8-Day Shigatse-Mt.Everest Expedition
Tibet Local Time：10:44:15 GMT+8
Lhasa Weather
Office Hour: 09:00am - 06:00pm, (GMT+8)
Call our professional Tibet tour advisors
+86-23-86915020
Office Hour: 09:00am - 06:00pm, (GMT+8)
Call our professional Tibet tour advisors
+86-23-86915020
(70 kilometers away from the airport and 30 kilometers away from the railway station)
Our local guide will greet you at the airport or the railway station and present you a Hada which would bring you good luck. Then we will set out for the Holy City – Lhasa which has an altitude of 3658 meters. You can take a break for acclimatization in the rest of the day.
We will make a visit to the highest ancient castle style architectural complex above the sea level – Potala Palace (1 hour). It was the residence of the Tibetan Dalai Lamas, as well as the political, educational and religious center of Tibet. It was built in the 7th century during the regime of Songtsen Gampo. Potala Palace is composed of the White Palace and the Red Palace. The main constructions of the Red Palace are the Buddhism stupas and chapels while the White Palace acted as the residence of Dalai Lamas.
In the afternoon, we will pay a visit to the Jokhang Temple (1 hour) which was widely accepted as the spiritual center of Tibet. The precious Statue of 12-year Sakyamuni (the founder of Buddhism) brought to Tibet by Princess of Chinese Tang Dynasty and the statues of some eminent Buddhists are enshrined in the monastery. There are also exquisite murals which present the history and culture of Tibet collected in the monastery. Then we will take a ramble at Barkhor Street (half an hour) which around the Jokhang Temple. There we could experience the traditional culture and daily life of Tibetan.
We will leave Lhasa for Yamdrok Lake through Gambarak Mountain Pass (4780 meters above the sea level) after breakfast. Yamdrok Lake is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. It covers an area of 638 square kilometers with an altitude of 4441 meters. The landscapes of mountains and lakes here tops in southern Tibet. Then we will set out for Shigatse, via Karo-la Glacier and Manla Reservoir. We can also take an overlook of the Zongshan Castles in Gyantse on the way to Shigatse, which is the biggest city in Tsang.
We will visit Tashilhunpo Monastery (1.5 hours) - the residence of Panchen Lamas after breakfast. Tashilhunpo Monastery is the largest monastery in Shigatse Prefecture. It is one of the six great monasteries of Gelug Sect. The biggest bronze statue of Maitreya with a height of 26.2 meters is enshrined in the monastery. Then we will drive to Mt. Everest Base Camp (with an altitude of 5200 meters) via Xegar.
We will make a visit to Rongbuk Monastery – the highest monastery above the sea level. Rongbuk Monastery is a special monastery belongs to Nyingma Sect. Both the monks and nuns live in the monastery. It is 5100 meters above the sea level and is only about 20 kilometers away from the top of Mt. Everest. It is the best place to appreciate the landscape of Mt. Everest. Then we will back to Shigatse via Xegar.
We will back to Lhasa along the international road of China and Nepal after breakfast. We could appreciate the unique valley landscape of Yarlung Zangbo River Valley on our way to Lhasa.
We will pay a visit to Drepung Monastery in the morning. It is one of the three great monasteries of Gelug Sect. It is also the largest monastery in the world. There were more than 10000 Buddhists in the monastery at its heyday.
In the afternoon, we will visit Norbu Lingka – the summer palace of Dalai Lamas. It was constructed in 1740s and covers an area of 0.36 square meters after more than 200 years expansion. It is the largest artificial garden in Tibet with beautiful landscapes and rich historical relics. Finally, we will visit the Tibet Museum, where we could learn the history and culture of Tibet.
We will transfer you to the airport or the railway station after breakfast.
