Great Tibet Tour Logo GREAT TIBET TOUR ®

Chimpuk Hermitage Trekking Tour

Duration:
6 Days
Price:
From USD1168
Difficult Level:
Easy
Season:
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter
Tour Type:
Private Tour
Add to Favorites

Overview

This spiritual journey covers the best of Lhasa and Lhoka, as well as a day hike from Samye Monastery - the first monastery in Tibet, to Chimpuk - a famous meditation retreat. You will have two days for sightseeing in Lhasa including Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, etc. Then you will drive southeast to Lokha, the birthplace of Tibetan civilization. En route, you’ll visit Samye Monastery, or climb up to Mount Haburi to have a panoramic view of Samye, appreciating the unique mandala design of this monastery. ​Samye to Chimpuk is a very popular day hike among travelers, which takes 4 to 5 hours for a distance of 7km. Chipmunk Hermitage is a warren of caves northeast of Samye that was once a meditation retreat for Guru Rinpoche. The best time to visit is from May to November.

DayRouteAttractions & Activities
1 Arrival in Lhasa (3650m) Pick up and transfer to the hotel
2 Lhasa Sightseeing Drepung Monastery, Norbulingka
3 Lhasa City Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
4 Lhasa - Tsetang Trandruk Monastery, Yumbulagang Palace, Chongye
5 Tsedang - Samye Chimpuk Trek - Lhasa Trek from Samye to Chimpuk
6 Lhasa Departure Send off to the airport/train station

Daily Itinerary

Collapse

This is the first day in Tibet. Your guide will greet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport/Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel. It usually takes around 1 hour to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and takes about 20 minutes from Lhasa Railway Station. Tourists could have a look at the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the largest and longest river in Tibet on their way to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest first. And if you feel like going out, you can wander around the city. But just remember that don't take too much stuff, try to go with a light pack. Meanwhile, drink some more water, and do not move strenuously. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

In the morning, we will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama. There are a lot of towering trees, exotic flowers and plants in the garden, as well as many collections of cultural relics, Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, murals, etc. They are all very precious treasures.

In the afternoon, you are heading to Drepung Monastery, which means Monastery of Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, also the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

In the morning our guide will meet you at the hotel and first take you to visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by the 33rd King - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and rebuilt later by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now it's a museum and world heritage site. 

In the afternoon, we will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Heading from Lhasa to Tsetang along the Yarlung Tsang River, we will first visit Trandruk Monastery, one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, which was founded at the same time as the Jokhang Monastery. To build Trandruk Monastery here, Songtsen Gampo had first to take the form of a hawk to overcome a local dragon, a miracle that is commemorated in the monastery’s name.

Then we continue to visit Yumbulagang Palace, with a history of more than 2100 years, the first palace for the Tibetan King Nyatri Tsanpo. The entire building is shaped like a castle, towering high at the mountain cliff. Not far from the Yarlung River Valley, the early Tibetan kings unified Tibet in the 7th century and their massive burial mounds still dominate the area around Chongye.

Stay overnight in Tsetang

Today, we will drive to Samye Monastery from Tsedang along the famous Yarlung Tsang River. Samye Monastery was built in the 8th century AD during the Tubo Dynasty. It was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet.

Chimpuk Hermitage is a famous holy land for spiritual practice. It is located in a ravine, with gurgling streams and dense vegetation, surrounded by mountains on three sides. There is a small monastery built around Guru Rinpoche’s original medication cave halfway up the hill. It is a popular day hike for travelers from Samye to Chimpuk which takes around 4 or 5 hours up, about 7km. After that, we will drive back to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Your tour ends today. Your tour guide and driver will drop you at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Railway Station for your next destination.
Tour Price and Service

From US$1168 p/p

Based on 3-star hotels for 2 people in low seasons. Price varies according to travel season, number of people and level of accommodation.

INCLUSIONS

  • Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
  • All entrance tickets fee for tourist attractions listed in the itinerary;
  • Experienced local English-speaking tour guide;
  • Travel-licensed vehicle according to group size & season as itinerary needed including gas and parking fee;
  • All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel, or guesthouse. Please tell us your preference;
  • Breakfasts provided by hotels;
  • Pick-up & Drop-off service from Airport/railway station;
  • Travel Agency Liability insurance;
  • Government tax;
  • Express delivery fee of Permit (eg. SF. Express);
  • Food & lodgings for guide & driver;
  • Oxygen tank for emergency use;
  • Sleeping bags;
  • Two bottles of mineral water per person per day.

EXCLUSIONS

  • International flight to and out of China;
  • Chinese Visa/China Group Visa; (Note: we could help you by providing the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies for your Chinese Visa or the invitation letter for your China Group Visa)
  • Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa; (We can help you book the domestic flight/train ticket at the BEST price. Please contact us for details.)
  • Meals are not included but we will recommend some good ones for you according to your requirements. Usually, it takes 3-10 USD per person for each meal.
  • While the gratuity for guide and driver is NOT mandatory, it is expected. Based on their service, you can tip them on the last day of the tour. Each of you is suggested to tip them 5-10 USD/day in total;
  • All the commission and tax charged by PayPal, Bank, and government when making payment. (e.g. PayPal --- 4.4%. Wire transfer --- 2%);
  • Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks, optional tour activities, etc.
  • Anything not mentioned in the Inclusions.

Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients

Asked by mich***

pls give me the tour quotation as soon as possible.....

Caroline
Answered by Caroline

In your inquiry, you mentioned that you are interested in our 7-day Chimpuk Hermitage Trekking Tour, which is a private tour. Please check the following itinerary.

For a solo traveler, we usually suggest them join our group tours to keep the cost down.

We have an 8-day Lhasa Gyantse Shigatse Mt. Everest Group Tour, which is the most popular tour package. The itinerary is as below.

What Our Customers Say

Now that our tour is over, I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for all your help in organizing this great experience! We would like to point out that we really liked the driver who picked us up from the train station on our first day! Of course we only interacted with him shortly b ....

Read more testimonials...
INQUIRY ABOUT THE TRIP
Email response within 0.5~24 hours.
You may also like
Lhasa Tsetang Yarlung Valley Tour
Lhasa – Tsetang – Lhasa
FROM USD1040

6 Days Lhasa Tsetang Yarlung Valley Tour

View more
Xining Lhasa Tsetang Shigatse Everest Namtso Train Tour
Xining-Lhasa-Tsetang-Gyantse-Shigatse-Tingri-Shigatse-Namtso-Lhasa
FROM USD2988

16 Days Xining Lhasa Tsetang Shigatse Everest Namtso Train Tour

View more
Lhasa Namtso Tsetang Tour
Lhasa - Namtso - Tsetang - Lhasa
FROM USD1816

9 Days Lhasa Namtso Tsetang Tour

View more
Lhasa Nyingtri Tsetang Tour
Lhasa - Nyingtri - Tsetang - Lhasa
FROM USD1920

9 Days Lhasa Nyingtri Tsetang Tour

View more

Tailor-made your tours within 0.5~24 hours

Want something different and unique? Just let us know! Please send us your ideas about the travel plans, destinations, attractions, your group, hotel class, etc. We specialize in planning your journey based on our first-hand experience, your budget, style, and interest!