5 Days Lhasa and Yamdrok Lake Small Group Tour

Tour Overview

This 5-day Lhasa and Yamdrok Lake tour covers the major tourist sites of Lhasa City: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Bakor street, Drepung monastery and Sera monastery, and you can...

Code of Tour: YCT0000003565

Length of Travel: 5 Day

Destinations of Tour: Lhasa

Departure City: Lhasa

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: Nature Culture History Minority Landscape

More Map & Picture

This 5-day Lhasa and Yamdrok Lake tour covers the major tourist sites of Lhasa City: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Bakor street, Drepung monastery and Sera monastery, and you can see the one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet, Yamdrok-tso lake at an altitude of 4400m above sea level with a stunning view of holy Mt Nyenchen Khangsar and rich pasture land of local herdsmen.

Highlights

• Go down into the bowels of the Potala Palace, the impressive but spiritless citadel of the Dalai Lamas;
• Join the shuffling, murmuring pilgrims around the shrines of the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual heart of Tibet;
• Follow monks, mendicants and fellow pilgrims around the Barkhor Street, Lhasa’s fascinating medieval pilgrim circuit;
• Take in a prayer meeting or some monk debating at Sera and Drepung Monastery, two of the largest and most intact of
• Tibet’s great monasteries;
• Marvel at the turquoise waters of Yamdrok-tso Lake, one of Tibet’s most sacred lakes.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1 Lhasa Arrival
• Day 2 Lhasa
• Day 3 Lhasa
• Day 4 Lhasa-Yamdrok Lake-Lhasa
• Day 5 Lhasa Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Lhasa Arrival

Sightseeing and Activities:Train station or airport pick-up, Lhasa city tour
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals: none

When you arrive in Lhasa either by train or flight, your guide will greet you and take you to your hotel. Tourists may view the Yarlung Tsangpo River/ Bhamaputra river (the Longest and largest river in Tibet) and Lhasa river on their way to Lhasa.

After arriving in Lhasa, you can take a rest and get acclimatized to high altitude. If you feel to go out, then you can go to the Potala Square, where you will enjoy the fountain with different colors and get amazing photos of the Potala and around.

Insider Tips:
For the new-comers of Tibet,  to get acclimatized to the high altitude in Tibet. Having a good sleep in your hotel is a good option. Don not rush to visit attractions inside Lhasa city.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 2 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Potala Palace, Jokhang and Barkhor street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast

Today’s tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace which is the winter palace of the Dalai lama. It was put to use since the 7th Century by the 33rd great king of Tibet. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.

Then after lunch, tourists head to Jokhang Temple which was founded by the 33rd great king of Tibet in the 7th century. Inside you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve. Outside, you can see pilgrims making prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple. Around the temple is Barkhor Street, where you can do kora (a religious circle of a building or mountain) with pilgrims and locals, and explore the old market.

Besides, We can taste Tibetan tea with locals in tea house; The welcome dinner will also be arranged accordingly;

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 3 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Drepung Monastery/Sera Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast

In the morning ,you are going to visit Drepung Monastery which is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet, founded in 1416 by Jamyang choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. You can visit biggest monastery kitchen inside the monastery and enjoy Buddhist Sculpture Carving workshop near Drepung. 

In the Afternoon, Tourists will visit Sera Monastery which is another one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet. The hot attraction is the Monks debate at around 3 – 5 in the afternoon. In addition, you can tour  the Tibetan religious scripture printing house; inside the monastery, you can see three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Painting of Buddha.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 4 Lhasa-Yamdrok Lake-Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Gampala pass, Yamdrok-tso Lake, Mount Nyenchen Khangsar
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast

Today, we have to drive from Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake. On the way, the group will pass over the Gampala pass (4790 m),and tourists will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso Lake (4400m) .The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountain and in the distance you have spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m), the highest mountain near Lhasa.

Then we will drive downhill to the lake and enjoy the free walk at the lake shore before heading back to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 5 Lhasa Departure

Sightseeing and Activities:Depart from Lhasa
Accommodation:none
Meals:breakfast

The guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you on board.

