Lhasa

Lhasa with its impressive cultural and religious heritage is one of the most mysterious cities in the world. Isolated for so long because of its remoteness and altitude, it is slowly opening up as transportation becomes more accessible. Ancient home to the Dalai Lama, Lhasa is filled with a spiritual energy not found in any other part of the world.

Lhasa, in the Tibet autonomous region, covers 4,600 square miles in area with a population around 400,000. It has an average annual temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and an average annual precipitation of 18 inches. Mineral and stone resources including: copper, iron, silver, granite, marble around Lhasa are abundant. Agriculture is a very important industry in Lhasa with wheat, highland barley, tomatoes, and cucumbers as the main crops. The traditional specialties of Lhasa are carpet, jewelry, highland barley wine, snow-lotus and Zang flowers.

Day 1: On arrival in Lhasa, meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Day 2: Today, meet your local guide at the hotel and start your time in Tibet with a visit to the Jokhang Temple. This temple is one of the main pilgrimage sites for Tibetan Buddhists. Approaching the temple, we will see some of the pilgrims lighting candles and lamps, and others carrying offerings of food into the temple where they go to worship. On your tour through the temple, see its numerous chapels wrapped in colorful banners and the huge golden Buddhist symbols that cap the building. Then walk around the Barkhor Market. At the market, enjoy the stimulating sights, sounds and fragrances of Tibetan commerce. The market is full of herbs, spices, dried fruits and nuts from all over Asia; glittering brass, bronze & copper religious objects; hand-woven piled carpets; yak butter; hand-painted religious scrolls; bright prayer flags; and much more. Finish the day’s tour with a visit to the Drepung Monastery, the largest in all of Tibet.

Day 3: Today, enjoy a tour to the Potala Palace – home to generations of Dalai Lamas. The palace was built in the 17th century by the Dalai Lama and is set on a hill overlooking the city. The palace is an architectural wonder with thousands of colorfully painted rooms, chapels with silk brocade banners, and religious statues. After the palace, visit Norbulingka, the summer palace of Tibet.

Lake Namtso - Optional Extension

Day 4: Free day – Optional Excursion to Lake Namtso

Namtso is the highest saltwater lake in the world at 15,500 feet (almost 3 miles) above sea level and the largest saltwater lake in Tibet. Its purity and solemnness are symbols of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In Tibetan, Namtso means ‘Heavenly Lake’ and its five islands are used as spiritual retreats for pilgrims.

(This extension adds one day to the tour)

Gyangtse

Gyangtse is a hub for Tibetans on pilgrimage treks and has a large monastery in the town center. Gyangtse is a veritable tourist destination in its own right, but the real attraction is its setting in the stunning Tibetan landscape. Once outside of Lhasa, the main attraction is scenery and Gyangtse is set among the most beautiful mountains, lakes, and rivers in the world.

Day 4: After breakfast drive to Gyangtse. On the way, stop to see Yamdrok Yumtso Lake and the Karola pass. As one of the three holy lakes in Tibet, Yamdrok Yumtso is said to be the female Guardian of Buddhism in Tibet. Every year, many devotional followers in Tibet and other places go there for pilgrimage. Karola Pass at 15,700 feet climbs between two lofty mountains, Nozing Khangsa 23,700 ft and Ralung 20,460 ft. After arriving in Gyangtse have a guided tour of the Palkhor Monastery. The rest of the evening is at your leisure.

Shigatse

Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet (pop. ~80,000). The city is popular as a stopover point for travelers going into Nepal but there are some worthy sites in the city as well. Shigatse’s major attraction is the Tashilhunpo Monastery which was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama. Historically the seat of the Panchen Lama, the monastery holds a prominent place in Tibetan history. The other worthy attraction is the Samdrubtse Dzong which was used as a model for the construction of the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

Day 5: Today, drive 56 miles from Gyangtse to Shigatse. Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet after Lhasa and is home to the Panchen Lama. En-route, visit the famous stupa – Gyangtse Kumpum, which some say is the most stunning architectural wonder in Tibet. In the afternoon, visit Tashilumpo Monastery which sprawls on the slopes of Mount Niser, southwest of Shigatse. The monastery grounds cover an area of approximately 7.5 acres. There are many priceless and rare historical articles in the monastery.

Everest Base Camp

Despite its fame, Everest is not one of the most popular travel destinations in China. This is largely due to the long journey across multiple mountain passes necessary to reach its foot. But arriving at Everest and seeing the largest peak in the world is well worth the trek.

Day 6: Today, drive from Shigatse to the Everest base camp. Overnight at base camp.

Day 7: Drive from Everest to Zhangmu and spend the night on the Chinese side of the China/Nepal border.

Kathmandu

From Lonely Planet – “Kathmandu feels like another developing-world city rushing into a modern era of concrete and traffic pollution. The sights, sounds and smells of the city can quickly lead to sensory overload. Whether it be buzzing around the crazy polluted traffic in a taxi, trundling down the narrow winding streets of the old town in a rickshaw, marvelling at Durbar Square or dodging the tiger balm sellers and trekking touts in Thamel, Kathmandu can be an intoxicating, amazing and exhausting place. Take a walk in the backstreets, however, and the capital’s amazing cultural and artistic heritage reveals itself in hidden temples overflowing with marigolds, courtyards full of drying chillis and rice, and tiny hobbit-sized workshops largely unchanged since the Middle Ages.”

Day 8: Cross the China-Nepal border via the Friendship bridge and drive to Kathmandu. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Day 9: Free day in Kathmandu

Day 10: Spend the last day of your trip at your own leisure in Kathmandu.