Beautiful trek running through the valleys and mountains of Central Tibet. We will spend the first 3 days in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. We will visit the most important landmarks of the capital, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and two main monasteries – Sera and Drepung. Staying in Lhasa at an altitude of 3600 meters will allow you to acclimatize before we head towards the Tsurphu Monastery.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1 – Arrive in Lhasa by plane or by train
You arrive at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport or the train station. The airport is 62 km/ 39 miles away from the city, and it takes approximately one hour to get to the hotel from there. On the way to Lhasa, you will enjoy beautiful views of mountains. The train station is located in Lhasa, and you will only need a short transfer to the hotel.
Depending on the time of your arrival, you might have some free time to spend in Lhasa. Our guides will be happy to advise you on what you can do with your time in Lhasa. Remember, that Lhasa is located at 3,650 meters/ 12,000 ft above sea level and you will need some time to acclimatize.
After you check in the hotel, you are welcome to explore the city, visit nearby temples, do some shopping, try delicious Tibetan food in one of the local restaurants, or just take a rest.
Walking around Barkhor Street can be an excellent choice for your first day in Lhasa. You will join crowds of pilgrims, local Tibetans, and monks circumambulating the Jokhang Temple.
Most importantly, on your first day in Tibet, be sure to relax, enjoy your day and allow some time for acclimatizing. It is essential to acclimatize to the high altitude of Tibet to prepare for the upcoming trek.
Day 2 Lhasa Sightseeing: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street (Walking Tour)
This tour visits the two most important religious sites in Tibet.
The Potala Palace was the seat of the Dalai Lamas since the 17th century. First, the guide will take you to the Chak Pori Hill to take photos of the majestic Palace. We will then go inside and spend approximately 1.5 – 2 hours there. While there, you will see many of its most famous artifacts.
There will be free time for lunch after visiting the Potala Palace.
Time permitting, you can walk around the Potala Palace and join many of the local Tibetans.
Next, we will walk towards the Jokhang Temple. It was built in the 7th century to display the Jowo Shakyamuni Statue – the statue of the 12-year-old Buddha before his enlightenment. The statue was created at the time when the historical Buddha lived. It is elaborately decorated with gold, jewels, and precious stones.
After visiting the temple, we recommend taking a walk around Barkhor Street.
Day 3 – Lhasa Sightseeing: Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery
We are visiting the two most important monasteries in the capital.
We will first visit Drepung Monastery, which once was the largest monastery in the world with over 10,000 monks living there. It was the residence of Dalai Lamas before the Potala Palace was built.
There will be free time for lunch after the Drepung Monastery.
In the afternoon we are visiting Sera Monastery. It was founded by Tsongkhapa’s disciple in the 15th century. Nowadays it is famous for monks debate that you can witness. Debates are a very important part of learning and understanding Buddhism. Monks gather in the courtyard in the shade of the trees to refine their knowledge.
In the evening you will have some time to pack for our trek and prepare everything you might need.
Day 4 – Driving from Lhasa to Tsurphu Monastery.
It takes about two hours to drive from Lhasa to Tsurphu monastery. The road to monastery is very beautiful going through the green valleys, along mountain river passing by numerous Tibetan camping tents.
We will set up our tents on the bank of the river, at the bottom of the valley.
In the afternoon we will visit Tsurpu monastery. The monastery was well reconstructed after the severe damage. We will spend time visiting chapels of Tsurpu.
Day 5 – From Tsurphu Monastery to Leten (11km, 4 hours)
In the morning we will start our trekking adventure by walking up the green valley to the West from Tsurpu. The path will take us along rapid mountain streams. In this area we might meet herds of wild blue sheep. On the valley we will see mani stones (stones with carved mantras) piled into some wall-like arrangements. After passing by these mani stones, it will be a short walk to the nomadic settlement. We will set up our tents in a quite area below Leten.
