Tibet Tour with Lhasa, Tsedang, Samye, Gyantse, and Shigatse - 8 days

Lhasa is accessible by air from either mainland China or Nepal. There's a direct flight to Lhasa from Kathmandu. You can also enter Tibet via the world's highest train line, the Qinghai-Tibetan Railway. From mainland China, there are direct flights to Lhasa from almost all the major Chinese cities.

Please inform us of your arrival details so that our representative can come to pick you up at the point of your arrival (international airport, railway station, etc.).The Gonggar International Airport lies about an hour's drive from the main city.

A representative of Third Rock Adventures will pick you up from your point of arrival and drop you off at your hotel. He will help you check in and get settled down. Take it easy for the day and take a rest. It's normal to feel slight discomfort (difficulty breathing, nausea, headache, etc.) as Lhasa lies at a high altitude. Drink plenty of warm water and get the required sleep to feel better.

If your breathlessness persists, you can head to the hotel’s oxygen lounge and breathe in supplementary oxygen to make you feel better. You can also contact your guide if you feel the need for expert medical attention. Normally, people feel better after taking supplementary oxygen and drinking ginger and honey tea. Taking Diamox also helps if you feel the symptoms of altitude sickness.

Overnight in Lhasa.

Your sightseeing tour will begin after a hearty breakfast at the hotel. Your Tibetan guide will take you to explore the chief highlights of the city: the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street.

Dominating the skyline of Lhasa, the Potala Palace stands majestically atop the Red Mountain. You need to climb a long staircase (432 steps) to reach the entrance of the grand palace, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lama.

Divided into the White Palace and the Red Palace, the construction of the Potala Palace started during the reign of Emperor Songtsen Gampoand continued till the late seventeenth century. Inside the palace are the former living quarters of the Dalai Lama, chapels, huge mandalas, and the tomb of the former Dalai Lamas. You are given only a limited time to explore the palace because of the rush of tourists. You will exit the palace via the west gate and walk down to the base of the hill. From the staircase, you can enjoy impressive views of Potala Palace.

Once you reach the main road, you will head towards Jokhang Temple. The temple is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built in Tibet. The Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo is said to have built the temple to house the precious Buddhist statues brought by his Chinese and Nepali queens from their home countries. The Jokhang Temple is a sacred pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists, and many devotees can be seen prostrating outside the temple.

Later, you will walk around Barkhor Street, lined with shops, restaurants, and cafes. It is a busy and lively street filled with locals and tourists. You can shop for souvenirs if you wish or enjoy the ambiance of the street while sitting at an open-air cafe.

After the tour, you can return to your hotel, have dinner, and rest for the night.

Overnight in Lhasa.

Continuing your Lhasa tour, you will visit more interesting sites in this ancient city. Today you will be driven to the outskirts of the city to explore two ancient and important Tibetan monasteries: Drepung and Sera monasteries.

The Drepung Monastery lies to the west of Lhasa and is one of the three chief monasteries of the Gelugpa, or Yellow Hat Sect, of Tibetan Buddhism. Built-in the fifteenth century by Jamyang Choje, a disciple of the founder of the Gelugpa Sect, the Drepung Monastery served as the official residence of the Dalai Lama until it was moved to Potala Palace in the seventeenth century. It is the largest Buddhist monastery in Tibet, and at one time, more than ten thousand monks lived and studied here. Now the monastery has about six hundred monks living in its hallowed chambers.

The complex of Drepung Monastery is vast and impossible to explore in a day. So you will visit only the main buildings, the Ganden Palace, where the Dalai Lama resided, and the Assembly Hall, where prayers are held. The Assembly Hall holds an impressive statue of the Future Buddha, which rises to a height of almost three stories. There are also some interesting chapels and shrines that are worth visiting.

Later, you will visit yet another important Buddhist monastery, Sera Monastery. Located toward the north of the city, this ancient monastery is an important learning center for young Buddhist monks. Established in the fifteenth century, the monastery is named after the wild rose bushes that are found close to the monastery. Sera Monastery has three colleges, where novice monks receive higher education in Buddhist logic and philosophy, tantric studies, etc. You can watch the monks debating actively in the monastery's courtyard. The Great Assembly Hall, the Hayagriva Chapel, and the teahouse run by the monks are some of the must-visit sites inside Sera Monastery.

