7 Days Lhasa Shoton Festival Tour 2024 Request

Full Itinerary Day by day (Can Be Customized)

Day 1 Lhasa Arrival

Welcome to Tibet, the holy land of Tibetan Buddhism! Your tour guide will pick you up at the airport arrival hall and escort you to your downtown hotel in Lhasa while you enjoy the stunning views along the Yarlong Tsangpo River.

After check in, the rest of the day is for you to acclimate to the high altitude and weather of Lhasa. Avoid strenuous physical activities during this first day since that may cause high altitude sickness.

Orientation Tips: 1) avoid vigorous activities but do take some leisurely walks in the city to acclimatize to the air and high altitude of Lhasa city (altitude of 3,600m); 2) do not drink liquor in the arrival day, instead plenty of water and fruits are recommended.

Day 2 Lhasa ( B )

After breakfast, start an incredible day of exploration in Lhasa city. The grandiose Potala Palace will be the first site to discover. After more than 1300 years of historical changes, this colossal palace still dominates the skyline of Lhasa city. The Palace is the political and religious center of Tibet and has served as the governance and preaching site for the Dalai Lama. Climbing up the sacred steps to the Red Palace and White Palace you will explore their marvelous interiors full of exquisite Thangkas, numerous Buddha statues, vivid wall paintings, and other works of Buddhist art.

In the afternoon, first visit the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet, Jokhang Temple, where the 12-year-old-like Shakyamuni statue is consecrated. With a history stretching over 1,300 years, this temple combines the architectural styles of Tibet, China, Nepal and India. As a spiritual center of Tibet, Jokhang Temple attracts hundreds of devoted pilgrims to worship there every day. Outside the door of Jokhang Temple is the famous pilgrimage circle, Barkhor Street, where you can join faithful Tibetans in colorful attires walking the circle around Jokhang Temple.

Tips for today: 1) wear suitable headgear and glasses to protect you from strong sunlight, but do not wear any hat while visiting inside the Tibetan monasteries; 2) photography is not allowed inside the chapels of monasteries; 3) have your passport with you all the time.

Day 3 Lhasa Shoton festival ( B )

Get up at early morning, then drive to school of the Dalai Lamas - Drepung Monastery where you will witness the grand opening of the Lhasa Shoton Festival. Firstly you will see the exhibition of a massive Buddha thangka tapestry that covers the entire hillside. Then other interesting activities get started.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Sera Monastery, if you are lucky you can watch the debate of scripture of Lamas in the monastery.

Day 4 Lhasa Shoton Festival - Damxung ( B )

After breakfast, we start our day with a visit to the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas and also the largest Tibetan garden – Norbulingka Park. The luxuriant trees and flowers, cool ponds and comfortable palaces make Norbulingka the best place for a summer retreat. Here, you have chance to enjoy the most authentic Tibet Opera, some featured local food and some sports game like yaks racing, etc, and goods exchanges.

In the late afternoon, drive 170km to Damxung to expect for the Horse Racing Festival in the following day.

Day 5 Damxung Horse Racing Festival ( B )

On this day you will experience the Damxung Horse Racing Festival. The herdsman, especially the young girls and boys would collect here and chase for their lovers with singing and dancing. A large variety of interesting activities will attract you as well, such as horse racing, yak racing, toxophily on horseback, hada-picking on horseback, Tibetan-style weight lifting, push-and-pull, stone-moving, Tibetan costume performance etc.

Day 6 Namtso – Lhasa ( B )

Only exploring the exotic culture of Tibet is not enough, you also have to enjoy its natural beauty. So today, drive to the picturesque Namtso Lake which is about 80km from Damxung.

