Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa [3658m]
Welcome to Lhasa! Transfer to your hotel and get settled.
Day 2: Lhasa
Visit Drepung, one of the three most famous monasteries in Lhasa. Drepung is located just outside Lhasa on Gambo Utse Mountain. Once home to as many as 10,000 monks, the enormous monastic complex is the site of many prayer halls, dormitories, and temples. Just below the monastery is the Nechung temple, the former home of the state oracle. Afterwards, visit Sera monastery, where you can watch monks debate in the courtyard. If you enjoy hiking, walk the hour-long circumambulation path around the monastery complex. If time allows, you can also visit Ramoche, a small monastery located in the city center. explore the alleys of the Tibetan quarter and visit traditional workshops and handicraft stores.
Day 3: Lhasa
In the morning, visit the Potala Palace, the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. The Potala is 13 stories high and holds countless treasures in its many rooms. Built in 637 AD, the Potala has been home to the Dalai Lama lineage for more than a thousand years. Also visit the Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in all of Tibet. From the rooftop you will see pilgrims from all over Tibet prostrating in front to the Jowo Buddha statue inside the monastery. Afterwards, walk through the Barkhor, a famous shopping street filled with goods and souvenirs from Tibet, Nepal, and India. Spend some time drinking sweet tea in a traditional tea house located on a rooftop overlooking the bustling Barkhor.
Day 4: Lhasa – Mindroling Monastery – Samye monastery [3650m], 190km, 3 hours
Driver over Gangpo Ri Mountain on the way to Samye. Gangpo Ri is known as the birthplace of the Tibetan race, and is highly revered. On the way, visit Mindroling Monastery, which is one of the six major monasteries of Nyingmapa school in Tibet, It was founded by Rigzin Terdak Lingpa in 1676. Mindroling means “Place of Perfect Emancipation”. Afterwards, drive to Samye Monastery, which is widely believed to be the first monastery in Tibet with a history of over 1,200 years. The monastery grounds are laid out in the shape of a mandala and represent an ideal universe as described in Buddhist scriptures. Samye in the Samye . The day will end in the third largest city of Tibet, Tsethang, and on the way you will catch great views of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
Day 5: Samye – Chimphu hermitage hike (walk 2-3 hours one way) – Tsethang
Chimphu Hermitage: this mountain retreat above Samye is revered as the sacred place of Guru Rinpoche’s speech. This is where he taught the Twenty-Five Disciples and where numerous disciples had profound realizations. Today, there are a hundred or more yogis, men and women, living there in retreat. As we hike through Chimphu, there are many occasions to meet with them and make personal offerings. It’s about 3 hours hike one way. The day end at Tsethang, the third largest city of Tibet.
Day 6. Tsethang – Yumbulhakhang Palace – Lhasa Airport 150km, 3 hours
Visit Yumbulakhang Palace, the first palace ever constructed in Tibet. Afterwards, drive to Lhasa Gongga airport. Say goodbye to Tibet!
Itineraries are subject to change without notice.
