Central Tibet Tour - 10 Days

Once you land at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, you will be welcomed by one of the Himalayan Trekker’s representatives. Then you will be escorted to the designated hotel and helped with the hotel check-in formalities. Once you feel like you have rested well and freshened up, we will have a brief chat about our Central Tibet Tour.

Then we will proceed for the sightseeing of Boudhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple if your arrival is in the morning time or before noon and you are not having the jet lag effect. 

Also, in case of early arrival, we will collect your passports, signatures, and necessary documents for the Chinese Group Visa applications after you check into your accommodation. But, if your arrival is late, we will pick up those documents on the following day. It takes three business/working days to acquire the visa.
Then in the evening, we stroll around the streets of Thamel to get a glimpse of the lifestyle here.

After breakfast, we begin the sightseeing of Kathmandu Valley. We will visit some of the important sites of the valley that are also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will first visit Boudhanath and Pashupatinath in case we have not explored those sites yesterday. 

Boudhanath is just 30 minutes drive from the center of Kathmandu and is one of the most loved and valued sites in the valley. It is the biggest stupa in the country and is one of the biggest in the world that was built first built in the 6th century and was enlarged in the 14th century on the trade route between Tibet and India. The giant white dome-shaped stupa in the center of the big mandala structure represents Tibetan Buddhism. 

Pashupatinath Temple is one of the four holiest Hindu sites in the world which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main temple of Shiva is closed for the non-Hindus but the temple complex has many other monuments and temples that are open to everyone. Like Boudhanath, it is flocked every day by the devotees. Hindus from all over the world, especially from the neighborhood countries also visit the temple during auspicious occasions like Maha Shivaratri. 

After these sites are covered, we will visit one of the three durbar squares of the Kathmandu Valley. The three cities, Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley, each house a durbar square where you can see similar yet different arts and architectures. The crafts, arts, architecture, culture, and religion in these three sites are all influenced by Newari culture as Newars are the original inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley. 
After discovering these sites, you will be driven back to your hotel for the night. 

Today is set aside for a short and easy day hiking to one of the popular hill stations in Kathmandu such as Champadevi with 2285 meters of Shivapuri 2560 meters or any other hills as per the interest. This hike is purposely set for the acclimatization purpose as you will be traveling to an average of 4000 meters altitude when in Tibet. Today’s easy hike will not only help in acclimatizing to the high altitude but also offers some of the best vistas of the Kathmandu valley, the surrounding landscapes, and the snow-clad Himalayas on the backdrop.

However, if you prefer not to do the hike then you can stay on the ground and spend the day as per your interest.

Your passports and Chinese Group Visas will be collected today during the first office hour. Then in the afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport for the flight to Gonggar Airport. The flight from Kathmandu to Gonggar is really wonderful as you will be flying over the deep wide valleys while viewing the world’s tallest mountains along with other renowned peaks such as Everest, Cho Oyu, Kailash, etc. 

Our Tibetan representative will welcome you at the Gonggar Airport and transfer you to Tsedang city which is an hour’s drive from the airport. Upon arrival at the hotel, you can rest and freshen up. The remainder of the day is leisure to rest for the acclimatization purpose to the high altitude.

Note: The reason for driving to Tsedang instead of Lhasa on the first day is the height of these places. Tsedang has an average of 3100 meters altitude while Lhasa has 3660 meters. So, starting the trip from Tsedang seems more comfortable in terms of acclimatization. 

Soon after breakfast, we start the exploration of significant places in Tsedang. Our first stop will be Samye Monastery. 
Samye Monastery is the oldest Buddhist Monastery in Tibet was built in the second half of the 8th century by King Trisong Detsen with the help of Guru Padmasambhava. 

The monastery is situated in a stunning location on the northern bank of the beautiful Yarlung Zangbo River. The gorgeous monastery was also the first monastery to teach the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhist Teachings called Nyingma. Utse is the main temple of the monastery which represents Mount Meru. And there are four large white, red, black, and green colored stupas in the four directions from the main temple. 

We will then visit the famous Yambulakhang Palace, Tranduk Monastery, and other historic sites of the town before returning to the hotel for another night in Tsedang. 

After breakfast at the hotel in Lhasa, we start our journey to Gyantse. We drive past the Gampala pass at 4790 meters which offers a great vista of the Yamdrok Tso. Then, we will fully explore the Lake area. 

Yamdrok Tso (Lake), also known as Yamdrok Yumtso, is one of the scenic regions in Tibet that reflects the natural beauty giving life to the dry desert-like landscape of Tibet. It is also one of the four most sacred lakes in the country along with Namtso and Manasarovar with many religious beliefs. Yamdrok Lake's distinctive natural setting, which combines hills, grasslands, pasture, wild animals, and flora, the monastery, snowy mountains, and blue sky, is very alluring.

