8 Days Lhasa & Mt. Everest Exploration Tour

Day 1Arrive in Lhasa

Welcome to Lhasa! Our private English-speaking tour guide & driver will pick you up in time at Lhasa airport and transfer you to your hotel in downtown Lhasa. A paper board with the sign of YangtzeTour.com and your name will be held high by the guide at exit of the airport. After checking in, it is recommended that you have a good rest at the hotel to acclimatize yourself to the high altitude of 3,650 meters above sea level.

Tips:

1. To adapt to the high altitude, you should have a good rest at the hotel once you arrive, no running or intense activity, no smoking or alcohol.
2. Please eat more vegetable, fruits, meat and eggs and drink sufficient water before leaving for sightseeing.

Day 2Lhasa ( B, L )

After breakfast, our local tour guide & driver will pick you up and drive to visit the splendid Potala Palace, which originated from 7th century and is the former home of the Dalai Lama. It has a vast, awe-inspiring maze of corridors and stairs leading through countless rooms of richly decorated statues, tombs, murals and antiques. A number of Buddha statues, red-robed lamas and devoted pilgrims also make it a must-visit.

In the afternoon, you will visit the age-old Jokhang Temple, as the spiritual center of Tibet, which will deeply impressed you by its magnificence and sincere pilgrims. Then head to Barkhor Street, which is regarded as the crowded central Market in ancient section of Lhasa, and where you can buy various Tibetan or other minorities’ souvenirs for your family and friends.

Tips:

1. In order to protect this world-famous cultural heritage, the visiting time to Potala Palace is limited on 1 hour.
2. Due to the popularity of Potala Palace and restriction on visitor numbers, perhaps it has difficulty on booking entrance tickets, so the visit may shift to the next day.

Day 3Lhasa ( B, L )

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the Norbulinka Park, which is meaning “Treasure Park” in Tibetan and is known as “the Summer Palace of Tibet”. It is the largest man-made garden with the most beautiful scenery and historical relics in Tibet. Then head to Drepung Monastery, which lies in west of Lhasa under Mt. Gambo Utse, clustered round by the black mountain, its white grand buildings shining under the sunlight. Then pay a visit to Sera Monastery, which is one of the three main monasteries in Lhasa. It is famous because “Daily Scriptures Debating” activity takes place from 3:30pm to 5pm in a garden next to the assembly hall. Then transferred back to your hotel.

Tips:

1. When you are in monastery or a museum, please do not smoke, consume alcohol or make unnecessary noise; do not touch, walk over or sit on any religious texts, objects or prayer flags.
2. Due to the dry weather, please pack some drinking water and some food.

Day 4Lhasa – Gyangtse – Shigatse ( B, L )

After breakfast, you will be driven to Gyangtse. On the way, you will have two short stops: one is at the Yamdrok Lake, which is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet and regarded as the embodiment of goddess according to the mythology; and another stop is at the Karola Glacier, which is one of the three largest glaciers on land.

Upon your arrival in Gyangtse, you will visit the Palkhor Monastery, which is honored as “the King of Tibet Pagodas”. It is famous for its ingenious layout, unique appearance, fantastic sculptures and amazing murals inside. Afterwards, you will be transferred to Shigatse and check in the local hotel.

Tips:

1. Due to the dry weather, please pack some drinking water and some food.
2. The road condition from Lhasa to Gyantse via Yamdrok Lake is rough road around mountains. Feel free to ask your driver to stop and have a rest. You should get out to stretch your legs and arms.

Day 5Shigatse – Tingri ( B, L )

In the morning, you will visit the Tashilunpo Monastery, which is the largest Yellow Hat sect monastery in Tibet. There stands the world’s largest bronze Buddhist statue which is 26 meters high and decorated with precious pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers. Then you will head to New Palace of Panche, which is the summer palace of the tenth Panchen Lama. Besides the splendid palace interior, you will see a number of precious cultural relics like murals.

Then you will be transferred to visit Sakya Monastery, which is the first monastery of Sakya which houses as many as 84,000 scrolls including works of literature, history, arts, philosophy and mathematics. And finally, you will arrive at Tingri and check in the local hotel.

Tips:

1. It can be quite could there, so pack enough warm clothes.
2. At night, you can get up to take photos of Mt. Everest surrounded by the moon and stars.

Day 6Tingri – Everest Base Camp – Lhatse ( B, L )

Today, you will be escorted to Mt. Everest, which is the world’s highest mountain. If the weather is good enough, you can enjoy the stunning sunrise at the top of Mt. Everest. Then you will be driven back to visit Rongbuk Monastery, which is the highest monastery in the world. Standing the fifth storey, you can see a holy and pure picture of the Mt. Everest covered by white snow. Afterwards, you will be transferred to Lhatse and check in the local hotel.

Tips:

1. Be sure to get up early to see the sunrise over Mt. Everest. April is probably the best time to visit Mt. Everest as the sky is clear and the weather is relatively good.

Day 7Lhatse – Lhasa ( B, L )

Today, while heading back to Lhasa, you will be able to see the Yarlung Zangbo River all the way. You may even be able to see pilgrims praying along the way. Upon your arrival at Lhasa, check in the hotel and have a good rest.

Tips:

1. Please feel free to ask the driver to stop any time when you’d like to get out and stretch your legs or take pictures.

Day 8Depart from Lhasa ( B )

After breakfast, our local tour guide & driver will pick you up and escort to the airport for your flight to your next destination. Your pleasant Tibet ends.