7 Days Lhasa Shigatse Gyantse Tibetan Culture Private Tour

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 ( 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. Then drive about 5 km westward to Drepung Monastery. This monastery has played a crucial role in Tibet Buddhism as the school of the Dalai Lamas. As you walk along, immense temples and chapels leap to your eyes one after another. In its heyday, more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Various Buddhist rituals are performed in the monastery during festivals, most famous being the ceremony of Buddha Display in the annual Shoton Festival.

We will then visit the featured six hundred year-old Sera Monastery, famous for its grand ceremony of Buddhist debating and its beautiful temples with sensational icons, murals and history.

Tips for today: 1) please follow the Buddhist manners - talk in a low voice, always be respectful of others, reflect on the Buddha's teachings in these holy sites, and remain quiet and respectful when visiting temples 2) be sure to carry some water with you.

Day 4 Lhasa – Gyantse ( B )

Today you will be transferred from Lhasa to Gyantse (5.5-6 hours' drive).

After about 1.5 hours driving from Lhasa, you will get to the famous holy Yamdrok Lake. With an altitude of 4,441 meters, Yamdrok Lake is known as one of the "Three Holiest Lakes", also one of the most beautiful lakes in Tibet. The turquoise pure lake overlies among snow-capped mountains. Surrounding the lake-shores are some peaceful Tibetan villages situating in the flat valleys. Looking to distance, you can still see clearly dotted yaks and sheep grazing on the grassland. Keep driving to next destination Gyantse, and enjoy the views of the grandiose and vast Karola Glacier.

After arrival in Gyantse, you will take a visit to the landmark of Gyantse Palcho Monastery. It is a traditional Tibetan monastery which is a fusion of Han, Tibetan and Nepali architecture, and has both temples and stupa. Palcho Monastery’s symbol is its Kumbum Stupa which is famous for having 100,000 figures of Buddhist statue in the chapels, niches and wall paintings of Kumbum. Lastly, go to climb up to the Dzong Fortress to enjoy the panoramic views of Gyantse city.

Accommodate at Gyantse City.

Tips of today: 1) pack some food and drinks for long driving of today; 2) wear suitably to protect yourself from strong sunlight, wind and possible cold.

Day 5 Gyantse – Shigatse ( B )

This morning, you will be taken to visit a spectacular site where you will have a clear insight of old living condition a hundred years ago - Pala Manor which was a private manor of Pala Family, a celebrated aristocrat during 17th ~19th century. The hosts lived in bright, large and luxury room, and enjoyed expensive furnitures and imported luxuries, such as OMEGA Watch, LV Purse, Wine, etc. While serfs, as the private property of Pala family, did all the farming and raised livestock for hots, but lived in dark crude room and caves. All the houses and rooms of both aristocrats and serfs remains well.

After visiting Pala Manor, you will drive about 2.5 hours to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. After arrival, go to explore the famous Tashilhunpo Monastery. It was built in 1447 of Ming Dynasty by the disciple of Buddhism master Tsongkhapa, then became the Buddhism center of Tsang region. It has been the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas who is one of two most powerful leaders of Buddhists in Tibet. Tashilhunpo Monastery is surrounded by 3000-meter-long wall. The whole monastery was constructed against the background of mountain, facing to the sun. There are 58 sutra chapels and about 3600 rooms. In Tashilhunpo Monastery, you can see many erected buildings with golden glazed tiles, interlaced red walls and white walls and Thangka Exhibit Platform. You can also meet these pilgrims from afar.

Accommodate at Shigatse City.

Day 6 Shigatse – Lhasa ( B )

Today, you will return back to Lhasa(about 5 hours). Enjoy the fantastic landscape of the valley and snow mountain, and get the special feeling of traveling in the outback far from modern civilization. Before arrival at Lhasa city, you will take sidetrips to visit the unique Nyemo Tunba and grand Nyethang Buddha.

Nyemo Tunba is famous as the hometown of Tunmi Sangbusha who invented Tibetan Character and Tibetan Incense during 7th century. There is an exhibition room for travelers to learn about the Tibetan Characters. The most interesting thing is to watch the process of making Tibetan Incense with water mill.

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 $929 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, 2024.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. 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 Customers Say...

Hello Jack.

We loved the cruise, and we were very pleasantly surprised to find some English speaking crew onboard, who gave us special attention.

The boat was almost new, with very high hygiene standards, the food was very good (although maybe a bit oily at times), and the excursions very entertaining and with English speaking guides.

We will not hesitate to recommend it,

Best regards,

Dan

Dan‚ France, November 30, 2023

Hi Jack.

A very big THANK YOU to you and your team for the excellent arrangements you made for me and my husband's vacation in Guangzhou and Guilin.

Everything went smoothly with totally no glitches - the prompt pickup and dropoff at the airport and train station, the beautiful hotels that you booked for us with hassle-free check-in/check-out service, the visits to the interesting tourist attractions, the great lunches (portions are huge!), our first ride on the HSR and the therapeutic cruises along Pearl River and Li River.

Thumbs up to the professional and superb service offered by our driver 江羿师傅 and tour guide 江智玲小姐.

江师傅 is a safe driver. He is always early when picking us up and offers very good suggestions of places to shop and eat. 江小姐 is friendly and approachable and extremely knowledgeable. They both took very good care of me and my husband.

Will definitely book your services again when we next visit China.

With warmest regards

Yvonne

Yvonne‚ Singapore, November 30, 2023

Dear Wonder,

Thank you for planning such a good tour for us - we enjoyed it a lot (though the hiking was tiring)!

The answers are below and sure, happy for it to be put up on your website.

1. Yes, Wonder was very prompt in answering any questions we had and patient to address our concerns.

2. Service was very good. Jessica went out of her way to help us and even let us use her phone to make calls because we had some issues with our hotel in Shanghai. Really appreciate it.

3. Definitely! Willing to recommend

Best regards,

Janice

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Janice ‚ Singapore, November 30, 2023

Hi Rita.

We had a great holiday. Thanks for organizing it. Tashi was an excellent guide and took good care of us. Here is the feedback form.

Akhilesh

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Akhilesh‚ India, November 28, 2023

Thank you Jack,

My elderly parents and I enjoyed our cruise onboard Century Oasis. The sights are beautiful and the attractions well organised.

Joe

Joe ‚ Singapore, November 27, 2023