Tibet Tour

We transfer to the airport and in the afternoon, fly to Lhasa. It is one of the most beautiful flights in the World. First, the flight follows east approaching mountains above 8000m including Everest like Dorje Lakpa, Jugal Himal, Gauri Shankar, Choyu, Lhotse and Makalu. Then after, flying to the north from the left side of the aircraft, we see the Chomolhari (7315m) of Bhutan including the whole of the Kanchenjunga Massif and east face of Chomolungma (Mt. Everest).

Upon arrival at Gonggar airport, we meet our guide and drive 1.25 hrs to Lhasa along the banks of the Brahmaputra river, past yak-skin boats and giant carved Buddhas, through Tibetan villages and then into the Lhasa valley itself for your first glimpse of the golden roofs of the Potala Palace. Evening at leisure for acclimatization or visit local bazaar (market).

 LHASA in Tibetan means 'Place of the Gods'. And ‘Potala Palace’, the residence of the Dalai Lama (the God king), is the earthly representation of the celestial Palace of 'Avalokitesvara', the Buddha of infinite compassion, whose incarnation in the human form is believed to be the Dalai Lama. As Tibet’s political, religious and cultural center, it is a city truly blessed  by the gods, where life is unhurried, its people jovial and yet remaining staunchly independent.

Overnight at your hotel in Lhasa.

After breakfast, we begin our sightseeing with a visit to SERA MONASTERY, founded in 1419 by Sakya Yeshe, a disciple of "Tsongkhapa". Once a community of more than 5000 monks, it was virtually extinguished by the Chinese. The restored monastery sits below the brow of a hill on which Tsongkhapa built a hermitage and spent several years meditating. The “Buddhism Scriptures Debating” in Sera is very famous.

Then, guided sightseeing of the most revered religious structure in Tibet - JOKHANG TEMPLE. Jokhang, the most sacred temple in Tibet, refers to “Buddha’s House” in Tibetan language because the main statue enshrined is said to be made by Buddha Shakyamuni himself in his lifetime. Jokhang Temple is the convergence of Tibet’s Spiritual and secular life, like Mecca for the Muslims, here you can meet all the tribes from Tibetan plateau. The surrounding market is called BARKHOR, one of the most important religious paths, which also assembles people for shopping.

Overnight at your hotel in Lhasa.

After breakfast, guided sightseeing with the Lhasa’s cardinal landmark -- POTALA PALACE. This massive 13-storeyed building used to be the former winter abode for the Dalai Lamas. As the nation’s supreme relic, the palace dates back to 7th century A.D.

Then, we visit DREPUNG MONASTERY said to be the largest monastery in the world housing over 10,000 monks. It was founded in 1416 by a disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the yellow hat Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The second, third and fourth Dalai Lamas lived and were entombed here. Drepung in Tibetan means ‘rice mound’.

Thereafter, we visit THE NORBULINGKA: The ‘Jewel Park’ as it is known in Tibetan, was built in the 18th century and served as the summer Palace of the Dalai Lamas. This colorful garden landscape was the site of picnics and public gatherings. The palaces are richly decorated, creating an atmosphere of peaceful repose.

Overnight at your hotel in Lhasa.

After breakfast, we leave for Gyantse via the Yamdrok Lake. The view of the lake and the snowpeaks afar are marvelous and impressive. Gyantse is a small bustling town steeped in history and a main center for trade with British India and focal point of British Expedition in 1904. In the 15th century, it served as the capital of a small kingdom.

In the afternoon, we visit PELKHOR CHOEDE MONASTERY AND KUMBUM CHORTEN: one of the most unique and magnificent buildings in Tibet. It has 112 chapels and its walls are adorned with religious paintings. Built in the 15th century, it has withstood all battles and revolutions since.

Also, it can be very rewarding to have a look around the fascinating typical Tibetan town or even climb to the top of the fort. Try eating traditional "Momos"- balls of meat encased in dough and "Chung" – a beer made from barley.

Overnight at your hotel in  Gyantse.

After breakfast, we leave for Shigatse, the second large city in Tibet and the capital of Tsang.

We visit to the impressive TASHILHUNPO MONASTERY, founded in 1447 AD and home of Tibet's Panchen Lama, a sprawling complex with a gigantic Maitreya (Future Buddha) statue at 26m tall. Here, various temples contain ornate reliquary chortens. It was founded by the disciple of "Tsongkapa" called Ganden Drup who was later named Dalai Lama and thus starting point of the Dalai Lama Chapter. We also visit Shigatse's outdoor market for some real treasures.

Overnight at your hotel in Shigatse.

After breakfast, we drive to Shegar (New Tingri) and on the way visit SAKYA MONASTERY. It is a "must see" for visitors to Tibet. Sakya, meaning "Grey Soil" in Tibetan since the soil surrounding it is gray; it is the central monastery of Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Its walls were painted in red, white and grey strips, which represent Manjushree, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani respectively. Since the monastery has a colossal collection of highly valuable art pieces, it is deemed as the "Second Dunhuang". The Drum River divides it into the Northern Monastery and the Southern Monastery via Tsola-pass (4500m) and Gyatsola-pass (5220m).

Overnight at your hotel in New Tingri.

We drive to Zhangmu crossing Lalungla Pass (5050m) and Nyalamu Pass (3800m). This drive offers fantastic views of high mountains including Mt. Everest (8848m) as we stop at Old Tingri to take photographs. After crossing the pass, we descend to the Indian plains. We get to see a lot of waterfalls, flowers and pine trees after Nyalam, a small village. In the evening we reach our last stop a small town called Zhangmu (border town).

Overnight at your hotel in Zhangmu.

After breakfast, we drive downhill to Friendship Bridge (Nepal-China border) where you pass customs and transportation awaits for the your journey to Kathmandu.

Overnight at your hotel in Kathmandu.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

* Please send us an enquiry with your details for the price and further information.