Lhasa Gyantse Shigatse Mt.Everest Tour

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 1.5 hours to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and takes about 20mins 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, do not move strenuously. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

After rest one night, today you will recover sufficiently to launch your Lhasa city tour, with close contact with Lhasa, which is the political, economic, cultural, communication and tourism center of Tibet with a history over 1300 years.

At first, you will go to the Potala Palace, which is the symbolic place of Lhasa and also the winter palace of the Dalai Lama. It was built by the 33rd great king of Tibet - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century. The gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king are the most worth seeing in Potala Palace.

After lunch, you are going to Jokhang Temple, which was founded at the same time and by the same king as Potala Palace. From outside, you can see many pilgrims making prostrating in front of the temple. From inside, you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at his age of 12.

Barkhor street is the next destination that women love a lot. Because it’s a famous busy walking street where they can go shopping. There are many distinctive shops and stalls that sell different Tibetan stuff, like handicrafts, Thangka, and so on. Except for shopping, tourists can also join the Kora with pilgrims and locals, to explore Tibetan religious culture more deeply.

Optional:

You can go to visit the Tibetan handicraft art or Tibetan Traditional Medicine center if time is enough. You can also watch the Tibetan Culture Show in the evening for USD60 per person at your own expense.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Attraction:
• Potala Palace
• Jokhang Temple
• Barkhor Street

In the morning, you are heading to Drak Yerpa, a place maybe not that famous but with its advantage. It consists of a monastery and several ancient meditation caves. Some arrow holes on the cliffs are believed to prove that the legendary hero Ling Gesar had visited this valley.

In the afternoon, you will pay a visit to Sera Monastery, which is one of the "great three" Gelug monasteries of Tibet. Monks debate from 3pm to 5pm. It's exciting, even if you don't understand what they are talking about at all. If the debate is not your type, you can also see the three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Painting of Buddha inside the monastery. Besides, the sight in the Sera monastery is splendid because you can see roses around. That's why people also call it "the court of wild rose."

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Attraction:
• Drak Yerpa
• Sera Monastery

You will go to Shigatse from Lhasa via Gyantse today.

Firstly, you can have a glimpse of Yamdroktso Lake during the way to Gampala pass (4790m). This is the holy lake surrounded by plenty of snow-capped mountains. And special views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m) ---the highest mountain near Lhasa, comes out later soon.

You will see the Korala Glacier when we pass it on the roadside. After hanging pray flag at Simila Mountain Pass, we will arrive in Gyantse, the third largest city in Tibet after Lhasa and Shigatse. We shall visit Pelkor Monastery with Gyantse Kumbum and then see the Gyantse Fortress from a distance.

It normally takes one and a half hours to drive from Gyantse to Shigatse.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

• Attraction:
• Yamdroktso Lake
• Karola Glacier
• Pelkor Chode Monastery

Before we drive to Lhatse to have lunch, we will visit the famous Tashilunpo Monastery, the home of Panchen Lama.

After passing Tsola Pass (4600m) and Gyatsola Pass (5248m), we will enter the National Nature Reserve of Mt. Everest, from where tourists can enjoy the panorama of the Himalayas at Gawula Pass (5198m).

And then we will go directly to Everest Base Camp (5100m). You can see the amazing sunset of golden Everest peak at the lodging area if the weather is good.

Stay overnight at tent camp in summer (May- Oct.)

Stay overnight at Rongbuk monastery guest house in winter (Nov. - Apr.)

• Attraction:
• Tashilhunpo Monastery

The great sunrise of Everest Peak is far out of your imagination. Enjoy the peaceful and wonderful morning you’ve never had. After that, we will go to the Rongbuk Monastery, which is the highest monastery in the world. Then we may trek to EBC from lodging area. You can have a good look at Mt. Everest from EBC and take clear photos of it. In the end, we will start to return to Shigatse.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

• Attraction:
• Everest Base Camp
• Rongbuk Monastery

We will visit the last attraction of this itinerary today---Yungdrungling Monastery, a typical Buddhist monastery. And then, the driver will take you to your hotel in Lhasa. It costs 6-7 hours because of the speed-limit regulation.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Attraction:
• Yungdrungling Monastery