Recommended Hotels

Quotations

Service Included:

• Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
• All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as specified in the itinerary;
• Local tour Transfers, 5-29 seats comfortable Tourist Vehicle according to Group Size.;
• Knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide shared in your group;
• Comfortable Hotel Accommodations;
• Service Charge & Government Taxes;
• The above tour price does not include single room supplement. If you are a solo traveler, you need to share one room with another tourist (same sex in most cases); if you prefer to stay in one room by yourself, you will have to pay the single room supplement. And the exact price depends on market fluctuation in high and off season of Tibet tour. For the exact price, please refer to your travel consultant.
• Arrangements include planning, handling, operational and communication charges.
• Welcome Dinner in local restaurant when group members meet in Lhasa
• Free Airport shuttle transfer between Lhasa Gongar airport and Hotel on designated time.
• Group tours only include a welcome dinner after your arrival in Tibet.
• Tibet Handy Map
• Drinking water Provided during the trip
• One shared big Oxygen tank in the car;
• Tourist accident/casualty insurance;

Service Excluded:

• International flight to and out of China;
• Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price, please contact us our travel experts for the details.)
• Lunches and dinners are not included, please pay on site by yourself.; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Tips to tour guide and driver, you are suggested to tip them 7 USD/day in total.;
• Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.

Travel Tips:

Useful Trip Notes

1. What Are the Features of Our Group Tours
Our Group Tours are budget tour packages with great service which have covered the most popular destinations in Tibet with reasonable trip lengths. Joining in our group tours, you will choose your travel dates from our fixed departures and travel in a small group with maximum members of 12 people.

2. Tibet Permits
There are several permits required to visit Tibet. Tibet Entry Permit, issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, is the most important one which has to be obtained before your trip because you must have it to take your flight/train to Tibet. To get the permit, you have to book a Tibet tour with us, and send us your passport and Chinese visa about 20 days in advance, and then let us apply for the permit (all Tibet permits can only be applied by travel agency). If you travel to other prefectures like Shigatse, Nyingchi, Shannan, etc, you also have to obtain an Alien Travel Permit. If you travel to Mount Everest, you have to obtain a Border Permit. (Tibet Discovery, with office in Lhasa, has always kept up with the latest news on Tibet Permits. Traveling with us, all your permits are guaranteed as long as you are qualified to the requirements.)

3. Available Months to Visit Tibet
Generally speaking, you can travel to Lhasa all year around. But months from April to October are more recommended. If you want to extend your trip to other regions, such as Shigatse, Mount Everest, Namtso, Ngari, etc, you are suggested to visit during April to October. Other months are usually very cold, and possible have heavy snow, especially in regions like Mount Everest, Mount Kailash, Namtso Lake, etc.

4. High Altitude Sickness
The average altitude of Tibet is about 4000 meters above the sea level (Lhasa: 3700m; EBC: 5200m; Namtso: 4718m). You may suffer a bit from High Altitude Sickness in the beginning days of your Tibet trip if you haven’t had rich high plateau travel experience. But don’t worry too much, the high altitude can be acclimatized usually in 2~3 days. Our suggestion is to take a physical examination and get suggestions from your doctor, and also bring some medicines to prevent from High Altitude Sickness before your trip. While in Tibet, you should keep warm all the time, avoid strenuous activities, drink more water and eat more vegetables and carbohydrates. You’d better not take showers during the first two days after your arrival at Tibet. If you don’t feel well, get help from your tour guide or go to the hospital without any delay.

5. How to Go to Tibet
Basically you have two options – flight and train. Currently, you can take a flight to Lhasa from Beijing(4.5hrs), Xian(3.7hrs), Chengdu(2.5hrs), Chongqing(3hrs), Kuming(3hrs), etc. Among all these cities, Chengdu and Xian have more frequent flights to Lhasa. You can also fly to Lhasa from Kathmandu(1.5hrs) .Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs).

6. Packing and Wearing Ideas
Firstly you can’t forget your passport and Chinese Visa. A large backpack and a smaller one are recommended (the smaller one can be used for daily activities). Also bring the necessary medicine you need. Other stuffs like sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block are recommended.

As for wearing, you are suggested to dress in layers (both thin and thick jackets). Down jacket is necessary in Spring and Autumn. A pair of durable and comfortable shoes is necessary.