Lhasa-Gyantse-Shigatse 6 Days Tour
“The 6-day Shigatse tour is very suitable for travelers who are interested in the religion and culture of Tibet. We will visit the biggest cities in Tibet: Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse. It covers the most important monasteries in Tibet and includes 1 of 3 holy lakes in Tibet as well. You will never feel dull during the trip as the friendly local people and our professional guide will take you to experience the charm of the highland.”
| Brief Itinerary | ||||
| Date | Route | Activities | Meal | Accommodation |
| Day 1 | Lhasa Arrival | Arrive in Lhasa. Send to hotel for check-in. The rest time is for you to get relaxed or hang round nearby. | / | 3-star Hotel |
| Day 2 | Lhasa City Tour | Drepung Monastery
Sera Monastery |
B | 3-star Hotel |
| Day 3 | Lhasa City Tour | Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple Barkhor Street Welcome dinner |
BD | 3-star Hotel |
| Day 4 | Lhasa-Gyantse-Shigatse | Gangbala Pass
Yamdrok Lake Korola Glacier Manak Dam Lake Gyantse old street Perklor Monastery Far view of Gyangtse Fortress |
B | 3-star Hotel |
| Day 5 | Shigatse-Lhasa | Tashilunpo Monastery
Yalong Valley Platform to view the vast Yalong River bed Notice: We will go back to Lhasa city either by vehicle or by train depending on the operation. |
B | 3-star Hotel |
| Day 6 | Lhasa Departure | Send to airport/train station based on the departure schedule. Tour ends. | B | / |
| Price Guide | |||
| Date | Type | Price | |
| Jan.-Feb. | Jan. 9. 16, 23, 30, 31
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27 |
3-star | 5000 |
| 4-star | 5370 | ||
| March-May | March 6, 13, 20, 27
April 3, 10, 17, 24 May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 |
3-star | 5200 |
| 4-star | 5580 | ||
| June-July 9 | June 5, 12, 19, 26
July 3 |
3-star | 5520 |
| 4-star | 6020 | ||
| July 10-Aug. 20 | July 10, 17, 24, 31
Aug. 7, 14 |
3-star | 5880 |
| 4-star | 6370 | ||
| Aug. 21-Sept. 19 | Aug. 21, 28
Sept. 4, 11, 18 |
3-star | 5520 |
| 4-star | 6020 | ||
| Sept. 20-Oct. 10 | Sept. 25, 29, 30
Oct. 1, 9 |
3-star | 5880 |
| 4-star | 6370 | ||
| Oct. 11-Oct. 31 | Oct. 16, 23, 30 | 3-star | 5200 |
| 4-star | 5580 | ||
| Nov.-Dec. | Nov. 6, 13, 20, 27
Dec. 4, 11, 18, 25 |
3-star | 5000 |
| 4-star | 5370 | ||
Price inclusions
1.Tibet Travel Permit application
2.Profession English speaking tour guide
3.Accommodation: Comfortable 3-star hotel on twin share basis with breakfast included
4.All entrance tickets as listed in the program
5.Welcome dinner
6.All transfer: comfortable mini-bus according to the group size ranging
7.Meals as specified in the program (B= breakfast, L= lunch, D= dinner)
8.Mineral drink water provided
9.Necessary oxygen if needed
10. Service fee of operating and handling
Price Exclusions
1.Tips to the guide and driver
2.Meals not specified
3.Flight to and from Lhasa
4.Personal expenses
5.Single room supplement
Highlights on the Way
Day 1: Lhasa Arrival
After arriving in Lhasa, local tour guide will welcome you at the airport/train station, then transfer the guests to the hotel. Acclimatize the high altitude in the hotel.
Overnight in Lhasa
Day 2: Lhasa City Tour
The tour will begin from UNESCO World Heritage site – Potala Palace, which is also the winter palace of Dalai Lama. It’s situated at 12,139 feet above sea level. It’s a 13-story high building that contains over 1,000 rooms, various statues, stupas, murals and artifacts. Potala Palace is the highest ancient palace in the world. It 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 palace with a thousand rooms up on the Red Hill and named it Potala. The palace was mainly made of stones and woods, and decorated with special local willow branches called Baima Grass. Later, with the collapse of the Songtsen Gampo Dynasty, the ancient palace was almost destroyed in wars. What we see at present is the architecture of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) and the continuous expanding work outcome since the 17th century.
Then continue to Jokhang Temple, another UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a spiritual center for Buddhists in Tibet. Next to the temple there is Bakhor Street, filled with pilgrims and street vendors, selling traditional Tibetan items such as prayer wheels and jewelry. Located in the old area of Lhasa City, Tibet, it is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it is also a must-see place for visitors. 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.
Day 3: Lhasa City Tour
In the morning, tourists are going to visit Drepung monastery which was one of the “three greet” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1416. Ganden palace is used as Dalai Lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace. 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’.
Afternoon, Sera Monastery—It was one of the “three great” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1419. Every day, Lamas will debate in the courtyard with each other to discuss the Tibetan sutra. You cannot miss this amazing scene when visiting Tibet.
Day 4: Lhasa-Gyantse-Shigatse
Drive from Lhasa to Gyantse. Admire the Gangbala pass (4790 m) on the way, and get a glimpse of Yamdrok Lake (4400m), which is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains. 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. Then continue to drive west towards Gyantse. In Gyantse, tourists will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum. Peklor Monastery is a monastery having the characteristics of Han, Tibetan and Nepali architecture. Palkor Monastery enjoys a high status in Tibet Buddhism history because it houses three sects – Sakyapa, Kadampa and Gelugpa together. The Bodhi Dagoba, the Main Assembly Hall, murals and Zhacang in the monastery are the most renowned. After one and a half hour’s drive, we will arrive in Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet.
Day 5: Shigatse-Lhasa
Today, we will explore Tashilunpo Monastery of Gelug Sect, the seat of the Panchen Lama, built in 1447. The monastery houses a giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha – the biggest gilded statue of Maitreya (Buddha of the future) in the world and a tomb of all the Panchen Lama, containing jewels and gold. In the afternoon, you will drive back to Lhasa, which will take around 6 hours.
Day 6: Lhasa Departure
Enjoy the free time till we send you to the airport/train station.
