DISCOVER TIBET

Day 1 : Arrival Lhasa 

After arrival at Lhasa Airport, you will be greeted by a guide and transferred to the hotel.

This tour of Tibet will focus on the Buddhist and spiritual aspects of the area. The Jokhang Monastery is in the hub of Tibet and it houses its most precious object, the original gold statue of Sakyamuni. Potala Palace, the world’s highest and largest castle palace. This iconic landmark of Lhasa can be seen from miles around. We also visit Yamdrok Lake, a place where pilgrims wash away their sins. We then absorb the beauty of a glacier on our travels to Pelkor Chode Monastery.

In Tibet’s second city of Shigatse, we explore Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most important spiritual leader. This site houses the huge golden statue of the Future Buddha, the largest gilded statue in the world.

Overnight is in Lhasa Thangka Hotel 4*.

Day 2 : Lhasa  (B / L / -)

Prepare for a pilgrimage experience on today’s spirituality themed tour.

Our first call is to the centre of the old town, the Jokhang Monastery, a structure that dates back to the 7th century. This four-storey building combines a combination of Han, Tibetan, Indian and Nepalese architectural styles. Jokhang is the spiritual hub of Tibet as its innermost shrine contains the oldest, most precious object in Tibet – the original gold statue of Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha which Princess Wen Cheng brought from Chang'an 1,300 years ago.

Next, we visit Barkhor Bazaar, Lhasa's pilgrimage circuit, a quadrangle of streets that surrounds the Jokhang Monastery and some of the old buildings adjoining it. Later, we visit Sera Monastery, one of the ‘big three’ in Lhasa. This was built by one of the disciples of the Zonggaba Buddhism sect in 1419. Sera Monastery is famous for its Buddhism scripture debates. Monks can be seen preparing for monastic exams by staging mock debate rituals.

Lunch is at a local restaurant and we transfer back to the hotel and overnight in Lhasa.

Overnight is in Lhasa Thangka Hotel 4*.

Day 3 : Lhasa  (B / L / -)

Prominent palaces are in abundance on today’s fascinating itinerary.

We start at the UNESCO listed Potala Palace, an iconic structure built in the 7th century that assumed its present form and scale in 1936 when the eighth Dalai Lama’s (1870 1933) stupatomb was completed. Its 13-storey main portion rises 117 metres, making it the world’s highest and largest castle. This building is Lhasa’s main landmark and it can be seen from miles in the distance. It consists of the White and Red palaces with over 1,000 rooms. The seven-storey White Palaces were for secular use and the Red Palace’s function was religious.

Next, we head to the Norbulingka Palace, which means jewel park. This has been the Dalai Lama's summer palace since the time of the 7th Dalai Lama.

We then transfer back to hotel, with overnight in Lhasa.

Overnight is in Lhasa Thangka Hotel 4*.

Day 4 : Lhasa - Gyantse- Shigatse  (B / L / -)

A holy adventure in the mountains awaits us on today’s inspirational adventure.

We visit Yamdrok Lake, one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet. Buddhists circumambulate the holy lakes to wash away their sins and earn merit. Yamdrok is 72 km long and it takes around a week to walk around it. The drive includes a beautiful view of Karola Pass and its glacier perched only 300 metres from the highway.

We then explore Pelkor Chode Monastery, a structure that represents a Tibetan Buddhism architectural style dating from the 13th to 15th centuries and it includes the spectacular Kumbum stupa, with hundreds of chapels in layers, housing about 100,000 Buddhist images.

We then transfer to the hotel for overnight in Shigatse.

Overnight in Shigatse Tashinorta Hotel 4*.

Day 5 : Shigatse - Lhasa  (B / L / -)

Experience a temple that is the most popular attraction in Shigatse.

We explore Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most important spiritual leader in Tibet. It is the largest functioning religious institution in Tibet, with about 1,000 monks and it survived the Cultural Revolution relatively unharmed. The huge golden statue of the Future Buddha is the largest gilded statue in the world. The massive complex covers 72,000 sq-m, with cobbled alleys interspersed between its ancient buildings. Part of the monastery’s prominence is because it was founded by the first Dalai Lama. Past the entrance and above is a clutch of goldcapped buildings that house the tombs of past Panchen Lamas. Captain Samuel Turner, a British officer with the East India Company, described the view in the late 18th century as “wonderfully beautiful and brilliant, the effect was little short of magic.”

Lunch is at a local restaurant. We transfer to Lhasa for the last night of this tour.

Overnight is in Lhasa Thangka Hotel 4*.

Day 6 : Lhasa departure  (B / - / -)

After breakfast we transfer to Lhasa Airport for the onward flight and the conclusion of this informative tour.

End of the Tour.