Lhasa, with its remoteness and impressive heritage of over a thousand years of Tibetan culture and religion, makes it one of the most popular cities in the world that people want to visit. Sandwiched by the colossal mountain ranges to the north and south and located on the north banks of the Lhasa River, Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of P.R.C. and also the center for Tibetan politics, economy, culture, and religion. Located at the southern part of the Tibetan high plateau at an altitude of 3650m above sea level, this city offers amazing and unique landscapes accompanied by views of majestic mountains.
This Explore Lhasa tour takes travelers a step back to ancient times. One can witness the rich Tibetan culture and traditions along with the unique lifestyles and mystifying rituals during their tour in Lhasa. There are lots of traditional and ethnic places to be visited during this tour. We visit Jokhang Temple (known as the house of wisdom) Barkhor Street, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, and the Grand Potala Palace are some of the highlights of this city tour. There is a lot to learn and explore in this city. One can spend quality time exploring this city's history and understanding the unique lifestyle of its people. Touring this city is a learning experience in itself. So, if you are seeking a holiday cum adventure cum learning tour then Tour to Lhasa city is the perfect option for you.
We arrive in Lhasa either from a direct flight from Nepal or via mainland China. If we decide to fly from Nepal, then we get to enjoy a beautiful hour-long trans-Himalayan flight that takes us over Everest (8,848m), Kanchenjunga (8,536m) and other Himalayan peaks and glaciers. If we choose to go to Lhasa via mainland China, we may fly from any of the major Chinese cities or take the world's highest train route to Lhasa. Upon our arrival in Lhasa, a representative from Himalayan Glacier will pick us up either from the airport or the train station for about an hour’s drive to our designated hotel in Lhasa. We are advised to take plenty of rest for the remainder of the day in order to minimize altitude sickness.
Overnight at hotel .
We spend our day visiting several monasteries in Lhasa in the company of a guide and interpreter. One of these is the Sera Monastery in Tibet within its whitewashed walls and golden roofs. After lunch, we visit Norbulingka, a summer palace of the Dalai Lama and the Jokhang Temple, a most sacred shrine in Tibet. Surrounding the Jokhang is the Barkor – a maze of narrow cobbled streets that is the central market of Lhasa.
Overnight at hotel . Breakfast Included
We visit Potala Palace in the morning. It is a palace that dominates the city of Lhasa. It is a spectacular building containing private quarters of the Dalai Lama as well as numerous grand staterooms and many important chapels. There has been a Palace on this site since the 5th or 6th century, but the present Palace was constructed in the 17th century. After lunch, we visit the Drepung Monastery, which was founded in the 14th century. It used to be the largest monastery in the world, with a population of around 10,000 monks. These days the number has fallen down to a hundred.
Overnight at hotel . Breakfast Included
Our tour in the beautiful Lhasa City comes to an end today. There is nothing else to do but stroll around the Lhasa streets, shop for souvenirs or just rest in our hotel room. A representative from Adventure Club Trek will take us to the Lhasa airport for our onward journey.
Note: Your safety is of the utmost concern whilst you are traveling with Adventure Club Trek. We will make every effort possible to follow the original itinerary but we reserve the right to change that itinerary if a segment of it becomes a safety issue. Certain mountain regions are remote, natural disasters can happen, weather conditions can decline and there can be illness or an injury. To avoid dangerous situations we may occasionally have to make changes to the itinerary to ensure everyone’s safety. That having been said, Adventure Club Trek will strive to provide you with the best possible trekking experience and to keep your safety our number one priority. We thank you for your understanding.
Flying out to Tibet requires a Chinese visa and a Tibet Travel Permit which can both be acquired in Kathmandu with the help of a travel company (Tibet via Nepal). A valid visa for China isn't the same as a Tibet Travel Permit. Those with a Chinese traveler visa will at present need to apply for a Tibet travel permit. The permit is still required for remote foreign travelers traveling to Tibet from territory China. To obtain the permit you have to book a guide for your whole trip and pre-organize private transport for trips outside Lhasa. The trip outside Lhasa likewise requires extra permits which are arranged by the travel agent you are going with.
The weather in Tibet is similar to that of Mainland China, though with lower temperatures due to higher altitudes. Summers have warm days with strong sunshine and cool nights, but summer days can even be chilly at higher elevations. Winters are cold but there isn't all that much snow. Lhasa enjoys much sunshine even in winter. Most of Tibet experiences frost at least 6 months of the year. Some high lakes are frozen from October to March. The weather varies a lot from region to region. Lhasa is an ideal destination because it is in a valley area of lower elevation.
We recommend you to go through our following safety guidelines and stay tuned with the latest happenings.