Lhasa & Namtso Lake Group Tour
- Duration:
- 5 Days
- Price:
- From USD895
- Route:
- Lhasa - Lake Namtso – Lhasa
- Season:
-
- Spring
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
- Tour Type:
- Group Tour
- Group Size:
- Max 12
Overview
This 5-day Tibet tour combines a classic Lhasa tour with an excursion of Namtso Lake and takes you to visit sacred Jokhang Temple, ancient Potala Palace, vast grasslands with yak and sheep, and crystal heavenly lake Namtso in the pure blue sky, allowing you to fully experience Tibetan culture, history and nature. The highlight of this tour is one of the must-visit attractions holy Namtso Lake, which is called the Heavenly Lake by Tibetans, with an altitude of 4718 meters above sea level. Namtso is also one of the "Three Sacred Lakes" in Tibet, and one of the famous Buddhist holy places.
| Day | Route | Attractions & Activities | Accommodation | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival in Lhasa (3650m) | 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- Namtso- Lhasa, 460km, Approx. 6hrs | Holy Namtso Lake | Lhasa, 3★/4★ | B |
| 5 | Depart from Lhasa | Send off to the airport/railway station | B |
Daily Itinerary
CollapseTaking a flight into Tibet will give you a panorama of the snowy Himalaya Mountains or 1-2 days of train riding over the high plateau by crossing Tanggula Mountains with beautiful sceneries along the way. Once you arrive, our local Tibetan tour guide and driver will greet you at Lhasa Airport/Railway with a traditional Tibetan white scarf to wish you good luck! And then transfer you to the hotel. The rest of the day you will be free to wander around the city on your own but try not to overtax yourself. The first day's well-rest is crucial to acclimatize to the high altitude. Remember to drink lots of water, eat light, and not have a shower if you can help it.
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 the morning, we drive to the holy Namtso Lake. On the way to Namtso, you will have a far view of the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains. Enjoy the view of the vast grassland and spectacular natural scenery.
You'll arrive at Namtso Lake after passing NagelaPass(5150m). When standing at the famous Nagela Pass, you can see the stunning view of holy Namtso Lake. Being the second largest salt lake in China, Namtso covers a total area of more than 1900 square kilometers, the furthest depth being more than 33m. Namtso is also the highest altitude salt lake in the world with an elevation of 4,718 meters. Besides, you can enjoy the view of the Sky-Road railway with snowy mountains background. In the late afternoon, you will drive back to Lhasa.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
- Meals:
- Breakfast
Today your guide and driver will escort you to the airport or railway station for your next destination. Before your departure, we would appreciate it if you could spend a few minutes evaluating our services either by filling out the feedback form or simply sending us an email when you get back home. Your whole trip has officially ended.
- Meals:
- Breakfast
Cost & Calendar
All prices are in US Dollar / Person
Economic Class (3-Star Hotels)
| 2025-04-01 ~ 2025-05-31 | 2025-06-01 ~ 2025-06-30 | 2025-07-01 ~ 2025-10-10 | 2025-10-11 ~ 2025-10-31 |
| USD895 | USD940 | USD980 | USD895 |
Comfortable Class (4-Star Hotels)
| 2025-04-01 ~ 2025-05-31 | 2025-06-01 ~ 2025-06-30 | 2025-07-01 ~ 2025-10-10 | 2025-10-11 ~ 2025-10-31 |
| USD970 | USD990 | USD1040 | USD970 |
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;
* Lhasa Railway Station transfer at all times on first & last day;
* Pick-up from Lhasa Gonggar Airport to your hotel at 9:30 am, 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on the first day;
* Drop-off from your 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 fees 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. You are suggested to tip each of 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 the 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 a refund except for certain attraction entrance fees 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 room, the single supplement will be refunded;
* All members of the same group must be with the same tour guide during the whole trip. So all members must follow the same itinerary and visit the same attractions. If anyone requests to change the scheduled arrangement for own reasons, you need to get permission from other members and accept the possible payment change if any;
Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients
Asked by Clar***
Can you please quote me for both 3 star and 4 star hotel. Also, I"d like to fly into Lhasa from Chengdu on 9/20/204 and depart Lhasa on 9/26/2024. Plan b would be to take Chengdu to Lhasa drain on 9/20 and arrive on 9/22/2024. Or Plan C. would be fly from Chengdu to Xining and take train to Lhasa on 9/20/2024. If I go with Plan B or C will your agency help us get train tickets? I'm looking forward to your reply.
