This short trip is ideal for those wanting to
see the highlights of Tibet and Lhasa. You fly
or drive across the Himalaya to Lhasa, where you
have plenty of time to visit the main sights in
and around the town including the Potala Palace,
the Norbulingka (the Dalai Lama’s summer palace)
and the Jorkhang Temple which contains Jowo
Shakyamuni, the most holy statue to all Tibetan
Buddhists. You also visit the major monasteries
in the Lhasa Valley including Samye, Drepung and
Sera.
Highlights:
* 3 nights / 4 days in Lhasa with guided
sightseeing tours of cultural and
historical hearts of Lhasa
* Visit to Potala, Sera Monastery, Norbulinka,
Drepung, Jorkhang and Barkhor
Market
* English speaking Local Tibetan Guide
* Comfortable transportation / hotels with
Tibetan character wherever possible
* complete hassle free Chinese (Tibetan) travel
documentation
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Itinerary in Detail
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Day 01 : |
Fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Airplane will land
at Lhasa Gonggar Airport (96km from the main
city). Early morning you are transferred to the
airport to board the plane for the flight over
the Himalaya to Lhasa. If the weather is clear
there are wonderful views of Everest, Nuptse,
Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga and other peaks en
route. On arrival at Gonggar airport (which is
90 km. from Lhasa), you meet your vehicle and
drive east along the broad Yarlung Tsangpo
valley to Tsedang (3400m.). After checking in to
your hotel, you drive south to see the reputed
oldest building in Tibet, the Yumbu Lakhang, a
beautiful castle-like dwelling and monastery,
dramatically perched on a spur looking out over
the fertile valley below. If time permits you
may be able to visit a small monastery close to
Tsedang, or an interesting carpet factory where
you can see the whole process of carpet making. |
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Day 02 : |
This day you visit Potala Palace, Sera
Monastery and Norbulinka. One of the highlights
is the visit to the symbol of Tibet; the Potala
Palace set high on Red Hill, the winter home of
the Dalai Lama until 1959. The most sacred
temple in Lhasa is the Lokhang, where people
come from all over Tibet to visit and pray in
this spiritual heart of the country. It was used
as a military kitchen during the Cultural
Revolution but has now been beautifully
restored, with many priceless thangkas and
statues adorning the chapels, and magnificent
gilded roofs.
In the afternoon visit Sera monastery, which was
created in 1419, has always been an important
Buddhist seminary. As rose are planted
everywhere in the monastery, it is also called
“the court of wild rose”. Today still 200 lamas
live in there. Another great treasure is the
Norbulingka – the old summer palace of the Dalai
Lama. |
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Day 03 : |
This day you are programmed to visit Drepung Monastery, Jorkhang Temple and Barkhor
Street. This day you are programmed to visit
Drepung monastery, one of the great monasteries
of the Gelukpa (yellow hat) sect, just outside
Lhasa. There is time to explore Lhasa on your
own, perhaps visiting the Tibetan Medical
College or the Ramoche temple (one of the oldest
religious buildings in Tibet).
In the evening you visit Jorkhang temple, the
center of the Tibetan Buddhism and the sacred
land of Buddhist followers where innumerable
pilgrims come for worship everyday. The temple,
built in 647, is the earliest wood-and-masonry
structure still existing in Tibet. Surrounding
the Jorkhang Temple is the bustling Barkhor
Market place which is the religious and social
focus of Lhasa. Around the Barkhor there are
numerous stalls selling all sorts of
handicrafts: brightly colored boots and
fur-lined hats, silver and turquoise jewelry,
rosaries, prayer flags and charms, as well as
beautiful Tibetan carpets and all manner of
ordinary household ware. |
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Day 04 : |
Early morning transfer to Gonggar airport and
fly to Kathmandu. The flight from Lhasa to
Kathmandu takes one hour and during your flight,
you can see Yarlung Tsangpo River, Yamdrok Tso
[Lake], Mount Kanchanjungha (8,586m.), Mount
Makalu (8,463m.) and Mount Everest (8,848m.).
But the visibility depends on the weather
condition. Your Tibet Tour ends on your arrival
at Kathmandu Airport.
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