The Samye Monastery was built in 761 when the 5th Tobu King Chisong Duosan sent envoys to Kashmir and India to invite famous lamars to teach Buddhism in Tibet. It is said that the monastery was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt three hundred years as the residence of the 6th Dalai Lamar. This 4-Night Lhasa and Samye Monastery group tour is designed for people who have interest for Tibetan architecture and Buddhism.
Note: Your local tour operator will apply for a TTP for you (minimum 15 days lead time) and send it to one of the local offices for you to collect. Office locations include Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin, Chengdu, Kunming, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Changsha, Nanning and Macau. Please advise which city office is convenient for you upon booking. TTP can also be delivered by Express Mail Service to your hotel in mainland China.
What to expect
Day 1: Lhasa
Meet your tour guide at the Lhasa airport. The airport shuttle bus leaves Lhasa Airport at 12:30 & 16:00.
Overnight in Lhasa Gang-Gyan Hotel (4 star)
Day 2: Lhasa (B)
Hotel pickup at 8:00. You'll visit the UNESCO-listed
Potala Palace, a focal point for Tibetan Buddhism and home to the Dalai Lama for many centuries, You'll also explore the 1300-year-old
Jokhang Temple with its sacred golden Buddha, the spiritual epicenter of Tibetan Buddhism. Free time on
Barkhor Street.
Overnight in Lhasa Gang-Gyan Hotel (4 star)
Day 3: Lhasa (B)
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 is famous for its debates.
Overnight in Lhasa Gang-Gyan Hotel (4 star)
Day 4: Lhasa to Samye Monastery (B)
Coach tour along the Yarlung Tsangpo River for 3 hours to see the first Buddhist Monastery in Tibetan history - Samye Monastery.
Yarlung Tsangpo River
Yarlung Tsangpo is the upper stream of Brahmaputra River that flows through its origin, Tibet, known by its Tibetan name. It is the highest major river in the world.
Samye Ferry
Samye Monastery is located in the north bank of Yarlung Tsangpo River. You need to cross the river by taking Samye Ferry with locals. Then walk about 1 mile to reach the Monastery.
Samye Monastery
Samye Monastery was first built in AD 775 by King Trisong Detsen. It was the first monastery in Tibet to worship the three Buddhist jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
The Samye Monastery is laid out on the shape of a giant mandala, with the main temple representing the legendary Mount Meru in the centre. Other buildings stand at the corners and cardinal points of the main temple, representing continents and other features of tantric Buddhist cosmology.
Overnight in Lhasa Gang-Gyan Hotel (4 star)
Day 5: Depart (B)
Airport shuttle bus leaves at 07:30 and 11:00 from downtown Lhasa. Pickup from your hotel lobby.
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
Oct: 24
Nov: 20, 23
Dec: 4, 7, 11, 14, 18
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).