Day 6 – Leten to Bartso (15km,5 hours)
Today we continue walking from Leten towards Lasar-la pass at 5300 meters above the sea level. We will see the Dham chen Nyingtri peak with cairns and prayer flags. The train up to the pass is widening. After we reach the Lasar-la pass, we will walk down the steep train towards Yangpachen valley. On the clear day we will get an incredible view on the holy Nyenchen Tanglha mountain range. The mountain is so high that it is covered by a snow cap even during summer months.
We will stay in a camp by the Bartso village
Day 7 – From Bartso to Dorje Ling Nunnery (15km,4 hours)
Today we continue our journey towards Dorje ling nunnery. First, we will pass Tajung village. After the village, we will cross a vast meadow where we often see grazing wild animals. Nyenchen Tanglha range can sometimes be visible in the distance. We will descent and reach Dorje Ling nunnery.
Day 8 Dorje Ling Nunnery / Yangpachen Monastery / Lhasa (14km, 4hours)
Fill up your water bottle with a stream which rotates the mani wheel. Follow Nyangpo-Chu which drains into Yangpachen valley. After over 3 hours you will reach Yangpachen hot spring, you can have a bath there. Drive back to Lhasa. Overnight in Lhasa.
Day 9 – Lhasa to Airport/Train station
Please prepare in advance for your departure. It takes approximately one hour to drive to the airport and around thirty minutes to reach the train station. We will arrive at the airport three hours before your departure flight if you are traveling to Nepal and two hours before any domestic flight.
INCLUDED IN TOUR
The tour package includes:
- All necessary Travel Permits to travel in Tibet
- All accommodations in hotels and guesthouses when staying in cities/towns/villages
- Breakfast when staying in hotels
- All meals during the trek
- Pack animals during the trek
- Cook during the trek
- Airport pick up and drop off
- Tents during the trek: two persons per tent
- Mattress
- Ground transportation in a clean and comfortable vehicle
- English speaking Tibetan guide
- All entrance fees, tickets to the attraction sites and monasteries outlined in the itinerary
- First Aid Kit
- Oxygen supply
- Camping equipment: stove, gasoline for the stove, cooking pots and utensils
Not included in a tour package:
- Passport and Chinese visa fees
- International airfare to and from China or Nepal
- Photography fees inside monasteries (where available)
- Flight or train tickets to Tibet
- Lunch and dinner in the cities and all meals outside of the cities when not trekking
- Travel insurance
- Medical expenses
- Tips for guides, drivers, cooks and porters
- Sleeping bag
- Personal expenses: laundry, shopping, phone calls, etc.
OUR CLIENTS ABOUT US
The best guide, we have ever met – thank you Gyaltsen very much!!!
August 2018 – It was wonderful trip to Tibet. Our friendly guide, Gyaltsen, has told us a lot about religion and culture of this amazing country! He has also made our journey very comfortable, since everything was very well planned. He told us about Tibetan traditional medicine preventing altitude sickness – we could sleep well at night after we took it everyday in the evening.
We were very lucky that we could see Mt. Everest (not covered by clouds) and spend night at Mt. Everest Base Camp.
We recommend strongly – if you want to visit Tibet, contact Gyaltsen!
Agnieszka
Private 16-Day Trip in Tibet
I had a fulfilling & satisfying 16-day trip in Tibet with my ever so attentive tour guide & driver. My fears and uncertainties were allayed as I began my travels with them. It had been such an enjoyable pilgrimage that I looked forward to travel with them soon; real soon.
Terry Singapore
A perfect trip
Our trip to Tibet in April 2015 exceeded our expectations on every level, the whole experience was nothing short of magical.
In April 2015 we joined a 7 day tour in Tibet. Far and away, the highlight of our trip was our local guide, Gyaltsen.So fantastic that we felt like he became part of our family.
Useless to say he contributed to make our trip perfect. First, his knowledge is nothing short of awesome, starting from his fluent English. He made the history, geography and culture of Tibet come alive for all of us.
His patience with our varying multi-cultural group and our different timings to adapt to high altitude was also amazing.
On very top of that we were in Tibet during and unexpected and exceptional situation: the earthquake. Again they all, expecially Gyaltsen, not only understood our needs but had to the keen ability and knowledge to know how to handle the situation.
