8 Days Central Tibet and Lake Namtso Small Group Tour

Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - Lhasa - Lake Namtso - Lhasa

From USD920 p.p

This tour provides an epitome of Tibetan religion and scenery with visiting the homes of Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas, the Yamdrok Lake and Namtso Lake. You will stay in Lhasa to visit the palace of Dalai Lamas - Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Monastery of Drepung and Sera. Then head for the home of Panchen Lamas - Tashilunpo Monastery in Shigatse via Gyantse, you will watch the turquoise Yamdrok Lake, visit Perklor Monastery, and see Tibetan villages and farmland along the way.

After that, You will go to the sacred Namtso Lake, one of the three holy lakes with Yamdrok. You can see the Nyenchen Tanggula Mountain Range, grazing yaks and sheep, and have a far view of the legendary Qinghai-Tibet Railway on the way. You’ll be deeply expressed by the harmonious coexistence between devout religion and amazing scenery on Tibetan plateau during this 8-day tour.

Itinerary Day by Day

Day1 Arrive in Lhasa

When you arrive in Lhasa, your tour guide will hold a board with your name on it at the exit to welcome you. A private car will take you to the reserved hotel. You may view the Yarlung Tsangpo River/Bhamaputra River (the longest and largest river in Tibet) and Lhasa River on their way to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day2 Lhasa Sightseeing: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street (B&D)

Today, you’ll pay a visit to the famous Potala Palace, the world culture heritage. You can explore its audience halls, the jeweled and golden burial chortens (stupa tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

Then tourists will head to the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, built during Songtsen Ganpo's reign by Princess Wencheng of Tang dynasty, 647 A.D. Here you can observe sincere pilgrims making prostration in front of Jokhang Temple. While entering inside the temple, you can see the holiest statue of Buddha. Around the monastery is the famous Barkhor Street, where you can do the kora with pilgrims and locals. And then we’ll go to explore the old market and you may have chance to see the traditional jewelry trading between people from different part of Tibet.

Finally, we’ll taste Tibetan tea with locals in tea house and enjoy a welcome dinner at night.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day3 Lhasa Sightseeing: Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery (B)

Today, you will visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung Monastery, the largest monastery in Tibet, was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. Situated at the foot of Gebeiwoze Mountain, it was once home to more than 10,000 monks. Here you can see the biggest monastery kitchen inside and then pay a visit to the Buddhist Sculpture Carving Workshop near Drepung.

After having lunch, you’ll continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The most interesting thing is to see monks debating in the courtyard at around 3-5 in the afternoon. Besides, you can also see the colorful Rock Painting of Buddha and the three sand Mandalas and then visit the Tibetan religious text printing house.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Optional:
After finishing the sightseeing, if time allows, you may go with tour guide to visit Tibetan Handicraft Art Center or Tibetan Traditional Medicine Center. Besides, you can also choose to upgrade your tour to enjoy Tibetan Culture Show in the evening (fr. 60USD).

Day4 Lhasa - Shigatse via Gyantse (360km, B)

Today, we will drive from Lhasa to Shigatse via Gyantse. On the way, we’ll drive over the Gampala Pass (4,790m) to view Yamdrok Lake and Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar. Besides, you can also appreciate Korola Glacier on the roadside. At Manak Dam Lake, tourists can hang prayer flags at Simila Mountain Pass.

Then we’ll go to the heritage town Gyantse and explore its old street, Pelkor Monastery and Kumbum Stupa. Here you can catch the far view of Gyantse Fortress.

Later, we’ll arrive at Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. And tourists can visit traditional Barley Mill and view the landscape of Barley Field (in summer).

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

Day5 Shigatse - Lhasa (280km, B)

In the morning, we will visit the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilunpo Monastery. It is largest monastery of the Gelug Sect in Rear Tibet, and the main stage where generations of Panchen Lamas carried out religious and political activities. Then we’ll follow Yalong Valley back to Lhasa and drop you off at hotel in Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day6 Lhasa - Namtso Lake (around 350km, B)

In the morning, we’ll drive from Lhasa to Lake Namtso, one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. On the way, you can see Nyenchen Tangula Mountain Range and lots of nomads with yaks and sheep grazing in the flourishing grassland (in summer). In addition, you can also appreciate the view of Sky-Road Railway with snow mountain background. Driving over Lagenla Mountain Pass (5190m), tourists can far view Namtso Lake shinning under the sun.

Then you can take a leisurely trek around Tashi Island and enjoy the stunning sunset of Namtso Lake. Finally, we will head to Damxung and spend the night there (since the accommodation facilities around Namtso Lake were closed by the government in late 2018). The lower altitude at Damxung shall bring you a sound sleep.

Stay overnight in Dumxung.

Day7 Journey back to Lhasa (220km)

After breakfast, we will first visit Chimelong Nunnery (Phyirmil Lung Nunnery). Roam over the peaceful small nunnery and get an idea of different Buddhist studies in Tibet, you may also spot a sky burial site (Tibet funeral site) in the distance.

Then, we can go to Tsurphu Monastery, the seat of the Karmapa branch of the Kagyupa order of Tibetan Buddhism. Here, you can learn more about the ‘Black Hats’, THE Karma Kagyupa school of Tibetan Buddhism. In the summertime (June to September), we can also go for a ‘Linka outing’ (Tibetan-style picnic) in the small village at the foot of the hill of Tsurphu Monastery.

Finally, we will drive back to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Cultural Tips: Tibetan Buddhists believe that the corpse is nothing but a discarded shell, and offering their bodies to vultures is an offering of generosity back to the earth that gave them life. The master of the sky burial ceremony will perform rituals over the body, summon vultures by burning incense and tsampa, and dispose of the body into pieces. Sky burial is a private and sacred matter, it is not recommended to go to sky burial sites or take pictures.

Day8 Depart from Lhasa (B)

The driver will take you to airport or train station.

Service end.

Route Map

Dates & Cost

Class/Price for Per Person Nov. 16 to
Next Mar.14
Mar.15 to
Jun.25
Jun.26 to
Aug.25
Aug.26 to
Oct.15
Oct.16 to
Nov.15
Economic Class  920 US$ 960 US$ 1070 US$ 1000 US$ 960 US$

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Please Note:
The Tibet train ticket is not included in this group tour package. Please feel free to tell us your preferred train route and departure date, we will help you get the Tibet train ticket.

Service Inclusion

  1. Tibet Travel Permit and all other necessary permit to Tibet
  2. Meals listed in itinerary
  3. Entrance fees of all tourist sites listed in the itinerary
  4. Local Tour Transfers according to group size
  5. Local Tibetan English-speaking guide
  6. One shared big Oxygen tank in the car

Service Exclusion

  1. 3 nights' hotel accommodation in Lhasa
  2. Chinese visa
  3. International flight to and out of China
  4. Domestic train/flight out of Tibet.(We offer domestic train/flight ticket booking service, please contact our travel experts for the details.)
  5. Meals not specified the itinerary
  6. Tips and gratitude to tour guide and drive
  7. Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks, optional tour activities, etc.

Book Tibet train ticket together with your Tibet tour package!

All train tickets are not included in our package, which offer you more flexibility to choose your favorite train to Tibet. Just tell us your preferred route to/from Lhasa and the ticket class you want when you enquire the tour.

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