The Ganden Monastery was built in early 15th century under the supervision of Zonggaba, the founder of the Gelug Sect. Ganden means happiness and contentedness in Tibetan. It is one of the three great monasteries in Lhasa and one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug Sect. This package is designed for people who are Buddhists, Believers or 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 12:30pm and 4pm daily.
Day 2: Lhasa (B)
Pickup from hotel at 8:00am. 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.
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.
Day 4: Lhasa to Ganden Monastery (B)
Coach tour to see the famous Buddhist Monastery in Tibetan history -
Ganden Monastery.
Ganden Monastery is at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Dagzê County at an altitude of 4,300m. Its full name is Ganden Namgyal Ling (dga' ldan rmam rgyal gling). Ganden means "joyful".
Ganden Monastery is one of the "great three" Gelug university monasteries of Tibet, China. It was founded in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa, founder of the Gelug order. The name "Gelug" is an abbreviation of "Ganden Lug", meaning "Ganden Tradition". The Ganden Tripa or "throne-holder of Ganden" is the head of the Gelug school.
The largest chapel was capable of seating 3,500 monks. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama (born 1935), took his final degree examination in Ganden in 1958 and he claims to feel a particularly close connection with Tsongkhapa.
Day 5: Depart (B)
The airport shuttle bus leaves at 7:30am and 11am from downtown Lhasa. You'll be picked up from your hotel lobby and transferred to the airport. Actual pickup time will be informed by your tour guide.
Fixed Departure Dates in 2019
Apr: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28
May: 2, 4, 6, 9, 13, 16, 18, 20, 24, 26, 28, 30
Jun: 1, 4, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 22, 24, 28, 30
Jul: 4, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30
Aug: 1, 5, 9, 12, 17, 20, 24, 28
Sep: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, 26, 28, 30
Oct: 2, 4, 7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24, 28, 30
Nov: 3, 7, 11, 18, 22, 27
Dec: 2, 6, 13, 20, 25, 30
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).