- Day 01: Arrival at Lhasa airport and transfer to Lhasa.(3650Mts/ 60Km ) Gang Gyen Hotel on B.B 4****
You will be warmly welcome by our Tibetan guide and driver and accompany you to the holy city of Lhasa along with the view of Bharmaputra, known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan.
- Day 2-3 Sightseeing tour in Lhasa, Potala Palace, Jokang temple, Bharkor Bazar, Drepung and Sera monasteries. Yak Hotel
- Day 04: Drive from Lhasa to Gyantse and then to Shigatse.(3900Mts/370Km ) Mansarovar hotel 3***
You will start your Tibet tour at around 9Am from your hotel and then drive towards Gyangtse through 3 big mountain passes, Kampa La, Karo La, Simila respectively. Karola is the highest pass among them which is over 5000Mts with it's most beautiful glaciers, beautiful Yamdrok lake emerged as coral color from the top of Kampala pass. You will have your lunch at Nakartse country which is just between the Yamdrok lake and Karola glaciers. Arrival in Gyantse, visit Palchoe monastery and Kubum Pagoda stupa and continue to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet.
- Day 05: Drive from Shigatse to Namtso lake via Xugu la pass (4718Mts/ 390KM ) Guest house on B.B
You will start your Tibet tour at around 9Am from your hotel and visit Tashi Lhunpo monastery in the morning, the seat of the Penchen Lama and one of the biggest Geukpa monasteries in Tibet. After the sightseeing, drive along the Bharmaputra river with a landscape of sandy hills, villages, and Rulak Yungdrung ling at the otherside of the river. From Tagdruka, you will leave the main road and drive off road until you reach Yamba chen. You will have beautiful view of Nyenchen Thangla mountain.
- Day 06: Explore Namtso lake and over night in Namtso. Guest house on BB
After breakfast, do a short hike around Tashido Hermitage which is also along the lake shore. While you are hiking around Tashido Hermitage, you will see a great view of the whole Namtso lake and the beautiful view of Nyenchen Tangla mountain and it’s range. Have lunch and walk along the lake shore in the afternoon.
- Day 07: Namtso Lake - Reting monastery 4,100mts, 180 Km Monastery lodge on BB
Today we will be driving to Reting monastery at the distance of , 180Km , takes you there around 4 hrs. You will visit Reting Monastery in the afternoon. Reting monastery is located in a very beautiful scenery surrounded by Juniper tree and beautiful grassland. Reting is the Monastery of the Kadam pa sect in Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Dom Tonpa in the 11th century.
- Day 08 : Reting monastery – Lhundrup county-Shara Bumpa ( 3720m/85km) Guest house on BB in Ganden Chungkor ( Lhundrup county capital )
Drive from Reting monastery to Lhundrup county at the distance of 47 km and on the way, you will turn right hand from the main road to Taklung monastery for around 15 km. The Kagupa monastery of Taklung was founded by Taklung Tangpa Tashipel in 1180 on a location previously inhabited by the Kadampa Lama Potowa. Taklung Tangpa Tashipel was one of the foremost students of Phakmodrupa Dorje Gyelpo, renowned for his austere observation of monastic discipline. The monastery once used to have 7000 monks but nowadays, there are around 70 monks.
Continue to Lhundrup via crossing Chakla pass (5300m) which is the highest pass during your entire Tibet tour. You can have afternoon hike via Lhundrup valley to Shara Bumpa, the large Kadam dome-shaped stupa known as Shara Bumpa is located north of the county capital and west of Kusha village on the road to Langma. Nowadays, there is also a nunnery in Shara Bumpa and it has become a nunnery.
- Day 09: Lhundrup valley to Tridom hot spring (4325Mts,80Km ) House of Shambhala on BB
Morning, visit Ganden Chungkor monastery. Ganden Chungkor is a Gelukpa monastery located in the county capital. Drive along the Kyichu river and the Drigung valley. Before driving into the Tridom gorge, you will drive to Drigung Thil monastery. Drigung Thil monastery is the mother monster of Drigung Kagyupa sect and it has more than 600 years history. After finishing the sightseeing there, you will be driving to Tridom nunnery at the distance of around 20km. Enjoy the hot spring bath in Tridom
- Day 10: Tridom-Ruthok-Olka-Tsetang, 3600Mts/190Km Tsetang hotel on BB
Today you will be driving to Medro Gongkarcounty at the distance of 55Km and from there you will follow the main road to Nyingtri. After around 45Km, you will reach Ruthog hot spring from which we turn right and take another 45Km to Olka and the road has been paved now. On the way, we can see some nomads with their animals including Yaks, Sheep etc. Have tea at the campsite and then go to visit Olka cholung monastery. OlkaCholung monastery is the original Gelukpa hermitage founded by Tsongkapa himself, the founder of the Gelukpa sect in 14th Century. We can visit the most sacred Ozerpuk cave used by Tsongkapa for a long period of meditation. After the visit to Tsongkapa cave, drive to Tsetang. Drive down in the Olka valley at the distance of 20Km and stop for a short visit to ZangriKangmar monastery. ZangriKangmar monastery was once the residence of Tibet’s renowned 11th Century female Yogini MachikLabdron. We will continue our journey to Samye along the Bramaputrariver which is started from western Tibet where the sacred Mt Kailash is and it finally empties into the bay of Bengal.
