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.
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.
Today, you’ll also visit a Thangka workshop in the city to learn about this traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting, observe the process of making and participate in the ancient art form. You can keep the Thangka painting you create as a personal memento of the experience.
Today, we first drive about 75km from Lhasa and visit Gongkar Chöde Monastery, a major institution of the Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism established in 1464. This monastery is famous for its 15th-century murals painted in the distinctive Khyenri style, which is an important school of Tibetan murals and painting, founded by the artist Khyentse Chenmo. Khyenri paintings are known for its vivid colors, attention to detail, realism, and its innovative use of Chinese landscape elements.
Afterwards, we continue heading west to Gyantse County, and stop by Yamdrok-tso (4,441m) along the way, which is one of Tibet’s three sacred lakes. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with small islands, its turquoise waters are believed to hold spiritual power.
This morning, we first visit the iconic landmark of Gyantse - Palkhor Monastery. The murals of Palkhor Monastery represent the most significant aspect of its cultural heritage, encompassing three principal themes: Sūtrayāna (Exoteric Buddhism), Vajrayāna (Esoteric Buddhism), and depictions of historical figures. The mural paintings of the monastery began in 1418, and the creation process spanned nearly two decades, finally concluding in 1438. This protracted twenty-year endeavor rendered the murals a rare systematic religious art project in Tibetan art history.
Then we drive west to Shigatse. En route, have a tour to Shalu Monastery, which is renowned throughout Tibet for its fusion of Tibetan and Han architectural styles. The monastery's murals represent a masterpiece of Yuan Dynasty Tibetan Buddhist mural art. The themes encompass both exoteric and esoteric traditions. Exoteric subjects primarily feature Tibetan legends and Buddha's previous lives, depicted in grand compositions using a grid-like layout encircling the outer walls of the corridors. These resplendent murals, adorned with gold and vibrant colors, constitute a unique highlight of Shalu Monastery. Among them, the series of Manjushri mandala murals in the Eastern Palace of Infinite Light, personally painted by Abbot Buton Rinchendrub in the 14th century are exceptionally precious.
Today, you’ll visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, the throne of Panchen Lama. Afternoon, drive back to Lhasa along Yarlong Tsangpo River via south path with a slightly different route. So, sit back and enjoy another full day of breathless mountains under an endless Himalayan sky. After you arrive in Lhasa, you will have plenty of time on your own to explore what you have missed last time, free walk on the old town street, try unique Tibetan food & tea, etc.
Today, Lhasa airport or train station dropping off, the time to say your farewells to your guide and driver, end the trip.
Potala Palace
Mt. Everest
Yamdrok Lake
Sera Monastery
Namtso Lake
Mt. Kailash
From Jan, CzechThe trip went exactly as planned and we saw exactly everything that was promised in the program. I chose this travel agency by chance, but it turned out that I could not have chosen a better one for seeing Mount Everest, so I highly recommend it to everyone.
From Vicki, United KingdomOur guide in Lhasa called Phurbur was excellent and answered all our questions on Tibet as well as giving us loads of information and taking us to some cheap local eating places (as we requested) where he ate with us.