After we spend an ample amount of time at the lake area, we continue on our driving journey to Gyantse via Karo La pass, at 5045 meters. We finally arrive in Gyantse, after hours of driving through gorgeous Tibetan villages. We rest and explore the surrounding streets for the remainder of the day. 

After breakfast, we proceed on the Gyantse sightseeing tour. Our first stop is the glory of Gyantse, the Gyantse Dzong Fortress which was constructed in the 14th century. The medieval stronghold, sometimes referred to as Gyantse Old Castel, is situated on the west hill of Gyantse and resembles a miniature Potala Palace and has a stunning vantage point from which to see all of Gyantse and the neighboring Nyang Chu Valley. The Anti-British Battery, Amban's Stone Table, Gyantse Dzong Government Meeting Hall, and Rinpoche Hall are some of the key attractions of this fort.

Gyantse also takes pride in its Palcho Monastery which houses the famous Khumbum stupa. The monastery differs from other Tibetan monasteries and combines the structures of three different religious sects: Sakyapa, Kadampa, and Gelugpa. The Palcho Khumbum Stupa with its golden dome is one of the major attractions here. Khumbum is the Tibetan word for 100,000 pictures and this stupa has numerous chapels and Tibetan Buddhist murals which is definitely a sight to behold. 

Following our exploration of Gyantse, we will travel 90 kilometers to Shigatse. On the way to Shigatse, we will stop for a bit to look at the Shalu monastery that was built in the styles of the Han, Tibetan, and Indian cultures. Then we continue driving to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet. When we get to Shigatse, we will go to Tashihunpo Monastery which is one of the biggest active monasteries in Tibet sitting at the summit of Dromali. The monastery was founded by the first Dalai Lama in 1447 and Tibetan Buddhists revere this monastery as the "stack of glory" or the location where "all prosperity and happiness have gathered here." The monastery’s some notable things are the Future Buddha Statue, Panchen Lama's Stupa, Panchen Lama's Palace, Thangka Exhibition Platform, halls, and chapels. 

After breakfast, we travel all day through the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley to return to Lhasa. We travel on the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway and spend around 6 hours passing via Chusul, Kyi Chu River Valley. After arriving in Lhasa, we settle into our hotel and take a tour of the Jokhang Temple and explore Barkhor Street which surrounds the Jokhang Temple. 

Jokhang Temple is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Tibet and is greatly valued by Tibetans. It is also the oldest temple in Lhasa that was built by then Tibet ruler/King Songtsen Gampo to reside the life-size statue of 12-year-old Jowa Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism that was brought by his Chinese wife, princess Wencheng as a dowry.

After walking through every corner of the temple, we will stroll around Barkhor Street which is also known as the “holy path”. This 1000 meters long street is a circle circling the Jokhang Temple where we can see a traditional/real side of Lhasa. 
We return to the hotel after visiting these important sites of Tibet. 

Today’s Lhasa sightseeing covers important places such as the Potala Palace, Norbulingka Palace, and Drepung Monastery. 

The magnificent Potala Palace, which still dominates the skyline of Lhasa, will be our first stop. The palace was constructed in the seventh century by King Songtsen Gampo and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. The palace complex is renowned across the world for its magnificent architecture, allure, and enormous collections of precious artwork. Since the 17th century, the Dalai Lamas' winter residence, offices, and places of devotion were in the Potala.

When we are finished exploring the Potala, we will travel to Norbulingka Palace, which used to be the Dalai Lamas' summer home. The palace comprises 374 rooms, and the palace complex also has Norbulingka Park, popularly known as the "Jewel/Treasure Park," which is the largest man-made garden in the nation. Norbulingka is the perfect place for a summer vacation because of its lush flora and cool ponds. 

Then, will go to Drepung Monastery which was built by Chojey Tashi Palden in the 14th century. It is one of the holiest monasteries in the nation and was formerly referred to as the mother of monasteries. Drepung is the largest of the three greatest Gelugpa sect monasteries. It comprises four departments, the largest of which is Loseling, also known as "The Hermitage of the Radiant Mind," which can house up to 15,000 monks. It is now one of Tibet's top institutions for monastic instruction. We return to the hotel after finishing the day in Drepung. 

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your planned trip to Nepal or mainland China. If you prefer to travel to your home country via mainland China, you can take a flight from Lhasa to Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Beijing and take a connecting flight. 

Also, you can opt. to fly to Kathmandu after the trip ends in Lhasa. In case you fly back to Kathmandu, you will arrive in Kathmandu around noon. As a result, you can catch the late noon or evening flight to your onward destination from Kathmandu. 

However, if you want to spend overnight in Kathmandu, we can customize it at an additional cost and prior information.