Upon your arrival at the Lhasa airport, your tour guide will greet you and escort you to your hotel and help you get checked in. You will have the rest of the day and evening to rest and relax to become acclimatized to the higher altitude of Tibet.

Meals: No meals, advice freely available

Accommodation: Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)

After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the incredible Potala Palace – the highest palace in the world. As we climb to the entrance gate, you will have a spectacular view over all of Lhasa. After exploring the numerous interesting chapels and learning about the traditional culture and history of the palace and the city, we will move on to the spiritually significant Jokhang Temple, one of the most important temples in Tibetan Buddhism. To see the “real” Lhasa, we’ll stroll through Barkhor Street with its thriving local market where you can pick up some local Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian handicrafts and souvenirs.

Meals: Breakfast Provided by the hotel

Accommodation: Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)

Today features visits to 2 of the most important monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism – the Drepung and Sera Monasteries. Drepung Monastery is located on the hillside west of Lhasa – at one time the world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks living there. A pleasant walk up the hill leads to the solemn ambience inside the monastery’s many halls and chapels.

After Drepung, we will move on to the Sera Monastery. The main highlight of the Sera Monastery is watching the crowd of monks debating inside the shady courtyard behind the main temple. Every day except Sunday, hundreds of red-robed monks assemble in small groups and practice their debating skills – a very impressive sight to behold, as the monks are very animated in their debates about the various attributes of Buddhist scriptures.

Meals: Breakfast Provided by the hotel

Accommodation: Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)

This morning we’ll take a drive up to the Kampala Pass (elevation 4797 meters) where you’ll have a glimpse of Yamdrok Lake down below as well as spectacular views of the holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance. You will want to have your camera at the ready for the turquoise waters of Yamdrok Lake, which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet, and the beautiful Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar glacier as seen from the Karola Pass. Later on we’ll be able to visit the Karola Glacier before continuing along the southern Friendship Highway to Gyantse, where you will be able to see the famous Gyantse Kumbum, one of the most stunning architectural wonders in Tibet. Late in the afternoon we will continue on to Shigatse where we will spend the night.

Meals: Breakfast Provided by the hotel

Accommodation:Shigatse Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)

We will get an early start today to visit the Tashilunpo Monastery, which was founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama. After visiting this ancient monastery, one of the most important sites in Tibetan Buddhism, we will head back to Lhasa in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast Provided by the hotel

Accommodation:Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)

With this option, in the morning we will have a beautiful drive from Lhasa to Lake Namtso, one of the four holy lakes of Tibet. Along the way we will see the spectacular Nyenchen Thanglha mountain range with its scenic snow-capped mountain peaks. We will also see numerous tents of nomads who live on the mountainsides with their grazing yak and sheep. Namtso Lake is known as the Heavenly Lake, and it is the highest altitude salt lake in the world. We will have time this afternoon for some relaxing trekking along the lakeshore and to explore Tashi Island. We will spend the night at the lake with the opportunity for some fantastic stargazing if the skies are clear (they usually are).

Meals: Breakfast Provided by the hotel

Accommodation:Local Guest House (Dorm bed, humble facility)

This morning we can spend some time on the lakeshore with additional time to explore Tashi Dor Island to explore its meditation caves if we didn’t get there the night before. We will drive on to Dumxung to enjoy a nice lunch before driving on to Tsurphu Monastery. Tsurphu Monastery lies to the northwest of Lhasa to Tolung Deqen, and the altitude reaches to 4,300 meter. The complex covers an area of about 300 square meters and walls reach to 4 meters thick. Being originally built in 1189, Tsurphu Monastery has a history of over 800 years. The Reincarnation System of Living Buddha was born there and spread to other sects. Afterward we will drve on to Lhasa where you can have some free time to enjoy your last night in Tibet.

Meals: No meals

Accommodation:Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)

Today you will have free time until your tour guide escorts you to the Lhasa train station or airport for your departing train or flight from Lhasa. This will end your tour services in Tibet.

Meals:Breakfast Provided by the Hotel