Eight Day Tibet Tour
Guided, Private Tours For Individuals Or Groups
Affordable, Customized Travel
Barkhor Square, Looking Towards the Jokhang Temple |
The Best Way To See Tibet Is Your Way!
Private, Customized, Guided Tour
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Tibet, Roof Of The World, Welcomes You! |
Tibet has so much to offer travelers. From its iconic Lhasa sites, to its majestic mountains, Tibet is considered a dream trip by most of the travelers who visit here. So much so, that repeat visitors are common. If this is your first trip to Tibet, or if you are a seasoned Tibet visitor, we want your time in Tibet to be a trip of a lifetime! |
The first three days in Tibet are usually spent in Lhasa and the surrounding area. This gives you the opportunity to see Tibet's most iconic sites, and also provides you with the necessary time to acclimate to the high altitude. Below, we have provided a suggested itinerary for the most requested tour options in and around Lhasa. If you wish to tailor-make your own tour, we have listed some alternate choices in the Lhasa area. Most alternative choices will not change the price of your tour. A few have a nominal price increase. Contact us to design your own tour.
A suggested tour itinerary for Day 4 to Day 8 is given below. It is our belief that a Tibet tour should follow your own interests. There are many good guide books about Tibet. We suggest you look at one or two to help you plan your tour with us. One book that we really like is Lonely Planet, Tibet.
If you are able to stay in Tibet for a longer time, we can help you plan other itineraries that meet your needs.
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Day 1: Arrival, transfer to hotel, afternoon rest, dinner
Day 2: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Day 3: Norbulingka or Drepung Monastery, Tibetan Museum, Sera Monastery, Tibetan Culture Show
Day 4: Lhasa to Shigatse (270km): Scenic drive along Yarlung Tsangpo River, Tashilhunpo Monastery
Day 5: Shigatse to Gyantse (90km): Drive through Tibetan farm villages, Pelkor Chöde Monastery
Day 6: Gyantse to Tsetang (320km): Kharola Pass, Mt. Nyanchen Kangsang, Yamdrok Lake, Kambala Pass
Day 7: Tsetang to Samye (55km): Samye Monastery, drive to Yambulakang and Trandruk Monastery
Day 8: Transfer to airport or train station
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Services Included in Tour:
- Toyota Land Cruiser, bus or van, depending on your group size
- All travel permits
- Hotel accommodations, with breakfast (3-star when possible)
- Private, English-speaking local Tibetan tour guide
- Experienced driver
- All entrance fees for monasteries and temples
- Airport or train station pick-up, drop-off
- Tibetan Cultural Show, with dinner
- Bottled mineral water
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Services Not Included in Tour:
- Lunch, dinner (At a reasonable, additional cost, a full meal plan can be added.)
- Personal insurance
- Personal expenses
Also not included are the tips for the tour guide and the driver. We recommend that you tip each of them $5 USD per day.
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Itinerary:
On this eight day tour you will visit many of Tibet's best-known iconic and scenic sites. |
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Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport or train station and transfer you to your hotel in Lhasa's city center. If you arrive by air, you will have the opportunity to see the countryside on the way to Lhasa. If you should arrive by train, your guide and driver will take you on a short driving tour of Lhasa. Your guide will help you check into your Barkhor area hotel in the old city center.
Because Lhasa is 12,000 feet above sea level, it is necessary for you to acclimate to the high altitude. You should avoid excess physical activity for the rest of the day to prevent altitude sickness. We strongly recommend that you plan on a minimum of two hours resting upon arrival at your hotel. Also be sure to drink plenty of water. Late in the afternoon, your guide will contact you. A short, leisurely walk in the Barkhor area of your hotel, followed by dinner, will end your first day in Lhasa. |
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After breakfast at your hotel, we will visit the extraordinary Potala Palace. Built in the 17th century, on top of the original 7th century palace of King Songtsen Gampo, the Potala Palace dominates the skyline. Now listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this massive structure contains a small world within its walls. Once the winter home of the Dalai Lamas; the Palace contains the jeweled stupas of eight previous Dalai Lamas, grand halls, and important chapels. You will have the opportunity to view a priceless collection of sculptures, thangkas, murals, mandalas, and other valuable cultural relics. At one time, the tallest building in the world, the Potala Palace offers commanding views of Lhasa and the surrounding mountains. |
After lunch we will visit the Barkhor and the Jokhang Temple. This area is both the spiritual heart of Lhasa as well as the main commercial district for Tibetans. The Jokhang Temple was built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo and is the most sacred religious structure in Tibet. The oldest wood and masonry structure still in existence in Tibet; the Jokhang Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pilgrims from all over Tibet travel here to worship. After visiting the temple, we will explore the back-streets of the Barkhor, the area surrounding the temple. Our direction will be clockwise, and we will follow the middle circumambulation of the pilgrimage circuit. The circuit is also a busy Tibetan market, and we will have an opportunity to mingle with the traditionally dressed pilgrims, and see the typical daily life of the average Tibetan. Later, we will have dinner in a restaurant of your choosing. |
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Today is yours to decide. Perhaps you would like to spend the morning visiting the Norbulingka, the summer home of the Dali Lamas. You might also want to consider the new Tibetan History Museum or any one of the other choices we have listed below. After lunch, a drive out to Sera Monastery to see the monks debating is a possibility. While battling with words, the monks clap their hands, move their prayer beads from hand to hand, and push their partners to win their points; all of which is done with good nature. Watch their hands carefully; all motions have meaning.
