Lhasa-shigatse-namtso Lake 8 Days Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Lhasa arrival

Pass By: Lhasa, Lhasa, Tibet
Arrive in Lhasa and transfer to hotel. The rest time is for you to relax or explore the city on your own.

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 3-star hotel

Day 2: Lhasa

Stop At: Potala Palace, No.35 Gongqian Alley, Beijing Middle Road Cheng Guan District, Lhasa 850000 China
Potala Palace is the highest ancient palace in the world. Potala, named after a holy hill in South India, is a Sanskrit word meaning "Abode of the Avalokitesvara (Buddha of Mercy)." The Potala Palace is said to be used for greeting a Han Princess. Legend has it that in the 7th century, to greet his bride Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) of China, the Tibet King Songtsen Gampo built a 9-storey palace with a thousand rooms up on the Red Hill and named it Potala.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa 850000 China
The Jokhang Temple was built on the former site of a lake. According to the legend, the lake site was chosen after many failed attempts to build a temple in the region. Prior to this, every time a monastery was built, it would collapse. Confused by this phenomenon, Princess Bhrikuti turned to Princess Wencheng for help. Being a learned woman, Wencheng told the Princess that the geography of Tibet was very much like a hag, with the lake at the heart. In order to build the monastery, Wencheng advised they must demolish the hag by filling and leveling the lake using 1,000 goats to carry soil from a mountain far away.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Barkhor Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa 851500 China
It's said that in 647, the first Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo (617 - 650) built the Jokhang Temple. Due to its magnificence, it quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. As a result, a trodden path appeared. That is the origin of Barkhor Street. Today many pilgrims still hold the prayer wheels to walk clockwise there from dawn to dark. Also, you can see some pilgrims walking or progressing body-lengths by body-lengths along Barkhor Street. Even some of them are teenagers or have experienced thousands of miles' walk to reach this sacred place. The way they express their piety could make you understand the holiness of religion.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel
• Dinner: We will arrange a welcome dinner for the whole group.
Accommodation included: 3-star hotel

Day 3: Lhasa

Stop At: Drepung Monastery (Zhebang Si), Southern Slope of Genpeiwuzi Mountain, Chengguan District, Lhasa 850000 China
Situated at the foot of the Mountain Gambo Utse, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the western suburb of Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery is known as the most important monastery of Gelugpa in Tibetan Buddhism. It is considered one of the 'Three Great Monasteries' (the other two are the Ganden Monastery and the Sera Monastery). Covering an area of 250,000 square meters (299,007 square yards), it held 7,700 monks in total and possessed 141 fazendas and 540 pastures in its heyday, and is the largest-scale monastery among the ones of the same kind. Seen from afar, its grand white construction gives the appearance of a heap of rice. As such, it was given the name 'Drepung', which, in the Tibetan language, means 'Collecting Rice'.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Sera Monastery, Wuze Hill , Sera Chengguan District, Lhasa 850000 China
Located at the foot of Tatipu Hill in the northern suburb of Lhasa City, Sera Monastery is one of three famous monasteries in the city along with the Drepung Monastery and the Ganden Monastery. It is dedicated to the Gelugpa or Yellow Hat Sect, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Tsong Khapa. Jamchen Chojey, one of Tsong Khapa's disciples built it in 1419 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The monastery was named Sera which means wild rose in the Tibetan language, because the hill behind it was covered with wild roses in bloom when it was built. Everyday, Lamas will debate in the courtyard with each other to discuss the Tibetan sutra. You cannot miss this amazing scene when visiting Tibet.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel
Accommodation included: 3-star hotel

Day 4: Lhasa-Gyantse-Shigatse (360km)

Stop At: Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, Langkazi Country, Nagarze County 851100 China
The holy Yamdrok Lake lies to the south of Yarlong Tsangpo River in the Shannan Region of Tibet. It is one of three holy lakes in Tibet. As the largest freshwater lake at the south foot of the Himalayas with an area of about 638 square kilometers (about 246 square miles), it is in a length of 130 kilometers (about 81 miles) and a width of 70 kilometers (about 43 miles). Its surface is about 4,441 meters (about 14,570 feet) above the sea level. It is quite deep as the average depth is about 20-40 meters (about 11-22 fathoms) and the deepest point is almost 60 meters (about 33 fathoms) below the surface.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Gyantse County, Shigatse, Tibet, China
Later on we will pass Karola Glacier and Manda Dam on the roadside. After we arrive in Gyantse, we will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery and enjoy the far view of Gyantse Fortress.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel
Accommodation included: 3-star hotel

Day 5: Shigatse-Lhasa (280km)

Stop At: Tashilunpo Monastery, Jijilangka Road, Shigatse 857001 China
Tashilhunpo Monastery was built in 1447 by Gendun Drupa, who's the first Dalai Lama and disciple of Tsongkhapa. And it is one of the great six monasteries of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In August 2017, it was approved as a national 5A tourist attraction.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel
Accommodation included: 3-star hotel

Day 6: Lhasa-Namtso-Damxung/Yangpachen

Stop At: Lake Namtso, Nakchu Region, Damxung County China
In Tibetan, Namtso means 'Heavenly Lake.' It is considered one of the three holy lakes in Tibet and famous for its high altitude of 4,720 meters (about 3 miles), vast area of 1,961 square kilometers (about 757 square miles) and beautiful scenery. 
Being the second largest saltwater lake in China only after Qinghai Lake, Namtso is the biggest lake throughout Tibet. Meanwhile, it is the highest altitude saltwater lake in the world. The water here is a storybook crystal-clear blue. Clear skies join its surface in the distance, creating an integrated, scenic vista. Soul of every visitor who has ever been here seems to be cleansed by the pure water.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Tanggula Mountains, South of the County, Damxung County 851500 China
Tanggula Mountains, mountain range in the Tibet Autonomous Region, southwestern China. On the high plateau south of the mountains, there are many large salt lakes. In its eastern part the range forms the boundary between Tibet and Qinghai province. Although many peaks are higher than 19,000 feet (5,700 meters) and the tallest, Basudan Ula, reaches some 20,000 feet (6,100 meters), the mountains do not appear to be particularly high, since the surrounding plateau averages about 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) above sea level. The range is fairly rounded in contour in the west; the most rugged and deeply incised section is in the east, where there are considerable areas of permanent snow.attractive when it offers visitors illusions of a fairy land. When the air is still cool in the early hours of a day, masses of mist rise from the lake like a sea of cloud.
Duration: 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel
Accommodation included: Local Basic Hotel

Day 7: Damxung/Yangpachen-Lhasa

Stop At: Yangpachen Hot springs, Yangpachen Town, Lhasa China
A singular location and plentiful snow make it possible to form hot springs here. People are amazed to see that while the neighboring regions are areas of frozen soil covered with ice for over half the year, there exists a 40-sqaure kilometer area which is a carpet of lush green grass. It is said that Yangpachen in the morning is most attractive when it offers visitors illusions of a fairy land. When the air is still cool in the early hours of a day, masses of mist rise from the lake like a sea of cloud.
Duration: 2 hours

Pass By: Lhasa, Lhasa, Tibet
Drive back to Lhasa City

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel
Accommodation included: 3-star hotel

Day 8: Tibet departure

Pass By: Lhasa, Lhasa, Tibet
Send to airport/train station based on the departure schedule. Tour ends.

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel
No accommodation included on this day.