Lhasa Gyantse Shigatse Tour

Tashi Delek! Our staff will greet you at Lhasa Airport/Railway Station to transfer you to the hotel. From Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa, it takes about 1 hour. It’s about a 20-minute drive from Lhasa Railway Station to your hotel. In order to adapt to the high altitude soon, you'd better have a rest and don’t do strenuous exercise. If you feel good, you can visit the Potala Palace Square, a far view the Yaowang Mountain and take a panoramic view of the Potala Palace. Remember to drink lots of water, and eat light and high-carbohydrate foods for adapting to the high altitude better.

Stay overnight in Lhasa 

After breakfast, our tour guide will first take you to visit Drepung Monastery which is the world's largest monastery that used to house over 10,000 monks. After lunch, you will continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which is reputed as the most beautiful Tibetan monastery in Lhasa. The most attractive activity at Sera Monastery is to watch the Buddhist Scriptures debating held in the courtyard between 15:00 - 17:00.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

In the morning, your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby and first take you to visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by the 33rd King - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and rebuilt later by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now it is a museum and a world heritage site. 

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 which is 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 is also a must-see place for visitors.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

We will pass by Gampala pass (4,790m) on the way from Lhasa to Shigatse and visit Yamdrok Lake, one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet. Here you can have a glimpse of the holy Yamdrok Lake with its turquoise color and snowcapped Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance. Then, we will pass and enjoy the Karola Glacier on the roadside. It isn't a big glacier, but the white glacier looks spectacular from the highway.

Later, we will visit the main monastery in Gyantse Pelkor Chode Monastery - famous for its exquisite architecture and intact murals and statues.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

Today we will go back to Lhasa. On the way, we will visit the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilhunpo Monastery, it was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447 and is a historic and culturally important monastery in Tibet. It is located on a hill in the center of the city, the full name in Tibetan of the monastery means "all fortune and happiness gathered here" or "heap of glory".

After that, we will go to visit Yungdrungling Monastery. It's a typical Bon religion monastery in Tibet. The monks here are very friendly to visitors. Some of them can even speak English. If you are lucky to meet the key holder, he can show you the large Dukhang (the assembly hall). Inside the house, there are the impressive thrones of the monastery's two resident Shiromo along the walls-look for the deity's characteristic swastika mace. There are also a couple of more behind the main hall that you can pay a visit to. Those chapels include the Namjya Lhakhang. Keep in mind that you should visit those chapels in an anticlockwise direction.

Stay overnight in Lhasa