After an insightful tour, return to your hotel, have an early dinner, and take a rest.

Overnight in Lhasa.

After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel and leave Lhasa for Tsedang by road. Tsedang lies towards the south of Tibet and is the region's fourth-largest city. It is located in the Yarlung Valley, which is known as the 'Cradle of Tibetan Civilization'. The views along the drive are amazing, and you can enjoy the beauty of the stark and barren Tibetan landscape as you move towards Tsedang.

On reaching Tsedang, your guide will take you to visit the Yumbu Lakhang Palace. The palace complex is located on the outskirts of the city, about twelve kilometers from the city center. You will get to see antelopes and other monkeys while heading towards the palace. Located on top of the Tashi Ciri Hill, which resembles the hind leg of a deer, the palace can be accessed by climbing a stone staircase. Sitting at the base of the Gangpo Ri mountain, the Yumbu Lakhang Palace was the first building built for Tibetan royalty. Built in the second century, the fortress has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the ages. The palaces served as the royal seat for the earliest Tibetan kings before King Songtsen Gampo moved it to Lhasain the seventh century.

The magnificent citadel of Yumbu Lakhang is surrounded by fertile land as it lies close to the bank of springs and rivers. The first agricultural fields were cultivated in the valley stretching below the area of the palace. One can still see patches of the first cultivated farmlands from the citadel. Tibetan farmers carry the earth from this field to scatter on their own fields in the hope of a good harvest.

The Yumbu Lakhang Palace has a front part and a rear section. There is a three-storied building in front of the palace and a tall tower at the back, Chapels, statues of kings and Buddhist deities, murals, scroll paintings, etc. lie within its walls.

After the sightseeing tour, you will head towards Samye and check into a hotel. In the evening, you can stroll around the streets and get an insight into Tibetan life. After dinner, retire for the night.

Overnight in Samye.

Today, you will get to discover some of the rare treasures of Tibetan Buddhism. After breakfast, you will start your sightseeing tour and head towards Samye Monastery, the first and oldest Buddhist monastery in Tibet. It is believed that this sacred monastery was established by Padmasambhava, or the Second Buddha when he first came to Tibet. The whole complex of the SamyeMonasteryis in the shape of agiant'mandala' or the cosmos.

The main temple with the 'utse’(central shrine) stands as Mount Meru, and the surrounding four smaller temples represent continents. These four temples are further surrounded by eight smaller shrines, which represent sub-continents. The Samye Monastery is very sacred to Tibetan Buddhism, as the sacred Sanskrit manuscripts holding the teachings of Lord Buddha were first translated into Tibetan in this very monastery.

The main temple of Samye, or Wutse Hall, has three stories built in three different styles. The first floor represents the Tibetan style of architecture; the middle floor is Chinese; and the top floor is built in Indian style. The interior of the monastery is decorated with beautiful murals, spacious courtyards, and carved wooden pillars. There are statues of Buddhist deities and scroll paintings.

The Devil House is another building that you should absolutely visit while in Samye Monastery. According to Buddhist legend, the Samye Monastery was built through the joint efforts of humans, demons, and gods. The walls of the Devil House have sections that were supposedly built by demons and humans. The section supposedly built by demons is rough and unsymmetrical, while the section built by humans is detailed and well laid out.

The debating courtyard of the monastery is another interesting site inside the monastery. Here, you can observe monks dating. The Chok Chapel is another important shrine worth a visit in Samye. As per Tibetan Buddhism, when a person dies, his or her soul must pass through the Chok Chapel, or Samye Ukhang, before leaving the human world. Therefore, Tibetan Buddhists believe that one must visit the Samye Monastery at least once in one's lifetime to be able to find one's way to the Chok Chapel after death. It will be difficult to find a way to leave the world of the dead and reincarnate if one's soul cannot find its way to the Samye Ukhang. Inside the chapel are terrifying Buddhist paintings and skeletons.

Later, you will visit the Chimphu Hermitage. The Chimphu Hermitage has the meditation cave of Guru Padmasambhava and a nunnery with meditation huts. The cave where Padmasambhava meditated is known as Tamdin Cave and has the self-risen statue of Guru Padmasambhava. There's a large rock known as Guruta Rock with Padmasambhava's footprint imprinted on it. Out of the many small chapels and shrines, the most important one is Drakmar Kuchung, where Guru Padmasambhava gave his first sermon on the eight meditational deities to his eight disciples.