Dear Clar****,
Up to now, we don't have 5 days Lhasa & Namtso Lake Group Tour departing from Sep 20 to Sep.26. As the tour date is close, we can't open one for a solo traveler. But we can open a private Lhasa & Namtso Lake Tour for you.
Or we have 8 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Group Tour departing on 20 Sep. and 5 Days Lhasa & Yamdrotso Lake Group Tour departing on 23 Sep. Are you joining? You can join 3 days group tour on the two dates then we can arrange a private tour to Namtso Lake for you.
According to the schedule of the group tour, I suggest you consider taking a flight direct from Chengdu. In addition, the direct soft sleeper train ticket from Chengdu to Lhasa is difficult to book.
Asked by Li***
hi,
we would like to get a quotation for a 5day private tour. Most of the attractions and activities are listed in this package, but we would like to make some small changes.
1. we would like to book our own hotel rooms
2. Day 3 to change to visiting Tibetan nomads and nomad families
3. for Day 4, would price be the same to go to Namtso or Yamdrok lake?
4. Day 5 morning to include Potala Palace. we will be departing in the afternoon.
5. 2 may have two pick up and send off to airport timings as we may come from different airports (Chengdu and Beijing)
Hope to hear back soon!
Thanks!
Dear Li****,
We can arrange the 5-day Lhasa Namtso private tour for you on 30 August. You can book the hotel rooms yourself. We can arrange the visit of Tibetan nomads for you on Day 3 and I suggest you go to Yamgpachen to see the Tibetan nomads.
The cost to Namtso is higher than to Yamdrok because the distance is longer.
OK, we will arrange 2 tourist vehicles to pick-up you on Day 1.
Asked by Simo***
Hello, I would like to check availability of the 5 day tour on April 1st (comfort class hotel) for 1 preson. I am of French nationality so do not need a Chinese visa.
Thanx in advance
Dear Simon,
We can arrange the Lhasa to Namtso group tour. Please confirm the itinerary first then I will quote you in my next email.
Asked by Kah ***
Hi there, just want to know this 5 Days trip. I will be reach Lhasa on the 25th morning, is there any tour on the 25th? I plan to stay on my own hotel in lhasa. Any discounts if i don't take in your hotel?
Dear Kah***,
We don't have a group departure on 25 Oct but we can open one for you now. If you stay at your own booked hotel, we can deduct the room fee from the group tour cost.
Asked by Jeff***
Hi we are keen to check if its possible for a private 6 days tour of Lhasa - Namtso for 4 adults? We are more keen for a private tour instead of the small group tour. Can you advise what will be the cost of the private tour?
Also if we have longer time like 7-8 days, what private tour can your recommend on Lhasa? We will still like to see the holy lake and we do not need to go EBC. What can you suggest and what will the cost be like for 4 adults?
Kind Regards,
JL
Great Tibet Tour is a local tour operator based in Lhasa, Tibet. It founded in 2005 and recommended by Lonely Planet as one of the best reputed local Tibet travel agencies. We specialize in arranging Tibet travel for foreigners, as well as other parts of China & Nepal.
In your inquiry, you mentioned two of you would like to have the 6 Days Lhasa & Namtso Lake Tour. If you would like to have a 7~8 days tour, I recommend 8 Days Lhasa to Shigatse and Namtso Group Tour.
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