Holy Lhasa plus Sky Lake Tour

Detailed Itinerary of the Holy Lhasa plus Sky Lake Tour

Day 1 Arrival and acclimatization

Highlights: No visiting today, better take rest in hotel.

Schedule:

Arrive at Lhasa train station or airport, your guide and driver will pick you up there in person with a warm Tibetan style welcome ceremony by presenting you Khata and afterwards transfer you to the hotel, suggest you stay at hotel to have good rest for better acclimatization.

Day 2 Sightseeing in Lhasa

Highlights: Potala Palace, Johkang Temple, Barkhor Street

Schedule:

In the morning, visit Lhasa's landmark-Potala Palace, in which myriad chapels, audience halls, Buddhist frescoes, Thangkas, combinations of Mandela, figures of the Buddha stored. In the afternoon, visit the Johkang Temple, the center of Tibetan Buddhism, built during Songtsen Gonpo's reign by princess Wencheng of the Tang dynasty, 647 A.D. After the Johkang Temple, we will start a circular pilgrim route along Barkhor Street where you can purchase traditional Tibetan and Nepalese artifacts, religious implements, antiques, books, music instrument, Thangkas, and etc.

Day 3 Lhasa - Namtso Lake - Dangxiong (300km)

Highlights: Nomad views, Namtso Lake (sunset)

Schedule:

In the morning after breakfast around 9 AM, our guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel, and then drive north towards the Sky Lake of Namtso. The landscapes from Lhasa to Namtso Lake are impressive. After passing Yangpachen, Nyenchen Thanglha snow mountain ranges stands left all the way, at the foot of the mountain is vast grassland. In summer (May to August), the nomads settle down on grassland with their tents, flocks of sheep and yaks here and there. Namtso Lake is 1 of 4 holy lakes in Tibet and also the highest salt lake (alt.5000 meters), which earns its name as Sky Lake. Sometimes, you could see pilgrim do a kora around this holy lake, and hiking around the lake and Tashi Island is very enjoyable. The sunset and night views by the lake is so amazing that attract many photographers each year. Then we will drive back to Dangxiong county for stay overnight.( From Arpil 2019, all the guesthouse near Namsto Lake had been removed and people cannot stay overnight near the lakeside anymore)

Day 4 Dangxiong-Lhasa-Sera Monastery

Highlights:Debating at Sera Monastery

Schedule:

in the morning, we will drive back to Lhasa. In the afternoon, you will have a chance to watch the famous scripture debating among monks at Sera Monastery which is one of three main Gelug monasteries in Lhasa.

Day 5 Departure transfer

Schedule:

Your guide and driver will transfer you to the airport or train station, tour ends.