- Day 11: Sightseeing tour in Tsetang, YumbuLhakang, Traduk temple and the Kings’ Tombs. Tsetang Hotel on B.B
After Breakfast, you will start Tibet travel tour from the hotel and drive to YumbuLhakang which is to the south east of Tsetang at the distance of 15 Km. Visit YumbuLhakang. YUMBU LHAKANG is the first Tibetan building, founded in 127 BC for their first King, NyatriTsenpo and it had been used as the palace by the respective Numbers of Tibetan Kings. Nowadays, the castle is transformed into a small chapel with a few monks. The chapel is dedicated to the statues of some of the most famous Tibetan kings including SonagtsanGampo. After the sightseeing to YumbuLhakang, we will drive back on the same valley down and visit Traduk temple on the way. Tranduk is one of the oldest temples built by kingSongtsanGampo in 7th century. Nowadays, it is a temple with many small chapels. After Traduk, you will have lunch and have some rest in the hotel. Afternoon, drive to Kings’ Toms through the valley of Chonggye.
- Day 12: Drive from Tsetang-Mindrol Ling-Trathang fresco-Samye monastery.(3600Mts/ 100Km ) Monastery Hotel on B.B
You will start your Tibet tour at 9Am and drive along the YarlungTsangpo river where it joins the Bharmaputra river at Chushurbridge. On the way, we will visit Mindrol Ling monastery which is the second largest monastery of Nyingmapa school in Tibetan Buddhism. After Mindrol Ling, drive further to Drathang frescos and visit the monastery and the most important thing is the old painting on the wall of the monastery which has more than 1200 years history.
- Day 13: Visit Samye monastery and hike to Hepori cave. Same hotel on BB
Morning, visit the monks chanting in the main assembly hall of Samye monastery, visit Samye monastery which is the first monastery of Tibet, built in 8th century by the Tibetan King Trisong Detsen under the patronage of Pedmasamvawa and Shatarakshita. Samye's design was based on that of the Odantapuri temple of Bihar in India and is a mandalic symbol of the universe. The central temple represents Mt Meru known as Sumeru in Sanskrit and the temples around it represent oceans, the continents and the sub-continents that surround the mountain in Buddhist cosmology. The monastery has around 170 monks nowadays. Hike to Hepori cave which will take you around an hour and half to get to the top. From the top of Hepori cave, you will enjoy the most beautiful view of the whole Samye monastery and it’s village. You can also see Chimpu cave in a long distance. Hepori cave was the first cave which was blessed by Padmasavawa or Guru Rinpoche in Tibetan and he used to take meditation there prior to the construction of the Samye monastery. It is also the place where Guru Rinpoche defeated all evil spirits.
Afternoon, excursion to Yamalung cave which is at the distance of 20km from Samye monastery and located to the north of Samye monastery. The hermitage was also used by Padmasamvawa and it is beautifully surrounded by thick bushes and many beautiful villages on the way.
- Day 14: Samye to Chimpu cave, hike around and back to Samye (3600Mts/50Km ) Monastery and late afternoon, drive to Lhasa. Gang Gyen hotel on BB
After breakfast, you will be driving to Chimpu cave at the distance of around 25Km. To visit the cave, you need to walk from the nunnery because you can only drive till the nunnery. Chimpu is the sacred mountain where Guru Rinpoche used to take meditation and the mountain is also called Zangthok Pelri. Nowadays, there are many different sized caves which are usually occupied by the devotee pilgrimages or monks and nuns. They spend more than three years and meditate in a cave without meeting anyone or talking to. Besides Guru Rinpoche, many great masters such as Mahacarya Atisha, Longchenpa, Dakini Yeshe Tsogyel and many ohers have blessed the Chimpu cave and meditated there. There are more than hundred small caves and if you visit all, it will take you a whole day. Late afternoon, drive to Lhasa at the distance of 120km with a very nice paved road along the northern shore of the Barhmaputra river.
- Day 15: Drive from Lhasa to Lhasa Gongkar airport.(3600Mts/ 45Km ) End the trip
Leave Lhasa according to your departure flight schedule. Say good bye to the holy city of Lhasa and the giant Potala Palace, taking one hour drive to Gongkar airport along the Lhasa river which is the tributary of the Bharmaputra river.