Lhasa, the city that lies in the heart of Tibetan plateau, has surrounding mountains that rise to 5800m along with Lhasa River that flows to the south face. The city is rich in cultural relics and renowned heritage sites. You can take Jokhang temple as an example which is a masterpiece and holiest manmade architecture in Tibet. Other great examples include Potala Palace which is Dalai Lama’s former winter residence and monasteries, Norbu Lingkha which is the Dalai Lama’s summer residence and Ramoche temple. Beside these, there are lots of Gelukpa monasteries around Lhasa such as Drepung and Sera.
Get ready to take a tour to one of the world’s highest cities, Lhasa, that has an elevation of about 3600m above sea level.
TRIP DETAILS
Day 01: Arrival
Upon arrival to Kathmandu Airport, our representative will drop you to Hotel. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 02: Flight to Lhasa
Having our breakfast early morning, we catch international flight to Lhasa and upon arriving here, you will be transferred to the Hotel. Lhasa comprises of narrow streets and white washed houses where windows are framed in black trapezoids. The new Lhasa was built around the base of the Potala and is now characterized by straight, broad streets, Chinese style department stores and government houses. Lhasa is a friendly city and you will find Tibetans with smile. Overnight at hotel.
Day 03/04: Lhasa sightseeing tour
These two days, we will have sightseeing at Lhasa. We visit Potala Palace, an architectural wonder with gold roofs high above the town, more than 300 meters above the valley. From here, the valley can be observed from directions all around. The present Potala was built in 1645 – 1693 in the Fifth Dalai Lama’s reign. It was the center of religious and political power of Dalai Lamas. There are more than 1000 rooms which were the living quarters of Dalai Lama and also the magnificent golden tombs when they died. With more than hundreds of chapels and shrines, halls and corridors, thousands of gilded statues, it is the Tibet’s pantheon of Buddhas, Boddisattvas, saints and demons and still remains as a beloved shrine.
We also visit Norbulingkha and Jokhang Monasteries. Norbulingkha is known as the Jewel park containing palaces of 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas while Jokhang is the spiritual center of Tibet and its oldest part dates back to 7th century. We will also observe Drepung & Sera Monastery, Jokhang temple and Barkhor Bazaar. Overnight at hotel.
Day 05: Drive Lhasa to Gyantse
We drive along the Tsangpo River to Gyantse, which was once the Tibet’s most important trade city route, India-Nepal-Lhasa. We will have the pleasure to witness the town dominated by rocky ridge topped by a ruined fortress. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 06: Drive Gyantse to Shigatse
With our short drive to Shigatse, we then visit Tashilunpo Monastery, meaning “Heap of Glory”, which was the seat of Panchen Lamas. The monastery lies at the foot of Dolmari or “Tara’s Mountain” and was founded in 1447 AD by Gendum Drubpa, who was a disciple of Tsongkhapa. The Tashilunpo includes the Jamba Chenmo (Maitreya Hall) that has 86 feet Maitreya Buddha, Kudung (the stupa of 4th Panchen Lama), Tsegchen Dukhang (Great Assembaly Hall), Ngape Dratshang (Tantric College) and Tshenyi Dratshang (the debating college).
We will also observe the 9 storey high thangka walls on the ground. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 07: Drive from Sigatse to Segar
We visit Shegar Chode Monastery, a small Gelugpa institution on the foot of the mountain. If you are able to climb upto the wall, Mount Everest far away can also be seen at a distance. We meet the Sherpa crew here. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 08: Drive from Segar to Zhangmu
Crossing Lalungla Pass (5050m) and Nyalamu pass (3800m), we drive along the hills capturing Mount Everest views. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 09: Drive from Zhangmu to Kathmandu
Early morning, we drive our way back to Kathmandu through the Friendship Bridge. Upon reaching Kathmandu, you will be transferred to your Hotel. Overnight at Hotel.
(Note: The above itinerary is a just a guideline. Our Tibet Agent reserves the right to change the itineraries as required. Itineraries are subject to change to suit the local conditions and other factors. At times the flights may either be delayed or even cancelled for a day or more, mostly because of bad weather. At such condition, we recommend our guests to have one extra day in Kathmandu post trek.)
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