Therefore we don't need a lot of follow-up on our trip, and we can stay in cheap accommodation.
Dear Audu***,
We can help you apply for a Tiebt permit if yu book the Tibet tour with us.
Foreign tourists are not allowed to travel alone in Tibet that means you should book a tour with a local travel agency like us. We'll arrange a tour guide, attractions, a car, a hotel etc. for you.
Relatively speaking, Goup tours are the budget-friendly trips
If you prefer to travel before or in Nationall holiday, I suggest you consider booking the tour ASAP. It usually takes 12 working days to obtain a Tibet Permit. If you fly to Lhasa, we need to deliver the permit to Beijing for you which take about 3-5 days.
For 5 Days Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour, we don't have a confirmed departure date in late Sep or early Oct. but if there are three of you, we can open one for you. The group tour is based on 3pax.
Or we have 5 Days Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour departing on 3 Oct. and 4 Days Lhasa City Essential Group Tour departing on 27 Sep.
Below are the three tours for your reference.
Asked by Ms H***
Like this trip: 5 Days Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour. Can you add va isit to Sera Monastery into the trip? I will be completing a India/Nepal Buddhist train trip on 12/28 in the evening and flying from Delhi to Lhasa. Arriving in Lhasa 12/29 about 8 pm,
Dear Ms Huo****,
Glad to hear from you. This is Merry from Great Tibet Tour at your service.
For 5 days Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour, we can open one departing on 29 Dec, but it needs further confirmation.
Asked by Fran***
Hello, I’m an Air France flight attendant. I’m taking the opportunity of the exemption of the Chinese visa for French citizens to visit Tibet, Guilin Region and Zhangjiajie in September.
I would be interested in the 5 day tour you offer on September 23. I found a very good fare to arrive by plane in Lhasa on September 23rd from Bangkok via Kunming n China Eastern. If you can confirm the dates, I could book and pay for the tour in the upcoming days.
Dear Fran***,
We can arrange a 5-day Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour for you in September. Our group is open based on 3 pax. We can open a group departure for you on 24 September and need further confirmation. The earlier you book, the easier to recruit other tourists to join you.
You can fly from Bangkok to Kunming on 23 September and stay overnight in Kunming. We will express the Tibet Travel Permit to your hotel in Kunming in advance. Then you can board the plane to Lhasa on 24 September.
Asked by Lika***
Hi!
I would like to ask you, if you have a 4-day group tour in Lhasa around 15th of April?
Also, I wonder how can we get our Tibet permits? We will be first week of April in Beijing, but then on move in different towns. Also we plan to make a stop in Xining before taking train from there to Lhasa.
Dear Lika****,
We can arrange a 4-day Lhasa City Essential Group Tour for you on 15 April. We can help you book the soft-sleeper train tickets from Xining to Lhasa. You need copies of the Tibet Travel Permit to board the train. We will apply for the Tibet Travel Permit and send the scan to you in advance, then you print it.
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