This
short trip is ideal for those wanting to see
the highlights of Tibet and Lhasa.Tibet Fly
in Fly out You fly or drive across the Himalaya
to Lhasa, where you have plenty of time to
visit the main sights in and around the town
including the Potala Palace, the Norbulingka
(the Dalai Lama’s summer palace) and
the Jorkhang Temple which contains Jowo Shakyamuni,
the most holy statue to all Tibetan Buddhists.
You also visit the major monasteries in the
Lhasa Valley including Samye, Drepung and Sera.
You then drive along the Friendship Highway
to Nepal, one of the most spectacular road
journeys in the world. You visit the towns
and monasteries in both Gyantse and Shigatse
and then have a spectacular drive across the
Tibetan Plateau with great views of Everest
from the north side and Shishmapangma, the
only 8,000m mountain situated totally in Tibet.
Finally you drive through the Himalaya and
down into a spectacular gorge back to Nepal
and Kathmandu. You can also fly back from Lhasa
to Kathmandu.
Outline Itinerary
Day
1
Fly
from Kathmandu to the Gonggar airport of
Lhasa, (90 Kilometers from the main city).
Early morning you are transferred to the
airport to board the plane for the flight
over the Himalaya to Lhasa. If the weather
is clear there is a wonderful view of Everest,
Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga and
other peaks en route. On arrival at Gonggar
airport (which is 90 kilometers from Lhasa),
you meet your vehicle and drive east along
the broad Yarlung Tsangpo valley to Tsedang
(3400m.). After checking in to your hotel,
you drive south to see the reputed oldest
building in Tibet, the Yumbu Lakhang, a
beautiful castle-like dwelling and monastery,
dramatically perched on a spur looking
out over the fertile valley below. If time
permits you may be able to visit a small
monastery close to Tsedang, or an interesting
carpet factory where you can see the whole
process of carpet making. Stay overnight
at hotel.
Day
2
This
day you visit Potala Palace, Norbulinka,
Jorkhang Temple & Barkhor street. One
of the highlights is the visit to the symbol
of Tibet; the Potala Palace set high on
Red Hill, the winter home of the Dalai
Lama until 1959. The most sacred temple
in Lhasa is the Lokhang, where people come
from all over Tibet to visit and pray in
this spiritual heart of the country. It
was used as a military kitchen during the
Cultural Revolution but has now been beautifully
restored, with many priceless thangkas
and statues adorning the chapels, and magnificent
gilded roofs.
Another great treasure is the Norbulingka – the old summer palace of the
Dalai Lama. Now you visit Jorkhang Temple, the center of the Tibetan Buddhism
and the sacred land of Buddhist followers where innumerable pilgrims come for
worship every day. The temple, built in 647, is the earliest wood-and-masonry
structure still existing in Tibet. Surrounding the Jorkhang Temple is the bustling
Barkhor Street which is the religious and social focus of Lhasa. Around the Barkhor
street there are numerous stalls selling all sorts of handicrafts: brightly coloured
boots and fur-lined hats, silver and turquoise jewelry, rosaries, prayer flags
and charms, as well as beautiful Tibetan carpets and all manner of ordinary household
ware. Stay overnight at hotel.
Day
3
Drive to Gyantse via Yamdrok Lake, after
visiting Kumbum & Pelku Chode, continuely
drive to Shigatse. Today is a full day
picturesque drive crossing over a colorful
Yamdrok Lake and Kambala Pass at 4,794
m and Karola Pass at 5,010m. In Gyantse
you spend time visiting the Pelke Chode
Monastery and and the 35m high famous Kumbum
stupa inGyantse packed with exquisite Tibetan
sculpture and paintings, a stunning architectural
wonder in Tibet. As Gyantse just fades
away from your sight, Shigatse becomes
clearer because it's just 1 1/2 hours'
driving (98km).
Shigatse is situated near the junction
of the Ngang and Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra)
rivers, with many traditional low ceiling,
flat roofed, mud brick Tibetan houses,
but quite a lot of ugly modern Chinese
buildings as well. It is home of the Tashilunpo
monastery, traditional seat of the Panchen
Lama, and one of the great centers of Tibetan
Buddhism. Shigatse also has an interesting
bazaar, where various traditional items
can often be found at more or less reasonable
prices. Shigatse has always been an important
trade and administration center and also
has political and religious significance,
once being the seat of the Panchen Lama.
