You will be picked up by our Tibetan guide with your name sign once you arrive in Lhasa Gonggar airport or train station. From airport to Lhasa city is 68km, around one hour and half drive will take you to the holy city Lhasa; from the train station it is only 15km and takes 20 minutes by drive. Afternoon, have a good rest to acclimatize the high altitude. Overnight in Lhasa.
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. Overnight in Lhasa.
About 8km west of central Lhasa is the Drepung Monastery, once world's largest monastery with about 10,000 monks. This day's sightseeing begins with these white monastic buildings piled up on the hillside. 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. Drepung is one of Lhasa's two great Gelugpa monasteries, the other is Sera Monastery. Around 5km north of central Lhasa, Sera may not be as grandiose as Drepung, but is more serene surrounded by many small temples. The 'Buddhism Scriptures Debating' in Sera is very famous. Overnight in Lhasa.
Today, ride from Lhasa city to Ganden Monastery, which takes about 4 hours. About 53km east of Lhasa, Ganden is cradled in a natural amphitheater high above the Kyi Chu, or Lhasa River. The monastery is one of three great Gelukpa religious centers in the Lhasa area. The Kora (circuit walking) around Ganden shouldn’t be missed too. Overnight at local guesthouse near Ganden.
In the morning, you’ll cycle back to Lhasa with the same road, and free time at your own disposal for the rest of the day after you arrive at Lhasa city in the early afternoon. You are free to wander around Lhasa old downtown yourself. Overnight in Lhasa.
Today, Lhasa airport or train station dropping off, the time to say your farewells to your guide and driver, end the trip.
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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!
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.