An interesting side trip are the caves found at Drak Yerpa. King Songtsen Gampo chose this holy place for his own meditation cave. Many high lamas, including the 5th Dali Lama, have meditated here. This peaceful place offers lovely views of the surrounding area.
Dinner and after dinner activities are your choice. The Tibetan dinner and culture show is included in the price of the tour. |
Alternate Lhasa Area Tour Choices |
All of our itineraries are suggested. We have designed our itineraries based on the requests from our previous travelers. If there are other places in Lhasa, or in the area around Lhasa, that you wish to visit, please let us know. We will design a customized tour for you, based on your interests. We have listed several popular alternate choices below. Most will not change the price of your tour. A few have a nominal price increase. Contact us to design your own tour. |
- Drak Yerpa Caves
- Ganden Monastery
- Visit a farm family's home
- Yamdrok Lake and picnic
- Samye Monastery
- Drepung Monastery
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- Ramoche Temple
- Ani Sangkhung Nunnery
- Thangka Art Culture Show
- Tibetan blind massage
- Pabonka Monastery
- Your suggestions
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Suggested Itinerary For Tour Day 4 To Day 8 |
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After breakfast at your Lhasa hotel, we head towards Shigatse, 270 kilometers away. Our drive takes us along the serene Yarlung Tsangpo River. Rich with Tibetan history, there is much to see at every turn. We will stop along the way so that you can take photographs. Shigatse is Tibet's second largest town and where we will stop to see the magnificent Tashilhunpo Monastery, home to the Panchen Lamas. We will wander the busy cobblestone lanes twisting around the ancient buildings, mingle with the pilgrims, visit the temples, or perhaps walk the kora. Tashilhunpo is the largest functioning monastery in Tibet, and a fascinating place to visit. After visiting the monastery, you will check into your Shigatse hotel and have dinner in town. After dinner we will have a chance to explore a little of the town. |
After breakfast at your Shigatse hotel, we head to Gyantse, 90 kilometers away. Our drive today takes us through traditional Tibetan farm villages and we stop along the way to visit a farm and the family who lives there. Our destination in Gyantse is the Pelkor Chöde Monastery and its famed Gyantse Kumbum, the largest chörten in Tibet. Both are must-sees on most travelers' lists. The Kumbum, a magnificent white tiered structure, contains an almost endless series of chapels filled with exquisite paintings. If we have the time, the Gyantse Dzong (fort), which dominates the town's skyline, is definitely worth a visit. We end our day with a dinner in town, and spend the night in a Gyantse hotel. |
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After breakfast at our Gyantse hotel, we head towards Tsetang, 320 kilometers away. Although the drive is long, it is filled with much to see. Perhaps we will see pilgrims prostrating on their way to Lhasa, or nomads and their grazing yak. We will cross Kharola Pass, and stop to gaze at the glacier on the holy mountain, Nyanchen Kangsang. Our next destination is Yamdrok Lake and the Kambala Pass. The view of this dazzling lake from the summit of the pass is amazing. Yamdrok Lake's deep turquoise waters are like nothing you have seen before. We will end our day in Tsetang. After checking into our hotel, we will have dinner in town. |
After breakfast in our Tsetang hotel, we head to Samye, and Samye Monastery, Tibet's first monastery and the place where Buddhism was established. We drive through the Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley, the cradle of Tibetan civilization. Surrounded by barren mountains and sand dunes, the monastery has a magical quality about it. Wander the grounds, poke your head in doorways and courtyards; taking your time reveals many unexpected moments. After lunch here, we drive to Yambulagang, Tibet's oldest building. Perched on a ridge, we climb to the top for a wonderful view of the valley. Our final stop is Trandruk Monastery, one of the oldest in Tibet. We will spend our last night in Tibet in Tsetang. |
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Today is your last day in Tibet. After breakfast, we will drive you to the train station or the airport and say good-bye. It is our fondest hope that your time in Tibet was magical, and that we will see you in the future. |
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