Tibet Landscape and Culture trip: Lhasa-Namtso-Shigatse

For those travelers who are looking to take in magnificent scenery while learning about a fascinating culture a long the way, this 7 days landscape and Tibet culture tour is a perfect get away. Monasteries with fantastic works of art, holy lakes, mountain vistas, and hot springs await travelers who embark on this classic Tibet culture and landscape adventure. While travelers are free to customize their itinerary, most trips begin in Lhasa, Tibet to include some time for acclimatization and sightseeing.

Our agency arranges this famous Tibet Landscape and Culture tour program with many years experiences. You are welcome to take it as your own private tour, meanwhile for 2013 tour season, we also organize it as budget tour. Read more about the 7 days budget Tibet culture and landsape tour.

7 days Tibet Trip outline 
Day 1 Arrive in Lhasa. Transfer to downtown and rest well for altitude. Overnight in Lhasa. 
Day 2 Lhasa sightseeing: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & Barkhor Bazaar. Overnight in Lhasa. 
Day 3 Lhasa: Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery. Overnight in Lhasa. 
Day 4 Lhasa-Yangpachen Geothermal-Damxung county-Namtso Lake-Lhasa(500km roundtrip). Overnight in Lhasa. 
Day 5 Lhasa-Lake Yamdrok-Gyantse (Palkhor Monastery & Kumbum Stupa)-Shigatse(350km). Overnight in Shigatse.
Day 6 Shigatse-Lhasa(280km). Visit Tashilhunpo Monastery and local market. Overnight in Lhasa.
Day 7 Departure day. Leave Tibet for your next stop.

7 days Tibet landscape and culture trip detailed arrangements (Private trip) 

Day 1 Arrival by train or air, transfer to Lhasa, check in hotel, rest for acclimatization 
Upon your arrival at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Newwu Train Station, your Tibetan local guide and driver will pick you up with your name sign, and then they will transfer you to Lhasa city safely. Please be not so anxious to walk much around hotel to see this that, but you do need a good rest in your hotel for needed acclimatization, otherwise you maybe under the weather little bit and easy get mountain sickness. Accommodation: 3 stars standard and centrally located hotel (or we can help book a hotel of your choice.)

Day 2 Guided sightseeing tour in Lhasa    
Today what we will visit in Lhasa is the vital Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple with her vicinities. Potala palace is Lhasa's most important landmark and she a wonder of Eastern architecture. Your first site of this massive structure will be a magical moment which will be remembered for your rest life time. It has been a palace since the fifth or sixth century and was once the home to the Dalai Lama. Well another visit we will take is to Jokhang Temple which locoates at Barkhor Bazaar. This temple is the most revered shrine in Tibet and is constantly bustling with devout worshippers. We will also be given the opportunity to shop in Barkor Bazaar, the crowded central market in ancient section of Lhasa where is the residence of many local people.

Day 3 Guided sightseeing tour in Lhasa     
After breakfasts in hotel, we will drive to west Lhasa city section (about 11km) and give a visit to the Drepung Monastery, which was once the world's largest monastery. Housing 10,000 monks, Drepung monastery lies hidden in rocky ridges just beyond the city. Surprisingly much of the building was left untouched throughout so many hundred of years.
In the afternoon, the site we will visit is Sera Monastery, a fifteenth century sprawl of golden roofs and whitewashed walls. This well preserved monastery is located just a few miles North of Lhasa and is home to several hundred monks. Its famous debating activities are happening 3-4pm quite regularly every working day, we will not give it a miss.

Day 4 Lhasa Yangpachen Geothermal-Damxung County-Lake Nam-Tso-Lhasa (500 km roundtrip of close touch to Nature) 
To experience the natural views of Tibet is a dream of many tourists. This one day roundtrip tour will offer you great opportunity to see the real Tibet. You will see the great mountains, huge grasslands, local nomads, sheep, yaks, goats, horses, most importantly, you will feel the pure huge Lake Namtso, which is 4718m high. It is the second-largest saltwater lake in China, the first being Koko Nor (Qinghai-Lake) in Qinghai province. More and more people want to visit this holy lake. In clear weather the water is a miraculous shade of turquoise and there are magnificent views of the nearby mountains. The wide open spaces, dotted with the tents of local drokpas (Nomads) are intoxicating. On the way back to Lhasa, we can stop in Yangpachen Hot spring where we can enjoy the Hot sping service on our own if we want.

Day 5 Lhasa-Lake Yamdrok-Gyantse (Palkhor Monastery & Kumbum Pagoda)-Shigatse(280km)
Today's trip is little bit tight cuz of so much to see. We will pass the two high passes of Khamba La and Kharo La which are over 5000m, and we will bypass the beautiful and snake-like Lake Yamdroktso. We can stop to ride a yak on the back of which we can get pictures of the lake and mountain peaks from a far. When get to Gyantse, We will have a quick lunch and rest little bit, then we will drive to see the Gyangtse Dzong and Pelkhor Choede Monastery & Kumbum Pagoda. The Kumbum is much more than a Stupa, as it is surrounded by numerous Tibet murals and small chapel houses. Even if you are not professional art connoisseur you will still be shocked by these ancient murals and architecture. After the visit in Gyantse we will continue another easy drive about one and half hours to Shigatse city which locates 90 km from northwest Gyangtse. Shigatse is the second Tibet's second largest city where we can have a good rest. On this day, mostly, people, especially those from west do not have any mountain sickness. o/n at hotel.

Day 6 Shigatse sightseeing then back to Lhasa 
After breakfasts around 8 am, we will take a walking visit to famous Tashilunpo Monastery,and Shigatse local free market, It is very interesting to see the differencee between ancient Tibetan culture and the modern one because there are countless amounts of sights, both modern and ancient to see in this city. Today our tour ends with a relaxing and pretty loose drive back to Lhasa, check in hotel and have good rest before leaving Tibet for next destination.

Day 7 leave Tibet for next stop   
Our Tibet guide and driver will transfer you to airport or train station for departure.
*You can begin this trip with Nepal or China.