You will be greeted by your Tibetan guide 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.
Today is your first day of sightseeing on the high plateau, so we have purposely arranged only to visit Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace. Potala Palace is the worldwide known cardinal landmark of Tibet. The massive structure itself contains a small world within it. Mostly it is renowned as residence of the Dalai Lama lineages (Avalokiteshvara). Jokhang Temple is the most scared shrine in Tibet which was built in 7th century and located at the heart of old town in Lhasa. The circuit around the Jokhang called Barkhor Street is a good place to purchase souvenirs. Both of them are the focal points of pilgrims from entire Tibetan world, multitudinous pilgrims are circumambulating and prostrating in their strong faith. Afterwards stroll on the narrow streets of Lhasa old town to meet local people and visit their markets. 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.
Morning drive up to Kampala pass [4794m], you will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso and spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance, the turquoise colored Lake Yamdrok Tso is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet, the unforgettable vista of pincer-shaped turquoise water of the lake and amazing spectacle of Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar glacier from Karo la pass are the wonders of the day and view the Karo La Glacier near the highway. Then along the Friendship southern Hwy drive to Gyantse, visit the Pelkhor Monastery and the famous stupa - Gyantse Kumbum, one of the most stunning architectural wonders in Tibet. Late afternoon, drive to Shigatse. Overnight in Shigatse.
In the morning, we will visit the largest monastery in west Tibet, the Tashilunpo Monastery, which is also the home of Panchen Lama. Then drive westwards the Friendship way to New Tingri via Gyatso La pass 5248m, which gives you distance view of Himalayan range. When we reach E.B.C (Everest Base Camp), If it is in clear weather, we can have a glimpse of 4 mountains which are 8000m high or more. Overnight in Rongphu Monastery Tent or Guest House.
In the morning, if weather is good, you can opt to wake up early to appreciate the stunning sunrise of Mt. Everest. After breakfast, going to visit the Everest Base Camp. Later, we will drive forward to Gyirong Town. You will pass by Peikutso Lake and enjoy the breathtaking views of the snow-capped Shishapangma [8012m]. Overnight at Gyirong Town.
Today, we see you off from the Gyirong Town to the port. Our guide will assist tourists to clear the China Customs and you will cross the border and check in Nepal side on your own. There are about 130km from Gyirong to Kathmandu city which takes about 9 hours by local jeeps at the Nepalese border. All our services in Tibet end at Chinese border of Gyirong.
Potala Palace
Mt. Everest
Yamdrok Lake
Sera Monastery
Namtso Lake
Mt. Kailash
From Mr. Gerard AdrienHi 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 ValisiI 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.
