Central Tibet Monastery 6-Day Tour to Lhasa, Gyantse, and Shigatse

Day 1: Lhasa

Airport Pickup.  The airport shuttle bus leaves Lhasa Airport at 12:30 and 16:00.   

Day 2: Lhasa

Your climate-controlled coach or minivan will collect you from your hotel lobby around 8 a.m. to start your Lhasa city tour. You'll visit the UNESCO-listed Potala Palace, a focal point for Tibetan Buddhism and home to the Dalai Lama for many centuries, then wander the alleys and byways around Barkhor Street. You'll also explore the 1300-year-old Jokhang Temple with its sacred golden Buddha, the spiritual epicenter of Tibetan Buddhism.

Day 3: Lhasa

The day begins around 8 a.m. when your climate-controlled transport collects you for more exploration around Lhasa. Today's tour includes two of the “great three” Gelug sect monasteries: Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery. Drepung is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, founded in the fifteenth century on a mountainside. Sera, not far from Lhasa, was famous for its debates.

Day 4: Lhasa – Gyantse – Shigatse 

Your driver will collect you in the morning to drive from Lhasa to Shigatse via the old mountain route. You'll stop at the sacred Yamdrok Lake, pass the striking Karo-La glacier 16,273 feet (4960 meters) above sea level, and visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery in Gyantse. You'll arrive in Shigatse, Tibet's second city and the spiritual home of the Panchen Lama, in the afternoon. Your local operator can recommend a hotel or you can book your own.

Day 5: Shigatse – Lhasa

Check out of your Shigatse hotel early in time for a morning pickup. Visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, one of the oldest and best-preserved Gelug sect monasteries in Tibet, and a must for any student of Tibetan Buddhism: the Panchen Lama has his Summer Palace nearby. You'll take a new but almost equally scenic route back to Lhasa, through the green farmland of the Nyang-chu Valley.

Day 6: Lhasa

The airport shuttle bus leaves at 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. from downtown Lhasa. You'll be picked up from your hotel lobby, and transferred to the bus stop. If you prefer, you may arrange your own hotel-to-airport transfer.

Fixed Departure Dates in 2018

Apr: 1, 4, 9, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29

May:  2, 5, 8, 13, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30

Jun: 3, 6, 11, 13, 17, 20, 24, 26

Jul: 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29

Aug: 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29

Sep: 2, 5, 8, 10, 12, 16, 19, 22, 26, 28, 30

Oct: 17, 21, 24, 28, 30

Nov: 6, 10, 13, 15, 20, 23, 27

Dec: 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25

If your preferred tour date is not in the list, please check with local tour operator if any person has signed up the same day.  A new group will be created if 5 adults sign up for the new tour date eventually (Plan A), or full refund guarantee (plan B).