9 Days Easy Tibet Tour with Shalu to Nartang Hiking

Tour Overview

Not far away from the Friendship Highway, this 9 days Tibet Tour with Shalu to Nartang Hiking follows the ancient trade route between two great Buddhist monasteries, the Shalu...

Code of Tour: YCT0000003177

Length of Travel: 9 Day

Destinations of Tour: Lhasa - Tsedang - Yamdrok Lake - Gyantse - Trekking for 3 days - Shigatse - Lhasa

Departure City: Lhasa

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: Nature Hiking Culture Minority Landscape

More Map & Picture

Not far away from the Friendship Highway, this 9 days Tibet Tour with Shalu to Nartang Hiking follows the ancient trade route between two great Buddhist monasteries, the Shalu Monastery and the Nartang Monastery, while you trek through the route, you can feel the caravans laden with scriptures and treasures that once passed this way. The route passes through several villages as well as uninhabited dry canyons. It is also the shortest Tibet trekking route, just about 15 hours walking, you can divided into 2 or 3 days according to your personal physical condition. The optional walking season is from the beginning of April to the end of October. You will see broad-leaved forest, needle-leaved forest, brushwood, Alpine meadow, Alpine desert, permanent snow zone, majestic snow-capped mountains and glaciers on the way.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Lhasa Arrival
• Day 2: Lhasa
• Day 3: Lhasa
• Day 4: Lhasa-Gyantse
• Day 5: Gyantse-Upper Lungsang
• Day 6: Upper Lungsang-Ngor Monastery
• Day 7: Nor Monastery-Shigatse
• Day 8: Shigatse-Lhasa
• Day 9: Lhasa Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival-Lhasa(3650m)

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrival-Lhasa(3650m)
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:None

Arrive by flight or train to Lhasa. Upon arrival in the Lhasa Gongar airport or the Lhasa train station, you will be met by your tour guide and driven to Lhasa downtown. Have a rest in Lhasa to acclimatize the high altitude.
Overnight in Lhasa

Day 2 Lhasa 

Sightseeing and Activities:Potola Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast,Lunch

In the morning, we are about to visit the famous Potala palace and explore the grandest of this myriad chapels, and you will experience its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

Day 3 Lhasa 

Sightseeing and Activities:Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast,Lunch

Today, you will visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung Monastery was situated at the foothill of a mountain and was once home to 10000 monks and Ganden podrang in Drepung was famous for its role as the governmental centre during the fifth dalai lama and later was moved to the famous Potala Palace during the fifth dalai lama.

Day 4 Lhasa-Gyantse

Sightseeing and Activities:Yamdrok-tso, Kumbhum Monastery
Accommodation:Gyantse
Meals:Breakfast,Lunch

Driving towards Yamdrok-tso and Gyantse Kumbhum Monastery (300km) running through a black asphalt highway. It is better to leave early in the morning and in about one and half hour way, From the top of Mt.Gangbala, you can see the fabulous shade of deep torquoise. Yamdrok-tso is shaped like coiling scorpion with deep blue in colour. Leaving yamdrok-tso is a spectacular as arriving, since you have to cross the 4960m karo-la with its awesome roadside views of the Nanchan- Kangtsang glacier. then reached to our day’s final destination Gyantse, visit Kubum monastery which is 35m-high chorten(stupa) with its white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and its crown-like golden dome, is awe-inspiring. you can visit every chambers in the monastery. Overnight in Gyantse.

Day 5 Gyantse/Shalu Monastery(3980m)/ upper Lungsang(4060m), (trekking 5 -6 hours, 14km)

Sightseeing and Activities:Gyantse/Shalu Monastery(3980m)/ upper Lungsang(4060m), (trekking 5 -6 hours, 14km)
Accommodation:Camping
Meals:Breakfast,Lunch

Drive to Shalu Monastery from Gyantse by 49km asphalt road.Visit Shalu Monastery,which is the seat of Buton Rinchendrub(1290-1346) who was the great codifier of the tibetan translations of the Indian Buddhist canon. Then start trekking in the afternoon to Upper Lungsang. Camping tonight.

Day 6 Upper Lungsang/ Ngor Monastery, (trekking 4hours, 8km)

Sightseeing and Activities:Upper Lungsang/ Ngor Monastery, (trekking 4hours, 8km)
Accommodation:Camping
Meals:Breakfast,Lunch

Trek through the farming fields to the Ngor village, the Ngor Monastery is renowned for its Sanskrit library and Newar-style murals. There were once five assembly halls, 18 colleges and 400 monks, but presently there are only 25 monks. Camping tonight.

Day 7 Ngor Monastery/Nartang Monastery Shigatse, (trekking 5hours, 18km)

Sightseeing and Activities:Ngor Monastery/Nartang Monastery Shigatse, (trekking 5hours, 18km)
Accommodation:Shigatse
Meals:Breakfast,Lunch

Trekking from Ngor to Nartang by passing several villages, saddles, and one electric utility. After arriving at Nartang Monastery, our driver will pick you up to Shigatse. Overnight at Shigatse.

Day 8 Shigatse-Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Tashilunpo Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast,Lunch

We spend about 4 hours to drive back to Lhasa from Shigatse, on the way, we will visit the largest Monastery in west Tibet, the Tashilunpo Monastery, as the last but famous historic sites for your Tibet tour. Tashilunpo Monastery is one of the the six great Gelukpa institutions and was founded in 1447 by a disciple of Tsongkapa, Genden drup who was first dalai lama. Jamkhang Chenmo, containing the world’s largest gilded copper image(26m high) of future god Jampa. Drive along the Friendship Highway back to Lhasa. Overnight in Lhasa.

Day 9 Lhasa airport dropping off

Sightseeing and Activities:Lhasa airport dropping off
Accommodation:None
Meals:Breakfast

Lhasa airport/Train station dropping off, end the service. On the other hand, if you prefer to stay longer in Tibet, you can extend your trip to other parts of China like Gyantse,Shigatse, Everest Base Camp,etc. – if you need, please ask us.

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
• All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
• Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;
• Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver; vehicle ranging from 4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on your group size;
• All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel or budget hostel, guesthouse or tent. Please tell us your accommodation preference when submitting the enquiry; we will arrange the best-value hotels for you.
• Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary;
• All meals listed in the above itinerary.

Service Excluded:

• International flight to and out of China;
• Chinese visa (Note: we could help you with the Chinese visa application, like providing the invitation letter, presenting the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies, etc that you may need. )
• Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary. (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.)
• Meals not specified in the itinerary; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Tips and gratitude to tour guide and driver;
• 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:

1. 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.)

2. Available Months to Visit Tibet

Generally speaking, May to early October is the best time to for a Mount Kailash trip. July and August are the peak season and rainy season. It may be too cold to travel in Kailash area from November to March. There is usually heavy snow. The conditions in Namtso Lake and Mount Everest area are quite similar with Kailash. While other places like Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse are suitable for travel all year around.

3. 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.

4. 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. Kathmandu also has several flights to Lhasa each week.

If you a train travel, you can take a train to from Beijing(40.5hrs), Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs).

5. 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.