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.
Day 01: Fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa.
Day 02: This day you visit Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Bazaar and Norbulinka.
Day 03: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse(350kms, driving about 7 hours)
Day 04: Shigatse - Rongbuk monastery (340kms, driving about 7 hrs)
Day 05: Rongbuk monastery - Shigatse(340kms, driving about 7 hours)
Day 06: Shigatse - Lhasa (280kms, driving about 6 hours)
Day 07: Lhasa - Lake Namtso ( 500kms, driving about 10 hours )
Day 08: Early morning transfer to Gonggar airport and fly to Kathmandu.
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 are wonderful views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga and other peaks en route. On arrival at Gonggar airport (which is 60 km. from Lhasa), you will meet your Tibetan guide and drive to Lhasa. After arrival at your hotel, the rest of the day is free for you to explore the local areas and acclimatize yourself to the air, temperature and high altitude of Lhasa.Stay overnight at hotel.
One of the highlights of this trip 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. Potala Palace is regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural building in the world. You will climb up the palace along the zigzag stone paths with white-and-red walls to the top of the palace where you can not only appreciate the exotic Tibetan-style architecture, but also get a great view of Lhasa’s urban areas, then walk into the inner space of Potala Palace to explore the stately chapels and learn about the history of the palace.
In the afternoon, you visit Jokhang temple, the center of the Tibetan Buddhism and the sacred land of Buddhist followers where innumerable pilgrims come for worship everyday. The temple, built in 647, is the earliest wood-and-masonry structure still existing in Tibet. Surrounding the Jorkhang Temple is the bustling Barkhor Market place which is the religious and social focus of Lhasa. Around the Barkhor there are numerous stalls selling all sorts of handicrafts: brightly colored 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.
Another great treasure is the Norbulingka– the beautiful Norbulingka which used to be the former summer palace of Dalai Lamas in the ancient time, and now is a public park. It is famous for its Potrang, the private palaces of former Dalai lamas with grandiose Tibetan architecture style.Stay overnight at hotel.
In the early morning, drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. On the way, drive over the Gampala pass (4790 m), and you will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso (4400m) .The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and in the distance you can have spectacular views of Holy Mount NyenchenKhangsar, (7191m) the highest mountain near Lhasa .
Later, you will pass and enjoy theKarola Glacier on the roadside. Then, you will arrive in Gyantse, historically Tibet's third largest city (after Lhasa and Shigatse).In Gyantse, you will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery and GyantseKumbum. Its' remarkable feature accommodates the three sects of Tibetan Buddhism in one monastery coexisting in peace with each other. The three sects are: the Sakya, the Kagyu and the Gelug. The full name of the Palcho Monastery is "The Auspicious Wheel Joy Monastery." According to the historical records, this monastery was built in 14th or 15th century. It consists of the Assembly Hall, the 100000-Buddha pagoda, dratsangs and an enclosure wall as its construction units. Also visit the justifiably famous Kumbum monastery with its extraordinary architecture. The Stupa was designed by Newari architects from Nepal and is one the unique stupas in Tibet.After one and a half driving, we arrive in Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet.Stay overnight at hotel.
Today you will traverse along the Friendship Highway amidst picturesque landscape driving past small town of Lhatse and Gyamtso La pass at 5220m. As the route opens into plains, many monasteries and camps of nomadic herders become visible en route to Xegar.
Xegar: About 13,800 ft above sea level, With a population of 3000, its importance lies in the fact that it is the centre of this large and remote country and also a base from where expeditions to Mt. Everest and other peaks are launched.
Then we enter Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve, tourists can enjoy the panorama of Himalaya at GawulaPass (5198m). Afterwards, we drive along the new zigzag road toRongbukmonastery (5200m). You can get closer to gazt at the Mt. Everest peak. The sunset of golden Everest peak if time and weather permits at the lodging area.Stay overnight at Rongbuk monastery guest house.
In the morning, you can appreciate the sunrise of Everest Peak if weather permits at the lodging area and then visit the RongbukMonstery - the unique highest monastery with nuns and monks living together. After that, you will have a long drive back to Shigatse.Stay overnight at hotel.
Morning visit the interesting Tashilunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lamas. This is the monastery founded by GedunDrup in 1447, later recognized as the first Dalai Lama. The main statue of this monastery is Maitreya Buddha, thefuture Buddha. The statue is made of 275 kilograms of gold and measures 26 meters in height. This is one of the few monasteries virtually untouched by the Cultural Revolution and is a fascinating place to explore.Then, you will drive back to Lhasa along the Bramaputra River. Stay overnight at hotel.
Namtso Lake is the highest saltwater lake in the world with an altitude of 4718 meters, also the second largest saltwater lake in China (after the Qinghai Lake). It’s quite common for tourists who are awestruck at the Namtso at the first sight. With the snowy mountains in the background, the crystal-clear dazzling blue water, Namtso is stretching to the horizon. There is no wonder why it was called “Heavenly Lake”. With hundreds of colored prayer flags, attached to the rugged, spiked cliffs facing the lake, Namtso seems more than just a scenic spot. The sound of prayer wheel, fluttered in the strong wind to remind its holiness.Stay overnight at hotel.
The flight from Lhasa to Kathmandu takes one hour and during your flight, you can see YarlungTsangpo River, YamdrokTso [Lake], Mount Kanchanjungha (8,586m.), Mount Makalu (8,463m.) and Mount Everest (8,848m.). But the visibility depends on the weather condition. Your Tibet Tour ends on your arrival at Kathmandu Airport.
Tuba Ozlen , Ahmet Celik , Aynur Tekin , Zati Erbae
29th Jun, 2022
Nepal &Tibet Tour on 30th of August 2010 We are so pleased to be in Nepal and also know you. We think that Nepali people are very kind and calm. There was not any problem during the trip.
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