10 Days Ganden to Samye Trekking Tour

Price from USD 1202 p/p
 
10 Days Ganden to Samye Trekking Tour
Apr - OctBest Time
2-12Group Size
TightTour Pace
5248mMax Altitude
Lhasa / Ganden to Samye Trek / Tsedang / Lhasa
This extraordinary route could take you past herders’ camps, high alpine lakes and Guru Ringpoche hermitage, as well as over 5000m-plus passes. Hire a horse for a wonderful wilderness trek, with just the marmots for company. A thousand year old temple or hilltop fort seems lie around every bend in the road. Head up one and you will feel like you have Tibet all to yourself.
DAY BY DAY SUMMARY
D1: Arrive in Lhasa
D2-3: Lhasa Sightseeing
D4-8: Trek from Ganden to Samye
D9: Samye / Tsedang / Lhasa
D10: Tour Ends
Itinerary Details
Includes & Excludes
Date & Price
Itinerary Details

Day 1 Arrive in Lhasa [3650m]

Arrive at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport, be greeted and offered a white scarf (called Kada) in a Tibet traditional way which brings you good luck. Then drive to the city proper and transfer to your hotel. Stay at the hotel for adapting to the high attitude. It is helpful to take things easy for the first few days, and try to drink some water just and now, be noted the first day’s acclimation is extremely to ensure you a good health status for the following tour, so please make sure you have yourself lie in bed for all the rest time of the day right after check-in of hotel.

Day 2 Lhasa Sightseeing [B]

The first day of sightseeing starts from Lhasa's cardinal landmark-Potala Palace, a structure of massive portions. Its towering image already appearing on various occasions, but your first sight of the Potala will still be an awe-inspiring moment. It takes at least a good 2-hour to visit those rooms, halls and chapels. In the afternoon, we will drop a visit of the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Tibet. Everyday, pilgrims from every corner of Tibet trek a long distance to the temple. The temple is the product of Han, Tibetan and Nepalese architectural techniques. Then we will visit Barkhor, the oldest street in a very traditional city in Tibet.

Potala Palace
Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
Jokhang Temple

Day 3 Lhasa Sightseeing [B]

Morning, you’ll visit Drepung Monastery, once world's largest monastery with about 10,000 monks. Walking up to the hill is a pleasant thing, an easy break from the solemn ambience inside the halls and chapels. At the plat roof of hillside, you can have very good views of the whole Lhasa city and the distant mountains. In the afternoon, you’ll have a chance to witness the famous 'Buddhism Scriptures Debating' session at Sera Monastery. Overnight in Lhasa.

Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery
Sera  Monastery
Sera Monastery

Day 4 Drive to Ganden and Trek to Yama Do (17km, 5.5 hours) [B+L+D]

In the morning we visit the Gandan Monastery and our trek begins from here. The trail gradually ascends for 1.5 hours before reaching a saddle marked by a cairn with views of Kyichu valley to Lhasa. Traversing the west side of the ridge from the saddle, the trail reaches a spur surmounted by a cairn, a spring and then the village of Hepu in 2 hours. 1 hour from Hepu reach Ani Pangong, a small nunnery. The trail climbs steadily for 1 hour through marshy meadows to Yama Do. Camp overnight at Yama Do.

Ganden  Monastery
Ganden Monastery
Kyichu Valley
Kyichu Valley

Day 5 Trek from Yama Do to Tsotup Valley (10km, 4-5 hours) [B+L+D]

In 2 hours past Yama Do we ascend Shug-la pass (5250m). It takes at least 1.5 hours from the basin negotiating boulders and lumpy ground along the final steep climb to the pass. The route continues over the Shug - la pass following the cairned trail descending gradually and reaching the valley in 1.5 hours from the pass. Cross the Tsotup Chu. Nomad herders with their herd of yaks, goat and sheep can be found here. Camp overnight in Tsotup Chu Valley.

Kyichu Valley
Kyichu Valley
View along the way
View along the way

Day 6 Trek from Tsotup Chu Valley to Herder’s Camp (14km, 6-7 hours) [B+L+D]

From the Tsotup Chu Valley, follow a small tributary entering from the south - west. The route follows steeply upwards for 30 mins until you reach a large basin. The terrain is not particularly difficult to reach Chitu - la pass (5100m) which is marked by several cairns. A short steep descent will bring you into a basin with three small lakes. The trail at many points is not clearly marked and goes past several seasonal camping sites before it reaches the valley floor. Stay overnight at the Herder's camp.