The town is essentially divided into two
parts: the old Tibetan style area in the
city and the concrete, modern Chinese part
of the town. The older streets and alleys
here are very pleasant to wander and there
are a few sights of interest to warrant
a stay of a day or two. You stay overnight
in Shigatse.
Day
4
You
drive from Shigatse to Rongbuk via Lhatse
and Tingri. Leaving Shigatse you climb steadily
to the top of a 4050m. pass, then follow
valleys containing a few small villages before
climbing to the Tsuo La (4500m.). From here
the road drops steeply down towards Lhatse
where the main road from western Tibet comes
in. Another climb through virtually unpopulated
high altitude moorland brings you to the
summit of the Gyatso La (5220m.), the watershed
between Tibet and the Indian sub-continent.
After a long descent you arrive at Xegar
or New Tingi. Scenically this is one of the
most spectacular days of the trip. Leaving
New Tingri you head towards Rongbuk. You
stay overnight in Rongbuk Monastery.
Day
5
Excursion
to Everest Base Camp by local carriage and
return to Rongbuk, same day drive back to
Shigatse. It requires two hours trek from
The Rongbuk Monastery to reach the base of
the highest peak on earth The North Face
of Mount Everest (8848m.) or Mount Quomolangma
in Tibetan. Explore the base camp and The
Ronghu Glacier. But the views are stupendous
on a clear day, and as it exhibits the feature
of a huge sweep of the Himalaya range including
peaks over 8000, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest,
Gyachung and Cho Oyu. When you finally get
to Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty
Everest simply leaves you speechless. All
the hardship you bear along the way makes
sense at this while. You return to Rongbuk
Monastery and drive back to Shigatse. You
stay overnight in Shigatse.
Day
6
Visit
Tashilunbo Monastery and drive back to Lhasa
via northern road. Unlike most religious
buildings in Tibet, the Tashilunbo monastery
was largely untouched during the Cultural
Revolution, and contains numerous impressive
chapels and prayer halls. You would be amazed
to see the giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha
that contains 280 kg. of gold. The Tashilhunpo
Monastery does justice to the term monastic
city. It was founded in 1447 by Tsong Khapa's
nephew and disciple, Gendundrub, who was
the first Dalai Lama. Under the fourth Panchen
Lama, it was substantially enlarged and became
an important cultural and religious site.
The main chapel contains a huge, 26 meter-high
statute of the future Buddha. The monastery
is grandly decorated with arts, ancient scriptures
and scroll paintings. After your visit to
Tashiulunbo Monastery you drive back to Lhasa
via northern road. You stay overnight in
Lhasa.
Day
7
This
is full day excursion to Namtso Lake, so
called the “Sky Lake”. On the
same day you drive back to Lhasa and visit
Yangpacheng Hot Spring en route. Namtso Lake,
so called the “Sky Lake”, is
like a crystal gem inlaid on the vast Qiangtang
Plain. The Nyaiqen Tanglha, mountain range
with peaks over 7000m, towers over the lake
to the south. Thawed snow from this range
makes the body of the lake, so the water
is a miraculous shade of turquoise blue,
and there are magnificent views of the nearby
mountains. The wild open spaces are intoxicating
and dotted with the tents of local nomad
herders. Now you drive back to Lhasa but
can’t ignore to visit Yangpacheng
Hot Spring en route. You stay overnight
in Lhasa.
Day
8
You
are transferred to Gonggar airport and
fly to Kathmandu. Your tour ends! The flight
will give you an eyeful view of mountains
such as Mt Kanchenjunga (8586m.), Mt. Everest
(8848m.), Mt. Makalu (8463m.) and others.
This
short trip is ideal for those wanting to see
the highlights of Tibet and Lhasa.Tibet Fly
in Fly out You fly or drive across the Himalaya
to Lhasa, where you have plenty of time to
visit the main sights in and around the town
including the Potala Palace, the Norbulingka
(the Dalai Lama’s summer palace) and
the Jorkhang Temple which contains Jowo Shakyamuni,
the most holy statue to all Tibetan Buddhists.
You also visit the major monasteries in the
Lhasa Valley including Samye, Drepung and Sera.
You then drive along the Friendship Highway
to Nepal, one of the most spectacular road
journeys in the world. You visit the towns
and monasteries in both Gyantse and Shigatse
and then have a spectacular drive across the
Tibetan Plateau with great views of Everest
from the north side and Shishmapangma, the
only 8,000m mountain situated totally in Tibet.
Finally you drive through the Himalaya and
down into a spectacular gorge back to Nepal
and Kathmandu. You can also fly back from Lhasa
to Kathmandu.
