➤ Arrival Lhasa - Transfer to your hotel - Meet your guide:

➤ Itinerary: Welcome to Tibet! You arrive at Lhasa’s Gonggar airport after what has, cloud cover permitting, been a spectacular flight (note that we can also meet you at the station if you arrive in Lhasa by train). Your guide will be meeting you at the airport for the 1 hour drive to Lhasa. Tibet’s capital is at a quite manageable altitude of 3,650 meters (12,000 feet) is a unique city and a highlight of China and, indeed, Asia. The setting, the history, architecture, people and contrasts all make for a very special travel experience. Free time to relax and adjust to the altitude or explore the fascinating area of the old Tibetan city your hotel is located in.

➤ Overnight at the Dhood Gu Hotel 3*. With a fantastic location close to Barkhor Square in the heart of the Old City this hotel is built and immerses you in the beautiful and colourful Tibetan style.

➤ Meals included: None.

➤ Lhasa - visit Drepung Monastery, Nechung residence, the Jokhang temple and Kora and Barkhor Square:

➤ Itinerary: Today we first head 5km out of Lhasa to Drepung Monastery, the largest in Tibet located on the Gambo Utse mountain. It was founded in 1416 and was the principal seat of learning for the Gelugpa school and at its height was thought to contain up to 10,000 monks (nowadays there are 300). About 10 minutes walk from Drepung is Nechung Chok which was the residence of the State Oracle of Tibet. This small monastery was also evocatively known as the ”Demon Fortress of the Oracle King.”

Return to Lhasa with time for lunch before visiting the Jokhang Temple, considered the most sacred and important temple in all Tibet. The temple is located at one end of Barkhor Square, a fascinating meeting point for pilgrims from all over Tibet. The temple itself was first constructed around 642 AD and despite or perhaps because of the hoards of visitors (mostly pilgrims) has an intense atmosphere infused with incense and devotion. You can sometimes get up onto the roof of the temple with good views over the old city. Surrounding the temple is the Barkhor Kora, a 1 km circular walk for pilgrims and locals as well as being a busy market selling all the goods a pilgrim might need on their travels. Free time to continue to explore the Old City for the rest of the day and evening.

➤ Overnight at the Dhood Gu Hotel 3*.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

➤ Lhasa - visit the Potala Palace, Tibetan Medical Institute and Sera Monastery:

➤ Itinerary: Today you will visit one of the architectural highlights of China, the vast Potala Palace, former chief residence of the Dalai Lama’s of Tibet. The palace started to be built in 1645 and has been added to over the centuries. It is 13 stories high and contains over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and 200,000 statues. Visitor numbers are restricted although it always feels busy inside. You will see some of the meeting rooms as well as the extraordinary chapels with their vast gold and jewel encrusted shrines to previous Dalai Lamas (the chapel of the 5th Dalai Lama has a stupa coated in 3,727kg of gold and 18,680 precious stones). The Potala dominates Lhasa not just from it’s size but also it’s location on Mount Potala and the views you get from the palace stretch right across Lhasa to the mountains that surround the city.

After the exertions of visiting the palace itself it is time for a trip to the Tibetan Medical Institute where a local Tibetan doctor will give an introduction about Tibetan traditional medicines - an area deeply rooted in Tibetan culture. This will leave you ready for another of Lhasa’s great teaching Monasteries - Sera. Spread over 28 acres at the base of Pubuchok mountain it was built in 1419. The highlights are the great assembly hall and some of the colleges located within the complex with their wealth of architectural features and shrines. Free time in the evening and overnight hotel.

➤ Overnight at the Dhood Gu Hotel 3*.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

➤ Lhasa to Gyantse via the Kamapala Pass, Yamdrok lake and Norjing Gangsang Glacier:

➤ Itinerary: After breakfast we depart Lhasa towards Gyantse, 230km south of Lhasa. The city is soon left behind and before long the road winds up the 4,780 meter (15,680 foot) Kamapala pass, strewn, like many such passes in Tibet, with colourful prayer flags fluttering in the stiff breeze. Spectacular views are in all directions before the road descends slowly to Yamdrok lake. This 72 km long lake has a spectacular backdrop of snow capped mountains. We follow the lake shore before heading back into the hills passing the Norjing Gangsang Glacier, a good place to stop for photos.

We continue along the road stopping whenever you want at villages or scenic spots before reaching Gyantse at 3,977 meters (13,050 feet) and Tibet’s third largest city. Free time to explore the city and if you have the energy the walk up the Dzong (fortress) that dominates Gyantse is well worth it for both the views and acclimatization.

➤ Overnight at the Gyantse Hotel 3*. The best Gyantse has to offer but perhaps a shock after Lhasa. On the positive side, it is considerably better than most options outside of Lhasa.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

➤ Gyantse to Shigatse - the Palcho Monastery and Kumbum and the Tashilhunpo Monastery and market:

➤ Itinerary: In the morning we visit Gyantse’s main monastery - the Palcho or Pelkhor Choede in Tibetan. The monastery consists of a wide range of buildings dating back to the 9th century. The most famous is the Kumbum, a 32 meter high 9 floored shrine which contains 108 unique chapels and is the largest such structure in Tibet. The main temple is called Tsulaklang and is well worth a walk around. These monasteries are far less busy than those around Lhasa.

It is 100km further drive to Shigatse at 3,840 meters (12,600 feet) which we reach mid-afternoon in time to visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama and has since been the traditional seat of the “Tashi” or Panchen Lama. The monastery is fascinating as is the walk you can do around the Kora which stretches up the hillside behind the monastery offering good views of the complex and Shigatse itself. We can also visit the local market before settling into the hotel to overnight.

➤ Overnight at the Shigatse Hotel 3*. The best Shigatse has to offer and if you are heading further towards Nepal the best accommodation you will have before Nepal.

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

➤ Shigatse to Lhasa - A leisurely drive back to Lhasa with free time on arrival:

➤ Itinerary: Continue with a leisurely drive back to Lhasa stopping for photos as and when you wish arriving back in Lhasa early afternoon. Free time to walk around the old town, souvenir shop or visit more temples for the rest of the afternoon and evening before your departure from Tibet tomorrow.

➤ Overnight at the Dhood Gu Hotel 3* (where you stayed on the first visit to Lhasa)

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.

➤ Depart Lhasa by plane or train:

➤ Itinerary: Free time until a transfer to the airport or train station for your transport out of Lhasa. We believe, like many before you, that there is a good chance you will have come under Tibet’s magical spell!

➤ Meals included: Breakfast.