This tour itinerary has been adopted by more and more tourists. It is fabulous. First we fly to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, with sightseeing of Potala palace, Jokhang temple, Sera monastery’s debating and Drepung monastery. Drive over the Tibetan Himalayas by way of the incredible Highway between Lhasa and Kathmandu that connects Nepal with Tibet.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly to Lhasa.
Taking the flight into Tibet upon your arrival. Local guide will meet you and transfer you to Lhasa. On the way, you can enjoy the heart-beating highland view along the Yarlong Tsangpo river (the longest river in Tibet). The rest time is free for relax and more oxygen.
Day 2: Lhasa Sightseeing.
The first day of sightseeing starts from Lhasa's cardinal landmark- Potala Palace, a structure of massive portions. Its towering image already appearing on various occasions, but your first sight of the Potala will still be an awe-inspiring moment. It takes at least a good 2-hour to visit those rooms, halls and chapels. In the afternoon, we will drop a visit of the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Tibet. Everyday, pilgrims from every corner of Tibet trek a long distance to the temple. The temple is the product of Han, Tibetan and Nepalese architectural techniques. Then we will visit Barkhor, the oldest street in a very traditional city in Tibet.
Day 3: Lhasa Sightseeing.
Today's highlights are Norbulingka and Sera monastery. Norbulingka used to be the Summer Palace for the Dalai Lamas where they handled political affairs, and practiced religious activities. The whole park has more than 370 rooms of different sizes, and lawns, shaded by green trees and embrided by various flowers. With the clear water, and the flowers and trees around, it is known as the "park within the park" Sera is one of the greatest Gelugpa monasteries. Around 5km north of central Lhasa, It was founded in 1419 by Jamchen Choje, one of the eight disciples of Tsongkhapa, the founder of Gelugpa Sect, covering an area of 114,964 square meters. The structure is imposing, picturesque in disorder, and splendid in green and gold. It is a typical Tibetan architecture. The 'Buddhism Scriptures Debating' in Sera is very famous.
Day 4: Lhasa - Gyantse.
Today you will drive about 300 km to Gyangtse. Take a look at Yamzhog Yumco Lake on the way and overlook Kalais Kora Glacier. Yamdrok Lake is a coiling, many-armed body of water shaped like a scorpion. It doubles back on itself on the western side, effectively creating a large island within its reaches. For Tibetans, it is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet. And the home of wrathful deities. The lake lies several hundred meters below the road, and in clear weather is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. Far in the distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangtsang (7191m). In the afternoon, you will arrive in Gyangtse and go for the tour of Palkhor Temple, built in the 15th century, is situated in the west of Gyantse Town with mountains enclosing form three sides of the east, west and north. Its uniqueness is that its three sects of Buddhism - Shaja, Ningma and Guolu stayed harmoniously under one roof.
Day 5: Gyantse - Shigatse.
Drive about 90 km to Shigatse which is the second largest city in Tibet. It’s also the home town of Banchen Lama. In the afternoon, you will drop a visit of Tashilumpo monastery. Tashilumpo, sprawls on the slops of Mt. Niser, southwest of Shigatse. It covers an area of about 300,000 square meters. There are many valuable and rare historical articles in the monastery. En route, visit Shalu monastery, which the construction was started in 1027. Its architecture is of typical combination of the Tibetan and Chinese styles with archways, carved pillars, tilled roofs and the Song and Yuan style murals.
Day 6: Shigatse - Shegar.
Today we drive to Shegar and overnight here. En route visit Sakya monastery, which is divided into the south and north two parts. It is of typical Yuan Dynasty style of resembling castles. There are a lot of historical articles in the monastery, among them are found a lot of the imperial certificates, gold signets, crowns, costumes bestowed by the Yuan Dynasty emperors. It has over 10,000 volumes of Tibetan books on astronomy, medicine, calligraphy, and history. So the Sakya monastery enjoys the title "the second Dun Huang Cave".
Day 7: Shegar - Rongbuk Monastery - Mt. Everest.
Although it's just 100 km from Shegar to Base Camp (5200m), it takes about 4 hours since the cracked winding roads demand much caution. But the views are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge sweep of the Himalaya range including peaks over 8000, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu. When you finally get to Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty Everest simply leaves you speechless. All the hardship you bear along the way makes sense at this while. The best moments to watch Mt. Everest's are early morning and late evening when Everest is shining like a goddess in the sun glow.
Day 8: Mt. Everest - Tingri - Zhangmu.
Take about 5 hours on bumpy road to Tingri, then may forward another 5 hours to Zhangmu. Zhangmu town is located in the border with Nepal is a very different place from the other ones you see on the way. All year round it is green with rains most of the time. You will think it is out of Tibet if not mentioning you but you’re behind China Customs, as there are Sherpa people and Nepalese speaking a different language here.
Day 9: Zhangmu - Kathmandu.
Drive to Friendship Bridge at the border, our tour guide will see you off here, and you need cross the border by yourself. And you can take a minibus, taxi or ask us for arranging border transfer for you. Tour ends.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 8 nights accommodation in Lhasa, Shigatse, Shegar and Zhangmu
- All transportation in Tibet between sightseeing places
- An experienced English speaking tour guide
- All entrance fees of sightseeing place mentioned in itinerary
- All necessary travel permits, including TTB and PSB
- Entrance and environmental protection fee in Everest region
Price Excludes:
- All air tickets and train tickets to and from Tibet
- Accommodation & Services of non-Tibet parts
- Private expense like laundry, IDD calls, drinks in the room, etc
- Extra expenses and/of additional days caused due to unexpected events (delays, porterage because of land slides and other natural events).
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
Tibet
Local Culture
Cultural Journey
Hiking & Trekking
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