Sera Utsé Hermitage Half Day Hiking Tour

This is the first day in Tibet. Your guide will greet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport/Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel. It usually takes around 1 hour to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and takes about 20 minutes from Lhasa Railway Station. Tourists could have a look at the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the largest and longest river in Tibet on their way to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest first. And if you feel like going out, you can wander around the city. But just remember that don't take too much stuff, try to go with a light pack. Meanwhile, drink some more water, and do not move strenuously. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

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

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In the morning our guide will meet you at the hotel 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's a museum and 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 - 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

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In the morning, we will drive to Pabonka Monastery. Pabonka is a thousand-year-old Monastery, originally built for Songtsen Gambo. From there, we will start our hiking and climbing along the mountain path. It takes about half an hour to reach Tashi Chöeling Monastery. Tashi Chöling means "Auspicious Land of Dharma", from where you can overlook Pabonka burial platform. Continue up 160 meters from the trail to the east of Tashi Chöling Monastery and go around a ridge, you will see the Ani Quangpa practice site on the opposite mountainside and there's also a nunnery called Dakten Heritage. Dadian means "sign of enlightenment". Dakten is famous for its sacred spring at a high altitude. Here we can take a break and enjoy our own food while overlooking the magnificent panoramic view of Lhasa.

There is still about 2.5 kilometers to Sera Ütse Hermitage. You can choose to ascend to Sera Ütse hermitage. Sera Ütse hermitage means "the peak of Sera". It was once the retreat of Tsongkhapa. Alternatively, you can choose to go down, following a less obvious path that leads directly to Sera Monastery, the most beautiful Tibetan monastery in Lhasa. You can watch Buddhist scriptures debating in the afternoon here.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

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Your tour ends today. Our guide and driver will collect you from your hotel to transfer to Lhasa Airport/Railway Station for your next destination.