Lhasa & Ganden Monastery Group Tour

Our 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