After this experience, we will be recommending a trip to Tibet to everyone we know with an interest in travel, and will suggest they use this company to plan their trip. Can’t say enough good things about it!
An experience for life in Tibet thanks to guide Gyaltsen
It is my pleasure to write this review about our trip with guide Gyaltsen in Tibet. It was our second trip to this fascinating country and culture. We – my wife, daughter and me – were interested in the history, culture and religion of Tibet and in its amazing landscape and nature. During 10 days we experienced numerous impressions, which widened our horizon and view on life. Landscapes of breath-taking beauty, monasteries full of history and culture, and kind and hospitable Tibetan people will stay in our mind for the rest of our life. From Lhasa we traveled to Gyantse and further Shigatse, finally reaching Everest base camp, passing through ancient towns and villages, monasteries, valleys and mountains of the Himalaya.
Gyaltsen is a highly educated young man with a deep knowledge of the history and cultural background of his home country. He is very kind, always helpful, respects the wishes of his tour guests and speaks perfectly English. He flexibly adapted the tour to our wishes and did his best fulfil our expectations in this visit to Tibet – getting a deep insight into culture, religion, history and Tibetan everyday life, and experience the landscape of the Himalaya mountains. Dr. Werner Nader and family, Hamburg, Germany
A must visit
It was with great experienced having the private tour with Mr.Gaps. Realizing the much differences between Tibetan and others. So much mysteries to know about. We were having a birthday party too!
It is a peaceful and tranquil place everyone dreams of. Away from the hustle and bustle of cities, people go round chasing something unrealistic.
Mr.Gaps is very kind to provide me a local traditional medicine for my headache ?
I would love to go back with more adventure activities…. definately will look for Mr.Gaps!
Rongbuk Temple Meditation Liberation
Gaps is very humble and helpful, thoughtful and insightful, and able to flavour a tour in quite a unique manner, catering even to spiritual desire. It was Gaps that introduced me to Lama Acu Sangye at the foot of Mount Everest. And I have him to thank for such an enlightening experience.
The meeting of Lama Acu, in the darkness of the southernmost Rongbuk Temple meditation cave at the foot of Everest 16,900 feet above sea level was both the geographical and spiritual apex of my Himalayan pilgrimage through China, India, Ladakh, Nepal and Tibet – but it was nothing that he said and nothing that he did.
Lama Acu lead me to the inner chamber of the cave complex and we sat and meditated.
While the world without was wrestling with real and imagined acts of terror and occupation, I was wrestling with a very personal subjugation, heightened by a re-reading of the 14th century Nyingma text revealed by Karma Lingpa known as the Bardo Thodol or the Tibetan Book of the Dead or Liberation through Hearing During the Intermediate State.
After meditating with Acu for some time in the relative warmth of the temple cave, I decided to go on my way. Climbing up the stone steps, back out to the surface I was struck by a truly profound realisation.
I was stood at the very foot of the tallest peak in the world – and yet somehow I had forgotten this completely while inside the cave. It occurred to me then all of a sudden that if I was able to ignore such a physical colossus, it must be possible to ignore anything that I encounter – physically or mentally. And that, quite simply, was the realisation, that was the liberation.
TOUR INQUIRY
TREKKING IN TIBET
ABOUT TIBET TOURS
PACK ANIMALS AND YAKS
For most of our trekking tours, we use yaks to carry heavy items that we don't use during the day. Yaks are walking very fast. Usually, we will see them in the morning and in the evening when we reach our campsite. It allows hikers to carry only the day pack with small amounts of necessities and some snacks and water.
On some trekking tours, we can use horses. Horses can carry lighter loads, but a horse can walk alone with a horseman, while yaks only walk in groups.
CARS IN TIBET
For our group tours, we use a variety of cars depending on group size and weather conditions. On some of the days, we will be driving long hours and we are trying to arrange the most comfortable car for your journey.
Here you will find photos and descriptions of cars: Transportation in Tibet
ADD EXPERIENCES
PREPARE FOR YOUR TRIP
TOURS YOU MIGHT LIKE
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Both group and private tours are available
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