Nomad Tent
Nomad Tent
View along the way
View along the way

Day 7 Trek from Herder’s camp to Yamalung (5-6 hours) [B+L+D]

The trail is now wide and easy to follow and goes through forest of shrubs and rhododendrons for 3 hrs. The trail winds through a series of meadows before reaching Gen Do, a place with a ruined stone structure. The forest thins rapidly and we reach the first permanent village of Chantan (4020 m) after leaving Hebu. In 30-40 mins we arrive at the turn off at Yamalung Valley. Yamalung Hermitage is another 1 hour steep climb from the valley floor. Camp overnight in Yamalung.

Yamalung  Valley
Yamalung Valley
View along the  way
View along the way

Day 8 Trek from Yamalung to Samye (4 hours) [B+L+D]

From Yamalung Valley it takes 3.5 - 4 hours to Samye. We go past the villages of Nyango, Wango and Pisha. From Pisha the entire lower valley of Samye and the golden spires of Samye Monastery can be seen. Then drive 40km to Tsetang, the capital of Shannan Prefecture.

Samye  Monastery
Samye Monastery
Samye Monastery
Samye Monastery

Day 9 Samye / Tsedang / Lhasa

In the morning, make a trip in the Yarlung Valley to visit the Yumbulakhang, a medieval-European castle-like structure, reputed as Tibet’s oldest building. It doesn’t take that long to explore Yumblagang, perhaps the best part of the visit is the walk up along the ridge abour the building. There’re fabulous views of the Yarlung Valley. Then have a tour to Trandruk Monastery, where you can see stunning Tangkha of Pearls decorated with a total of 29,026 pearls. Afterwards, drive back to Lhasa and stay overnight there.

Yumbulakhang
Yumbulakhang
Trandruk Monastery
Trandruk Monastery

Day 10 Lhasa airport / train station dropping off [B]

Today, meet your guide in the hotel lobby and take a last memorable look at the holy city before being transported to the airport or train station.

Includes & Excludes
What’s included in this tour package?
Airport or train station pick-up (The free airport pick-up is at 09:30AM, 12:30AM in the morning and 16:30PM in the afternoon; Railway station service is always free.)
Airport or train station see-off (Vehicle leaves at 06:30AM and 08:30AM and 12AM in the morning from hotel; Railway station service is always free.)
Accommodation: 1 room for 2 adults at hotel in city; dorm bed in guesthouse near Ganden/Samye Monastery; tent for the trekking days (3 nights)
Meals: mainly Breakfast. Full board for 4 trekking days. Welcome dinner in Lhasa
English Speaking Local Tibetan Guide.
Vehicle Rental & Driver: Vehicle type will be arranged according to group size.
Travel Permits: All Tibet traveling permits.
Tourist Accident/Casualty Insurance
Entrance fee to all the scenic spots mentioned
Yak and yak man for the trekking
Oxygen/drinking water for the tour
Travel agency’s service fee
What’s excluded in this tour package?
Transportation to and from Tibet
Other services of non-Tibet parts
Meals not specified in the itinerary
Tips for the tour guide and driver
Bank service charge and tax
The single supplement for the tour 580RMB (May) / 680RMB (Sep). 
Date & Price
×

Quotation for 10 Days Trekking from Ganden to Samye Group Tour in 2019.

Departure Date 2 pax 3-4 pax 5-6 pax 7-8 pax 9-10 pax 11-12 pax
30th May 2019 11790CNY
1734USD
10770CNY
1584USD
9275CNY
1364USD
8900CNY
1309USD
8610CNY
1266USD
8170CNY
1202USD
12th Sep 2019 12400CNY
1824USD
11250CNY
1655USD
9650CNY
2419USD
9235CNY
1358USD
8915CNY
1311USD
8465CNY
1245USD

Note: All the quotations above are based on CNY, and the exchange rate of 1USD to 6.80CNY is based upon the prevailing rates in China.

Interested tour options: 10 Days Ganden to Samye Trekking Tour
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Entry city before Tibet Beijing Shanghai Xi'an Chengdu Chongqing Guangzhou Xining Kunming Zhongdian Kathmandu Others
Exit city after Tibet Beijing Shanghai Xi'an Chengdu Chongqing Guangzhou Xining Kunming Zhongdian Kathmandu Others
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Client Feedback

From Mr. Gerard Adrien From Mr. Gerard Adrien
GTT-D-2660, 29-07-2023

Hi Daniel. We are already on our way back to Shanghai. We would like to thank you for the great trip we had. Our guide Jampa and our driver did an excellent job. They are both very recommendable! We enjoyed the trip despite the altitude discomfort we experienced during the first 3 days. Thank you!

From Ms. Elena Maria Valisi From Ms. Elena Maria Valisi
GTT-V-3371, 10-09-2019

I highly recommend this agency. I travelled with other 2 couples who booked through different agencies and they paid a lot more to have less assistance, same hotels/tour/guide/car, less flexibility and no travel insurance included.