Namtso Lake, in Tibetan, means “the Heaven Lake”. It covers more than 1,920 square kilometers shaping lake a rectangle, and locates about 4,718 meters above the sea level, which makes Namtso the highest lake in the world. The pure water waves slightly under the pure and blue sky. Along the shore are enormous well-proportioned Mani stones. The colorful prayer flags hanged on the hills and monasteries make Namtso Lake holy and mysterious. A lot huge stones have existed along the Namtso for thousands years, and are related to some beautiful Tibetan stories. Namtso Lake is also the heaven for animals. It is natural pasture for nomads of northern Tibet. You have chance to see the sheep and yaks grazing leisurely on the grassland. Famous as one of three holy lakes in Tibet, Namtso lake is also a popular place for pilgrimage and meditation. It is honored as the holy lake both for Tibetan Buddhism and Bön.

After the sightseeing, drive back to Lhasa. (Optional: if you want, you can spend a night there to watch amazing sunset and sunrise. But this arrangement needs you add one extra day to your tour.)

Tips of today: 1) Get well prepared for the high altitude(nearly 5,000m); 2)The weather is changeable. Rains, hail and snow usually come unexpectedly. So bring both thick and portable clothes with you. Also bring sunglasses and sun cream to prevent from strong sunlight and ultraviolet ray

Day 7 Lhasa Departure ( B )

Today is free for you until your driver transfer you to catch your flight (or train) leaving Tibet. Please check your luggage and make sure everything is packed, and then check out from your hotel before 12pm.

The quotation for this trip is from Request Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

How Our Teams Serve you at China Discovery

"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.

Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant

Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!

After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.

Local Tour Guides

Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.

Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.

Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!

Local Drivers & Vehicle

Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!

Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.

Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!

Comfortable & Homelike Hotels

In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!

The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.

If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.

Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.

Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!

Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services

Hi Wonder,

I apologize for the delayed response as I've been occupied with work.

In response to your query, here are my feedback:

1. Is your travel consultant of our company fast enough to answer your E-mail and patient enough to answer your questions?
Absolutely, you were incredibly prompt in responding to my numerous queries and helped ensure a smooth trip planning process.

2. How is tour arrangement, including the drivers,tour guides,hotels,etc?
The trip was fantastic. Our guide, Jerry, was exceptional and extremely knowledgeable, making our visit to Huangshan truly memorable.

3. Would you like to recommend our company?
Certainly. I will wholeheartedly recommend China Discovery to friends and family planning future trips to China

Regards,

Alvin

Alvin‚ Singapore, April 15, 2024

Hi Samantha,

yes we had a good time at the panda volunteer program. Thanks for helping us to arrange it.

Isaac

Isaac ‚ Singapore, April 14, 2024

Hi Rita,

Thank you very much for organizing the tour. We enjoyed it a lot. We also had been quite lucky with the weather in Jiuzhaiguo. Colors of the lakes has been fantastic. I still owe you the feedback - it will take some time as I’m quite busy now. But we already filled the feedback forms with the guides. Thanks to Jason and Michael nd they has asking me about my tour. I hv recommend them to contact you.

Uwe

Uwe‚ Germany, April 13, 2024

Hi Samantha,

we had such a great time in Guilin and had a great experience with our tour guide Lynn! Thank you. It has been wonderful so far! We are very pleased with the tour.

Qiuqiu

Qiuqiu‚ USA, April 13, 2024

Hi Wonder,

Feedback as follows:

1. Yes, the travel consultant is very prompt in responding to queries etc

2. All the arrangements are excellent, no complaints at all, the tour guides are very knowledgeable and helpful and courteous.

3. Definitely, already recommended to some of my friends who are planning to go to China this year.

Winnie

Winnie‚ Malaysia, April 12, 2024

Check What our customers are saying about us on Tripadvisor.com

We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years

ashok a

"We are a group of 4 family members.All senior citizens from United States. We requested Jack Li from China Discovery to design a 20 days custom tour to visit and experience Shanghai, Zhangjiajie..." read more »

Reviewed on April 22, 2024

ashok a

"We are a group of 4 family members.All senior citizens from United States. We requested Jack Li from China Discovery to design a 20 days custom tour to visit and experience Shanghai, Zhangjiajie..." read more »

Reviewed on April 22, 2024