As the Chimphu Heritage lies on a steep hill, it can only be accessed on foot by following a series of steps and pathways. After a thorough exploration, you will walk down to the car park, board the vehicle, and return to your hotel.

Overnight in Samye.

You have a long ride ahead of you today, so you will start your journey right after breakfast. Leaving the ancient city of Samye, you will head toward Shigatse, the second-most important city in Tibet. On the way, you will stop to explore Gyantse.

Gyantse served as an important trading center in the bygone days. Located in a wide valley fortified by hills, it used to be the capital of the kingdom established by warlords. Gyantse is home toKumbum Stupa and Pelkor Choede Monastery, two of the most renowned sites in Tibetan Buddhism.

The Pelkor Choede Monastery was founded in the fifteenth century by the Prince of Gyantse, who was a devotee of the first Panchen Lama, the second important spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhists after the Dalai Lama. The red-walled Pelkor Choede had fifteen monasteries of three different sects of Buddhism under it. Of the fifteen monasteries, nine belonged to the Gelug orYellow Hat sect, three to the Sakyapa order, and three to the Buton sub-sect.

The most important building inside the Pelkor Choede Monastery's compound is the giant Kumbum Stupa, the biggest stupa in Tibet. The impressive 35-meter-high stupa is divided into nine levels. The nine levels have one hundred and eight cells and seventy-five chapels. In all, there are 100,000 images of Lord Buddha and other Buddhist deities adorning these cells and chapels.

Inside the monastery as well as the stupa, you will find wall paintings, statues, sacred manuscripts, and ancient relics. If you are passionate about Tibetan Buddhism art or history, you will certainly love this tour of the Kumbum Stupa and Pelkor Choede, which have some of the oldest religious paintings, artifacts, and manuscripts found in Tibet.

After visiting the monastery, you can explore the old town on foot, which still has some old Tibetan houses lining the streets. Later, you will continue your journey and drive to Shigatse. Once you reach the city, you will be driven to your hotel, where you can check in and take a rest after a heart dinner.

Overnight in Shigatse.

Shigatse is the second-most important city in Tibet and home to the royal seat of the second-most important spiritual leader of the Tibetans, Panchen Lama. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Shigatse used to be the capital of the Tsang kings.

Following breakfast, your sightseeing tour will start with a visit to the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the official seat of the Panchen Lama. The large complex of the monastery was once home to about four thousand monks. Now the monastery houses less than a thousand monks. Tashilhunpo, being one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug sect, is an important place of learning. The monastery has four colleges and many chapels inside.

The Chapel of the Future Buddha, or Maitreya Temple, has a large, gilded statue of the future Buddha. It is twenty-six meters tall and is covered with around two hundred and seventy-eight kilograms of gold and twenty-three thousand kilograms of copper. The Victory Chapel and the tombs of the various Panchen Lamas are also worth visiting. Before leaving the complex, you can step inside the Main Assembly Hall and the Kelsang Temple to watch the monks chant and pray.

After an insightful exploration, you will head to the local market and shop for souvenirs. Have a heartly lunch at a local restaurant before continuing your journey towards Lhasa.

The road to Lhasa is filled with mesmerizing views of glaciers, snow-covered mountains, and lakes. On your way, you will stop at the Karo La Pass, which lies above 5000 meters, and watch the magnificent Karola Glacier. Your next stop will be the captivating lake of YamdrokTsho, one of the four highest sacred lakes on the Tibetan plateau. The water of the Yamdrok Tsho Lake is crystal clear and turquoise in color and it is surrounded by brown hills. Locals offer photography opportunities with their yaks and giant Tibetan mastiffs.

After taking pictures and enjoying the beauty of the lake, you can continue your journey towards Lhasa. Following the smoothly paved Friendship Highway, you will once again reach the capital city.

Upon reaching Lhasa, you will be dropped off at your hotel. Have a nice dinner and enjoy a restful night.

Overnight in Lhasa.

Today marks the end of your delightful Tibet Tour with Lhasa, Tsedang, Samye, Gyantse, and Shigatse. Our representative will drop you off at the airport to catch your flight to your next destination. If you feel like traveling to more captivating destinations in the Himalayas (Bhutan, Nepal, India), please do let us know. Our travel consultant will help you plan yet another interesting tour.