Tibet Bhutan Highlights 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

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

In the morning, we will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama. There are a lot of towering trees, exotic flowers and plants in the garden, as well as many collections of cultural relics, Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, murals, etc. They are all very precious treasures.

In the afternoon, you are heading to Drepung Monastery, which means Monastery of Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, also the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

From Lhasa to Gyantse is about 264km, en route you will pass by Gambala Mountain Pass (4,790m), where's the best place to overlook the Yamdroktso Lake. Later we will pass and enjoy the Karola Glacier, which looks spectacular from the highway. Then visit the main monastery in Gyantse - Pelkor Chode Monastery, famous for its exquisite architecture and intact murals and statues. Finally head to Shigatse via the fertile Nyangchu Valley, a wide agricultural plain where yaks and horses are used by Tibetan farmers to cultivate this land.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

In the morning, you will visit the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilhunpo Monastery and then drive to Lhatse, a small town located 150 km from Shigatse, and you may have lunch in the local restaurant. After a short rest, you will go ahead to Tingri. You will pass Tsola Pass (4,600m), and Gyatsola Pass (5,248m). In the late afternoon, you enter Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve. You can enjoy the panorama of the Himalayas at Gawula Pass (5,198m). Then you'll drive along the New Zigzag road to Everest Base Camp (5,200m) to stay overnight. If the weather is good, you can have a clear view of the sunset of the Golden Everest Peak.

Stay overnight in Nomad Tent (Dorm Bed) / Guesthouse

You can get up early and enjoy the sunrise of Everest Peak at the lodging area if the weather is good. After sightseeing, we will drive to Gyirong, the border that connects Tibet & Nepal. On the way, tourists can enjoy the breathtaking vista of Mt. Shishapangma and Peikutso Lake. After passing the Ghungtang Lhamo (5,236m), we will arrive in Gyirong in the late afternoon.

Stay overnight at Gyirong Town

Drive to Gyirong Port in the early morning. You are required to walk on your own to cross the border bridge which is about 50m long. Your Nepali driver will greet you on the other side of the bridge and transfer you to Kathmandu. Although the distance between Gyirong Port and Kathmandu is only over 160 kilometers, due to the poor mountain road conditions, it takes 7~9 hours from Gyirong Port to Kathmandu.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

In the morning, your driver will take you from your hotel and send you off to the airport for your flight to Paro. Upon arrival, you will meet your guide and driver at Paro Airport. First, you will see Rinpung Dzong, which is not far away from the airport, about 900 meters. It's the most famous temple in Bhutan and perhaps the best representative of Bhutanese architecture you will see. Then you will visit Ta Dzong, the watchtower of Paro Dzong, now the National Museum.

In the afternoon, you will drive 1.5 hours to the capital of Bhutan - Thimphu, which is 55 kilometers away. The rest of the day is for you to stroll around the city or take a rest in the hotel.

Stay overnight in Thimphu

Meals: Breakfast Dinner

In the morning, you will go to visit Thimphu Valley. There's National Memorial Chorten built to commemorate the King of Bhutan III and a holy place for the people of Bhutan to pray for peace. Afterward, go to the Postal Office of Bhutan and the National Bank of Bhutan. The guide will also take you to visit Bhutan's National Academy of Painting and Folklore Museum, where you can have an intuitive experience of Bhutan's culture and art.

Then, proceed to Trashi Chhoe Dzong, a majestic and grand castle on the west bank of the Wangchu River. This is the office of the current king and the seat of the internal affairs and finance departments. Next, you will pay a visit to Buddha Point, one of the iconic landscapes of Thimphu Valley. Tourists can enjoy the panoramic view of Thimphu Valley here. An ancient prophecy says that once a statue is built in this valley, it will spread peace throughout the world. After that, go north to Takin Zoo, where is exclusively built for Bhutan's national animal - takin. Takin is a kind of animal with a sheep head and cow body. You can only see it in Bhutan.

Stay overnight in Thimphu

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Today, we will leave for Punakha. You'll pass the 3,150-meter Dochula Pass, a famous pass on the way from the capital of Bhutan- Thimphu, to the ancient capital of Bhutan - Phunaka. If the weather is good, you can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Himalayas here. At the same time, you can see the "108 memorial Chortens" located here, also known as Druk Wangyal Chortens. It's to commemorate those who lost their lives in the suppression of the Assamese rebels in southern Bhutan and to pray for world peace. Then you'll visit the Chimi Lhakhang Temple, which is named the fertility temple and is associated with its mythical power to help couples with pregnancy problems. If time permits, you can appreciate the historical Wangdue Phodrang Dzong. Legend has it that when people were choosing the site, they saw four crows flying in four directions, showing auspicious signs of Buddhism spreading far and wide, so they decided to build a temple here.

Stay overnight in Punakha

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

After breakfast, drive to the north of Punakha to visit the Khamsum Yuelley Namgyel Chorten. It is the only pagoda in Bhutan that enshrines all kinds of protector gods, and its various levels are dedicated to different protector gods. This is unique in the world. Then visit Punakha Dzong, the second castle in Bhutan, located at the confluence of the Pho Chhu (father) and Mo Chhu (mother) rivers in the Punakha–Wangdue valley. It was still the seat of the national government until 1950. Punakha Dzong is recognized as the most beautiful Dzong in Bhutan, especially in spring, when the blue-purple jacarandas surrounding the Dzong are in full bloom. Then drive to Paro and check into the hotel to rest.

Stay overnight in Paro.

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Today, you will visit Tiger's Nest (Taktsang Monastery), which is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Bhutan and is known as one of the top ten super temples in the world. Approachable only by hiking, this holy attraction is seated on the cliff’s edge. According to the ancient scriptures, in the 8th century, Guru Rinpoche, the father of Bhutan Buddhism, rode a tigress to the edge of the Taktsang cliff, and once meditated in a cave for three months. Later Guru Rinpoche became the country's paramount religious image. Taktsang is the symbol of Bhutan and the highlight of your Bhutan trip.

In the afternoon, proceed to visit Kyichu Lhakhang, the oldest temple in Bhutan. After visiting today’s attractions, if time permits, the tour guide can also take you to visit an ordinary market in Paro, where you can buy some handicrafts with Bhutanese characteristics.

Stay overnight in Paro

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Meals: Breakfast