7 Days Namtso Yamdrok Gyantse Shigatse Tour, Highlight Tibet Tour

7 Days

1-10 days Duration

Lhasa and Around

Destination

1-4/10

Tour Physicality

7 Days Golden Tibet Tour Program Outline
Day 1 Lhasa Arrival, hotel transfer, rest well for acclimatization, O/n comfortable hotel in downtown
Day 2 in Lhasa: Visit Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & Barkhor Bazaar
Day 3 in Lhasa: Drepung and Sera Monastery
Day 4 Lhasa-Yangpachen Geothermal-Damxung county-Namtso-Lake-Lhasa [500 km round-trip]
Day 5 Lhasa-Lake Yamdrok-Gyantse (Palkhor Monastery & Kumbum Stupa)-Shigatse (350 km)
Day 6 Shigatse (Tashilhunpo Monastery & Local free market)-Lhasa (280 km)
Day 7 Leave Lhasa for next stop

Service Included:
1) All necessary Permits: including TTB-Tibet Entry permit;
2) Permits delivery on regular delivery basis (3-5 days permits get to your hotel in China)
3) Accommodation: 5 nights stay in comfortable 3 star standard hotels in Lhasa (well chosen); 1 night in 3 star hotel in Shigatse city;
4) One suitable tour vehicle according to group size (ranging from tour car to van);
5) Meals: All Breakfasts;
6) Local Tibetan English Speaking tour guide;
7) Airport/station pick up (one tour guide will come to pick you up)/or station-hotel transfer;
8) Entrance Fees: All entrance fees listed in the itinerary
9) Government Tax; travel agency liability insurance;
10) China domestic flights and train ticketing (optional per your requests,the price does not include train and airfare);

Service not included:
1) Other services of non-Tibet parts
2) Private expense like laundry, IDD calls, drinks in the room, lunches and dinners, etc.
3) Extra expenses incurred due to unexpected events (flight or train delays or cancellation, personal delay for every sightseeing departure)
4) Tips for the tour guide and driver (US$20 per person is recommended but not compulsory)

Day 1: Arrival by train or air, transfer to Lhasa, check in hotel, rest for acclimatization

Upon your arrival at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Newwu Train Station, your Tibetan local guide and driver will pick you up with your name sign, and then they will transfer you to Lhasa city safely. Please be not so anxious to walk much around hotel to see this that, but you do need a good rest in your hotel for needed acclimatization, otherwise you maybe under the weather little bit and easy get mountain sickness.
Overnight at Tashi Norta Hotel or Shambhala Palace or House of Shambhala Hotel, which is a Tibetan style hotel located in Lhasa city center (Barkhor)

Day 2: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street

Today what we will visit in Lhasa is the vital Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple with her vicinity. Potala palace is Lhasa’s most important landmark and she a wonder of Eastern architecture. Your first site of this massive structure will be a magical moment which will be remembered for your rest life time. It has been a palace since the fifth or sixth century and was once the home to the Dalai Lama. Well another visit we will take is to Jokhang Temple which locates at Barkhor Bazaar. This temple is the most revered shrine in Tibet and is constantly bustling with devout worshipers. We will also be given the opportunity to shop in Barkor Bazaar, the crowded central market in ancient section of Lhasa where is the residence of many local people.
Overnight at Tashi Norta Hotel or Shambhala Palace or House of Shambhala Hotel, which is a Tibetan style hotel located in Lhasa city center (Barkhor)

Day 3: Drepung and Sera Monastery

After breakfasts in hotel, we will drive to west Lhasa city section (about 11km) and give a visit to the Drepung Monastery, which was once the world’s largest monastery. Housing 10,000 monks, Drepung monastery lies hidden in rocky ridges just beyond the city. Surprisingly much of the building was left untouched throughout so many hundreds of years.
In the afternoon, the site we will visit is Sera Monastery, a fifteenth century sprawl of golden roofs and whitewashed walls. This well preserved monastery is located just a few miles North of Lhasa and is home to several hundred monks. Its famous debating activities are happening 3-4pm quite regularly every working day, we will not give it a miss.
Overnight at Tashi Norta Hotel or Shambhala Palace or House of Shambhala Hotel, which is a Tibetan style hotel located in Lhasa city center (Barkhor)

Day 04 Lhasa-Damxung County-Lake Nam-Tso-Lhasa, 500 km round-trip of close touch to Nature

To experience the natural views of Tibet is a dream of many tourists. This one day round-trip tour will offer you great opportunity to see the real Tibet. You will see the great mountains, huge grasslands, local nomads, sheep, yaks, goats, horses, most importantly, you will feel the pure huge Lake-Nam-Tso, which is 4718m high. It is the second-largest saltwater lake in China, the first being Koko Nor (Qinghai-Lake) in Qinghai province. More and more people want to visit this holy lake. In clear weather the water is a miraculous shade of turquoise and there are magnificent views of the nearby mountains. The wide open spaces, dotted with the tents of local drokpas (Nomads) are intoxicating. On the way back to Lhasa, we can stop in Yangpachen Hot spring where we can enjoy the Hot spring service on our own if we want.

Day 5 Lhasa-Lake Yamdrok-Gyantse (Palkhor Monastery & Kumbum Pagoda)-Shigatse,350 km

Today’s trip is little bit tight cuz of so much to see. We will pass the two high passes of Khamba La and Kharo La which are over 5000m, and we will bypass the beautiful and snake-like Lake-Yamdrok Tso. We can stop to ride a yak on the back of which we can get pictures of the lake and mountain peaks from a far. When get to Gyantse, We will have a quick lunch and rest little bit, then we will drive to see the Gyangtse Dzong and Pelkhor Choede Monastery & Kumbum Pagoda. The Kumbum is much more than a Stupa, as it is surrounded by numerous Tibet murals and small chapel houses. Even if you are not professional art connoisseur you will still be shocked by these ancient murals and architecture. After the visit in Gyantse we will continue another easy drive about one and half hours to Shigatse city which locates 90 km from northwest Gyantse. Shigatse is the second Tibet’s second largest city where we can have a good rest. On this day, mostly, people, especially those from west do not have any mountain sickness. o/n at hotel.

Day 6 Shigatse sightseeing then back to Lhasa, 280 km, 5-6 hours

After breakfasts around 8 am, we will take a walking visit to famous Tashilunpo Monastery,and Shigatse local free market, It is very interesting to see the difference between ancient Tibetan culture and the modern one because there are countless amounts of sights, both modern and ancient to see in this city. Today our tour ends with a relaxing and pretty loose drive back to Lhasa, check in hotel and have good rest before leaving Tibet for next destination. Accommodation as above.