9 Days Central Tibet and Namtso Small Group Tour with Tibet Train Experience

Fantastic Tibet travel will start with boarding on Xining-Lhasa trains from Xining Railway Station. Our local guide would sent train ticket and Tibet travel permit to you before train departs. Please be sure to bring all your belongings and Tibet visa to Xining Railway Station one and a half hour ahead.

After checking in, you can find your seat or sleeper easily according to train tickets. And all the train tickets would be checked again before getting out of Lhasa Railway Station. So please keep your train tickets safe!

Today is your first day on Tibet train. Take things easy and acclimate to high altitude gradually.

Stay overnight on the train.

Note:
If you bought ticket for hard or soft sleeper, the train conductor would ask you to exchange it for berth number plate and then change it back to train ticket when reaching Lhasa Railway Station.

Today, you will witness the most beautiful scenery of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The land of snows, vast desert, boundless grassland, snow-capped mountains and stunning lakes will continually appear and strongly attract your heart.

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. 

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. 

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

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 10000 monks. Here you can see the biggest monastery kitchen inside and then pay a visit to the Buddhist Sculpture Carving 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. 

Today, we will drive from Lhasa to Shigatse via Gyantse. On the way, we’ll drive over the Gangbala Pass(4790 m) to view Yamdrok Lake and Mt. Naiqinkangsang. Besides, you can also appreciate Korola Glacier on the roadside. At Manak Dam Lake, tourists can hang pray flag at Simila Mountain Pass.

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

In the morning, we will visit the home of Panchan 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.

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 Tanggula Mountain Range and lots of nomads with yak 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 in 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 (or Yampachen) and spend the night there (since the accommodation facilities were closed by the government in late 2018). The lower altitude at Damxung and Yampachen shall bring you a sound sleep.

Stay overnight in Dumxung

The trip back to Lhasa takes you to visit Chimelong Nunnery (Phyirmil Lung Nunnery) and you may have a far view of a sky burial site nearby.

Then, you will go to visit 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.

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.

The guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you get on board.

Service end.